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Man Gets Into His Dodge Truck. Then His Push-To-Start Ignition Won't Work

"Cut out the dealership."

Man gets into his Dodge truck. Then his push-to-start ignition won't work

Photo by: Obi & oldheadnewgen & Jaimy de Hon

Alexandra Samuels

By: Alexandra Samuels

Oct 10, at 4:00pm ET

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A man says a battery problem sent his Dodge truck into limp mode. The bigger shock came when he saw what the dealership charged to fix it.

TikTok user @oldheadnewgen says he was driving to work when the truck started “lagging” to start, with the push-to-start button “taking forever.”

He made it to work, but when he later tried to leave for an errand, things got worse. The Dodge started “freaking out,” he says, flashing warnings for several systems, including the trailer hitch and rear differential braking system, before going into “limp mode.”

@oldheadnewgen eventually took it to a Dodge dealership, where he says technicians diagnosed the trouble as a “battery issue.”

At first, he was relieved.

Then he saw the prices: Batteries started at $255 and climbed from there, he says.

“Is this a super battery? Is it going to last until I die?” @oldheadnewgen quips.

He says dealership employees told him the higher prices reflected the warranties included with the batteries. He ultimately chose the cheapest option, which at $250 cost far more than any battery he’d ever bought before.

But when he returned to pick up the truck, the total bill was $608.

@oldheadnewgen says the added cost included parts and labor, which confused him because he considers replacing a battery “a 10-minute job.” He says the dealership also performed an inspection.

“This is a scam,” @oldheadnewgen says. “Six hundred dollars for a [expletive] battery is a scam.” As of this writing, his video has more than 35,400 views.

Why Are Truck Batteries So Expensive?

Unfortunately, a $250 battery is no longer unusual, especially on newer vehicles.

AAA says standard batteries generally cost about $45 to $150, while AGM batteries—commonly used in vehicles with stop-start systems and heavier electrical demands—typically cost about $150 to $250. AAA also warns that if a vehicle came with an AGM battery, replacing it with a cheaper conventional battery can create problems down the line.

Consumer Reports (CR) puts the broader market even higher. It reports batteries currently average $187, with one model costing more than $360. CR says AGM batteries can cost 40% to 100% more than conventional batteries because they’re designed to handle “deep discharge better.”

That helps explain why his battery cost more than he expected. But the jump from roughly $250 to a final bill of $608 is a separate issue entirely.

Dealerships and repair shops can add labor, diagnostic time, and other service charges. AAA notes that shop labor rates reflect more than the technician’s time; they also cover facility costs and overhead. Many shops use flat-rate labor guides.

Battery replacement can also be more complicated on some modern vehicles than simply disconnecting two terminals. Premier Auto Service Center says certain vehicles require computer resets or a battery management system reset after installation, which may require a diagnostic tool.

What we don’t know from @oldheadnewgen’s video is the truck’s model year, which battery it required, or exactly how the dealership itemized the remaining roughly $350.

So the $250 battery itself isn’t especially unusual. But it’s still up in the air whether the rest of the $608 bill was reasonable.

Gallery: 2025 Ram Heavy Duty Trucks

2025 Ram HD

Source: Stellantis

Viewers Balk At $600 Bill

Many viewers had the same reaction to the final total.

“$608 is literally a whole 4 set of new [tires],” one commenter wrote.

Another viewer said the battery price itself didn’t shock them nearly as much as the full bill.

“Gen Xer here. I've never seen a 60-dollar battery. 600 is criminal tho,” the commenter said.

Some viewers argued that replacing a battery is a job worth doing yourself.

“So for batteries, go to your local parts store, buy a battery, and do it yourself. It is the best money-saving [advice] I can give you as a mechanic,” one person advised.

A commenter who said they work at a dealership offered another explanation for how the bill could get that high.

“I work at a dealership as a helper, and yeah, that sounds about right cause my dealership charges, I believe, $200 an hour. And it’s the shop itself that gets all that money, which is why whenever a customer declines work cause it’s expensive, me and my master mechanic, who I work for, we pull the customer to the side and say we will do the work and cut out the dealership; they just pay for the parts and they pay us cash and we get the job,” they wrote.

Others were more focused on the battery itself.

“A battery should last longer than a couple years,” one commenter said.

One viewer also questioned whether replacing the battery had actually solved the underlying issue.

What do you think?

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Comments

“If your Dodge has auto start stop on the engine, there's about a 75% chance they didn’t fix your real issue,” they wrote.

Motor1 contacted @oldheadnewgen via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.

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