2005 Dodge Durango

[JamesB]

The CD stacker itself is stuffed ... that's why there are discs jammed in it, but I want the whole Radio/CD mechanism to try grafting a cheap (like $7 delivered cheap) Chinese MP3/FLAC/WMA/WAV player into it. If I can get that modification to work, there's a definite market for coming up with a media player module that will replace all the busted (Mitsubishi made) stackers that Chrysler fitted into the players at their Huntsville aerospace factory.

[JamesB]

Found out that there's a $1500 loss of use car rental coverage on my policy, so picked up a near new Impala yesterday morning. I'll have the car for about 4 weeks or until I get a cheque in my hands from the insurer. It will be a battle to get this rental off nopics when I have to return it.

[JamesB]

May have found a really pristine 2nd Generation Durango with a dead engine (appears to be a Hemi from what I can make out from the badge on the back I can almost make out in the photos) for CAD$1000. While the seller says it's a 2005, the front end styling indicates that it's a "face-lifted" model, so that makes it a 2007–2009. If so, an engine transplant may need some serious parts swapping. The 2006 onwards Hemis had "cylinder deactivation", so I may have to transfer the engine management computer from mine with the engine or add the cam, heads, ignition, and fuel injection from the dead engine to my block. Might be easier to rebuild the dead engine (it's out and disassembled).





I'm trying to get the VIN from the seller so I can feed it into Dodge's VIN lookup site. If he's not forthcoming, then it's about 300km away, so a quick road trip to have a look myself is not out of the question.

If it turns out to be a problem getting bits from 2 different years to work together, and the insurance payout/salvage figures don't add up, then there's another one that's the same year as mine but lower spec trim although with about 2/3 of the kilometers for CAD$2600 about 12 hours away in Quebec. That one I could drive home.

[JamesB]

Just talked to the insurance company.

The book value on the Durango is $5477. I'll also get a refund of the 15% HST (Harmonized Sales Tax = Provincial + Federal GST) on that figure which is $821, for a total of $6298. After my $250 deductible, they'll write me a cheque for $6048.

This isn't bad. I paid $2900 for the Durango, another $435 for HST on that, around $1100 for new tyres and battery, around $1150 to get the rear brakes rebuilt. Add $60 for a new serpentine belt, and the cost of the new lock cylinder, and it's cost me around $5600. 2 years of licensing cost $212 (the remaining year and a bit is transferred to the next vehicle I put the plate on). After adding the cost of the insurance, I put around 40,000 km onto it for virtually nil cost other than fuel.

As for keeping the Durango as a parts donor. The salvage value on the Durango is $684 ... however if I buy back the vehicle, I lose the $821 HST refund as it isn't classified as a sale, so it would cost me a total of $1505 and my payout would be just $4543. Looks like they are getting the Durango (although I might talk to whoever picks it up to see what he'll sell it back to me for).

They've agreed to let me have the rental until Monday.

[mizone]

Found out that there's a $1500 loss of use car rental coverage on my policy, so picked up a near new Impala yesterday morning. I'll have the car for about 4 weeks or until I get a cheque in my hands from the insurer. It will be a battle to get this rental off nopics when I have to return it.

I think that accident may have done something to her common sense of cars. She really likes the Impala. Damn, there's one I suppose.

On a much more serious note, glad she is OK. Can't complain with that payout figure. Maybe go for the running and driving one rather than the headfuck of a broken engine with missing parts.

[JamesB]

Trying to get a response from the guy with the 2005 Durango in Quebec, but so far nothing. It looks like it's got all the factory HD towing gear I want, but I can't be sure until I run the VIN and get the build sheet.

She doesn't like the media player in the Impala, so there's always something.

[JamesB]

Got some prints today from the woman that lives next to the spot that nopics went off. She has been telling her counciller for weeks that if somebody doesn't do somethging about the potholes at the edge of the road, somebody is going to have an accident. The day after nopics' accident, she spoke to her counciller again and within 24 hours, about 50 metres of the road edge had been repaired.



The pole that caused all the damage after the pot-hole had destroyed the wheel, tyre, and steering. It was simply a strain pole, so there were no live wires, but at least the top third of the pole is missing. At the base of the pole is the right side running board.



Gone bush ... when you hit the accelerator instead of the brake, and hold it flat to the floor, you go a long way past the point of the accident.



