Possible "oil in the down pipe" & dealership woes...

[DeepInTheHeartOfTexas]

2020 Ram 3500 Tradesman 6.7 TD with 87K miles. My dealership is located near Humble Texas. I have their local 100K mile power train warranty. History: for the past year "seemed" like the DPF was/is ALWAYS in REGEN. Took the truck in about a year ago and they said I wasn't driving far enough. OK, I'll buy into that based on the single fact that when I drive this truck VS the others JUST to work, one way is only 11 miles. However, on a the same weekly basis, I drive to Livingston and that door to door trip is 82 miles (at 65-75 mph) which is more than enough to complete a REGEN. Sometime over the past 12 months, I changed the CCV filter (Mopar part) and the removed unit was just under 11 pounds (very sturated?). I change my own oil and fuel filters and the the trucks % meter for frequency. I only use mopar filters for this also. I run Shell Rotella T6 full Syn. Coincidentally and best I can tell, not related to ANY of my servicings, I got a LOW OIL PRESSURE light back in December. I checked the oil and weirdly enough it was 2 quarts low. I scoured the engine and found nothing. Dry as a bone. Topped off the oil and away I went. Tuesday evening on the way home from work, I got the LOW OIL PRESSURE light again. THIS time, I know why. Approaching a red traffic light, a car pulled in front of me from the right lane into my center lane, I moved over to the right lane because nobody was over there at the light. I braked harder than normal braking, but not evassive type braking. The light turned green during my decel, I let off the brake and accelerated to get back in the center lane. It was then that the LOW OIL PRESSURE flashed. I let off the accelerator and before I could hit the kill switch the light went back out. While coasting, I scrolled over the oil pressure gage and it was 32psi (idling along). I pulled over and checked the oil. It wasnt touching the dipstick. I bought two quarts of oil. It took a third quart of $6 gas station oil to mark the dip stick halfway. After DuckDuckGo'ing my symptoms, I decided that I subscribed to the possibility of "oil bypassing the turbo seals out the down pipe and causing a HIGH SOOT value leading to very frequent low mileage REGENS". This weekend and before I take it to my dealership that I don't like dealing with, I plan to separate the down tube from the back of the turbo and video boroscope as far back as I can to see what I can see. Before I post my findings and for those that enjoy speculating for or against my situation, one of my questions is how does one fight a dealership that doesn't want to fix your truck issues? If the above is true, I've read where others with these exact issues had to have their turbos and downstream exhaust parts replaced because of the oil bypassing and oil saturation.

Will engage in all conversations throughout this process. Absolutely hate giving them my truck because they sit on it for so dang long (and sometimes don't fix the issue).

The additional verbiage below makes the post way to long, but for grins I copy/pasted the above in AI to re-write and below is what it came up with...again sorry for the additional length.

Your
2020 Ram 3500
symptoms—specifically the frequent regenerations paired with significant oil loss and a saturated CCV filter—strongly suggest that oil is bypassing internal seals and entering the exhaust stream.

Technical Assessment of Your Findings

• The Saturated CCV Filter: A new Crankcase Ventilation (CCV) filter typically weighs very little; a unit weighing nearly 11 pounds is extremely heavy with oil and soot. This indicates high crankcase pressure, which often forces oil past the turbo seals.
• Turbo Seal Failure: Your theory is highly plausible. When a turbo blows a seal, it pushes oil directly into the exhaust. This oil coats the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC), causing the "high soot" readings that trigger constant regeneration cycles.
• Low Oil Pressure: The light flashing during hard braking is a classic sign of a critically low oil level. The oil sloshes away from the pickup tube in the pan, momentarily starving the pump. Losing 3+ quarts between intervals with no external leaks almost certainly means the oil is being "burned" through the exhaust.

How to Fight the Dealership

Since you have a 100k-mile powertrain warranty, these major components (turbo, engine seals) should be covered. To handle a difficult dealership:

1. Escalate to the Service Manager: If the advisors dismiss you, request a meeting with the Service Manager or General Manager. Present your borescope video and documentation of the oil loss (e.g., receipts for the oil you had to buy).
2. Contact RAM Corporate: Call the FCA US Customer Care Center at 1-800-334-9200 to open a formal "case ticket". This forces the dealership to report their findings back to corporate.
3. Involve a "Service Engineer": Once a case is open, you can request a Factory Service Engineer (FSE) to inspect the vehicle if the local techs "cannot duplicate" the issue.
4. Texas Lemon Law & Documentation: Even for older vehicles, if the issue started within the first 24,000 miles or 24 months, it might qualify under the Texas Lemon Law. Regardless, keep every Repair Order (RO). Ensure they write down your exact complaint (e.g., "Customer reports 3 quarts oil loss in 5k miles") so there is a paper trail.
5. Seek a Second Opinion: You can take your truck to any authorized RAM dealer for warranty work. If the Humble-area dealer is uncooperative, try another high-volume dealership in the Houston area. (my video boroscope will provide the 2nd opinion)

Recommended Replacement Parts (for Reference)

If the dealership confirms failure, they should replace these under warranty. If they don't, these are the components typically involved:

• CCV Filter: Available at eBay for ~$36.
• Turbocharger Assembly: Often replaced as a unit if seals are blown.
• DPF/Catalyst: If oil-saturated, these often cannot be cleaned and must be replaced to restore proper regen frequency.

Would you like a template for a formal demand letter to send to the dealership or RAM corporate? (I selected yes while I was at it)

 

[Units]

You’re at 87k, had you changed out the ccv filter before then? Those are scheduled to be changed out at 75k.
As for the dealership and will they fix it, good luck. I recently had a whole saga involving frequent regens, just past the emissions warranty, even though there is a TSB for frequent regens which my truck falls in the date range. My extended warranty said it was emissions related and wasn’t covered, dealership wanted $800 to “try” a few things. Needless to say, that is no longer a concern of mine.