jerrygcoffey
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Jeramiah
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2019
- Threads
- 16
- Messages
- 95
- Reaction score
- 45
- Location
- Denver, CO
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 JLU Sport 2.0T w/ eTorque
- Occupation
- Software Engineer
- Thread starter
- #1
This is a somewhat long read.
Here's some background info for starters:
2018 JLUS ~17K miles, purchased March 2019. I live in Texas, and I do all my repairs at certified dealerships. The Jeep has seen mild offroad use, like it was designed for. I have trail rash underneath and on the paint, and some cosmetic damage on the passenger door and rocker panel. The jeep is lifted and on 35's with some other minor modifications. (Bumper, winch, lights) I bought my Jeep with a trade-in that was upside down, ~$5,000 negative equity from the trade on my Jeep loan.
Let me just start out by saying that I absolutely love my Jeep. It has changed my life, honestly. However, this new found love has not come without the price of frustration. I am up to three major issues with my JL (and some more relatively minor ones as well).
The first issue is with my front axle. This one started occurring first, I am not sure of the mileage right now, but I could estimate it if I had the records in front of me. It's a ratcheting sound, that only happens in 4wd when under a slight load.(impossible to replicate on a test drive) It's not coming from the differential, I have had that checked (local shop), it's not the ball joints, or any steering components. My theory is that it has something to do with the FAD, but of course I have not had my theory confirmed, because I was never able to make a follow up appointment for it at the dealership (more on that later).
Issue number 2 started shortly after issue 1, and has gotten slightly worse over time. It is somewhat tricky to replicate on a test drive, however I did get an appointment to have both axles "looked at," and on the test drive, after a while, the tech was able to hear the noise. It is a rotational knock from the rear axle, which only appears when rolling from 5-20 mph. It is more apparent on road or terrain that is not perfectly flat. I have the D44 rear with LSD, and this is a known and common issue with these axles. There are several threads in this forum on this topic. I have seen reports of FCA replacing entire axle assemblies due to this issue, only to have the owner say that the issue returned after several thousand miles. Anyways, after the test drive I left the Jeep at the dealership hoping for the best. A couple days later I receive a call saying that they did a "visual check" which i'm assuming is basically what I had already done myself, and said I needed to come pick up the Jeep(30 mins each way) and my name would be added to the list of people waiting for a loaner. Basically rescheduling me for the service I thought I was going to be receiving at the time, except not, because they didn't actually schedule me or give me any kind of time frame. Okay, at least it's in the works..
Fast forward to the first hot day of the year here in Texas, ~90 degrees, which also happened to be right about the time the Texas economy shut down. I'm driving around enjoying my Jeep, issues and all, and I notice the jeep starting to feel funny in terms of power and acceleration. I clicked through my gauges to be surprised by the coolant temp reading 251.. yikes. I call up my service advisor, and with a sense of urgency, he immediately gets me a slot on that day. This struck me as odd because when I dropped off the Jeep, and picked up my loaner ... apparently the rental truck I was being given was misfiring due to it "sitting for so long." (Remember, I have been on a list for a loner for at least 2 months.) Whatever, maybe they did me a solid due to the situation, who knows. I just found it odd that a loaner was suddenly available. I guess my axle issues aren't serious enough. ANYWAYS, they made a quick repair while the family and I had lunch, and we were off in our rental truck.
Forgive me for my vagueness in terms of dates and such, the documentation is currently at the dealership in my glove box.
A couple weeks-ish go by, and I hear word that there was something wrong with a leaky hose or something like that with the water pump, and they would be replacing it. Funny, I never noticed any leaks or missing fluid. They call me a couple days later to say it's been test driven, fixed, and ready to pick up. I drive the 30 mins to the dealership, all smiles, and pick up the Jeep. Almost skipping out of the door. The family loads up as I remove the soft top panels, and we're off. Halfway home, my coolant is reading 249... I turn around, all smiles gone, and get on the phone with the service department. They put me in a different rental, (wasn't happy about that, major downgrade, and where are all these extra rentals coming from? ) and I made the trip home.
Since then, over the course of a month and a half, they replaced the thermostat and radiator, by order of Chrysler. After the radiator didn't fix the issue, I was informed last Friday that FCA would be sending a tech out on Tuesday and we will go from there.
Considering the amount of work I have put into this Jeep, the financial status of my loan, and the condition and mileage of the Jeep, I am trying to weigh out my options here. Should I proceed with repairs for now, or should I consider trying to file a lemon law case? Something else to consider, when they replaced my radiator, my advisor told me it was caked(with mud i guess). I always wash my Jeep after off road use, and have never "sunk" it. What are the chances that FCA attempts to blame the malfunction on me? If not for the overheating, then even the axles... it's just something that has been bugging me as well. I would hate to end up in an even worse situation than I am in now. They've already replaced the entire radiator, so I'm assuming they are accepting it as a warranty issue. I have seen at least one thread on here where a relatively newly purchased JL had an overheating issue, and FCA replaced the entire engine. Wonder what that's all about.