Recovery process.

[JamesB]

Here's the damage the pot hole did to the rim.

[JamesB]

General consensus from a number of locals is that it is extremely risky to buy from a private seller in Quebec, so I've crossed the Durango I was considering off the list.

I've found another that I've decided I really want (ticks all the MUST HAVE features boxes plus more). It's at a dealer in Quebec, so purchasing will be "less risky" than buying private in Quebec. Drawback is that it is listed for about $1000 more than the settlement cheque (and there'll be another $1000 or so tax on top of that), but it is a 2008 model with about half the kilometers that my 2005 has, and has been independently inspected and certified and comes with a 1 year/20,000 km power train warranty.

[kedderz]

What makes private sale "risky"?

[Sloth]

blue one has some fair rust in it by the lookof the rear qtrs...

[JamesB]

What makes private sale "risky"?

Everybody I've talked to (including a lot of French speaking Acadians) reckon that if you buy a car from a private sale in Quebec, assume it's either an outright stolen vehicle, a re-birth, or has a lien attached to it.

Quebec is rotten from the top down ... politicians on the take, the Hells Angels running much of the "entertainment" areas, and is the Mafia stronghold in Canada. Much of the rest of the province is a bit like dealing with French speaking swedes who consider it part of their birthright to put one over on the Anglos.

[JamesB]

blue one has some fair rust in it by the lookof the rear qtrs...

Mine had similar tell tales of rust staining, but that's moot as I've crossed it off the list. The price is too low for there not to be something dodgy about it.

This is the one I'm currently looking at.

I've gone through the factory build sheet for it and it's got everything I want, plus it comes with a 1 year/20,000km drive train warranty.

[JamesB]

Didn't get any parts removed from the Dodge over the weekend ... combination of an air temperature in the minus teens, with the wind chill in the minus twenties, plus snow, plus a cold. Not a good combination for trying to work on a car in the driveway.

The insurance company has told me that the wrecker that is going to pick up the Dodge was notified mid Friday, so I should expect them to call Monday or Tuesday to arrange a time for the pickup.

Nopics is not happy that the weather also meant that I haven't been able to replace the alternator in her car, so it's not mobile ... and the rental is due to be returned on Tuesday morning.

[irsa76]

Looks like a nicely optioned Durango, someone obviously knew what they wanted when they ordered it. Trailer brake controller and roof basket are nice additions, the fake fender vents and oversize tailpipe less so. For some reason Durango's seem to be fairly popular with HAM operators, and vollie fire/EMS/Sheriff POVs.

[JamesB]

Durango was loaded onto a flat bed this afternoon and is off to the auctions.

Actually getting money out of the insurance company has turned into a fiasco.

Late Friday afternoon, the agent I've been dealing with sent me an email with an attachment that I have to sign, scan, and email back so they can release the funds (plus mail back a physical copy), however the file he sent was not open-able with any office software I have, and he cleverly sent the email just as he was leaving work for the weekend. Eventually I managed to crack it open and discovered that he'd attached a compressed graphic of the company logo, and had forgotten to actually attach the real file. I've been emailing him for most of the week requesting a resend of the file, and just a few minutes ago (Thursday evening here) one of his co-workers sent me the file as the agent had had a family emergency, and hadn't been at work since he left on Friday afternoon. She won't release the cheque until I get the paperwork signed, witnessed and sent back to them. So much for the "you'll have the cheque by Wednesday, so we'll stop the car rental on Tuesday". If I get the cheque by mid next week, I'll be surprised.

[Faux Forg]

Got some prints today from the woman that lives next to the spot that nopics went off. She has been telling her counciller for weeks that if somebody doesn't do somethging about the potholes at the edge of the road, somebody is going to have an accident. The day after nopics' accident, she spoke to her counciller again and within 24 hours, about 50 metres of the road edge had been repaired.

That sounds like negligence to me. Better call Saul.

[JamesB]

That sounds like negligence to me. Better call Saul.

Currently going through the process required to get a copy of the police report. While the clerk at the counter of the police station that handled the incident couldn't legally tell us what was in the report, she did indicate that there appeared to be something in the report that had taken it to a higher than normal level for that kind of incident, and we couldn't get a copy from the station and had to make a formal request to the federal headquarters of the RCMP.

