Dealership refuses to repair vehicle -- aftermarket lights connected to auxiliary switch

[Stormin’ Moorman]

If i had a battery issue like yours and brought it to ANY of the dealers around me they would say it was caused by my 37" tires and refuse to work on it. If the paint chipped off, 37" tires. If the AC stopped working, 37" tires. If China initiated WW3 with intercontinental ballistic missiles, 37" tires. If Zombies rose from their graves and started eating peoples brains, 37" tires. Some MF shoots Harambe, 37" tires.

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[sbrimer]

Well, amongst all of this chaos, I walked out to my garage and noticed a very large oil spot directly under my Jeep. Remember the "Free oil change." Like I have said so many times in my life, you get exactly what you pay for.

I looked under the Jeep, lifted with Tera Flex 2.5 Sport and Nitto 35's and there is oil all underneath the Jeep. Keep in mind, I have already driven 48 miles from the dealership to get home. I have full skids, Rough Country, under the Jeep with a huge access hole for the drain plug. I looked and the skid plate still has about half a quart of oil in the cavity and in now draining onto my garage floor.

NICE!

So I just about blow a gasket and decide to drive back to the dealership and let someone have a piece of my mind.

Better judgement got the best of me, I waited a few hours and then drove back to the dealership. I spoke with a service writer that I have always dealt with and explained everything to him, including the oil issue, and none of it made any sense to him.

I have had to explain to at least 3 different "techs" how the aux switches work and how they can be programmed in the head unit. All seemed baffled by my explanation and act as if there is no way what I am saying is possible. When I show them, they simply say......hmmmmm; then return to the same position, "but you connected an aftermarket part to an electrical component on your Jeep."

I then ask, "Then what are these switches for?"

No response.

He agree to get the batteries tested on some GR8 test or something like that and let me the next day, today.

This morning I received a call from this service writer and he is says now the warning does not appear and the aux switches work as designed. So all is normal.......for now.

They are still going to run the battery test and see if that is the problem. If not and the problem reoccurs, I will simply disconnect the rock lights and then go to another dealership.

 

[ChattVol]

Maybe I'm a sucker but I don't see an issue with approving a possible diagnostics fee of $125 to look at something. But I've worked repairs before and nothing worse than dumping time into a problem, determine what it is and that it will cost the customer to fix it just to have them refuse to fix and leave. Charging the $125 fee at least recoups some of the time it took to diagnose the issue.

I think it is unlikely they would find you wired it wrong and that $125 would apply to you, but they don't know so they're just covering their bases. It is off putting that the dealer employee seems to assume that the issue is with your install, at the very least this paints the picture that they already believe they know what the trouble is and my concern would be if their troubleshooting would be spent entirely pursuing that rather than following a clear process of elimination. Because of how those replies are worded I'd find another dealer, and in the meantime I'd disconnect my aftermarket lights to see if anything changes as that seems like the most obvious first step based on what that tech said.

Dont pay a dealer a dime to diagnose in this situation. They'll magically find a way to blame the lights causing parasitic draw. No chance I would trust a FCA dealer that is refusing to simply check the batteries on a newer vehicle to have a customer's best interests in mind. Find a better dealer.

 

[MtCamper]

My Jeep was dead in the water the other day. Service Auto Stop-Start message. Jeep wouldn't start, couldn't shift out of park, couldn't turn it to off. Called the dealer near me and was given a number to call. Call took about 5 minutes and the tow truck was at my house within 30 minutes. Trip to dealership and into the shop. I have a winch hooked up, ARB compressor and a trickle charger for my refrigerator. Also lifted with 35s. The dealer had no problem with my add ons. Diagnosed the problem and installed two new batteries and updated the all the computer TSBs.
I had the Jeep back that afternoon. Very happy camper, Fishers Jeep in Yuma++. Moral of the story: Find a different dealer.

BTW I didn't even purchase from Fishers. I purchased it in my home state of Montana. From reading most of these posts I see two major issues and one truth. Truth: Jeep is a good vehicle. Issues: 1. Some folks have expectations that just can't be met. 2. Some dealers shouldn't be in the auto business.

 

[sbrimer]

My Jeep was dead in the water the other day. Service Auto Stop-Start message. Jeep wouldn't start, couldn't shift out of park, couldn't turn it to off. Called the dealer near me and was given a number to call. Call took about 5 minutes and the tow truck was at my house within 30 minutes. Trip to dealership and into the shop. I have a winch hooked up, ARB compressor and a trickle charger for my refrigerator. Also lifted with 35s. The dealer had no problem with my add ons. Diagnosed the problem and installed two new batteries and updated the all the computer TSBs.
I had the Jeep back that afternoon. Very happy camper, Fishers Jeep in Yuma++. Moral of the story: Find a different dealer.

