“Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon”

[ShadowsPapa]

Yea man I don’t think it’s okay either. BecauseI’ve accumulated dirt under hood, they’re making the assumption that I’ve been submerged/stuck in or driving reckless in water which is not the case. I still don’t really see the “moisture” on the alternator the service man is talking about. I see maybe 2 spots that look different but it looks like oil to me. I can’t believe that me driving through a car wash is also an issue too. I love my truck and i love Jeep. I’m slowly putting my family on to them. This whole thing is really making me change my mind. Am i supposed to leave it parked in driveway because I live in Florida and there is water and dirt everywhere? That’s crazy

Mine was filthy under the hood too, as you already saw.
And I think the stuff in your pic looked more like oil to me, especially with the gold or brown coloration. That's OIL and/or gas residue, not water.

Update on mine - after I posted those pics showing how filthy mine was under the hood and not even going through water - it's all dust and rain and wind driven - I decided it was too dirty.
So while washing the truck, I had about 2 minutes left on the clock, opened the hood and washed the engine off a bit - especially the most dirty looking areas but I deliberately washed the area around the alternator.
~anyone who washed under the hood should rinse until you think it's rinsed and then rinse again - that soap and the chemicals they use are nasty, caustic stuff, never under-rinse the engine bay or underside~ Also drive until the engine bay is dry, try not to let the alternator sit wet.
Anyway, got done, closed the hood, drove away. 14.0 volts all the way home. No problems.

Sponsored

 

[HighNoon]

Dealer BS

 

[johnes48]

Mine was filthy under the hood too, as you already saw.
And I think the stuff in your pic looked more like oil to me, especially with the gold or brown coloration. That's OIL and/or gas residue, not water.

Update on mine - after I posted those pics showing how filthy mine was under the hood and not even going through water - it's all dust and rain and wind driven - I decided it was too dirty.
So while washing the truck, I had about 2 minutes left on the clock, opened the hood and washed the engine off a bit - especially the most dirty looking areas but I deliberately washed the area around the alternator.
~anyone who washed under the hood should rinse until you think it's rinsed and then rinse again - that soap and the chemicals they use are nasty, caustic stuff, never under-rinse the engine bay or underside~ Also drive until the engine bay is dry, try not to let the alternator sit wet.
Anyway, got done, closed the hood, drove away. 14.0 volts all the way home. No problems.

I agree! It doesn't look like any kind of moisture created by rain. But like I said, they have determined that it is caused by water so they aren't really looking at it potentially being something else. Maybe when I get it towed to another dealership, they'll be able to re-assess at least.

I'll keep your advice in mind whenever I get my truck back! I'll probably just wipe engine bay down to avoid any moisture build up in there. I'm going to be paranoid about it getting wet for a LONG time lol

 

[johnes48]

Dealer BS

Yeaa. I understand it's a business and that they need to make money. But we'll see. Hopefully it'll get resolved. I can't go another week driving the work car everywhere.

 

[dcmdon]

Going to try to fight it. Will be calling Jeep before I even go to dealership. I told the service rep that I want to see the damage before I commit to anything, so we’ll see. I know that I haven’t been in any kind of water that would even come remotely close to making me worry about possible damage, hence why I am so confused. I guess I’ll find out either way

DO NOT ever agree to pay for that.

have you explained to them that you never took it through any water?

As others have said, contact jeep. I'd also contact another jeep dealer. Its crap. I've driven my Volvo Sedan through a foot of water and never had a problem. Ha.

Water and condensation under the hood can come from driving through rain for gods sake.

Also - NAME NAMES. People deserve to know who this crap dealership is as well as the name of the evil service writer.

I worked as a service writer (and a parts driver and a tech and a sales man and a finance guy at various times) at a great dealership and we would NEVER have pulled this crap.

