My absolute nightmare Jeep Gladiator Experience over the last 20 months

[adamjedgar]

This is the slowest boot-in-the-ass I have ever read. This is slow-motion on steroids and Stellantis is claiming to make things better for your neck of the woods?

I get there’s a process and they will want to replace what is glaringly obvious but…. What else could possibly go wrong with overheating an engine. I’m on my knees saying a prayer for you.

Yeah its causing some problem for work as well. This is my work vehicle and given i work interstate, im left without any means of using it for my work. Jeep have offered a small hatchback as an alternative, however, im noy allowed to take it interstate because of insurance ...so right now i dont have a loan car and i am stuck at home not being able to work.

Its costing me about $8000 every month in regular outgoing expenses for my business that i have to borrow against a loan to pay. These are things like rent, insurances, loan repayments on that car, machinery loans, and hire car costs.

Given my car has been off the road for close to 6 months since i bought it, thats a lot of expenditure i have racked up against a loan. The loan is for a building project that should have start earning us $10k per month in July last year. My car has been off the road so much since then...and now im twiddling my thumbs around home waiting again so i can go back to work. We need that rental income from the property...its not ideal.

I dont know exactly how to.work out how much i am losing as a result of these problems with my car...but im sure its in the 10's of thousands of dollars since i first purchased it. All my work friends and family are now saying i should seek to take this further...but i just want my car back.

I think in the future, im going to take it for servicing to a major retail outlet whos only source of income is maintainning the vehicles. We have a servicing chain in Australia called Ultratune, im thinking of trying them. Perhaps their mechanics are better trained and quality control more prevalent?

Another thing that sucks...mywifes car needs a new windscreen tomorrow, its a 1 hour round trip but her car will be all day. I habe no way of getting back home once i drop her car off (she usually follows me in my car when hers is being serviced, then i drop her to work...the reverse in the afternoon). I dont have a second car...

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[smlobx]

can you rent a basic truck that would allow you to continue working?

 

[adamjedgar]

Omfg...
I have a change in my businees in that i need a new work vehicle with a 4.5 ton towing capacity...so the gladiator cant do that.

This morning i contacted my local RAM dealership querying the idea of trading my gladiator in on a new Dodge Ram 1500.

Because of the engine and trasmission changes, the RAM dealer at Alan Mance Ram in Melton in Victoria Australia wont trade my Gladiator in!

So now im stuck with a vehicle i cant trade in because of warranty issues.

This is unbelievable. A car with a brand new engine and transmission and dealership wont trade it!

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Omfg...
I have a change in my businees in that i need a new work vehicle with a 4.5 ton towing capacity...so the gladiator cant do that.

This morning i contacted my local RAM dealership querying the idea of trading my gladiator in on a new Dodge Ram 1500.

Because of the engine and trasmission changes, the RAM dealer at Alan Mance Ram in Melton in Victoria Australia wont trade my Gladiator in!

So now im stuck with a vehicle i cant trade in because of warranty issues.

This is unbelievable. A car with a brand new engine and transmission and dealership wont trade it!

Trade in at Toyota or Ford?

 

[adamjedgar]

Trade in at Toyota or Ford?

You won't believe it...

After being rejected initially and in a moment of frustration an hour later, I sent the sales manager at ram a photo of my jeep saying..."here's a photo of my Gladiator you won't trade in"

I literally got a phone call eaxctly 1 minute later saying "oh I can trade that in"

Slippery sales people...clearly beauty is in the eye of the beholder...once he saw the photo I think he realised now easy he could make money on my Gladiator..,I mean let's face it...she is a thing of beauty.

We buy these things for a reason...they are beautiful

 

[Hootbro]

Why a RAM? I would think in your part of the world, you would want something that is in more common use there and with a better dealer support network.

 

[adamjedgar]

Why a RAM? I would think in your part of the world, you would want something that is in more common use there and with a better dealer support network.

I think our main options for 4500kg towing are F150, Chevy silverado, and RAM...the Rams are quite popular. Obvi9usly the 2500's are better, but they are about $30k AUD more expensive and quite a bit bigger.

 

[Hootbro]

I think our main options for 4500kg towing are F150, Chevy silverado, and RAM...the Rams are quite popular. Obvi9usly the 2500's are better, but they are about $30k AUD more expensive and quite a bit bigger.

