timbo1213
Member
- First Name
- Timmy
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2018
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 4
- Location
- New York City
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited
- Thread starter
- #1
Just thought I'd put this out there for anyone potentially going through the same issue...
I recently purchased a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon Unlimited with 14 miles on the OD and paid north of $50k for it. I picked up the car in Maryland (at a Jeep dealer I have been in contact with) and drove it back to NY (my home state). During that trip I put about 200 miles on it. Over the next two days I drove the Jeep to and from work (about 100 miles round trip). On the second day, while driving home, I begin to hear a whine coming from under the Jeep. I have never owned a Wrangler before so thought maybe it could be the air flow around the car (due to its boxy shape). By the time I was about 5 miles from home, the whining noise became exponentially louder than when I first heard it and my brakes seemed to be weaker (if that makes sense). I park the car at home (note at this point I have just crossed the 400 miles mark on the OD) and I take a peak underneath the Jeep... the transmission was leaking oil like a faucet all over the driveway. I climbed underneath to see if I could see how bad the situation was and I found the entire underside of the car (from the transmission back to be soaked with transmission fluid - the front of the car was bone-dry). I took a look at the rear brakes and they were soaked with oil as well (explains why my brakes weren't operating as expected). I determined the whining noise to be the gears within the transmission grinding together (due to the now lack of lubrication)
At this point (with the vehicle only being a few days old), I decide to call the dealership where I purchased the Jeep... they voiced their concern and were willing to “make this right” for me, however, that would require me to somehow get the Jeep down the Maryland without driving it (and grinding the gears more). I called FCA Roadside Assistance (an included benefit with the new JL) and they told me that they could not cover a tow that far (especially when there are dozens of other Jeep dealerships on the route down to Maryland). I completely understood their point of view in this situation and settled to have the Jeep towed to a dealership closer to me. I called roughly 10 Jeep service centers and none of them were able to make me an appointment for 2 weeks. I explained that I felt I should be considered more so of a priority due to my vehicle failing (and becoming undrivable) within 2 days of ownership… they did not feel that was the case. I finally found a Jeep dealer about 40 miles away from my house who could fit me in a about a week from now… I took it. I scheduled Roadside Assistance immediately (to get the leaking car out of my driveway) and they advised me that it was out of their coverage range and I would need to pay $100 out of pocket. I told them that was fine… I just needed to get my Jeep to the service center at this point. The tow truck showed up (2 hours late) and demanded I pay $400 (the total price of the tow) upfront before they could take the car. I explained that under FCA I was covered and would only need to pay $100, they said no. I paid the $400 (thinking I would get that refunded later by FCA).
The Jeep sat at the dealership untouched until my schedule appointment 1 week later. The service center called me a day after my appointment and they advised me that my transmission has a severe leak, gears are grinding, and the vehicle is not shifting properly (everything I assumed).
Important note… all the while the above was going on for 2 weeks, I was trying to get in contact with an FCA Case Manager. I would call every day and get the same story… “not sure why a Case Manager has not been assigned yet – I will escalate this for you – I am sure a Case Manager will call you in the morning.” 2 weeks of hearing this same explanation every day, I was finally told by one of the representatives at FCA that I have Jeep Wave (I had no idea that even came with my car) and should be calling their number for a Case Manager… my wait wouldn’t be as long (even though the normal wait under the normal FCA call-in was supposed to be a max of 24 hours – I was 13 days beyond that). I was put through to Jeep Wave – 3 days later I had a Case Manager….. finally.
I explained my situation to the Case Manager and she told me that they will get vehicle fixed for me. At this point I was extremely frustrated and upset about the situation I was in and told her that I think this type of issue (one that involved a major component) would call for the entire vehicle to be replaced (potentially under the Lemon Law – especially since there is no way to confirm the current state the gears are now in after grinding). She told me I am not yet qualified to go through the Lemon Law process since my state requires I give FCA a reasonable number of attempts to fix the vehicle (the Case Manager quoted 4 attempts). After quite a bit of back and forth, explaining that my situation is not as simple as just broken window switches, rather it is with a major component of the vehicle – a component which, when failed, renders the vehicle undrivable – I accepted her suggestion to allow them to fix the vehicle.
