Why do Chrysler Dealerships hate Jeeps?

[bigcheeshead]

I’ve had my Gladiator for 2 years now and am counting the days warranty runs out, so I won’t have to go to the dealership only to be told nearly EVERY single time that the work is not covered under warranty! Granted, I’ve done about $40K in aftermarket upgrades to the Jeep already so I can see their point of view on some issues but still… You be the judge.

6 months after purchase I discovered that the engine bay is extremely hot to the point of people burning their hands when touching the hood. The first dealership acknowledged the problem but refused to do anything about it because I have the custom front bumper which “Altered the airflow to the engine”. Fortunately, a second dealership resolved the issue by upgrading the firmware on the controller and doing a full reset.

9 months after purchase the sensor on the rear lockers stop working, a common problem requiring the entire axle replacement due to brilliant engineering! Dealership would not cover it because I installed aftermarket chromoly axle shafts. Fortunately, Z Locker OEM harness took care of the problem.

12 months after purchase death wobble develops. My offroad shop tells me that the tie rod and draglink are shot. Once again, the dealership refuses to replace them stating death wobble is caused by 37 inch “oversized tires”. Replaced tie rod and draglink with aftermarket beefed up parts. Problem solved.

16 months after purchase, start/stop no longer works and “auxiliary battery charging” message is on all the time. The dealership ran the diagnostics on the battery and informed me that everything had passed. Advised that I wait until the temps in Arizona drop and bring it back in if the problem persists. For ONCE they were right! Soon as the temperature dropped to 80sh, start/stop mysteriously started working again. If the dealership knows that auxiliary battery doesn’t work in high ambient temperatures, shouldn’t we get a warning that “Jeep Gladiator Auxiliary batteries are not designed to operate in any environments above 90 F”??????


20 months after purchase. I’m starting to have a lot of issues with steering. Two different offroad shops diagnosed the problem to be the Steering Box. Took it to the dealership AGAIN. This time they didn’t even bother looking at it and straight out told me that that steering box is not covered under warranty due to ……..drum roll…………….”aftermarket tie rod and drag link” So now I will have to replace the steering box (yes the steel one) with a Big Bore Box which ain’t exactly cheap!

22 months after purchase and the reason why I finally snapped and wrote this to vent. Both passenger and driver visors broke within days of each other. Once again, a very common problem with a Jeep due to brilliant engineering!!! Surely something like that would be covered under warranty, right? NOPE! Their reason: “due to excessive wear and tear from vibrations most likely caused by frequent offroading” Aftermarket parts to the rescue and a $20 bracket on Amazon fixed the problem that the dealer wanted to charge $300 per visor!!!


Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Gladiator and have a lot of fun with it off-road and on the pavement. BUT, this pathetic game of finding every possible excuse to refuse warranty work is way out of hand and sooner or later Jeep will end up paying the price for it when competition heats up and Jeep is left in the dust due to their phenomenal warranty policy!!!

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[Jeepasaurus_Rex]

I agree with you on some of these things, but most of them I don't.

In my opinion, anything that is modified outside of the dealership/manufacturer or is altered in some way... I'm on board with them not covering that under warranty. When you buy the vehicle and it's stock and has no modifications... that's what the warranty is applicable to (of course there are some exceptions).

So me personally, most of the things mentioned above make perfect sense to me. If I'm the one who modified or altered it, I should be responsible for repairs in the areas affected by such modifications.

 

[staying_tuned]

I love our dealership but if I had spent 40k in mods, I wouldn’t even bother bringing it in unless I was fully prepared to pay excessively high troubleshooting rates. At that level of investment most would consider it a complete one-off/purpose-built rig with zero warranty coverage.

 

[ShrimpHappens]

Not touching the death wobble, steering, and axle is very understandable from the dealer's perspective.

 

[Summitsearcher]

Personally, I only expect warranty coverage on my vehicle “delivered as new”. Not modified after purchase because any changes do affect stock designs engineered to operate within certain factory spec’s as delivered and manufactured. Every item I’ve had addressed on mine was covered and resolved without difficulties in its stock form. Now, with that said. I’m sorry for the problems your having, but they can be related to changes made on your vehicle. The devil is always in the details. My opinion might not be popular or appreciated, but modifications nullify warranties every day. Just being honest. If you had stated the vehicle was still stock, I’d be fighting along side you 100%. All you can do is be the squeaky wheel and see if it gets greased. I hope you find some satisfaction.


Per Jeep - “Your Jeep® Brand limited vehicle warranty does not include routine maintenance, any damage to the interior or damage due to aftermarket parts, accidents or the environment. Warranties do not cover any part that was not on the vehicle when it left the manufacturing plant or is not certified for use on the vehicle.