[JamesB]

Insurance cheque turned up a few hours ago (@10AM Fri 24th). What a fiasco. The cheque was issued and dated March 10 (Friday). It apparently arrived on the agent's desk on Tuesday March 14 so he could overnight FedEx it to me to arrive on March 15.

What happened is that between March 10 and March 14, he had a family emergency that required his absence from work until sometime in April. The agent covering for him arranged for FedEx to pick up the cheque in its "extremely urgent/priority overnight" envelope at 2PM on Tuesday March 21 in Ontario, and it was ready for delivery in Nova Scotia by 7AM on the 22nd.

It took over 2 days for the "extremely urgent/priority overnight" envelope to make from the main Nova Scotia FedEx facility to my house (a distance I can drive in 3 hours).

[JamesB]

Looks like a nicely optioned Durango, someone obviously knew what they wanted when they ordered it. Trailer brake controller and roof basket are nice additions

All the factory options except the roof mount DVD are on my must have minimum specifications for a replacement Durango. All I've lost from my old Limited model is key and button controlled 2 place seating/mirrors/pedals/radio memory system, the sub-woofer attached to the premium sound system, and the automatic control for the air-conditioning. Those options are "Limited" trim spec fitment only. The brake controller is something I was going to fit to mine (have the harness kit for the 2005 still packaged up), but the roof basket is an unplanned plus (I have a set of cross bars that I fitted when needed to the 2005).

... the fake fender vents and oversize tailpipe less so.

If the fake vents are just stuck on, then they are gone. If the installation involved body modifications, then I'd refinish them in black.

Judging from the fact that the black Durango has an aftermarket CAI, I suspect that it has been fitted with the same stainless steel aftermarket Magnaflow cat back exhaust system (3 inch pipe and 3.5" tip) that I was looking at to replace the hideous system the previous owner had cobbled together as a home-brew cat back system ... all crappy welding, pipe size adapters, an undersized Magnaflow muffler with in and out pipes that were smaller than the pipes on the factory exhaust, and bits of exhaust pipe he appears to have been salvaged from the factory exhaust he'd removed. Exactly 1 month before nopics wrote off the vehicle, I priced that same Magnaflow exhaust for my Durango at $661.71 + 15% tax delivered, and was ready to place an order.

For some reason Durango's seem to be fairly popular with HAM operators, and vollie fire/EMS/Sheriff POVs.

Lots of posts on the Durango forums about the processes for fitting the lighting and siren systems for emergency response usage.

[JamesB]

Insurance cheque turned up a few hours ago (@10AM Fri 24th). What a fiasco. The cheque was issued and dated March 10 (Friday). It apparently arrived on the agent's desk on Tuesday March 14 so he could overnight FedEx it to me to arrive on March 15.

What happened is that between March 10 and March 14, he had a family emergency that required his absence from work until sometime in April. The agent covering for him arranged for FedEx to pick up the cheque in its "extremely urgent/priority overnight" envelope at 2PM on Tuesday March 21 in Ontario, and it was ready for delivery in Nova Scotia by 7AM on the 22nd.

It took over 2 days for the "extremely urgent/priority overnight" envelope to make from the main Nova Scotia FedEx facility to my house (a distance I can drive in 3 hours).

After I got the cheque from the insurance company deposited, I wrote an email to them complaining about the fact that we were pretty well screwed with extra charges and hardships because the rental was taken back a week and a half before the cheque was in our hands ... a week and a half that would still not have taken the total rental costs over the $1500 "loss of use" rental allowance on my policy.

Got an email from the insurance company this morning. To apologize for the foul up with the cheque delivery, the extra rental car time we had to pay for, and the rental car insurance that we were wrongly advised we'd need, they've decided to reimburse us for all the out of pocket costs we had with the rental car PLUS our insurance deductible/excess. It was only a grand total of just over $500, but that's $500 I did not expect to get.

[JamesB]

Currently going through the process required to get a copy of the police report. While the clerk at the counter of the police station that handled the incident couldn't legally tell us what was in the report, she did indicate that there appeared to be something in the report that had taken it to a higher than normal level for that kind of incident, and we couldn't get a copy from the station and had to make a formal request to the federal headquarters of the RCMP.

Got a mailed reply from the RCMP that they've received our request and they are looking into it.

