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Need advice on faulty Jeep, trade ins and new Jeep.

KenPewPew

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My one year old jeep is clicking - should I just trade in?
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Maverick909

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do you know what rear axle you have on your jeep? is it the Limited slip Dana 44 short.? if so it could be the Terrible limited slip clutches mopar has. there is a few cases on here that people have had issues with the limited slip failing. now if your not off-roading your jeep and just daily driving it then that may not be the problem as your not using the limited slip much on road. you basically have 4 options in my eyes.

A) take it back to the dealer and let them know that the last repair failed but lasted the longest at keeping the clicking noise away.

B) you can save money and try and upgrade to a Dana splicer, or Terraflex axle set with all new components but thats gonna set up back a few grand yet if you plan to build your jeep for off-roading that might not be a terrible deal.

C) sell it back and have peace at mind and get yourself a new jeep without that issue and loose a bit of cash on the resell of the jeep. yet still having peace at mind.

D)if it where me I'd have the dealer keep fixing it until they replace the whole axle and its gone for good or id ask them to split the cost of a Brand New set of Rubicon axle's and they pay the labor for the install and extra parts. then you get better gearing, lockers and all new internal parts from factory instead of a dealer mechanic.

D is a mix on A and B but using all mopar parts that should be warrantied. plus the rubi axles allow you to have stronger alxe tubes and allow for bigger tires.{Please let us know how this goes though.
 

dalema

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Not sure what the law is in NJ, however take a look at the lemon laws - many times if the dealer can’t fix the same thing after 3 attempts they have to replace the vehicle with a new one. Sounds like you’re one away from that?
 

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Not sure what the law is in NJ, however take a look at the lemon laws - many times if the dealer can’t fix the same thing after 3 attempts they have to replace the vehicle with a new one. Sounds like you’re one away from that?
Lemon law doesn't apply for vague clicking sound in the rear. Has to be a very significant issue that is actually causing a defined problem and that can't be resolved. You do know we all pay when a vehicle is bought back under the lemon law in higher vehicle prices. Plus according to some sales managers in other brands when they take one back they often let other dealers bid on them to resell them.
 

Maverick909

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Brian,

Thank you so much for taking your time to respond in such details. I will evaluate all those options. Now just out of curiousity - with you mentioning the usage of factory parts and Mopar does it mean that moving forward I cannot upgrade my jeep the way I wanted and the cost of upkeep (ie constant fixing or repairing) would be higher in the long run. Does this mean that I will have to keep on sending my Jeep back to the shop which I think that most of us (especially mechanical noobs like me) would want to avoid. I have very very good relationship with the dealership and their service center. I will talk to them about the options that you presented. I will most probably select option C and just bite the bullet and do it because I am going nuts (and sad) everytime I hear the clicking sound.

No I don't take it off road although I would like to try it sometimes. And do you have any ideas when do Jeep start taking orders on 2021 models? Or should I just get a 2020. Stupid questions I know but my biggest fear is getting another faulty Jeep.

Thanks again!!
you can always upgrade as you want to. that's the best part of owning a jeep. if you did go to an outside sourced axle manufacture you would still get a warranty from that manufacture on all parts. up keep on an axle isnt to bad when your not having the problems you are having now. now if you choose to go Option C) then when your negotiating trade in price dont take the price they first give as they will give you a lower price so they can pay to fix the part thats making the clicking noise and your cost. let them know that you bought the jeep with out problems and now they have been unable to fix it within the last few try's now you want full value of the jeep private party so that you can purchase another jeep from them that doesn't have problems. with saying you would like to look at another jeep from them that should help get a better price as your buying from them again instead of going to another dealer.
 

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dalema

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Dale, I looked into Lemon Law and it seems that the process is laborious with end result factoring in the depreciation or the reduction in values. Thank you so much for your suggestion. I might keep on researching that.
Maybe there is an expert on the forum as I sure am not. I thought the intent was that you got to swap out for the same vehicle, with only reduction being based on how long you drove it before first noting the issue.
 

dalema

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Lemon law doesn't apply for vague clicking sound in the rear. Has to be a very significant issue that is actually causing a defined problem and that can't be resolved. You do know we all pay when a vehicle is bought back under the lemon law in higher vehicle prices. Plus according to some sales managers in other brands when they take one back they often let other dealers bid on them to resell them.
You say vague problem - I say they've replaced axles and difs, so guessing they would consider it something of significance.

If there's an issue with a $30-40K vehicle I had just bought, which can't be fixed - I'd sure want to be able get the vehicle without having to take a hit on value or running around trying to fix something that is not my problem.

If nothing else, may help if you trade it - or the dealer will take all this into account in getting you a trade where you don't take a hit on value. All this work will show up on a carfax when time comes to sell it, and that will also impact the value of the car.
 

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You say vague problem - I say they've replaced axles and difs, so guessing they would consider it something of significance.
It’s vague because they can’t find the root cause. Replacing axles and diffs clearly has not remedied the problem.