I called the dealership back and advise them to fix the vehicle, however, I want them to ENSURE I receive a brand new factory transmission be installed – the dealership agreed that a new transmission is necessary.
My last step, while waiting for my Jeep to be fixed (which I am currently doing right now) is to call the Case Manager back and explain how I am inconvenienced from all of this and would like them to offer something in good faith. While on the call, I proceeded to list that I would like my tow covered (which is non-negotiable since this is supposed to be covered through my loyalty program anyway), my vehicle’s warranty be extended (since I cannot guarantee that the new transmission installed will be placed into the vehicle with the same quality checks as in in the factory – I do not want the transmission to fail again from something at fault by the dealer after my warranty expires), my monthly payments covered (while the Jeep is out of service), and lastly a loaner car (specifically a Jeep – I paid $50k to drive a Jeep, not a rental car for 2 months). The Case Manager told me that I am asking for too much and she would only be allowed to offer me “one good will” and would be an inconvenience to FCA. I was driven in circles for two weeks just to get someone from FCA on the phone, get my car to a service center, and still be without even a loaner car – FCA has no right to say they are limited / inconvenienced by me. I just laid out $50k for one of their vehicles and it failed within 2 days of ownership – I would expect nothing less than a brand new car from them. Instead, I am allowing them to “fix” my Jeep and simply reimbursed me for what I feel I should be owed at a MINIMUM from both this horrible customer service experience and (of course) my undriveable / out of service Jeep.
My car, previous to the JL, was a BMW and through what I have experienced with their customer service, they would never let one of their customers be out of a vehicle and feel helpless in this type of situation. When I took delivery of my BMW, there were multiple areas of the car with damage (scratches, chipped mirror, etc). BMW took the car and ensured every angle of the car was addressed before I drove it home.
FCA should make this right and ensure they deliver a quality product to customers. In the off chance a quality issue (like mine) does occur, it is understandable (things aren’t perfect, especially in manufacturing), but the way in which FCA is handling me (their repeat customer – we also have a $60k Grand Cherokee in the household) is completely unacceptable. FCA has molded the Jeep lineup very well and the JL is a great example of that, however, their customer service does not seem to match at all.
I apologize for the long post, but I feel that this should be addressed between Jeep owners and FCA. Customer respect does not seem to be one of things FCA focuses on anymore.
I recently purchased a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon Unlimited with 14 miles on the OD and paid north of $50k for it. I picked up the car in Maryland (at a Jeep dealer I have been in contact with) and drove it back to NY (my home state). During that trip I put about 200 miles on it. Over the next two days I drove the Jeep to and from work (about 100 miles round trip). On the second day, while driving home, I begin to hear a whine coming from under the Jeep. I have never owned a Wrangler before so thought maybe it could be the air flow around the car (due to its boxy shape). By the time I was about 5 miles from home, the whining noise became exponentially louder than when I first heard it and my brakes seemed to be weaker (if that makes sense). I park the car at home (note at this point I have just crossed the 400 miles mark on the OD) and I take a peak underneath the Jeep... the transmission was leaking oil like a faucet all over the driveway. I climbed underneath to see if I could see how bad the situation was and I found the entire underside of the car (from the transmission back to be soaked with transmission fluid - the front of the car was bone-dry). I took a look at the rear brakes and they were soaked with oil as well (explains why my brakes weren't operating as expected). I determined the whining noise to be the gears within the transmission grinding together (due to the now lack of lubrication)
At this point (with the vehicle only being a few days old), I decide to call the dealership where I purchased the Jeep... they voiced their concern and were willing to “make this right” for me, however, that would require me to somehow get the Jeep down the Maryland without driving it (and grinding the gears more). I called FCA Roadside Assistance (an included benefit with the new JL) and they told me that they could not cover a tow that far (especially when there are dozens of other Jeep dealerships on the route down to Maryland). I completely understood their point of view in this situation and settled to have the Jeep towed to a dealership closer to me. I called roughly 10 Jeep service centers and none of them were able to make me an appointment for 2 weeks. I explained that I felt I should be considered more so of a priority due to my vehicle failing (and becoming undrivable) within 2 days of ownership… they did not feel that was the case. I finally found a Jeep dealer about 40 miles away from my house who could fit me in a about a week from now… I took it. I scheduled Roadside Assistance immediately (to get the leaking car out of my driveway) and they advised me that it was out of their coverage range and I would need to pay $100 out of pocket. I told them that was fine… I just needed to get my Jeep to the service center at this point. The tow truck showed up (2 hours late) and demanded I pay $400 (the total price of the tow) upfront before they could take the car. I explained that under FCA I was covered and would only need to pay $100, they said no. I paid the $400 (thinking I would get that refunded later by FCA).