 

[dcmdon]

I agree! It doesn't look like any kind of moisture created by rain. But like I said, they have determined that it is caused by water so they aren't really looking at it potentially being something else. Maybe when I get it towed to another dealership, they'll be able to re-assess at least.

I'll keep your advice in mind whenever I get my truck back! I'll probably just wipe engine bay down to avoid any moisture build up in there. I'm going to be paranoid about it getting wet for a LONG time lol

By the way. If the other dealer isn't too far away, you should be able to drive it if you put a full charge on the battery.

 

[sully09]

I was about to pull the trigger on a new Gladiator, but it is stuff like this that scares me. This is a new car buyers nightmare. Also, this seems like a pattern for the Gladiator: @JeepCares is the cost it takes to fix the vehicle really worth the bad publicity this brings? When I buy a new car, I want to know that the manufacturer will stand behind their product and honor their warranty.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/38601...r-dealer-allegedly-voids-warranty-for-mudding

 

[HighNoon]

I would save the parts that are replaced and maybe even have the dealer box them up and send them to my attorney. That would give them a chance to think about it.

 

[dcmdon]

This whole topic brings up the very real point that there IS a point where a problem should not be warrantied.
thedrive.com article above is a case in point. Sure the quote to R&R the alternator was insane.

But based on those photos, I'd be suspect if I was on the hook for a warranty claim.

Since the cost of an alternator is so little I'd probably have ut the claim through and warned the customer that this was a favor. That there is a limit to what you can do and not have problems.


In the case of the OP, I think its obvious that everything should be coverd.

One other thing. Warranties aren't "voided". Rather, claims are denied on a case by case basis.

Lets say you put a 4" lift on your jeep and your U joint fails. Most dealers would deny the claim. Its logical that the increased axel angle caused the failure.

But they couldn't/shouldn't deny a claim for a failed power window motor based on a lift.

I hope this makes sense. Of course submersion is a tough one because it could provide a basis to deny just about any claim.

 

[johnes48]

DO NOT ever agree to pay for that.

have you explained to them that you never took it through any water?

As others have said, contact jeep. I'd also contact another jeep dealer. Its crap. I've driven my Volvo Sedan through a foot of water and never had a problem. Ha.

Water and condensation under the hood can come from driving through rain for gods sake.

Also - NAME NAMES. People deserve to know who this crap dealership is as well as the name of the evil service writer.

I worked as a service writer (and a parts driver and a tech and a sales man and a finance guy at various times) at a great dealership and we would NEVER have pulled this crap.

I definitely don't want to pay for it! I'm trying to get it resolved through warranty. That being said, I can't force them to cover it and I'm definitely not the type of guy that's going to cause an issue, you know?

I told the service rep and Jeep Cares that I haven't driven through any water besides rain and the occasional car wash. Also told them that the truck had not seen any high levels of water in approximately two weeks. I do understand their train of though; it's dirty under there and that can only be cause by rain and dirt. I get that, but I definitely didn't do anything out of the ordinary to the truck.

I'm trying to get it towed to another dealership now, I just have to wait and see if current dealership will allow tow without me paying the diagnostic fee yet or if I have to pay the diagnostic fee prior to towing. I may try to jump it with my battery pack and drive it to dealership myself to see if I notice anything else wrong with it. The day it broke down, I got a power steering warning that flickered on the screen before it told me to park safely.

Yea I'm not sure why it is the way it is. I'm keeping my head up and trying to find an amicable solution. We'll see what happens. Unfortunately, I can't afford to go without a vehicle much longer so something will have to be done regardless.

 

[johnes48]

By the way. If the other dealer isn't too far away, you should be able to drive it if you put a full charge on the battery.

Going to and jump it so that I can drive myself. It's about a 15 minute drive so I don't know that it will make it but I'll see what the truck does once it's jumped and kicks on.

