I've probably had the worst experience out of anyone that's received their JL

[TopPinArcher]

I attempted to get ahold of Jeep today to find out why I’ve been told that I will need spacers to run the Mopar Beadlocks on my ordered JKUR with the 2” Mopar Lift and 37’s... I have 5 phone numbers now, was disconnected 4 times and got a voicemail once with no chance to leave a message and still don’t have a difinitive answer.. I never except customer service anywhere to be good and didn’t expect it here so not surprised but damn, I want an answer.. why are they selling a wheel and lift that says it’ll accept 37’s?

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[That One Guy]

What really sucks is if the horror stories talk me out of wrangler land, there's no other vehicle I really want. A Tacoma is next up but it's a distant second... the biggest positive being the polar opposite reliability.

 

[Jrbrannan]

What really sucks is if the horror stories talk me out of wrangler land, there's no other vehicle I really want. A Tacoma is next up but it's a distant second... the biggest positive being the polar opposite reliability.

I would not say polar opposite. If I remember correctly the TACO is the least reliable Toyota in the lineup. It is all relative right, but it is not the "typical" Toyota reliability.

 

[COBill]

It seems amazing to me that (some) people are willing to put up with these types of reliability issues and extraordinary poor customer service experiences. Excusing these problems by saying it's a "Jeep thing" certainly has the familiar ring of the Stockholm syndrome.

You have just described my exact feelings after somewhat excitedly selling my TJ. I love Jeeps, always have, but that three years of ownership soured me on owning another one.

When I decided to get another 4WD vehicle, I chose an FJ Cruiser and it’s been one of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned, back to the dealer for maintenance, one recall and one repair (squeaky throwout bearing.)

The problem is it now has 115,000 trouble-free miles on it, so replacement is looming at some point and the JL the only thing comparable on the market due to Toyota’s aversion to manual transmissions (I refuse to buy an auto out of preference and principle.)

But tales like these are reminding me nothing may have changed about Jeep. Sure all brands have issues, but it’s how you treat your customers that makes all the difference, and it sounds like for many Jeep dealers their customer service remains locked in the same model that’s also soured me on all domestic auto makers over my lifetime.

The way I was treated by Chevrolet when I had to go through lemon proceedings with a 1988 Cavalier Z24 means I will never own another GM; Jeep’s handling of this case and others like it will directly determine whether I am willing to actually pull the Jeep trigger a second time.

Yes, it’s a Jeep but it is also going to sticker over $50K for me which should engender some modicum of respect to the customer from all involved.

 

[Matthew/E36]

I know this is easy for me to say, because it's not my Jeep, but I would show a bit more patience. It's a brand new vehicle and yeah, they don't have parts and have no experience with it. New cars are difficult to diagnose problems. The scratch isn't a big deal that a little touch up paint won't fix. I suspect it's a defective throttle body that will need replacing. The fault may not be the dealership or FCA but one of the parts suppliers.

I'd give them a little more time to make it right.

That's assuming of course that they give you a loaner.

I'd agree it's easy to ask the OP for patience...sounds like he is and just venting/sharing a little for advice. Not sure how much patience I would have and my JLUR is coming soon. I'd feel better seeing Jeep AND these dealers (who I hear add great value vs. selling direct) show some real effort for a $50k sale. @JeepCares Service matters, my family has bought over 10 cars from one dealer for that reason.

The one thing the dealer can take care of "right now" to show effort is the scratch. The finger pointing vs. fixing that while they have their own blunders to correct seems petty and disrespectful. Slot it in the shop while it's parked up and touch it up.

 

[Matthew/E36]

... A GOOD dealer will get it done.

Or MINIMUM provide some reasonable options. Loaner being the bare minimum, plus listening to what the buyer thinks is fair.

 

[i64X]

When I decided to get another 4WD vehicle, I chose an FJ Cruiser and it’s been one of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned, back to the dealer for maintenance, one recall and one repair (squeaky throwout bearing.)

The problem is it now has 115,000 trouble-free miles on it, so replacement is looming at some point and the JL the only thing comparable on the market due to Toyota’s aversion to manual transmissions (I refuse to buy an auto out of preference and principle.)

It's a good thing you got a manual version then, or you'd probably be singing a different song. The autos in the FJs had all sorts of issues. They're basically a "don't buy" now unless you can get a manual because the automatic transmissions in them have such an insanely high failure rate. I learned this when I was looking a couple years ago and couldn't find a manual one for sale within 500 miles of me. Every one I could find was an auto, and upon doing research on reliability (which I didn't think would be an issue at all given it's a Toyota), was surprised, and glad I didn't blindly buy one.