[JamesB]

Still hunting for a replacement Durango. It'll be 3 months since the accident in a week's time.

The 2008 SLT located outside of Montreal is still available, but it's still priced at a point that's above what I have available to fund it. I should have had enough, but funds have been "borrowed" from the account and those "borrowed" funds never seem to make it back into the account. It's still my preferred vehicle, but nopics is applying pressure to buy something cheaper, even if it's "less than ideal".

There is a 2007 Limited for $4400 that was located just outside of Toronto that initially looked good. The seller assured me it had the factory Class IV towing package, so it ticked all the boxes, but when I got the VIN from him and fed it through the Dodge "Build Street" generator, there was no sign of the towing package in the original factory order, and the 3.55:1 diff ratios it was ordered with would have limited it's towing capability to 7000 lbs (the 3.92:1 ratio is needed for the 8600 lbs towing capacity). I also wasn't keen on the optional 20" rims with 50 profile tyres. The state of the roads here means I really want the 17" or 18" wheels that allow for a bit more rubber between the rim and the road.

Fortunately, nopics understands that there are a few features that are "must haves" (2006-2008 model with SLT or Limited trim spec, Hemi with 5 speed transmission and 2 speed transfer case, 3.92:1 differentials, plus the factory Heavy Duty, Skid Plate, and Towing packages) and the lack of any of them is valid grounds for me rejecting the vehicle.

[JamesB]

Another bit of paperwork from nopic's "off road excursion" arrived in yesterdays mail. A bill for $2,137.42 for the cost of replacing the power pole she took out. Interesting detail is that the bill arrived with a "past due" notice and threats of a collection agency, so it does appear that the Insurance company may have dropped the ball on this one as well.

Received our car insurance renewal paperwork last week, and it appears that despite them declaring it a total loss and having it towed away 3 months ago, the Durango was included on the renewal. My insurance broker is dealing with it and says that we should get a refund of around 4 months of the Durango's policy. Never having had a car written off before, I was not sure of the process regarding the policy payment once a car is written off.

[Shonky]

Wut? You get a refund on the remaining policy? I always thought after a write off the insurance ended immediately. You know because that's best for the insurance company.

[JamesB]

Wut? You get a refund on the remaining policy? I always thought after a write off the insurance ended immediately. You know because that's best for the insurance company.

That's what I assumed, but the broker wanted to know what date I signed the vehicle over to the insurance company and she'll backdate the cancellation of the policy to then, and I should get a refund of about 4 months worth of policy. I'll believe it when a cheque arrives in the mail.

[JamesB]

Nopics has managed to stall things long enough that the 2008 Durango near Montreal that I wanted has been sold. She had decided that it was too expensive and really wants me to look for one that's a lot cheaper, as that way the money that's already been borrowed from the payout won't be an issue.

Her comment last night "I've found one with a Hemi that's relatively cheap ... would a failing crank bearing be an issue?"

[JamesB]

Received our car insurance renewal paperwork last week, and it appears that despite them declaring it a total loss and having it towed away 3 months ago, the Durango was included on the renewal. My insurance broker is dealing with it and says that we should get a refund of around 4 months of the Durango's policy. Never having had a car written off before, I was not sure of the process regarding the policy payment once a car is written off.

Wut? You get a refund on the remaining policy? I always thought after a write off the insurance ended immediately. You know because that's best for the insurance company.

And I have the answer. I got a refund.

The insurance company back dated a policy cancellation to the day after the incident on Feb 26, and I got a CAD$265.00 refund on the premium I had paid for the period from the cancellation on February 27 until what would have been the end of the policy on July 22. Over the same period, there was an increase of $26 for nopics policy due to losing the 2 car discount, so the net refund was $239.

With the Durango off the policy, the cost of nopics vehicle insurance for next year went up by 20%, but the refund was around 45% of the total cost of her insurance for the next year.

[I'm DJ!]

What a rigmarole! Good luck bud.

[bv]

ah my durango-owning brother, sorry to hear it got binned. Glad there were no injuries.

mine is still my daily, more or less, going pretty strong. can't believe the low cost to buy these, its a lot of car. I'm still fairly astonished at how well it's built. Mine has no rattles, everything works, and its s 5.7L hemi 4x4. I just recharged the AC due to the retarded heat here (in the middle of an 8-day stretch of 100+ every day)