Rear Diff making noise. Dealer and FCA tell me to pound sand. Help!

[Bryce031]

2018 Jeep Wrangler JLU Sahara - 19800 miles

Installed Rough Country 2.5" adjustable shock lift kit, Fuel 17x9 wheels, and 35X12.50 Rough Terrain tires. Vehicle was running like a dream for the last 3 months when suddenly the rear differential has been making a 'whirring' gear-like sound. I scheduled a service appointment with my Jeep dealer where I purchased the Jeep - Spirit Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep Dealership in Swedesboro, New Jersey. I arrived at 8:00am and dropped the vehicle off. About 5 hours later I get a phone call the vehicle is ready to be picked up. When I returned to the dealer, they advised they couldn't/wouldn't even attempt to diagnose the issue because of the tires being "too noisy." The tires are far from noisy! One of the reasons I purchased them was because of the reviews citing how quiet they were on the road. The service manager for Spirit then told me the only way they would even attempt to diagnose the issue was if I uninstalled the lift kit, returned the vehicle to stock ride height, and reinstalled the vehicle's stock wheels/tires.

Posting this on a couple Jeep pages on Facebook has elicited responses from people who have said that 35 inch tires are perfectly acceptable for stock differentials - as per FCA. Others, have told me to contact Jeep Cares - which I did - only to be told by a gentleman there that the dealer "has the right, as a private business, to refuse service on a modified vehicle." The guy I spoke with was anything BUT helpful. He transferred me to another dealer's service department (who were too busy to take my call). They took my number and have yet to call me back.

I honestly feel like I've been abandoned and my vehicle's warranty is worthless. Not really what I thought I was getting for a $50,000+ vehicle...

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[rkj__]

I honestly feel like I've been abandoned and my vehicle's warranty is worthless. Not really what I thought I was getting for a $50,000+ vehicle...

I've read this story countless times, whether it is a tuned Camaro, or a lifted Jeep. Once you modify your vehicle, warranty issues very much become a "your experience may vary" situation. Some customers still get good service from their dealer, while others have to go to war to get their issues resolved.

Do you still have the stock wheels and tires? If tire noise is the claimed issue, ride height should not matter.

 

[Bryce031]

I've read this story countless times, whether it is a tuned Camaro, or a lifted Jeep. Once you modify your vehicle, warranty issues very much become a "your experience may vary" situation. Some customers still get good service from their dealer, while others have to go to war to get their issues resolved.

Do you still have the stock wheels and tires? If tire noise is the claimed issue, ride height should not matter.

Like most, I got rid of my stock equipment after installing new. I guess I'll have to start prepping for a battle...

 

[rkj__]

Like most, I got rid of my stock equipment after installing new. I guess I'll have to start prepping for a battle...

It would obviously be a hassle, but since OEM wheels and tires are typically readily available on local classifieds, you could potentially buy a set, and then resell them at the same price after the diagnosis / repair is complete.

 

[Bryce031]

It would obviously be a hassle, but since OEM wheels and tires are typically readily available on local classifieds, you could potentially buy a set, and then resell them at the same price after the diagnosis / repair is complete.

I don't understand why this is that hard? It's not like you can't hear it inside the vehicle!

 

[Headbarcode]

I'd start checking other dealers. Your bound to find a mod-friendly dealer.

Maybe someone here, whose close to your neck of the woods, could help point you to a good dealer?

 

[oceanblue2019]

2018 Jeep Wrangler JLU Sahara - 19800 miles

Installed Rough Country 2.5" adjustable shock lift kit, Fuel 17x9 wheels, and 35X12.50 Rough Terrain tires. Vehicle was running like a dream for the last 3 months when suddenly the rear differential has been making a 'whirring' gear-like sound. I scheduled a service appointment with my Jeep dealer where I purchased the Jeep - Spirit Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep Dealership in Swedesboro, New Jersey. I arrived at 8:00am and dropped the vehicle off. About 5 hours later I get a phone call the vehicle is ready to be picked up. When I returned to the dealer, they advised they couldn't/wouldn't even attempt to diagnose the issue because of the tires being "too noisy." The tires are far from noisy! One of the reasons I purchased them was because of the reviews citing how quiet they were on the road. The service manager for Spirit then told me the only way they would even attempt to diagnose the issue was if I uninstalled the lift kit, returned the vehicle to stock ride height, and reinstalled the vehicle's stock wheels/tires.