BTW I didn't even purchase from Fishers. I purchased it in my home state of Montana. From reading most of these posts I see two major issues and one truth. Truth: Jeep is a good vehicle. Issues: 1. Some folks have expectations that just can't be met. 2. Some dealers shouldn't be in the auto business.

I'm not trying to be a monkeys ass, but do you think I expected too much from the dealership? I don't think I did.

 

[sbrimer]

That message usually comes up if your batteries are low. It sounds like one of the batteries may have died and the other charged it back up? And now your batteries are just continually not getting charged enough?

Dumb question, believe me I'm not trying to patronize: did you try unhooking your new add-on to see if the problem goes away?

I did not try this, yet. If they batteries test good and the problem reappears, this is the path I will go down.

 

[sbrimer]

OK latest dealer update.....................................

"The battery did test bad and showed that there was a bad cell. We are replacing the battery."

Me, "Which battery?"

"Your Jeep only has one battery; not two. It is a high capacity battery."

I did not say this, but thought, a 2020 Jeep JLU 3.6 auto has 2 batteries. Unless I bought the only 2020 Jeep produced in America that only has one.

He went on to say, "The tech did test the switches and they are putting out 14 volts as required, but that does not mean that there isn't a short somewhere in the aftermarket lights. There will be no charge."

Me, "I'll be there this afternoon to pick up my vehicle."


I don't know what baffles more; how little the "techs" know about vehicles they repair, or how little they think owners know about their vehicle.

I can see it is time for me to find a new dealership.

 

[Heimkehr]

More than a few electrical gremlins have been solved by a straightforward battery replacement. And so it was here.

With the OP's dealership experience already in mind, at least once now have I paid out of pocket for what would have been a warranty-funded replacement of a prematurely expired automotive battery.

Modern vehicles becoming ever more complex, I didn't want to (a) pay a diagnostic fee for what I was sure was a battery issue (and it was so) and (b) I didn't want a "tech" of dubious skill mucking about under the hood unless the perceived or actual problem was beyond my skillset. I learned that particular lesson the hard way. I was made whole in the end, but once bitten...

Peace of mind sometimes costs $$ that it shouldn't, but we make our own choices here.

The position taken by the OP's dealer regarding the Aux Switch usage is a bit off-putting, I agree.

Having a load tester and a multi-meter in the garage is money well spent. And a smart tender, come to that.

 

[MtCamper]

sbrimer: You took me wrong. You were correct that the dealer should fix your problem. Using your aux switches was not your problem. Glad to see they fixed your problem eventually. Ask to talk to the mechanic. If he (she?) says you only have one battery you really need a new dealer. The service writer is there to make you feel good, many don't know anything about how your vehicle works.

 

[_olllllllo_]

I'm not trying to be a monkeys ass, but do you think I expected too much from the dealership? I don't think I did.

Your expectations of the dealer are not too high. I have found that people who join forums to learn about a vehicle pre-purchase and continue to participate to continue learning and sharing knowledge generally have 17.682 times the knowledge of a dealership salesperson and many times about 1.814 times the knowledge as the majority of the technicians.

You obviously know what the auxiliary swtiches are for and purposely selected a vehicle with them so as to add "auxiliary" electrical items to them. I hooked up an ARB dual compressor and it is wired to aux 4 in my JLUR and the switch works as designed by Jeep. I second what other posters have said, find another dealer to work with. We have two in town (both 30-minutes minimum drive from me) and I looked at feedback from the community and selected the one that is much higher rated. The service advisor I always use actually goes out wheeling with one of the off-road groups I belong too and that is great since he is invested in the community and you can build the relationship with him for any future work or issue resolution.

After reading all the horror stories about dealership oil changes, I made the decision to do all the maintenance on my Jeep and just keep meticulous records including adding the information in the Jeep app. My mechanic (me) hasn't screwed up an oil change for engine, differentials, transmission (manual) or the transfer case and he only puts the highest quality fluids in and torques everything to the correct value!

 

[_olllllllo_]

OK latest dealer update.....................................

"The battery did test bad and showed that there was a bad cell. We are replacing the battery."

Me, "Which battery?"

"Your Jeep only has one battery; not two. It is a high capacity battery."

