ShadowsPapa
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Bill
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2019
- Threads
- 163
- Messages
- 26,761
- Reaction score
- 31,207
- Location
- Runnells, Iowa
- Vehicle(s)
- '22 JTO, '23 JLU, '82 SX4, '73 P. Cardin Javelin
- Occupation
- Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
- Vehicle Showcase
- 3
- Thread starter
- #1
First visit for transmission leak:
Fluid was noted on garage floor and on back end of transmission as well as braces and cross members
Miles at visit: 3983
Date of visit: 4/7/2023
Work done: replace transmission pan gasket
Second visit for transmission leak:
Fluid was noted on garage floor and on back end of transmission as well as braces and cross members
Miles at visit: 4948
Date of visit: 4948
Date: 8/24/2023
Work done: replace transmission pan and transmission pan gasket
Third time transmission leak noticed:
Miles: roughly 5300 miles
Fluid on garage floor and on braces and cross members under Jeep.
Current miles on vehicle: 5597 (about 5600 miles by the time it got to the dealer)
They are now saying "it's the pan gasket" - blaming it on the locating nibs on the gasket that protrude through the holes in the pan's mounting surface. Really? What do those have to do with it? Those in mid-way in the gasket, stick down through the pan and can't interfere with anything. And if it's that, why only at the back of the transmission? Never at the sides or front?
I felt really insulted when their service advisor called and said that it was the pan gasket again, and that I was looking at and referencing the wrong transmission that the 4xe transmission was different. I bloody well now that! I got really angry with that guy and told him I was done with him - I wanted his boss. His boss called me 2 minutes later - and I told him that I knew the differences and every single image, every reference, the GPOP doc from FCA, the forum posts - were ALL about the 4xe transmission and I probably knew more about the differences than they did. I finally convinced him that I knew what I was talking about and I never once referenced anything to do with the non-4xe transmission.
He then said well, it's the pan, there's no other leaks.
I said - that means that:
1 - the factory gasket failed
2 - their first replacement failed
3 - now they are saying their second replacement failed - that's 3 failed gaskets - don't they know how to install transmission pan gaskets?
He said he was going to drop the pan and reinstall it with only RTV - oh, boy, I know how that will go.......... that sheet metal pan sealed only with their RTV, constantly bathed in hot transmission oil.
I told him if they do that and it fails again, I'm going to drop it off in front of their doors and call an attorney.
I tried to tell him you can't make it leak on a lift - you must DRIVE it, and drive it hard on the highway. Town driving won't do it, it's got to be highway driving at highway speeds with the fluid totally warmed up to the 180s anyway. So don't do this "we put it on a lift and it's not leaking" bull crap.
I was quite upset.
This is their 3rd attempt. If I get it back and it leaks again, I can say it's been in 3 times and the problem still persists.
The nice thing is that if you force lemon law, etc. you have choices - and I can force Jeep to actually fix it.
They must either replace it (they can't possibly replace it, they don't make the reign color any more), buy it back, or fix it - so if it comes to that - something can be forced from the top down.
To qualify as a “lemon” under the Iowa Lemon Law, one or more of the following must be true:
* The vehicle has been in the shop three or more times for the same problem and the problem still exists;
* The vehicle has been in the shop one time due to a defect likely to cause serious bodily injury or death and the problem still exists;
* The vehicle has been out of service for any number of problems for 20 or more days, and a problem still exists. The days do not need to be consecutive.
Then Jeep will have to be involved since this dealership won't even contact STAR or Jeep engineering.
Fluid was noted on garage floor and on back end of transmission as well as braces and cross members
Miles at visit: 3983
Date of visit: 4/7/2023
Work done: replace transmission pan gasket
Second visit for transmission leak:
Fluid was noted on garage floor and on back end of transmission as well as braces and cross members
Miles at visit: 4948
Date of visit: 4948
Date: 8/24/2023
Work done: replace transmission pan and transmission pan gasket
Third time transmission leak noticed:
Miles: roughly 5300 miles
Fluid on garage floor and on braces and cross members under Jeep.
Current miles on vehicle: 5597 (about 5600 miles by the time it got to the dealer)
They are now saying "it's the pan gasket" - blaming it on the locating nibs on the gasket that protrude through the holes in the pan's mounting surface. Really? What do those have to do with it? Those in mid-way in the gasket, stick down through the pan and can't interfere with anything. And if it's that, why only at the back of the transmission? Never at the sides or front?
I felt really insulted when their service advisor called and said that it was the pan gasket again, and that I was looking at and referencing the wrong transmission that the 4xe transmission was different. I bloody well now that! I got really angry with that guy and told him I was done with him - I wanted his boss. His boss called me 2 minutes later - and I told him that I knew the differences and every single image, every reference, the GPOP doc from FCA, the forum posts - were ALL about the 4xe transmission and I probably knew more about the differences than they did. I finally convinced him that I knew what I was talking about and I never once referenced anything to do with the non-4xe transmission.
He then said well, it's the pan, there's no other leaks.
I said - that means that:
1 - the factory gasket failed
2 - their first replacement failed
3 - now they are saying their second replacement failed - that's 3 failed gaskets - don't they know how to install transmission pan gaskets?
He said he was going to drop the pan and reinstall it with only RTV - oh, boy, I know how that will go.......... that sheet metal pan sealed only with their RTV, constantly bathed in hot transmission oil.
I told him if they do that and it fails again, I'm going to drop it off in front of their doors and call an attorney.
I tried to tell him you can't make it leak on a lift - you must DRIVE it, and drive it hard on the highway. Town driving won't do it, it's got to be highway driving at highway speeds with the fluid totally warmed up to the 180s anyway. So don't do this "we put it on a lift and it's not leaking" bull crap.
I was quite upset.
This is their 3rd attempt. If I get it back and it leaks again, I can say it's been in 3 times and the problem still persists.
The nice thing is that if you force lemon law, etc. you have choices - and I can force Jeep to actually fix it.
They must either replace it (they can't possibly replace it, they don't make the reign color any more), buy it back, or fix it - so if it comes to that - something can be forced from the top down.
To qualify as a “lemon” under the Iowa Lemon Law, one or more of the following must be true:
* The vehicle has been in the shop three or more times for the same problem and the problem still exists;
* The vehicle has been in the shop one time due to a defect likely to cause serious bodily injury or death and the problem still exists;
* The vehicle has been out of service for any number of problems for 20 or more days, and a problem still exists. The days do not need to be consecutive.
Then Jeep will have to be involved since this dealership won't even contact STAR or Jeep engineering.
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