I can't believe I bought into the Wagoneer brand lie. Jeep service rant

[TheBirdie72]

Jeep service manager’s methodology of handling a customer who is not satisfied with a repair or service action:

1) Deny: There is nothing wrong with your vehicle. It is working as intended.
2) Deflect: We did everything we could for you. It must be something else.
3) Blame: You must’ve done something to it after you drove it off our lot.
4) Refuse: This is not covered under your warranty, so no dice.
5) Reject: We won’t fix this because we don’t know how, but we won’t tell you that, duh.
6) Play dumb: Wait, sorry. Who are you again?
7) Overcharge: Sure, we can install a new turn signal bulb, but it’ll cost $1700 in parts and labor. And we are the only dealer within 500 miles with this part instock. Yes, really.

Sponsored

 

[Zandcwhite]

Not to be captain obvious, but did you or the dealer check the cabin air filter? I was amazed how much the AC output improved just swapping out the dusty filter. I don't buy Jeeps for the dealer experience, but then again I've never bought anything with that in mind. Oil changes are far quicker and more convenient at jiffylube to the point I never even used the 3 free ones. Aside from the 3 trips buying our 2019 JLUR, our 2022 JLUR, and my 2023 JT mojave I've been to the dealer 1 time for warranty work. 63k miles on the 2019 when it was stolen. The 2022 is at 42k and the 2023 is at 35k. And these things are used hard. From rubicon trips to 1k+ mile roadtrips with the cruise control set at 85mph multiple times a year. Show me the brand that would be nearly as reliable on 37-39" tires after 1 trip through the Rubicon. I've never considered a wagoneer but I'm impressed you've got 30k+ trouble free out of it.

 

[UTME]

Do you have tinted windows? That really helps.

 

[TheRaven]

Jeep is not and will never be a premium brand. It can't be done. They would have to drop everything below the Grand Cherokee Limited (in the context of luxury) - that's the Wrangler/Gladiator, Cherokee, Renegade...the core of Jeep's image. That would be the end of Jeep. They can't maintain a dual personality. No one will accept that an off-road brand who's claim to fame is ladder-frame, live-axle, utilitarian soft tops is a premium name. And if the name isn't premium, then the vehicle isn't either.

Cadillac struggled through something similar in its quest to return to "the standard of the world" starting back with the "Art and Science" rebirth, as they called it. They finally realized that using company-wide platforms with premium appointments doesn't work. You need purpose-built platforms exclusive to the badge. So they did that, and built a worthy car. But they were still selling right alongside Chevys, and that was the next problem. You can't sell a competitive premium vehicle without a premium buying/owning experience. It took them awhile to figure that one out but then they finally separated the dealer experience and THEN people started to take them seriously. Their final problem was price - you can't price a brand that young buyers know as "grandad's car" up with (and beyond) the most respected premium brands in the world (many of the first and second gen "new" Cadillacs were more expensive than their BMW and MB competition). Finally, with the current generation, GM got that right, and now Cadillac is selling like crazy.

Stellantis wouldn't last long enough to figure all that out even if they had a brand that could possibly someday be respected as "premium". So yeah, the Wagoneer in its current form is doomed. Go back to the drawing board and make it a full-size ladder-frame solid-axle off-roader. And make a pickup version too. A simpler (and cheaper) full-size SUV and pickup would sell like crazy when pitted against today's horribly overweight soccer wagon Tahoes/Yukons/Expeditions.

 

[rac5419]

Oil changes are far quicker and more convenient at jiffylube to the point I never even used the 3 free ones.

I'm sure Jiffy gives you great service but I never went back to them after they put a Honda filter on my leased '97 Saturn. Now that was great engine since my daughter then drove it 30 miles on no oil with the idiot light on. Glad that the lease ended in a year while it still ran great. Bottom line, find a place that your friends and neighbors recommend based on experience and let the shop know why you come back (unless you are a DIYer).

 

[flentz56]

I completely agree, but I don’t think the service issue is isolated to a specific dealership. The Jeep dealership close to me has the same issues, you make an appointment but on the appointment day all you’re doing is leaving the vehicle to sit until a service bay is available.
when a service technician works on a vehicle they follow a specific diagnostic procedure on a computer, it seems they cannot think for themselves but just follow the diagnostic instructions until the diagnosis gives them an answer.

 

[NWJeepr]

Best experience I've had is with BMW and Audi dealers. You pay for good service but that provides a certain peace of mind and predictability when you need something done. The cars we've had from them were really good, mostly routine maintenance visits to the dealer and that's it. Even for warranty work, everything is scheduled, on time, a loaner is waiting, and you're generally working with someone with their head screwed on at the service desk.

 

[TheRaven]

Best experience I've had is with BMW and Audi dealers. You pay for good service but that provides a certain peace of mind and predictability when you need something done. The cars we've had from them were really good, mostly routine maintenance visits to the dealer and that's it. Even for warranty work, everything is scheduled, on time, a loaner is waiting, and you're generally working with someone with their head screwed on at the service desk.

Same with Cadillac. I actually have to keep reminding my Caddy dealer that I don't need a loaner. They still have one waiting pretty much every time. I suppose part of the issue is that they really only see me once a year.

But these are all ACTUAL premium brands. Not mainstream off-road brands trying to dip into the premium pie.

 

[NWJeepr]

Same with Cadillac. I actually have to keep reminding my Caddy dealer that I don't need a loaner. They still have one waiting pretty much every time. I suppose part of the issue is that they really only see me once a year.

But these are all ACTUAL premium brands. Not mainstream off-road brands trying to dip into the premium pie.

