Another R28 R29 Recall Thread

[4Man]

New to the forum and have been casually searching for a Viper and reading as much as I can in old posts. Found a 14 GTS with R28/R29 recalls performed while the car had 15 miles on the odometer (currently has under 2000 miles). Would the summary report say if the block was replaced? Is a 14 with these recalls performed = to a 2015? Should I even be looking at 13s and 14s if I am paranoid about engine issues? Thanks for your help. I apologize if these questions are answered in a spot I haven't read. Any guidance is appreciated.

[viperguy69]

Depends... love it when you can start a conversation that way... what is limiting factor in your search?

1) If it is money and you are limited to a set budget to say 70K-85K then you are locked into 13/14 GTS or maybe a TA if you get lucky

2) If it is money and you are limited to a set budget to say 86K-99K then you are locked into 15/16 Viper

3) If it is money and you are limited to a set budget to say 100K-150K then you are locked into any GT, GTS, ACR, or TA out there

4) If it is not money then you should be only looking at a 2017 Limited edition 25th anniversary or an ACR-E!

5) If it is not money and you are shopping for bargain Gen V Vipers then you should be only be looking at a 2013/14!

6) If it is not money and you are shopping for bargain Gen V Viper but do not want to worry about engine recall issues then you should be only looking at a late model 2014 or above Vipers!

Remember, and someone correct me here, those cars that did not get their engine replaced under the recall have a 100K engine warranty now covered by FCA... So, unless you really want the original engine in the original car then stay clear of all 2013-2014 Vipers!

Also, a 2014 will always be a 2014 even if you put a 2017 motor into the vehicle... they are all the same engine from 2013 - 2017 unless you have someone like Arrow Racing do a modification... with a few exceptions to minor modifications or PCM upgrades on your factory engine.

You can look at the block and see if the numbers match, but you should be able to go back to the dealership where the service was performed and see what was done with the recall, it should be on their labor charge back to FCA - just to be sure.

[Jdmuscle]

R28 is nothing but an oil analysis report and if they decide you need a new motor then it'll get replaced. This recall being done could mean one of two things, oil was analyzed and it's good and no motor replacement is required or a motor replacement is required.

R29 is updating the driver side valve cover to the updated 2016 design and provides you a new beauty cover that goes on top of it along with an oil change / filter replacement.

Now, cars from any model year could end up with a blown engine due to a manufacturing defect but so far it's more likely a 13/14 can have this issue more than other years. However, I've known people with 20+k miles on a 13 and have had no issue and a 16 with a blown engine that no recalls.

Now, that the negatives are done.. honestly.. don't limit yourself to a particular model year and buy yourself a car that you like and not let any of the above play a role in your decision. They are amazing machines and I love mine a lottttt!!

[SRT BILL]

Also keep in mind that some 13's and 14's that have passed the R28 have had their factory power train warrentee increased to 10 years or 100k miles. This should give you piece of mind for sometime to come regarding your total powertrain.

[Bruce H.]

I believe all cars with engines identified by SRT as being among those that "might" be at higher risk were issued the R28 recall and were given the 10 year extended engine warranty even if it passed that oil analysis. I would consider these cars to be exceptionally low risk to purchase.

Very few engines in '14 Vipers with a build date after Dec '13 or Jan '14 have failed. That means that probably about half of the MY14 cars were unaffected. I observed this while following reports of '14 TA's which were mostly built in sequence according to color between November '13 and April '14, with a few failures at the beginning and none towards the end, and hardly any on any model since right through to 2017. Not sure what part of MY13 was affected, but whether a '13 or '14 has a replaced engine, a 10 year warranty, or has enough miles on it to demonstrate that it's okay, I personally wouldn't be more concerned about its reliability than any other year.

I'd be more concerned with buying a very low mileage car that's out of warranty, or close to it, or a modified car with low mileage that could be denied warranty coverage in the event of a failure. Most failures ocurred within the first couple of thousand miles, some with under 100 miles, most by closer to 3000 miles, and a very few with closer to double that. For that reason, and other warranty repairs that become evident with more use, I'd be most confident with a car that has some well-cared for miles on it. You might also feel more comfortable putting an extended warranty on your purchase, and check out that possiblity in advance.

I'd also check out the availability of good service in your area. That's been hit and miss for many owners across the country. You only buy the car once but you'll have it serviced continually after that. I have a great Viper tech thoroughly look after mine and enjoy taking it in for regular service and the peace of mind use it gives me on the road and track. I also just extended the warranty for another 4 years to minimize the cost of keeping the car in mechanically perfect condition and for the ease of having it repaired anywhere we travel in it across the country. 45,000 kms of intense enjoyment so far at the cost of fluid changes and normal comsumables!