I did not say this, but a 2020 Jeep JLU 3.6 auto has 2 batteries. Unless I bought the only one produced in America.

He went on to say, "The tech did test the switches and they are putting out 14 volts as required, but that does not mean that there isn't a short somewhere in the aftermarket lights. There will be no charge."

Me, "I'll be there this afternoon to pick up my vehicle."


I don't know what baffles more; how little the "techs" know about vehicles they repair, or how little they think owners know about their vehicle.

I can see it is time for me to find a new dealership.

First I am glad it is resolved and second run away from this dealership. I am shocked they would say it only has one battery as the main battery is obviously visible, but the motorcycle battery is the one that usually craps out and you have to remove the electrical panel for the fuses and breakers and then look under the little tray hiding the little battery. One of my planned upgrades is going to the Genesis dual battery solution that uses two real batteries.

 

[sbrimer]

Don't get me wrong, I am very capable of maintaining a vehicle and changing fluids. Many years of motorcycles and TJ's taught me a lot. I just expected that anyone could perform the over simple oil change procedure on the Jeep. I got everything I paid for concerning the free oil change. Lesson learned.

The whole one battery thing left me speechless. Just wasn't worth the discussion.

If a "tech" that is diagnosing electrical problems on a modern vehicle doesn't know that the vehicle has two batteries, one can even doubt how he knows if a battery has a bad cell.

But I digress

Sometimes its easier to just plow around the stump.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

If i had a battery issue like yours and brought it to ANY of the dealers around me they would say it was caused by my 37" tires and refuse to work on it. If the paint chipped off, 37" tires. If the AC stopped working, 37" tires. If China initiated WW3 with intercontinental ballistic missiles, 37" tires. If Zombies rose from their graves and started eating peoples brains, 37" tires. Some MF shoots Harambe, 37" tires.

Ok, now you have me concerned. Will 35" tires cause these issues as well??

 

[_olllllllo_]

Don't get me wrong, I am very capable of maintaining a vehicle and changing fluids. Many years of motorcycles and TJ's taught me a lot. I just expected that anyone could perform the over simple oil change procedure on the Jeep. I got everything I paid for concerning the free oil change. Lesson learned.

The whole one battery thing left me speechless. Just wasn't worth the discussion.

If a "tech" that is diagnosing electrical problems on a modern vehicle doesn't know that the vehicle has two batteries, one can even doubt how he knows if a battery has a bad cell.

But I digress

Sometimes its easier to just plow around the stump.

I am shocked to read events like yours for oil changes that should take all of 15-minutes or less. I don't even have a lift and can do it in that or less. You do have to wonder how much training some of these folks are getting and are they all ASE certified?

I recently learned that an 18-month ASE automotive repair degree costs north of $50,000 if you go to school for it! I have to believe they take in people that are learning on the job instead of going to a specialized school and our vehicles are great proving grounds on how to learn through trial and error. Like you, I have worked on many types of vehicles over the years and the Jeep is so easy to work on and I took the advice of a friend who told me that knowing the vehicle more intimately could save a lot of heartache on the trail or in the wild. I do not make picnic lunches for my Jeep, but I have taken a romantic drive down a beach with it .... and the wife.

 

[Whaler27]

Maybe I'm a sucker but I don't see an issue with approving a possible diagnostics fee of $125 to look at something. But I've worked repairs before and nothing worse than dumping time into a problem, determine what it is and that it will cost the customer to fix it just to have them refuse to fix and leave. Charging the $125 fee at least recoups some of the time it took to diagnose the issue.
<snip>

I'd agree with you if we were talking about a used vehicle, or a situation where a customer has clearly done something goofy and inconsistent with appropriate vehicle care -- but this isn't that situation.

And this isn't a private shop at risk of investing a bunch of uncompensated time. It's an FCA franchise honoring an FCA-backed warranty.

With few exceptions, buying a new personal vehicle is a dumb financial decision, as you immediately take a huge depreciation hit. The only things that mute the pain of that hit are the short-lived joy of the new car smell and feel, and the bumper-to-bumper warranty and customer care. It only takes about two minutes to isolate or disconnect an accessory from that switch panel, so the dealer ought to be able to swing at least that much "good will" -- especially since FCA will reimburse them for their time.

I accessorize the heck out of every vehicle I own. In over 40 years of buying new vehicles I have never, ever, been charged a "diagnostic fee" for investigating a vehicle malfunction while a vehicle was under the original manufacturer's bumper-to-bumper warranty.

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