First post and a nightmare story of a warranty!

[sharpsicle]

I had a really positive experience with JeepCares. My fuel pump died while on vacation 500 miles form home. Even with 41,000 miles on the odometer they ended up covering the repair.

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There's a lot going on with the OP's situation that I think should be considered.

First, dealerships are all privately owned. While a Jeep dealer is a representative of Jeep/FCA/Stellantis/whatever and there are some obligations there, they are still a private business. Dealerships are not owned by Jeep. I am in no way trying to make excuses for shitty dealerships or condone bad service but the OP traveled to another state to buy his Jeep, presumably to get a great deal and save a bunch of money. The local dealer knows this when they enter the VIN in the computer. They lost out on making money on the sale and now they have to do work and try and then try and get FCA/Stellantis to reimburse them. I'm not saying it's right but I can see why you might get the cold shoulder from the dealer in that situation.

Also, it may be wise to "pick your battles" when it comes to warranty claims. I fully understand the principle that a $60k truck should be flawless and that if it's not it should be fixed no questions asked. In my opinion not everything warrants a trip to the dealer. Hell, I fix a lot of stuff just for my own sanity. It's just not worth my time to sit at the dealer for hours on end for certain things. Again, I am not condoning shitty service from a dealer but for less than $100 the OP could have new speakers that are better than stock, all in less time than it takes to go to the stealership.

Finally, I think it's important to understand what Jeep Cares and Jeep Wave Customer Service are for. They can help with warranty claims, or contacting dealerships but they don't directly fix trucks. They aren't service techs. They are there to help make your experience a little less painful when something bad happens, if possible. I don't intend to put words in anyone's mouth but there are appropriate ways to speak with people and reasonable expectations for the outcome.

I know that everything I wrote can be misconstrued and make it look like I am shifting the blame to the OP. Believe me I am not. It's just that at this point in my life I am not a fan of dealerships in general. This isn't a Jeep thing (actually, my experience with Jeep has been nothing short of great). In the past I have had the runaround and shitty experiences from GM, Ford, Mazda, Honda, and Kia dealerships. It sucks. It's wrong. It is what it is, though. I've learned to just deal with the small stuff and I only go to the dealership when it's something major. Someone mentioned above that part of the buying experience is just as much about shopping for a dealership as it is the car/truck. I couldn't agree more.

This guy gets it!

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[Hootbro]

Stop equating what you paid for it and the expected level of quality and customer service. Those never correlate in the automotive world because if they did, German Luxury brands and Italian exotics would be rock solid reliable.

 

[Sazabi19]

I've had essentially the same thing happen to me here in my city. I have a dealership about 20 mins away for my Cadenza (chain dealer with many dif manufacturers) but refuse to go to that dealership chain because of how they tried to yank me around when I tried to go to them for my previous car. I guess they thought because I was young it would be OK?

Either way, I drive about an hour up North of me to a different dealership and told the sales guy I wanted to a buy a car that day, I saw the 1 I wanted on their lot, and to go get me the lowest price and come back ONLY with that because I wasn't going to play the haggling game lol. He realized I was already in a not so great mood and did what I asked. I explained everything to him later in the buying process.

Turns out he was a pretty cool guy. He kept up with me after I bought the car, said hi to me by name every time I came in for service. That became a regular occurrence for the service manager, the cashier, and him. He eventually became manager of the place which was nice because I got to drive some of the other cars that came in that others couldn't yet (Stinger GT2 V6 when they only had 1).

Not all dealers are created equal and sometimes you have to go out of your way for a while to get a good one. I've taken my car to that dealer for over 7 years now (20yr warranty on drivetrain if I take it to them for service, I'll do it, and have since given that car to my parents with that warranty in tact). I bought my truck about 2 hrs away from me and now service it about 20 mins away. They're always busy but a good dealership

 

[jbehrn]

As a first time Jeep owner I’ve found that my local dealer can provide the best and worst experience… Nothing consistent, so I never know what to expect when I bring it in for service. I’m scheduled to have them look at a door panel that won’t stay seated properly and the passenger sun visor that falls off randomly. Will they fix it? Who knows, because they are all over the place…

For the OP - the first warranty service I had was a rear shock failure. My service advisor gave me a really hard time because he was sure I thrashed the Jeep off-road (my pavement queen hadn’t even touched grass at that point) and he was certain it wouldn’t be replaced under warranty … needless to say that experience didn’t leave me with a good feeling on wether or not Jeep would stand behind their product!