There are several circumstances that may void a warranty or cause the manufacturer to deny a warranty claim, including tampering, salvage title (a vehicle that has been written off by an insurer), modifications to the vehicle, etc. A warranty could also be restricted/voided if the vehicle is not properly maintained, abused or neglected and that abuse or neglect interferes with the proper functioning of the vehicle.”

 

[dcmdon]

I agree with you on some of these things, but most of them I don't.

In my opinion, anything that is modified outside of the dealership/manufacturer or is altered in some way... I'm on board with them not covering that under warranty. When you buy the vehicle and it's stock and has no modifications... that's what the warranty is applicable to (of course there are some exceptions).

So me personally, most of the things mentioned above make perfect sense to me. If I'm the one who modified or altered it, I should be responsible for repairs in the areas affected by such modifications.

I agree. I wouldn't expect them to cover the steering box, death wobble.

The rear axle, visor, and heat issue should have been covered.

 

[SSinGA]

Love this one!

22 months after purchase and the reason why I finally snapped and wrote this to vent. Both passenger and driver visors broke within days of each other. Once again, a very common problem with a Jeep due to brilliant engineering!!! Surely something like that would be covered under warranty, right? NOPE! Their reason: “due to excessive wear and tear from vibrations most likely caused by frequent offroading” Aftermarket parts to the rescue and a $20 bracket on Amazon fixed the problem that the dealer wanted to charge $300 per visor!!!

 

[citadelfox]

And this is why I will not buy an extended warranty...

Oh, you got that link for the visor parts off Amazon? I've read about that issue, and want to be prepared.

 

[HankB]

I have to agree with the consensus; you modified it, you own it. I can say Stellantis is not alone with this policy with regard to warranty. Over the years I’ve had the same run ins with Audi, Porsche and even GM on aftermarket upgrades. Time was this was more of a sour grapes sort of attitude, but now with cars being so tightly integrated and software driven even small seemingly innocuous modifications can have a significant impact on how the car runs.

 

[Sandevino]

Meet your service advisors, techs and master techs. Start a professional relationship with the shop foreman. Spend money at the dealership for work you could do yourself (I.e.: oil changes, alignments, filters, etc…) to not only support the establishment but their livelihood. Show up with donuts and coffee for no reason. Bring lunch. Be the customer they will go out of their way to help.

All the techs and master techs I’ve worked with over the years did side work at the dealership when work was slow. They often have relationships with the same aftermarket vendors you buy from and can get discounts. Buy through them, they install and you get a warranty on the part and the installation.

Customers that treated me fair I’d go out of my way to help if I could on warranty work.

 

[Snake Eyes]

And this is why I will not buy an extended warranty...

Oh, you got that link for the visor parts off Amazon? I've read about that issue, and want to be prepared.

i put in the visor pieces the week i bought my gladiator. prevented the issue

https://www.amazon.com/TACCOM-compa...cphy=9030765&hvtargid=pla-1595905811255&psc=1

 

[Snake Eyes]

my vehicle is still stock 7 months in so i have extended warranty. my jeep/chrysler dealership has been amazing with me so far, including a busted windshield. i use them for everything to create relationship, even buying my antifreeze there. couple extra dollars and donuts go a long way when something comes up and can prevent hundreds out of your pocket with a denial.

 

[sharpsicle]

I mean, if you modify an area of the vehicle, you are taking on responsibility for said area. Pretty standard. If you later want to make the case for warranty work after modification on those things, you're going to need to be prepared to have that argument. It comes with the territory. Not saying that you can't get a result if approached correctly, but it never will be as easy as it would be without modification. The onus will be 100% on you.

This is the exact why many people eyeing upgrades to things like axles, suspension, or the engine wait until the warranty period is over. It's an expected hassle once you do those things, so you make a choice to either wait until the warranty is up to do them, or do them now and understand it's going to be tough to get warranty work done going forward. Can't have the best of both worlds sadly.

 

[Jeepasaurus_Rex]

Meet your service advisors, techs and master techs. Start a professional relationship with the shop foreman. Spend money at the dealership for work you could do yourself (I.e.: oil changes, alignments, filters, etc…) to not only support the establishment but their livelihood. Show up with donuts and coffee for no reason. Bring lunch. Be the customer they will go out of their way to help.

All the techs and master techs I’ve worked with over the years did side work at the dealership when work was slow. They often have relationships with the same aftermarket vendors you buy from and can get discounts. Buy through them, they install and you get a warranty on the part and the installation.

Customers that treated me fair I’d go out of my way to help if I could on warranty work.

This is absolute facts. I do this at a local dealership and it has worked very well for me. It also helps ease those seemingly uncomfortable situations and topics that need to be discussed sometimes.

 

[RJinPV]

You spent $40K on upgrades?!!!

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