Interesting, did not think American brand full size trucks were a thing over there.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I think our main options for 4500kg towing are F150, Chevy silverado, and RAM...the Rams are quite popular. Obvi9usly the 2500's are better, but they are about $30k AUD more expensive and quite a bit bigger.

Interesting, did not think American brand full size trucks were a thing over there.

Are they the same American trucks over there?

Ford, for example, it’s the same cab between an F150 and an F250/350.

 

[adamjedgar]

Are they the same American trucks over there?

Ford, for example, it’s the same cab between an F150 and an F250/350.

Im not sure i havent closely compared all of them side by side...ive seena RAM 2500 near a 1500... it seems a lot bigger to me. Higher, mirror mounts and mirrors are much larger, trays/tubs longer...

One thing about the length difference, the long tub version of the 1500 here is the bighorn, the larame and limited are shorter tub only. Maybe thats the difference with aussie models? Would it be that 1500 Bighorn and 2500 are similar length?

Also, ive taken the F150 turbo v6 and the 5.7l v8 Laramie for hour long test drives...Laramie wins hands down. The smoothness of the engine power delivery and the overall interior, the RAM wins easily.
The ford definately has a much better instrument cluster and infotainment unit, however, its sound system is crap by comprison, seats are better in the back in the RAM...so theres that.

The Ford does handle better on the road though...less body roll and its quieter. But these are not enough to beat the RAM 1500 overall.

Oh, we drove both on largely the same hour long trip...suprisingly, we found there is only a little difference in economy they are pretty close. I reckon the RAM would be very similar to our 4.5lt v8 diesel 200 series landcruiser on a trip...which is better than the 3.6ltr Gladiator which i dont find particularly economical because its working too hard on hills i think (im sure forced induction would help the pentastar in that department cause it wouldnt have to change gears and rev so much all the time)

After buying a bigger work truck, If i am able to afford to keep the jeep, im genuinely thinking about supercharging it.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

im genuinely thinking about supercharging it.

Are you seriously going to put us through more…?!

 

[RubiNewbCB]

That 3.6 will pop with a Supercharger. Have fun with that mess.

 

[adamjedgar]

Are you seriously going to put us through more…?!

Warranty work would be thrown out the window obviously...but to be honest, given what ive been through what have i got to lose exactly, another 6 months over 2 years in workshops? Its already cost me thousands in lost income anyway during those 6 months waiting on parts in Jeep workshops (like it is currently).

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Warranty work would be thrown out the window obviously...but to be honest, given what ive been through what have i got to lose exactly, another 6 months over 2 years in workshops? Its already cost me thousands in lost income anyway during those 6 months waiting on parts in Jeep workshops (like it is currently).

Well, we will continue to do for you what we do best and that is to learn from your experiences, good or bad, from our couches and work stations and tell you how we feel about it.

Are there reputable shops around your area that can install and tune your supercharger? If I may make a suggestion before you slap on some mechanical steroids and that is call around to your engine rebuild shops and have them “upgrade” the internal components, balance and blueprint, you know, find a shop willing to do that or provide solid advice and opinions from them first.

I wanted this done to my engine and I called two long time and reputable rebuild shops. One shop just said “rebuild the pentastar better?…NOPE!”, and the other shop they recommended took a little more time with me said, “ the pentastar engine is an engineered nightmare. We could rebuild it and put better parts in but at the end of the day it’s still a better built nightmare, we won’t do it.”

 

[adamjedgar]

Well, we will continue to do for you what we do best and that is to learn from your experiences, good or bad, from our couches and work stations and tell you how we feel about it.

Are there reputable shops around your area that can install and tune your supercharger? If I may make a suggestion before you slap on some mechanical steroids and that is call around to your engine rebuild shops and have them “upgrade” the internal components, balance and blueprint, you know, find a shop willing to do that or provide solid advice and opinions from them first.

I wanted this done to my engine and I called two long time and reputable rebuild shops. One shop just said “rebuild the pentastar better?…NOPE!”, and the other shop they recommended took a little more time with me said, “ the pentastar engine is an engineered nightmare. We could rebuild it and put better parts in but at the end of the day it’s still a better built nightmare, we won’t do it.”

There are a couple not far away...a nltable one is Harrop Engineering who are only about 30mins drive away. They are an Eaton superchargers specialist i believe and have been in the performance industry both in Aus and the US for years. We also have The Horsepower Factory close by as well. Between the two i think i have two good options.

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