WTF is going on with Viper Parts

[finalleaf]

My parts guy tells me that there are now 85 regulators of both sides on back order. Nothing he sees says there is an ETA. Nothing in production, nothing in packaging. He says that any date given for delivery of the regulator is wrong. Time for a letter writing campaign.

I just reached out to a couple of engineer friends at SRT to see if they would raise the issue of parts availability to whomever is responsible for parts.

yep, the list was ~25 back when I ordered in June, not a single one has even been processed

[Steve-Indy]

Sadly, this situation with the window regulators is reminiscent of the Gen II water pump debacle during which those of us who had ordered these pumps were given a new expected arrival date on a monthly basis when inquires were made to the local parts department. This went on for many, many months, noting that there were at least 89 pumps on order when the final "discontinued" wording showed up in the parts computers. Some of us who still have older generation Vipers have heard "this tune" played many times before over the past several years.

I HOPE this is not the case now.

[ViperGeorge]

Sadly, this situation with the window regulators is reminiscent of the Gen II water pump debacle during which those of us who had ordered these pumps were given a new expected arrival date on a monthly basis when inquires were made to the local parts department. This went on for many, many months, noting that there were at least 89 pumps on order when the final "discontinued" wording showed up in the parts computers. Some of us who still have older generation Vipers have heard "this tune" played many times before over the past several years.

I HOPE this is not the case now.

What did people end up doing if their water pump crapped out?

[Steve-Indy]

Some have tried a rebuilder...though last post that I saw gave me the impression that it was not a painless process...and, no longterm followup offered.

At least with the window regulators, there is a reputable repair shop.

A recent quote from a reliable source went something like: Stellantis is in business to sell cars, not parts.

[Mikey]

Turns out there was a McLeod clutch in the car, despite only having bolt ons. They say it still has a good amount of material on it, but something was off with it.

Just got notified there's metal material in my right rear tire, the car has been there for nearly 2 months, so idk how.

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[ViperGeorge]

My friend at SRT has forwarded my email detailing the problem with getting parts to his contact at Mopar Parts. Not sure if anything will happen but it is worth a shot. This is what I sent:

Hey guys, maybe you can forward this to the parts manager.

According to my parts guy there are 85 left and 85 right window regulators for a Gen 3/4/5 Viper on national backorder. The part is a particularly weak link in the Viper platform. The white plastic tube cracks and falls apart rendering the window inoperable. There are several people on the VOA forum that are really upset about this (including me) as they can't enjoy their Dodge Halo Car. Some are afraid to drive them now for fear that something like a window regulator failing will render the car undriveable.

Viper owners have been among the most loyal (and I might say profitable) customers that Stellantis has. We all own multiple Stellantis vehicles, I own six and bought my son a Grand Cherokee. So make it seven. The impact of this goes beyond pissing off some Viper owners. If Viper owners are treated this way there is a knock on effect to other Stellantis brands.

As I've mentioned before many parts are now being discontinued making it a risky proposition to drive the cars. The 2017s are only 5 years old yet hoods, ACR side sills, ball joints, control arm bushings, and more are now discontinued. Damage a hood and you'll have to total the car. This is crazy for a car that was the pinnacle of Dodge performance vehicles.

I realize that Dodge did not make large numbers of Vipers but those that bought the cars spent a great deal of money on them and own many other vehicles. Parts should not be so hard to get.

Can someone please look into this? While values of our cars have increased dramatically they will plummet if parts are so hard to get that cars become undriveable.

[Sniper]

Nice!
I copied and pasted this and forwarded to Ralph also…

[Mikey]

Are these gaps on the rear bumper worth taking in to get sorted? Anytime I take the care in for panel work, something else arises 46570.jpg

[ViperGeorge]

On the front of the rear tire the sill attaches to the quarter panel with a plate with two bolts welded to it. It goes up and has nuts on the top. You can position the sill where you want it and tighten down. I wonder if the rear bumper has the same attaching plate. I've never had mine off so I can't say for sure. My guess is it would be an easy fix. Have you removed the inner liner screws that attach to the bumper and put your hand in there to see if there is a loose nut.

Of course to be fair, your post probably should have been in a separate thread not the one about the problems with getting parts.

[Mikey]

On the front of the rear tire the sill attaches to the quarter panel with a plate with two bolts welded to it. It goes up and has nuts on the top. You can position the sill where you want it and tighten down. I wonder if the rear bumper has the same attaching plate. I've never had mine off so I can't say for sure. My guess is it would be an easy fix. Have you removed the inner liner screws that attach to the bumper and put your hand in there to see if there is a loose nut.

Of course to be fair, your post probably should have been in a separate thread not the one about the problems with getting parts.

But what fun would that be?
I haven't touched anything on the car myself, nowhere near competent enough

[ViperGeorge]

But what fun would that be?
I haven't touched anything on the car myself, nowhere near competent enough

Ok then, off to a body shop.