 

[punk'n]

Update to post #6 regarding my OEM hardtop water leak and no service appointment:

Long story short, I called Jeep Cares about my water leak. They agreed that the dealership should have at least LOOKED at my water leak or set up an appointment to do so. Jeep Cares then called the dealership themselves while I was on hold and the dealership service writer advised Jeep Cares that they remembered the call but since they did not have a water tech they could not help me. They also advised Jeep Cares that they offered me the name of an independent company I could take my vehicle to to get it looked at.

Jeep Cares agreed with me that this was unacceptable. I explained that it only started leaking about a week or so ago. But, I had to pull out the carpet 3x and now leave it out. Also, my passenger seat, as well as interior door panel, was getting wet. Jeep Cares then said they would escalate my issue and a "case" person would call me.

So........ low and behold I do get a followup call from Jeep Cares. The Jeep Cares woman asked if I would be willing to go to a different dealer. I advised that of course I would go to any dealer to get it fixed under warranty. However, I wanted to know beforehand :

1.) What dealer has a water tech (so I don't have to search around)?

2.) What happens if we find a new dealer that says "tough luck you didn't buy here"?

The woman at Jeep Cares then stated that she would call another dealer for me while I stayed on the line and that she would make sure a water leak appointment is set up (first to confirm they had a water tech and then that they would look at it under warranty).

So, I now have an appointment at another dealer for August 4th (earliest they said a water tech would be there). Hopefully it gets looked at as planned and then fixed as needed.

On a side note.... I'd like to point out that my main issue was that I called a Jeep dealership (while under warranty) that I did business with twice before for this truck and they:

1.) Would not give me an appointment to even look at the problem (although, they were very pleasant while they denied me ).

2.) Would only refer me to an independent company for repair (and I would have to pay out of my pocket).

3.) Would not advise what other Jeep dealership/facility could help me since they wouldn't.

During this process, I was thinking that SOMEONE at Jeep knows who is a water tech, who trains the water techs and/or where the water techs are working/are assigned. But, I certainly didn't have that info. And, I did not feel that it should be up to a customer to search out a solution while under warranty. And that's exactly what I expressed to Jeep Cares.

I really have no issue with the fact that its leaking even though it sucks that I had to yank the carpet and dry things out. Well, that is of course as long as it gets fixed! I know crap happens and thing break or fail. We all know that everything mechanical will wear out, age out or eventually break. And, I've owned plenty of vehicles, can turn my own wrench fairly well and have plenty of tools and even my own lift to work on them. However, in the end all I wanted was my truck to be repaired by a Jeep dealer while under warranty, and not have to jump through hoops to accomplish this.

Fingers crossed on the leak diagnosis/repair. Wish me luck!

 

[NachoRuby]

Your post is the first time I've ever heard of a water tech in relation to a vehicle. I would have thought the dealership completely made that position up!

 

[Hootbro]

I think most dealership service department actually farm out "Water Tech" work to a third party. Usually to local automotive glass company that will also get the glass replacement job if the call is made to replace the glass.

That is what mine and few others in the rear window leak thread have reported.

 

[DobaMark]

I used to have a Jeep Renegade (cheap little commuter vehicle for PA winters). It would randomly show up an "audio system failure" message on the display and the RR speaker would quit working. My dealer was a champion. They thought it was the speaker, but the problem remained. They traced the wiring front to back and finally found a crimped wire. They had the Renegade for almost 2 weeks. I had a new (though year old already) 2.0T powered 2018 Wrangler the whole time.

 

[punk'n]

I think most dealership service department actually farm out "Water Tech" work to a third party. Usually to local automotive glass company that will also get the glass replacement job if the call is made to replace the glass.

That is what mine and few others in the rear window leak thread have reported.

Your probably right. It may very well be a third party. But, if its covered under warranty AND gets fixed correctly, I don't care who they have do the job.

 

[punk'n]

Your post is the first time I've ever heard of a water tech in relation to a vehicle. I would have thought the dealership completely made that position up!

It does kinda sounds like BS. But, I have heard the term used before in leaking window threads.

