Dealership service, expecting a nightmare.

[Lost1wing]

I have been wanting to take the JT in for the Bluetooth phone quality issue and for the wandering steering on the highway. It took a week to get a response from the dealer. That was the sales department not service. I called them today and scheduled my appointment for their next opportunity, three weeks from today.

Just venting of course. I will expect the visit to go south and just be another wasted day. Just curious how long others took to have the steering gear box replaced.

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[ShadowsPapa]

I have been wanting to take the JT in for the Bluetooth phone quality issue and for the wandering steering on the highway. It took a week to get a response from the dealer. That was the sales department not service. I called them today and scheduled my appointment for their next opportunity, three weeks from today.

Just venting of course. I will expect the visit to go south and just be another wasted day. Just curious how long others took to have the steering gear box replaced.

You may make it a self-fulfilling prophecy if you walk in thinking that very thing. Be positive, friendly, be specific with the issues - bullet points, give some detail - not like "steering is loose" but exactly when, where and how it's "loose". I gave the example of my wife taking over driving and she commented "I hope there's no cops behind us, they'll think I'm drunk" - it introduced humor, kept it light. I told them also of my wife complaining about me "can't you keep it between the lines, you are all over the place" as an example of exactly how it was "loose".
(My wife was exaggerating, I'm sure)

Let them know exactly how to duplicate the problems.
Dealerships in some places are short-handed and swamped. More people keeping vehicles going as the lots are pretty empty.

 

[Lost1wing]

You may make it a self-fulfilling prophecy if you walk in thinking that very thing. Be positive, friendly, be specific with the issues - bullet points, give some detail - not like "steering is loose" but exactly when, where and how it's "loose". I gave the example of my wife taking over driving and she commented "I hope there's no cops behind us, they'll think I'm drunk" - it introduced humor, kept it light. I told them also of my wife complaining about me "can't you keep it between the lines, you are all over the place" as an example of exactly how it was "loose".
(My wife was exaggerating, I'm sure)

Let them know exactly how to duplicate the problems.
Dealerships in some places are short-handed and swamped. More people keeping vehicles going as the lots are pretty empty.

I like the "cop will think I'm drunk" story. I can't believe my wife has been driving it that way. Our TJ drove like this too, so I guess she thought it was normal.

 

[DobaMark]

My experience with the 2020 JT early in 2021:
Had to ask them multiple times to check. Nothing was on my receipt stating they checked it. I called "oh yes, we did. You are on the list". After 90 days still on the list. Jeep Cares got the parts to the dealer.
My experience with the 2020 JL later in 2021:
It's a known issue the parts will be here tomorrow (they were, but it was the wrong part so it took 2 days).
Granted supply was an issue early on and isn't so much now.
Different dealers too. The JL dealer has been much better.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I like the "cop will think I'm drunk" story. I can't believe my wife has been driving it that way. Our TJ drove like this too, so I guess she thought it was normal.

I think mine actually got a bit worse with time. But I didn't really think it was THAT bad either - until my wife made that comment. I drove it to Fort Wayne from our home near Des Moines. My wife likes to drive and said she wanted to drive back. As we left the metro area and hit the open roads and speed limits increased to 50-60 she sort of looked around and made that comment. Then I was driving a couple weeks or so later and she made the other comment. Hey, this woman is pretty smart - why's she saying that? Maybe I'm prejudiced and not REALLY noticing. So next few times I drove it I tried to look at it with different eyes...... gee, I think she's right.
I took it to the dealer, told them what she had said, mentioned that I THOUGHT she might be right - and told them "you decide". It wasn't long after I left when they called and said "the tech said it needs a new steering gear, you can come and pick it up until it arrives". I told them - keep it.........
It was better when I picked it up later that week.............. but over the winter it just didn't seem to be as good as it was at first. By end of the winter it was actually a bit worse than it was with the original steering gear..
I went back and asked them to please check the alignment, check things over as it was worse than before, it wanted to wander and wasn't easy to keep between the lines.
I left it there and sure enough "the tech says we have to replace the steering gear".
They decided that - I'd asked them to check alignment and check it over. I planted the seed but the decision was up to them.
I hope you have the same experience - no push-back, no "there's nothing wrong with it" or worse "it's a Jeep thing" BS. My service writer even said - his own words "these trucks shouldn't be like that".

 

[brianinca]

I took a hardcopy of the TSB in with me, and a very firm tone with the service writer that tried the "we have to diagnose on your dime because that might not fix the issue". This was very early on in the TSB cycle, but I'd already dialed in 6 deg of caster with longer LCA's to make my truck drivable. I wasn't feeling particularly patient, but I was polite and professional with my vocabulary.

Problem solved. I've no interest in going back to the dealer to fix the lock switch in the driver side door, I'll replace that myself. I'm as good a parts changer as they are, I have a real mechanic for when something needs mechanicing.

I have been wanting to take the JT in for the Bluetooth phone quality issue and for the wandering steering on the highway. It took a week to get a response from the dealer. That was the sales department not service. I called them today and scheduled my appointment for their next opportunity, three weeks from today.

Just venting of course. I will expect the visit to go south and just be another wasted day. Just curious how long others took to have the steering gear box replaced.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yes, do take the TSB - and there's a sentence in that which basically says "if the customer complains, fix it". It doesn't say "diagnose it" it doesn't say "check to see how bad it is" it says "if the customer has these complaints, follow this TSB. It leaves them no out.