[Martin]

A question that maybe I should post in the Gen II forum - but it's relevant here too. Which is the best online source for parts? I just did a search for a passenger window regulator for my Gen II GTS, and I'm getting nothing. In fact, when I do a search on the official Mopar site for parts, I get NO results for any parts for my Gen II. WTF? I used to be able to find anything I wanted. Is the defunct VCA parts store still around, and if not, what happened to all the things they had on there?

Sorry for the mini-rant, but I want to put my Gen II back on the road, and I don't want to deal with hassles finding stupid things. I'm kicking myself for not bringing it into the shop for that "clicky" passenger window while it was still under Max Care a million years ago. The thing is in perfect condition - but I'd really like to bring that window back to life before I take it out of storage.

[ViperGeorge]

Try www.viperpartsrackamerica.com. If they don't have one I would try eBay.

[Martin]

Cool - thanks George! I vaguely remember JonB buying up all the excess parts from VPA, but lost track after the debacle that was the VCA.

EDIT: I did find both the left regulators - at $850 each... I'm getting them, but it kills me that the regulators were $200 back in the day. Oh well, may as well have them since the ones I have are toast.

[Steve-Indy]

Martin, I usually have more success while standing at a CJDR dealership parts desk "helping" the folks sort through the various possibilities of the "discontinued" part in question. I start with the OEM part number, and look for superceding or updated part numbers. If no luck, next stop is the "VintageParts" section. Finally, one must watch for the "SSD" designation...Supplier Ships Directly. I also ask for a USA dealership search for the part.

I also use CARiD and RockAuto with good success.

Finally, I try Don Scharf Automotive and Jones Auto Inc..
both are great resources.

PartsRack, Snake-Oyl, Viper Store all play a role...to mention a few. Also, some parts can be found at GM stores for early Vipers.

In the end, it takes time, effort, persistence, patience and luck.

[Martin]

Martin, I usually have more success while standing at a CJDR dealership parts desk "helping" the folks sort through the various possibilities of the "discontinued" part in question. I start with the OEM part number, and look for superceding or updated part numbers. If no luck, next stop is the "VintageParts" section. Finally, one must watch for the "SSD" designation...Supplier Ships Directly. I also ask for a USA dealership search for the part.

I also use CARiD and RockAuto with good success.

Finally, I try Don Scharf Automotive and Jones Auto Inc..
both are great resources.

PartsRack, Snake-Oyl, Viper Store all play a role...to mention a few. Also, some parts can be found at GM stores for early Vipers.

In the end, it takes time, effort, persistence, patience and luck.

Thanks Steve - good advice... I used to be able to find just about anything I wanted for that old Gen II Viper, but now there aren't a whole lot of choices. It's unfortunate - if I go into that car, it still has the "new car" smell to it. But, it's also a 25 year old car that I want to get back in good running shape. I cringe at the thought of opening the hood - it seems to be frozen in place, and I definitely don't want to crack it. That's going to take a bit of finessing when I really want to mess with it.

But, other than some "little" issues, the car looks and smells as new. Only 7777 miles on it, and it's been in suspended animation for about ten years now. It gets started up every few months, gets oil changes every year, but other than that, it's in hibernation.

[Steve-Indy]

When all else fails, I start rooting around in the garage and occasionally find exactly what I need...that I forgot I bought 20+ years ago.

[Martin]

When all else fails, I start rooting around in the garage and occasionally find exactly what I need...that I forgot I bought 20+ years ago.

Yeah, that's where I'm at now... I bought an A/C compressor, an alternator, a ton of other stuff, and they're all buried under what my wife calls an unhealthy hoarding complex. Now, I got pretty much what I think I want from JonB - I found a regulator (not the one I want, but I think I can fix the one that I have), both fog light covers, the lifts for the rear glass, and some hoses that are certainly screwed at this point.

Main effort is just to keep that old boy alive. I ordered that one over 25 years ago, took possession of it, had a ton of fun, and then just put it in stasis. It's a shame - the car is in perfect shape, but time kills everything. Now, the effort is to bring it back to life properly. Unfortunately, when I moved the car where I am now, I just had to put it in storage and focus on other things. Not what I planned, but life happens.

[ViperGeorge]

My friend at SRT says that Mopar is aware of the window regulator issue and is working to resolve it. Not sure why it should take them so long unless they are redesigning it to be more reliable.

[Mikey]

The one time I use the wipers, the rubber falls apart. At least those are in stock

[VENOM-TA]

My friend at SRT says that Mopar is aware of the window regulator issue and is working to resolve it. Not sure why it should take them so long unless they are redesigning it to be more reliable.

That is potentially great news..

[ViperGeorge]

That is potentially great news..

I guess we will have to wait and see. I think though that Mopar Parts should have been on top of this long before it became a crisis.

[ACRSNK]

Thank you for your efforts with this Viper George. Maybe more of us should reach out with similar concerns so they actually listen. Drove my car last night and was a nervous Nelly to say the least. Takes some of the fun out of it.

[SRT_BluByU]

I wonder if they're going to care about any of this when they go all electric.. will they try and get rid of the ICE infrastructure as soon as possible

[Martin]

I wonder if they're going to care about any of this when they go all electric.. will they try and get rid of the ICE infrastructure as soon as possible

Window regulators are all electric