Good luck with your search...and know that these cars can be a great purchase whether you're paranoid... or just OCD like the rest of us!

Bruce

[4Man]

Thank you for these valuable responses. I appreciate you guys taking the time to answer. This forum appears to be a fantastic group of enthusiasts.

[4Man]

I believe all cars with engines identified by SRT as being among those that "might" be at higher risk were issued the R28 recall and were given the 10 year extended engine warranty even if it passed that oil analysis. I would consider these cars to be exceptionally low risk to purchase.

Very few engines in '14 Vipers with a build date after Dec '13 or Jan '14 have failed. That means that probably about half of the MY14 cars were unaffected. I observed this while following reports of '14 TA's which were mostly built in sequence according to color between November '13 and April '14, with a few failures at the beginning and none towards the end, and hardly any on any model since right through to 2017. Not sure what part of MY13 was affected, but whether a '13 or '14 has a replaced engine, a 10 year warranty, or has enough miles on it to demonstrate that it's okay, I personally wouldn't be more concerned about its reliability than any other year.

I'd be more concerned with buying a very low mileage car that's out of warranty, or close to it, or a modified car with low mileage that could be denied warranty coverage in the event of a failure. Most failures ocurred within the first couple of thousand miles, some with under 100 miles, most by closer to 3000 miles, and a very few with closer to double that. For that reason, and other warranty repairs that become evident with more use, I'd be most confident with a car that has some well-cared for miles on it. You might also feel more comfortable putting an extended warranty on your purchase, and check out that possiblity in advance.

I'd also check out the availability of good service in your area. That's been hit and miss for many owners across the country. You only buy the car once but you'll have it serviced continually after that. I have a great Viper tech thoroughly look after mine and enjoy taking it in for regular service and the peace of mind use it gives me on the road and track. I also just extended the warranty for another 4 years to minimize the cost of keeping the car in mechanically perfect condition and for the ease of having it repaired anywhere we travel in it across the country. 45,000 kms of intense enjoyment so far at the cost of fluid changes and normal comsumables!

Good luck with your search...and know that these cars can be a great purchase whether you're paranoid... or just OCD like the rest of us!

Bruce

Best way to determine the build date? Is there a resource I can use to look up the VIN?

[Bruce H.]

Date of manufacture is shown on the label affixed to the driver's door. Easy for a seller to look for.

[jaxtk]

Thank you for these valuable responses. I appreciate you guys taking the time to answer. This forum appears to be a fantastic group of enthusiasts.

Send me the Vin and I will PM you the warranty history.

[swexlin]

Highest mileage car I can remember seeing fail was Arizona Viper's 2013 Track Pack car (my car's twin) at about 12,000 miles. At the time, it was stock, and they replaced his motor. My 2013 Track Pack car is now at 11,945, and the R28 was done at 10,199, and passed. However, at the time we were told that it didn't matter how many mile were on the oil when it was test (I had about 400 miles on that particular batch since it was changed, when tested). Some Viper techs here think more miles may be needed. Some R28 cars motors have failed even thought they passed R28.

My car got the extended warranty.

[Bruce H.]

That was way, way outside the mileage range of other failures. Do you know for sure if the failure was the same as the others or might it have been an unrelated failure?

[swexlin]

That was way, way outside the mileage range of other failures. Do you know for sure if the failure was the same as the others or might it have been an unrelated failure?

I seem to recall Arizona mentioning it, the car was stock at the time and it was a similar failure to the others. He can probably post better than I can. A couple of us commented that that was the highest mileage failure that we could recall.

[Vipes]

Why would you care at all if it has warranty? Honest question. All of the R28 recall cars got an extended 10 year warranty. Worse case you buy a 2013 R28 car and get a brand new 2017 engine for free.

[dethred]

Honestly, I'd be more concerned with the dealerships available to you locally. Almost every dealership I've been to must be run by middle school drop outs. The chances of getting a Viper with a doomed motor is fairly slim now.

One dealership said of have to wait 6 months for a new differential. I took it to another dealership and two weeks later the car was fixed. The dealership that repaired the differential then tried to charge me $170 (their ludicrous Viper hourly labor rate) for the Arrow PCM. So when the diff failed again, I took it to a 3rd dealership that claimed to not hear the differential whine. I took it to a fourth dealership and they heard it, ordered the part, and failed to inform me that their Viper tech was leaving on medical leave for 3 months. I've owned the car 2 years, and put 12k miles on it. Want to guess how many of those miles didn't have the differential whining and making the drive miserable? About 2000 miles. The motor shouldn't even be a major concern compared to FCA customer non-service.