Should the buyer invoke the lemon law because there’s a clicking sound coming from somewhere in the back? Is that a strong enough reason to warrant a lemon law claim?
 

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You say vague problem - I say they've replaced axles and difs, so guessing they would consider it something of significance.

If there's an issue with a $30-40K vehicle I had just bought, which can't be fixed - I'd sure want to be able get the vehicle without having to take a hit on value or running around trying to fix something that is not my problem.

If nothing else, may help if you trade it - or the dealer will take all this into account in getting you a trade where you don't take a hit on value. All this work will show up on a carfax when time comes to sell it, and that will also impact the value of the car.
None of this will show up on a Carfax report. That's not how Carfax works.
 

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It’s vague because they can’t find the root cause. Replacing axles and diffs clearly has not remedied the problem.

Should the buyer invoke the lemon law because there’s a clicking sound coming from somewhere in the back? Is that a strong enough reason to warrant a lemon law claim?
My understanding is that arbitrators go by the service records entered into the computer. If the service records show an inordinate number of visit for a related problem, that could be construed as falling under lemon laws.
 

aldo98229

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Okay this is kind of embarrassing. But I have been mulling about this matter for a while.

I bought (build) my 2 doors JL Sport S back in May 2019 and I love love LOVE my Jeep. However, three months into driving the Jeep - I noticed that there are some clicking sound that is coming from the back. It was faint at first, and then it starts to get louder. I took it back to my Jeep dealership and they could not figure out what happened but they changed the entire rear axle (my apologies - I am not well versed in car mechanics) but the clicking sound resume. After a month I had to bring it back to them and try to replicate the sound. I get the loudest click when I stop the Jeep, put it on reverse and reverse and then forward. The dealership assigned some top level mechanics to my case.

After a few weeks they got back to me and said that they had to change the rear differentials (??) and there should not be anymore clicking sound. But about three months later (March 2020) as careful as I am, the clicking sound started again - faintly and it gets louder again over a period of time. I think that something is causing problem the differentials again.

As excited as I am for my Jeep I have been really sad about this new Jeep of mine. This is the first time I have ever owned a Jeep and has been wanting a Jeep since I first saw it in Jurassic Park movie 27 years ago. But I always feel like there is some disconnection with my Jeep because of the clicking sound. I am worried that if they fixed this clicking sound for the second time by changing the differentials (which can be quite costly) it might happen again. It is really not a good feeling to have.

Because of this, I have held off buying stuff for my Jeep nor upgrading my Jeep. I am also worried that down the road, I have to eventually "maintain" this clicking sound by sending my Jeep back to the dealership for repair twice a year. What will happen when the warranty is over? I want to keep this jeep for a long time but my hunch is that there is going to be some serious cost of maintaining this Jeep in the future due to this clicking issue.

My question is - should I just sell the jeep back to the dealership (I don't want to deal with advertising to third party etc) and just get a new Jeep? And if I decided to sell it should I wait till 2021 models come out? When are they available for ordering anyway? Ideally I don't want to sell my Jeep but in addition to many hours of happiness that this baby gave me - this clicking issue is diminishing my joy of owning a Jeep. Getting a new Jeep after owning for a little over a year is going to be costly but I am trying to think long term.

Thank you guys - I am truly lucky to know a lot of awesome people here in this Jeep forum. :like:
Per the warranty; yes, once the warranty is up, you are on your own. Having said that, it sounds like your dealer is willing to work with you to get your Jeep fixed. That alone is worth a lot, and is much more than most of us are likely to get from our Jeep dealer.

Selling a Jeep privately is super easy. These Jeeps sell fast...provided your Jeep (1) shows well and (2) is priced right. How many miles does your Jeep have? That should factor into whether you should keep it or get rid of it.

Wranglers are a lot of fun and very capable, but no one buys them because they are reliable. Thing is, FCA quality is pretty inconsistent: you are as likely to get a totally trouble free Wrangler as you are to get a lemon, or anything in between. Given the laws of probabilities, it is unlikely that your next JL will have the same clicking issue. On the other hand, you may get one with vague steering, or the auxiliary battery charging system doesn’t work, or who knows. The aux battery issue seems to be fixable, and the vague steering can be minimized by replacing many of the OE steering components with beefier, and pricey, aftermarket parts. By contrast, a differential is a major component and very expensive to repair.

If I were in your shoes, I’d thank your dealer for being such a good sport, and keep having them fix it while you have warranty. As the warranty expiry approaches, I’d look to get a new one. And just because your dealer has been so good to you, I’d give them first dibs.

Good luck!
 
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dalema

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None of this will show up on a Carfax report. That's not how Carfax works.
I've see things like this on a carfax report, and when you go look at the service history. There was a Cayenne I was looking at a few years ago that showed a camshaft getting replaced - I steered clear of that one.
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