True. And not that other brands can't have good service. I just worked with a Chevrolet dealer on a recall and had a very good experience. No loaner vehicle because it was scheduled as a same day service, but, the service writer had worked there 15 years and you could tell she was on her long steady game in her role, and clearly the dealership was taking care of her. It was a much more sparse service experience than a BMW dealer, but that's OK as long as they do what they say and the work is good, and it was.

 

[gato]

This is a Wagoneer, not a Grand. It has a 5.7 Hemi. It’s built on a Ram 1500 platform. Like all other dull size SUVs, it’s based on a half ton truck.

My wife wanted it. She can buy what she likes. She has no objection when I get what I want.

Yep, it’s lost a good chunk of value, but having a V8 is a plus, vs the 3.0 Hurricane.

And yes, from now one it will go to an independent shop. But, a fair chunk of the price, for any vehicle, is for issues that arise under warranty.

To answer another question, Jeep marketed these as a so called premium brand. There was supposed to be a customer experience similar to other premium brands, which never happened. I wish she would have stuck with Lexus GXs.

Good straight answers. I think you have the right attitude. I wasn't questioning your wife's or your choices, more of a general comment that buying any Jeep, no matter how expensive (e.g. $100K+ Grand Wag or Wrangler 392) would never give you a premium experience. Buying a $45K BMW or Lexus will.

My Wrangler was $60K in 2021, my BMW was a bit over $70K in 2024, so about the same price. The difference in dealership experience is night and day. I go for an oil change and I say "I think I'll just wait in the dealer lounge and do some work, get some free coffee", and they say "nawh, take this new 5 series loaner, we want to take our time and do the oil change right, you will love the new interior". They I get a text message with the tech sending a video of my car's multipoint inspection summary, and another when it is ready to be picked up. Not a drip of oil anywhere.

My Jeep, after the "free" oil changes, I have to spend 1/2 hour and multiple car washes to clean up the mess of dripping oil. Loaners? "Have your heard or Uber"?, they say. LOL

 

[HipCheck]

Why buy a Waganeer? We buy Wranglers and put up with the Jeep/Stellantis crap because it is a unique vehicle with unique capabilities that can't be found anywhere else for the price.

A Wogoneer is simply another 3-row raised minivan but (at least in 2022-2024) with a gigantic premium price tag. It has no special capabilities that can't be found on many other similarly priced vehicles.

You can buy a Defender 130 and have a ton more capability, with a standard I6 turbo for a similar or lower price. You can buy and Audi Q7, a BMW X7, etc, etc, etc. All of those brands will give you 4 year warranty, a premium service experience with guaranteed loaner vehicles.

Why pay premium prices to get Compass levels of service?

Makes absolutely no sense.

Please share with us what you paid for it and what its current trade-in market value is. You probably have lost over $50K in depreciation alone, and you are trying to save $500 and not take it to a quality A/C tech or pay the dealer out of pocket for extra diagnosis?

Paying for repairs is a rounding error to your depreciation expense. Why even worry about it? Get it serviced correctly and move on. Make the wife happy with ice cold air.

If you're looking at a true full size (I'm going thru this now), you have GM (Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade) and the Wagoneer. That's it. The others you mention are better, true, but smaller. The GM 6.2L V8s are being investigated by the NHTSA because they're blowing up left and right, so it's slim pickings.

Stellantis has zero good brands and I can't see how Jeep isn't eventually sold off or the company splits.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Best experience I've had is with BMW and Audi dealers. You pay for good service but that provides a certain peace of mind and predictability when you need something done. The cars we've had from them were really good, mostly routine maintenance visits to the dealer and that's it. Even for warranty work, everything is scheduled, on time, a loaner is waiting, and you're generally working with someone with their head screwed on at the service desk.

$200 + oil changes better come with a happy ending. The same full synthetic oil change that's $80 at jiffylube... but the chairs are more comfortable? I don't care which vehicle I own I'm not going out of my way to overpay and take more time at the dealer for the "experience".

 

[HipCheck]

My Wrangler was $60K in 2021....

My Jeep, after the "free" oil changes, I have to spend 1/2 hour and multiple car washes to clean up the mess of dripping oil. Loaners? "Have your heard or Uber"?, they say. LOL

With my old 2018 Wrangler, I had the oil changed at the local dealer. 2 miles home, someone stopped me on the road and let me know the vehicle was smoking. How I didn't realize, I'll never know, but I pulled off in a lot and holy hell there was oil everywhere under the car. Called the dealer and they came out and took the Jeep back.

They returned to my house 5 hours later (mostly) cleaned up. They didn't even tell me what happened. I had to ask. Their tech never properly tighten the filter. I paid $300 for the service and they offered me ZERO discount. They said "next time, 10% off service for you".

No apology. No credit. That's Jeep.

 

[NWJeepr]

$200 + oil changes better come with a happy ending. The same full synthetic oil change that's $80 at jiffylube... but the chairs are more comfortable? I don't care which vehicle I own I'm not going out of my way to overpay and take more time at the dealer for the "experience".

Well then, don't. ? I don't take nice vehicles to Jiffy Lube to save $100.

 

[Mifsuud]

I don't take anything to Jiffy or another drive thru lube shop. One bad experience 30 years ago and never again. Wish I kept the same rule about wives...

The dealership "drop off appointment" is so insulting. And a bold lie. When you make the appointment for service they don't tell you it's just gonna sit in the corner until you're there and have forked over the keys. It leads to mixed feelings. My service writer is friendly and cool for a chat, but I want him to be proactive with communication. He needs to tell me what happening with my Wrangler not wait 4 hours after I call and leave a voicemail or text him.

Simple communication goes a long way to smooth over relations. It's not rocket science.

Sponsored