The Jeep sat at the dealership untouched until my schedule appointment 1 week later. The service center called me a day after my appointment and they advised me that my transmission has a severe leak, gears are grinding, and the vehicle is not shifting properly (everything I assumed).
Important note… all the while the above was going on for 2 weeks, I was trying to get in contact with an FCA Case Manager. I would call every day and get the same story… “not sure why a Case Manager has not been assigned yet – I will escalate this for you – I am sure a Case Manager will call you in the morning.” 2 weeks of hearing this same explanation every day, I was finally told by one of the representatives at FCA that I have Jeep Wave (I had no idea that even came with my car) and should be calling their number for a Case Manager… my wait wouldn’t be as long (even though the normal wait under the normal FCA call-in was supposed to be a max of 24 hours – I was 13 days beyond that). I was put through to Jeep Wave – 3 days later I had a Case Manager….. finally.
I explained my situation to the Case Manager and she told me that they will get vehicle fixed for me. At this point I was extremely frustrated and upset about the situation I was in and told her that I think this type of issue (one that involved a major component) would call for the entire vehicle to be replaced (potentially under the Lemon Law – especially since there is no way to confirm the current state the gears are now in after grinding). She told me I am not yet qualified to go through the Lemon Law process since my state requires I give FCA a reasonable number of attempts to fix the vehicle (the Case Manager quoted 4 attempts). After quite a bit of back and forth, explaining that my situation is not as simple as just broken window switches, rather it is with a major component of the vehicle – a component which, when failed, renders the vehicle undrivable – I accepted her suggestion to allow them to fix the vehicle.
I called the dealership back and advise them to fix the vehicle, however, I want them to ENSURE I receive a brand new factory transmission be installed – the dealership agreed that a new transmission is necessary.
My last step, while waiting for my Jeep to be fixed (which I am currently doing right now) is to call the Case Manager back and explain how I am inconvenienced from all of this and would like them to offer something in good faith. While on the call, I proceeded to list that I would like my tow covered (which is non-negotiable since this is supposed to be covered through my loyalty program anyway), my vehicle’s warranty be extended (since I cannot guarantee that the new transmission installed will be placed into the vehicle with the same quality checks as in in the factory – I do not want the transmission to fail again from something at fault by the dealer after my warranty expires), my monthly payments covered (while the Jeep is out of service), and lastly a loaner car (specifically a Jeep – I paid $50k to drive a Jeep, not a rental car for 2 months). The Case Manager told me that I am asking for too much and she would only be allowed to offer me “one good will” and would be an inconvenience to FCA. I was driven in circles for two weeks just to get someone from FCA on the phone, get my car to a service center, and still be without even a loaner car – FCA has no right to say they are limited / inconvenienced by me. I just laid out $50k for one of their vehicles and it failed within 2 days of ownership – I would expect nothing less than a brand new car from them. Instead, I am allowing them to “fix” my Jeep and simply reimbursed me for what I feel I should be owed at a MINIMUM from both this horrible customer service experience and (of course) my undriveable / out of service Jeep.
My car, previous to the JL, was a BMW and through what I have experienced with their customer service, they would never let one of their customers be out of a vehicle and feel helpless in this type of situation. When I took delivery of my BMW, there were multiple areas of the car with damage (scratches, chipped mirror, etc). BMW took the car and ensured every angle of the car was addressed before I drove it home.
FCA should make this right and ensure they deliver a quality product to customers. In the off chance a quality issue (like mine) does occur, it is understandable (things aren’t perfect, especially in manufacturing), but the way in which FCA is handling me (their repeat customer – we also have a $60k Grand Cherokee in the household) is completely unacceptable. FCA has molded the Jeep lineup very well and the JL is a great example of that, however, their customer service does not seem to match at all.
I apologize for the long post, but I feel that this should be addressed between Jeep owners and FCA. Customer respect does not seem to be one of things FCA focuses on anymore.
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