 

[johnes48]

I was about to pull the trigger on a new Gladiator, but it is stuff like this that scares me. This is a new car buyers nightmare. Also, this seems like a pattern for the Gladiator: @JeepCares is the cost it takes to fix the vehicle really worth the bad publicity this brings? When I buy a new car, I want to know that the manufacturer will stand behind their product and honor their warranty.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/38601...r-dealer-allegedly-voids-warranty-for-mudding

I will say this, this is the only issue I've had with my truck in the year I've had it. Unfortunately, it is a big deal and I'm not having the best experience. I love my truck and I love driving it. I'm still a Jeep supporter! I'm hoping they can help me figure this out. We'll see what happens!

That's a good read. That article was posted earlier in the thread too

 

[johnes48]

I would save the parts that are replaced and maybe even have the dealer box them up and send them to my attorney. That would give them a chance to think about it.

I'll save the parts once I get it fixed. I'll probably take them to a 3rd shop and see what they say. I'm concerned about any additional components that may be damaged as well that they haven't encountered yet.

 

[johnes48]

This whole topic brings up the very real point that there IS a point where a problem should not be warrantied.
thedrive.com article above is a case in point. Sure the quote to R&R the alternator was insane.

But based on those photos, I'd be suspect if I was on the hook for a warranty claim.

Since the cost of an alternator is so little I'd probably have ut the claim through and warned the customer that this was a favor. That there is a limit to what you can do and not have problems.


In the case of the OP, I think its obvious that everything should be coverd.

One other thing. Warranties aren't "voided". Rather, claims are denied on a case by case basis.

Lets say you put a 4" lift on your jeep and your U joint fails. Most dealers would deny the claim. Its logical that the increased axel angle caused the failure.

But they couldn't/shouldn't deny a claim for a failed power window motor based on a lift.

I hope this makes sense. Of course submersion is a tough one because it could provide a basis to deny just about any claim.

I would agree that although the warranty claim and the damaged parts are similar, that article and my case are 2 completely different scenarios. I've never driven my truck into/through anything like that.

I appreciate that information. I was using the term voided because that is what the service rep told me. I'm sure that a note has been put in their system to advise that my claim has been denied though but we will see what another dealership says.

And yes, I agree with you and that example. Which is part of my concern. If my alternator claim is not covered by warranty, I suspect that any additional damage caused by the damaged alternator will also not be covered. That is my biggest concern right now.

I also agree that submersion would be cause for denying most claims. I also feel that if my truck was submerged, there would be more indicators/damaged components under the hood. For one, I feel like my truck would not have run after being submerged due to the air intake being flooded with water. I'm not sure how tight the seals are on the doors and windows but I would also suspect some water making it's way into the passenger compartment as well. I'm not sure, I'm no car expert. I just don't think that the evidence is there to support being stuck/submerged in water. We'll see what happens

 

[NachoRuby]

I would agree that although the warranty claim and the damaged parts are similar, that article and my case are 2 completely different scenarios. I've never driven my truck into/through anything like that.

I appreciate that information. I was using the term voided because that is what the service rep told me. I'm sure that a note has been put in their system to advise that my claim has been denied though but we will see what another dealership says.

And yes, I agree with you and that example. Which is part of my concern. If my alternator claim is not covered by warranty, I suspect that any additional damage caused by the damaged alternator will also not be covered. That is my biggest concern right now.

I also agree that submersion would be cause for denying most claims. I also feel that if my truck was submerged, there would be more indicators/damaged components under the hood. For one, I feel like my truck would not have run after being submerged due to the air intake being flooded with water. I'm not sure how tight the seals are on the doors and windows but I would also suspect some water making it's way into the passenger compartment as well. I'm not sure, I'm no car expert. I just don't think that the evidence is there to support being stuck/submerged in water. We'll see what happens

The thing is, these are rated to ford 30 inches of water, and there's not a single trail (at least in my part of the country) where you're not going to see any water. In essence, it seems they can void a warranty just for driving a jeep off road. That's what is scary to me.

Sponsored