Posting this on a couple Jeep pages on Facebook has elicited responses from people who have said that 35 inch tires are perfectly acceptable for stock differentials - as per FCA. Others, have told me to contact Jeep Cares - which I did - only to be told by a gentleman there that the dealer "has the right, as a private business, to refuse service on a modified vehicle." The guy I spoke with was anything BUT helpful. He transferred me to another dealer's service department (who were too busy to take my call). They took my number and have yet to call me back.

I honestly feel like I've been abandoned and my vehicle's warranty is worthless. Not really what I thought I was getting for a $50,000+ vehicle...

Do you mind posting your VIN? Most dealers when they deny you over something like this put comments in the database as to why and the challenge is other dealers may not even engage as they don't want to waste the shop hours to repeat the same process as FCA will not reimburse.

 

[BrntWS6]

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/knock-in-rear-with-dana-44.16921/page-47


Not sure if this is your issue but people are having problems with the LSDs.

 

[gsxr310]

Find another dealer. You will need to research which dealer doesn’t mind aftermarket installed products.

 

[Bryce031]

Do you mind posting your VIN? Most dealers when they deny you over something like this put comments in the database as to why and the challenge is other dealers may not even engage as they don't want to waste the shop hours to repeat the same process as FCA will not reimburse.

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[2Wheel-Lee]

Larger and more aggressive tires do make more noise than stock and would make it more difficult to troubleshoot differential noise - that's definitely true. It also makes it difficult to compare to a "known good" vehicle. So all in all, I'd say the dealer's stance is not far out of line, if at all.

 

[GtX]

I don't understand why this is that hard? It's not like you can't hear it inside the vehicle!

You're not thinking of this from the dealerships point of view. They don't want to fix your Jeep. The mods give them a convenient excuse to do what they already want to do.

I'd go to an off-road shop that specializes in differentials and have it evaluated. Battling a dealership isn't worth my time.

 

[2Wheel-Lee]

You're not thinking of this from the dealerships point of view. They don't want to fix your Jeep. The mods give them a convenient excuse to do what they already want to do.

That's not true...they do want to fix it under warranty. That's how they make money.
However, they likely don't want to get stuck wasting time troubleshooting a vehicle with modifications that make the troubleshooting more difficult. I don't blame them for that.

In some states, warranty paid by the manufacturer is at the same rate as customer pay.

 

[GtX]

That's not true...they do want to fix it under warranty. That's how they make money.
However, they likely don't want to get stuck wasting time troubleshooting a vehicle with modifications that make the troubleshooting more difficult. I don't blame them for that.

In some states, warranty paid by the manufacturer is at the same rate as customer pay.

If they wanted to fix it, they would. It doesn't even sound like they showed interest according to OP. Hell, they could say; "Yep, verified owner's complaint. Replaced LSD".

 

[2Wheel-Lee]

If they wanted to fix it, they would. It doesn't even sound like they showed interest according to OP. Hell, they could say; "Yep, verified owner's complaint. Replaced LSD".

Then if the old LSD gets called in (to FCA), and no problem is found, the warranty claim gets debited against the dealer.
I don't know about this particular part, but it's not uncommon to need a field rep or a techline approve certain repairs. And sometimes to do so, they'll need to demonstrate that the symptom was properly diagnosed. As a tech, I'd be leery or reluctant about doing a rear-end noise check on a vehicle with inherently loud tires (compared to stock) if I wasn't used to test-driving vehicles with those types of tires.

Of course, there's likely no valid reason to remove the lift. That's probably BS. But....the dealer may not know that. They may think - and it's true in some situations - that a change in driveshaft angles can cause noise/vibration. This would be likely of a dealer that doesn't install many/any Mopar lifts.

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