......Maybe it doesn't hurt that a couple of the service writers know I worked my way through college doing alignments and brake jobs and worked as a mechanic for decades after that? I blew them away with a detailed report on my wife's GC. They gathered around it and one even came over and asked "they want to know how you got this - normally only we can see details like this with our tools". They sort of looked at me like my name should be Harry Potter or something. That was fun.

 

[Lost1wing]

I'm with you. I really hate to even bring it in. I will have to go over everything they touch. I will bring a copy of the TSB, but will let them go there first. Better to be there idea than mine. The Bluetooth phone issue I could pass on them even looking at it. I indicated to JeepCares that I would bring it in. Jeep needs to work on it for others in the future. Definitely the worst Bluetooth phone quality that I have heard.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I asked about it when I took mine in for a 3rd brake light issue. They ordered the part and 3 weeks later called me and had the part in and scheduled a time to have it installed. All together about 4 weeks and that was last January 2021. Had a great experience

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm with you. I really hate to even bring it in. I will have to go over everything they touch. I will bring a copy of the TSB, but will let them go there first. Better to be there idea than mine. The Bluetooth phone issue I could pass on them even looking at it. I indicated to JeepCares that I would bring it in. Jeep needs to work on it for others in the future. Definitely the worst Bluetooth phone quality that I have heard.

I'm not impressed with the BT situation - mine doesn't do squat with text messages and keeps wanting to import contacts when I use Android Auto - but contacts were imported long ago. AA shouldn't bring up that contacts screen when I exit AA but it does and I have to Xit it.
I use my hearing aids for phone calls in the truck. Wind noise doesn't bother, I can be driving in a crazy rain storm and no one notices. I tried the truck BT for taking a call one time - the lady said "I'd better call you back, sounds like a really bad storm there and I can barely hear you". I reconnected my phone to my hearing aids again and tried the call - oh, you must have made it home, this is much better.
With the wind noise in these, and the unreliability of the BT, meh, it's ok, it's there, but not great. When I first had troubles my sales guy said "we'll disconnect, un-pair, re-pair and start over, it will be better" and he indicated that had to do that now and then with Jeeps. Hmmmm, nice when a sales guy says it can be an issue.

 

[Lost1wing]

I'm not impressed with the BT situation - mine doesn't do squat with text messages and keeps wanting to import contacts when I use Android Auto - but contacts were imported long ago. AA shouldn't bring up that contacts screen when I exit AA but it does and I have to Xit it.
I use my hearing aids for phone calls in the truck. Wind noise doesn't bother, I can be driving in a crazy rain storm and no one notices. I tried the truck BT for taking a call one time - the lady said "I'd better call you back, sounds like a really bad storm there and I can barely hear you". I reconnected my phone to my hearing aids again and tried the call - oh, you must have made it home, this is much better.
With the wind noise in these, and the unreliability of the BT, meh, it's ok, it's there, but not great. When I first had troubles my sales guy said "we'll disconnect, un-pair, re-pair and start over, it will be better" and he indicated that had to do that now and then with Jeeps. Hmmmm, nice when a sales guy says it can be an issue.

My 2014 Duramax is much louder than the JT. The technology Chevy uses does a great job isolating the tire and wind noise. No one has a problem hearing me. However, the Jeeps Bluetooth audio out is terrible. Audio in is fine, just output audio is useless.

I have the TSB for the steering gear printed. I'll probably lose it in the next 3 weeks, but I know where to get it.

 

[Lost1wing]

I asked about it when I took mine in for a 3rd brake light issue. They ordered the part and 3 weeks later called me and had the part in and scheduled a time to have it installed. All together about 4 weeks and that was last January 2021. Had a great experience

I don't mind the wait game, but I have to wait three weeks just to start playing the game. Hopefully the part will be in stock and they can get to it on the same day.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I'm not impressed with the BT situation - mine doesn't do squat with text messages and keeps wanting to import contacts when I use Android Auto - but contacts were imported long ago. AA shouldn't bring up that contacts screen when I exit AA but it does and I have to Xit it.
I use my hearing aids for phone calls in the truck. Wind noise doesn't bother, I can be driving in a crazy rain storm and no one notices. I tried the truck BT for taking a call one time - the lady said "I'd better call you back, sounds like a really bad storm there and I can barely hear you". I reconnected my phone to my hearing aids again and tried the call - oh, you must have made it home, this is much better.
With the wind noise in these, and the unreliability of the BT, meh, it's ok, it's there, but not great. When I first had troubles my sales guy said "we'll disconnect, un-pair, re-pair and start over, it will be better" and he indicated that had to do that now and then with Jeeps. Hmmmm, nice when a sales guy says it can be an issue.

Yeah call quality in mine is pretty bad as well. I can hear them fine but if I'm driving on the interstate then they have a tough time hearing me between wind noise and tire noise I guess. For what it's worth I had the same issue in my JKU as well, they haven't put much effort into improving that i guess.

 

[BUZZHEAD]

I took mine to the dealer for wandering .I emailed the service manager the TSB and five minutes later he responded saying he ordered the steering box. Had it back two days later.

 

[Lost1wing]

I took mine to the dealer for wandering .I emailed the service manager the TSB and five minutes later he responded saying he ordered the steering box. Had it back two days later.

Good to know.

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