Re the Tacoma...

Dude I work with now just picked up a 2017 Tacoma TRD Offroad, and though I like the way it looks, I hate driving it. We went out west hunting a few months ago and I got a deer on my first day, so with everyone else in the woods he let me take his truck to go to town and whatnot during the day when I was back at the lodge by myself (he drove, so I had no other transportation). The thing is gutless. It has a 6 speed automatic trans but it acts like a 10 speed. It's constantly shifting, constantly hunting around for gears, and doesn't have enough torque to maintain speed on anything but a completely flat road without constantly shifting. He's only had it about 6 months and he's already wanting out of it. It's one of the most annoying vehicles I've driven in my life.

 

[Snerf]

Here's a semi-sexist analogy for the guys: Jeep considers its loyal customers with no more respect than any dude who's had a chick lined up for regular booty calls. No dates, no expectations, no gifts, no conversation, no nothing - just a call, a visit and then splitting.

Why do the girls hang on and put up with this sh!t? Because they don't have other options - at least, mentally, they don't think they have. So, they get used, abused and eventually discarded. Fess up - we've all been there.

Well, how does it feel to be the victim this time around? These jerks @ FCA are probably laughing their asses off at the legion of morons who keep ponying up their cash & expectations on a piece-of-crap. And why? Because, mentally, the 'victims' cannot free themselves of an imagine they have in their heads.

Now, if one has so little self-respect, why should anyone else give a hoot? Rather, why not pile on the humiliation? The execs are cashing those bonus checks for a job well done promoting an image and nothing much else.

Reminds me of the story of the Marlboro man wondering why he was the only one smoking at one of the advertising shoots. Some execs from Phillip Morris were there, but of course they didn't smoke. What do you think the execs @ FCA drive? LOL

 

[Armycop]

I bought a first year early JK Rubicon and a first year 2014 Cherokee. I feel his pain. Both of them had multiple recalls for multiple major issues and lots of dealer visits. That is why I'm still holding off for a while. I had no problems with my 2008 JKU and my 2012 JK.

 

[Therealmadc]

You may be familiar with my post about my Electronic Throttle Control failure
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...malfunction-towed-jlur.3739/page-3#post-80999

Here's how everything has unfolded:

Picked up my JLUR on Saturday, 2/10 at 6:00PM, drove it 60 miles home, then took it for a cruise. At 65 miles, throttle goes out while driving, and I pull to the side of the road call Jeep roadside assistance. They send a tow truck that doesn't get there for 2.5 hours. It's raining and now 1:30AM. I uber home.

It sits at the dealership closest to my home (not the one I purchased it from) until Monday morning when I get a call from service letting me know they received my Jeep. The next day, they tell me It's the ECU and it will be a week before they even get the part.

I visited the dealership that I purchased it from and they really didn't seem to care. As long as it was getting fixed, they couldn't care less that my brand new Jeep was in the shop for a week. They asked if I needed a rental, that was the extent of their "customer service". They then referred me to Jeep Cares for any type of support.

In the meantime I notified @JeepCares and they created a case for me and said my case manager would reach out to me within 48 hours. Of course, no call.

Finally pick it up on Friday, 2/16 and take it home. There's a scuff on the passenger's seat and my painted tow hook is scratch badly. I call the dealership and they say it's the towing companies fault and they aren't responsible. They tell me to contact the towing company. Remember, it was Jeep Cares that called for the tow so I don't have the company's name. Saturday morning I take it for a spin and check engine light comes on. It did this just before it broke down last time, so I immediately drove it the 3 miles home.I didn't want to chance it breaking down again on the side of the road. I called Jeep Cares and was told to leave it parked until my case manager (which never called before) reaches out to me on Monday. By the end of day Monday, no call.

I call the Jeep Cares number and get to speak with someone who I guess is now my case manager. He offers to get it towed, which I declined, I'll just take my chances driving it given my previous experience. He also offers to find the tow company's info so that I can call them and shake them down for repair. Yay, more time and effort for me. He also informs me that FCA cannot compensate me for my time/trouble in any way. He puts this responsibility on the dealership that told me the exact opposite. He then calls the dealership and schedules an appointment with me there on the line with him.

I take the Jeep in at 8:00am making sure they have plenty of time to diagnose. At 4:00pm I hadn't heard anything, so I call them. They guy responsible for my Jeep is on the other line and they tell him to call me back. He finally calls back at 6:00pm to inform me that they haven't even touched my Jeep because they were too busy! What's the point of the appointment?!