 

[jbehrn]

Your post is the first time I've ever heard of a water tech in relation to a vehicle. I would have thought the dealership completely made that position up!

I honestly thought that they’d just have a tech spray using a hose on full blast till the problem manifested itself. But ‘Water Tech’ sound so much sexier!

 

[Discount Dave]

those speakers can change out in 5 minutes i replaced mine with kenwood from crutchfield under $100 bucks. The original ones suck anyway choose your battles wisely.

 

[Dqban]

It shouldnt matter if you bought your vehicle at the place you take it for service....they getting paid either way. Good service means you might buy there in the future.
If a dealer ever told me to take my car to a third party while under warranty...especially for leaking...thats a big deal...who knows where that water is traveling to.... i instantly write the dealer off forever. Thats some balls to tell someone to pay for warranty work themselves.

 

[pcrawfordpt]

I had a really positive experience with JeepCares. My fuel pump died while on vacation 500 miles form home. Even with 41,000 miles on the odometer they ended up covering the repair.

--------------

There's a lot going on with the OP's situation that I think should be considered.

First, dealerships are all privately owned. While a Jeep dealer is a representative of Jeep/FCA/Stellantis/whatever and there are some obligations there, they are still a private business. Dealerships are not owned by Jeep. I am in no way trying to make excuses for shitty dealerships or condone bad service but the OP traveled to another state to buy his Jeep, presumably to get a great deal and save a bunch of money. The local dealer knows this when they enter the VIN in the computer. They lost out on making money on the sale and now they have to do work and try and then try and get FCA/Stellantis to reimburse them. I'm not saying it's right but I can see why you might get the cold shoulder from the dealer in that situation.

Also, it may be wise to "pick your battles" when it comes to warranty claims. I fully understand the principle that a $60k truck should be flawless and that if it's not it should be fixed no questions asked. In my opinion not everything warrants a trip to the dealer. Hell, I fix a lot of stuff just for my own sanity. It's just not worth my time to sit at the dealer for hours on end for certain things. Again, I am not condoning shitty service from a dealer but for less than $100 the OP could have new speakers that are better than stock, all in less time than it takes to go to the stealership.

Finally, I think it's important to understand what Jeep Cares and Jeep Wave Customer Service are for. They can help with warranty claims, or contacting dealerships but they don't directly fix trucks. They aren't service techs. They are there to help make your experience a little less painful when something bad happens, if possible. I don't intend to put words in anyone's mouth but there are appropriate ways to speak with people and reasonable expectations for the outcome.

I know that everything I wrote can be misconstrued and make it look like I am shifting the blame to the OP. Believe me I am not. It's just that at this point in my life I am not a fan of dealerships in general. This isn't a Jeep thing (actually, my experience with Jeep has been nothing short of great). In the past I have had the runaround and shitty experiences from GM, Ford, Mazda, Honda, and Kia dealerships. It sucks. It's wrong. It is what it is, though. I've learned to just deal with the small stuff and I only go to the dealership when it's something major. Someone mentioned above that part of the buying experience is just as much about shopping for a dealership as it is the car/truck. I couldn't agree more.

My beef is actually with Jeep Cares. My dealership was helpful, just couldn't identify the problem. I was asking Jeep Cares to help me get in touch with someone that could help identify the problem. It was engineered by someone. If the dealership mechanics can't figure it out, it should run up the chain to someone. I know someone knows exactly what this is and ow to remedy. Guess that was too much of an ask...frustrating.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It shouldnt matter if you bought your vehicle at the place you take it for service....they getting paid either way. Good service means you might buy there in the future.
If a dealer ever told me to take my car to a third party while under warranty...especially for leaking...thats a big deal...who knows where that water is traveling to.... i instantly write the dealer off forever. Thats some balls to tell someone to pay for warranty work themselves.

EXACTLY. I flat out told the service writer and others my truck was bought across town - but they have treated me quite well. And are really concerned about my rating each visit.
They even took care of a couple of things I told them I expected to pay for since I did some of the work myself. Nope, we'll cover it.
I told them the other dealer missed getting my passive entry ordered, so I installed it myself and asked them to contact Jeep to have it officially made part of my truck. I expected to pay and told them so.... nope, we'll cover that, no problem.

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