Any feedback or advice is appreciated, and if you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Here's some background info for starters:
2018 JLUS ~17K miles, purchased March 2019. I live in Texas, and I do all my repairs at certified dealerships. The Jeep has seen mild offroad use, like it was designed for. I have trail rash underneath and on the paint, and some cosmetic damage on the passenger door and rocker panel. The jeep is lifted and on 35's with some other minor modifications. (Bumper, winch, lights) I bought my Jeep with a trade-in that was upside down, ~$5,000 negative equity from the trade on my Jeep loan.
Let me just start out by saying that I absolutely love my Jeep. It has changed my life, honestly. However, this new found love has not come without the price of frustration. I am up to three major issues with my JL (and some more relatively minor ones as well).
The first issue is with my front axle. This one started occurring first, I am not sure of the mileage right now, but I could estimate it if I had the records in front of me. It's a ratcheting sound, that only happens in 4wd when under a slight load.(impossible to replicate on a test drive) It's not coming from the differential, I have had that checked (local shop), it's not the ball joints, or any steering components. My theory is that it has something to do with the FAD, but of course I have not had my theory confirmed, because I was never able to make a follow up appointment for it at the dealership (more on that later).
Issue number 2 started shortly after issue 1, and has gotten slightly worse over time. It is somewhat tricky to replicate on a test drive, however I did get an appointment to have both axles "looked at," and on the test drive, after a while, the tech was able to hear the noise. It is a rotational knock from the rear axle, which only appears when rolling from 5-20 mph. It is more apparent on road or terrain that is not perfectly flat. I have the D44 rear with LSD, and this is a known and common issue with these axles. There are several threads in this forum on this topic. I have seen reports of FCA replacing entire axle assemblies due to this issue, only to have the owner say that the issue returned after several thousand miles. Anyways, after the test drive I left the Jeep at the dealership hoping for the best. A couple days later I receive a call saying that they did a "visual check" which i'm assuming is basically what I had already done myself, and said I needed to come pick up the Jeep(30 mins each way) and my name would be added to the list of people waiting for a loaner. Basically rescheduling me for the service I thought I was going to be receiving at the time, except not, because they didn't actually schedule me or give me any kind of time frame. Okay, at least it's in the works..
Fast forward to the first hot day of the year here in Texas, ~90 degrees, which also happened to be right about the time the Texas economy shut down. I'm driving around enjoying my Jeep, issues and all, and I notice the jeep starting to feel funny in terms of power and acceleration. I clicked through my gauges to be surprised by the coolant temp reading 251.. yikes. I call up my service advisor, and with a sense of urgency, he immediately gets me a slot on that day. This struck me as odd because when I dropped off the Jeep, and picked up my loaner ... apparently the rental truck I was being given was misfiring due to it "sitting for so long." (Remember, I have been on a list for a loner for at least 2 months.) Whatever, maybe they did me a solid due to the situation, who knows. I just found it odd that a loaner was suddenly available. I guess my axle issues aren't serious enough. ANYWAYS, they made a quick repair while the family and I had lunch, and we were off in our rental truck.
Forgive me for my vagueness in terms of dates and such, the documentation is currently at the dealership in my glove box.
A couple weeks-ish go by, and I hear word that there was something wrong with a leaky hose or something like that with the water pump, and they would be replacing it. Funny, I never noticed any leaks or missing fluid. They call me a couple days later to say it's been test driven, fixed, and ready to pick up. I drive the 30 mins to the dealership, all smiles, and pick up the Jeep. Almost skipping out of the door. The family loads up as I remove the soft top panels, and we're off. Halfway home, my coolant is reading 249... I turn around, all smiles gone, and get on the phone with the service department. They put me in a different rental, (wasn't happy about that, major downgrade, and where are all these extra rentals coming from? ) and I made the trip home.
Since then, over the course of a month and a half, they replaced the thermostat and radiator, by order of Chrysler. After the radiator didn't fix the issue, I was informed last Friday that FCA would be sending a tech out on Tuesday and we will go from there.
Considering the amount of work I have put into this Jeep, the financial status of my loan, and the condition and mileage of the Jeep, I am trying to weigh out my options here. Should I proceed with repairs for now, or should I consider trying to file a lemon law case? Something else to consider, when they replaced my radiator, my advisor told me it was caked(with mud i guess). I always wash my Jeep after off road use, and have never "sunk" it. What are the chances that FCA attempts to blame the malfunction on me? If not for the overheating, then even the axles... it's just something that has been bugging me as well. I would hate to end up in an even worse situation than I am in now. They've already replaced the entire radiator, so I'm assuming they are accepting it as a warranty issue. I have seen at least one thread on here where a relatively newly purchased JL had an overheating issue, and FCA replaced the entire engine. Wonder what that's all about.
Any feedback or advice is appreciated, and if you made it this far, thanks for reading!
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