As of right now I have a $55k Jeep that's been drivable 2 hours out of 11 days of ownership. This is the WORST customer service I have ever had with any product I have ever purchased, especially at this price point. Lemon law in TN is 4 attempts to fix, or thirty days in the shop the first year. I'm halfway there and I pray FCA doesn't wait until I have to enforce state law to make it right.

Am I being unreasonable? Honestly, tell me if I am. I understand it's a new model and problems come up, but what has me really upset is that no one wants to take responsibility, and I'm having to put way too much time and effort into a brand new Jeep.

@JeepCares is there anyway to escalate this to management?

Thanks for reading guys!

*Edit
I forget to mention my speakers went out 5 minutes after leaving the dealership for the entire hour long ride home. Service couldn’t recreate the issue.

No you are not being unreasonable at all. Unfortunately this way of "doing business" seems to be common protocol for most dealerships. They already have you under contract so from this point forward any further needs you have are treated as a burden. Not all dealerships are the same so do your best to get some advice on which one will treat you best.

Some thanks and gratitude are due to you for your courage in taking on the challenge of becoming a first year model owner. I encourage you to make as much noise as possible and rattle as many cages as necessary to get the problem resolved in a fair manner. And by fair I mean immediately and at the least cost and burden to you.

In the first years of the 3.8 JK there were a number of ubiquitous problems that FCA refused to acknowledge. They only took responsibility after years of paying customers complaining and making these problems known in a very public manner and to the appropriate government authorities. Last year (2017) I received 2 recall notices for my 2008 JK years after I fought my own battle with FCA, to no avail, and fixed the problems myself.

They made the vehicle available for purchase and took your hard earned money for you to drive it home, it's in no way unreasonable for you expect your new vehicle to safely get you there.

https://www.usa.gov/car-complaints

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallprocess.cfm

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

 

[Jeeptimus Prime]

It seems amazing to me that (some) people are willing to put up with these types of reliability issues and extraordinary poor customer service experiences. Excusing these problems by saying it's a "Jeep thing" certainly has the familiar ring of the Stockholm syndrome.

First of all situations like OPs are NOT 'Jeep Things'!!! Jeep Things are non-issues or quirks that are inherent to Jeeps/Wranglers and why we love them.

Good Customer service is what separates good dealerships from the typical dealership. I blame the ownership and bad dealerships do NOT deserve our business. I rather drive 50 miles to a good dealership than deal with a shitty one around the corner.

 

[1quick1]

I rather drive 50 miles to a good dealership than deal with a shitty one around the corner.

I had such a bad experience taking my RAM in over and over and over again in the first year that I no longer go to that dealership. Sucks because it's literally 1/2 mile to my house. Now I drive 11 miles to a different one that actually seems to show me a slight amount of respect for purchasing 150k in vehicles from them.

 

[BillyHW]

I've started a poll to try and get some better statistics on early production problems:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/the-great-production-quality-poll.4225/

 

[Stuweeks]

Today @JeepCares provided me with the phone number of my case manager that was supposed to reach out to me 10 days ago! They said he's been trying to call me but my phone is disconnected? I've been getting calls just fine, thanks. I called him, and of course no answer. Left Message

Now I just received a call from Jeep Wave to explain the benefits of the program, but the woman ended up assisting me with my situation. I told her I haven't even spoken to my case manager and it's been almost two weeks! She looked into the notes and finally flat out told me that my case manager lied and never attempted to call me.

She's escalated my case and a supervisor should be reaching out tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath.

The Jeep is still at the dealership and I haven't gotten a status update, it's possible they haven't even popped the hood.

I've also reached out to a lemon lawyer at this point.

 

[BillyHW]

Today @JeepCares provided me with the phone number of my case manager that was supposed to reach out to me 10 days ago! They said he's been trying to call me but my phone is disconnected? I've been getting calls just fine, thanks. I called him, and of course no answer. Left Message

Now I just received a call from Jeep Wave to explain the benefits of the program, but the woman ended up assisting me with my situation. I told her I haven't even spoken to my case manager and it's been almost two weeks! She looked into the notes and finally flat out told me that my case manager lied and never attempted to call me.

She's escalated my case and a supervisor should be reaching out tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath.

The Jeep is still at the dealership and I haven't gotten a status update, it's possible they haven't even popped the hood.

I've also reached out to a lemon lawyer at this point.

I think we should all chip in to get Stuweeks some Ace Sliders.

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