Return of deposit?

[mreloc]

I live in California, in case that makes a difference. The crap stories have me spooked about the JLUS I have on order. Dealer required a $3K deposit to place the order and it’s in D1 status.

What is common practice and/or legal right to request a return of deposit in the event I decide to pull the plug on the whole thing? (I used my AMEX for the points and for their purchase protection, in case that helps).

Don’t get me wrong- I’d love to buy the vehicle if it’s not a POS, but I’ve got a bit going on in my life to make dealing with problems and my dealer’s service department something I don’t want to take on. It’s in downtown LA and not a pleasure to drive to.

Of course if I don’t pull the plug now- I’ll try to thoroughly test drive it before taking delivery (which will be a challenge to find a highway i can actually hit highway speeds on). If it fails then, I’ll certainly walk then.

Thoughts?

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[melman8r]

You're in CA, donate your $3k deposit to the Hate Project and walk everywhere. It beats getting stuck in traffic and that charity does amazing good for the people in CA.

 

[Chipe]

To be honest, it's all in the contract/buy sheet you signed. If it's past the "cooling off period" then you may have a hard time getting your money back. You could try talking to the dealer, but they might keep some of it.

But it sounds to me you are somehow afraid of many problems with the Jeep? If you are basing that on what you are reading on this forum, then I think you need to reconsider just how "bad" the Jeeps really are.

I love mine. Tens of thousands of Jeep owners love their Jeeps. As in any vehicle, it probably hovers around 12-15% of owners are dissatisfied.

Why do you really want to pull the plug? Finances or just worry?

 

[mreloc]

You're in CA, donate your $3k deposit to the Hate Project and walk everywhere. It beats getting stuck in traffic and that charity does amazing good for the people in CA.

Well, there’s an idea but....

 

[mreloc]

To be honest, it's all in the contract/buy sheet you signed. If it's past the "cooling off period" then you may have a hard time getting your money back. You could try talking to the dealer, but they might keep some of it.

But it sounds to me you are somehow afraid of many problems with the Jeep? If you are basing that on what you are reading on this forum, then I think you need to reconsider just how "bad" the Jeeps really are.

I love mine. Tens of thousands of Jeep owners love their Jeeps. As in any vehicle, it probably hovers around 12-15% of owners are dissatisfied.

Why do you really want to pull the plug? Finances or just worry?

Not finances, but more worry. All my vehicles up to this point have been trouble free. The issues I read here are frankly mind blowing compared to stories I read on the Porsche forums or even the VW forums. We all know a disproportionate degree of problems will exaggerate themselves because of forums and the tendency for people reporting issues is higher than those posting no issues- but this Wrangler forum is off the charts with the range of issues and lack of being addressed by FCA.

Anyhow, first world problems here, just not wanting to take on more hassle than pleasure from owning it

btw, I’ve never signed anything- just gave them my cc and they ordered it.

 

[BullMoose1776]

You should expect to get every cent back, no matter the reason you back out.

Having said that, your concerns are valid, as on sites like this, you're only going to hear about the problems.

But the truth is, the vast, vast majority of JLs are fine, with no problems. If they weren't, you'd see news stories and FCA losing tons of money.

It has a warranty for a reason, so if you need to, use it.

Buy your Jeep, enjoy it in your own personal way, and don't worry about it.

 

[mreloc]

Thanks, all. This talked me off the ledge

 

[Jennalee]

I’m in downtown too and have one on order. I’ve been obsessively reading over the “Issues” threads because my personality is obsessive and a new car is a huge, expensive long term commitment. I go back and forth regretting my order too because the steering problems scare me to death. I can deal with everything else, I can’t deal with bad steering.

I ordered mine from San Juan Capistrano and made sure my salesman knew I was concerned about the steering and that my $1000 deposit was refundable. I’m planning on asking him for an extended test drive as well for at least a few hours out on my own. Try to do the same. I made sure to look for a dealership with a freeway that wouldn’t be congested so I can take the Jeep up to 70 mph. That will be impossible to do in downtown LA.

DTLA is a nightmare to drive through and traffic is always congested everywhere we go so if our Jeeps veer into the next lane we’re guaranteed to slam into somebody. I feel your stress, I really do. It’s frightening to read that people are having these issues with their 2020 Jeeps.

When does yours come in? Mine should arrive at my dealership around mid November. Instead of sitting on the edge of my seat excited for it to arrive I’m dreading the day it gets delivered. So stupid.

I wish you the best of luck, hope you get a good one! And me too

 

[Pig-Pen]

Id worry way more about buying a VW than a jeep. Heck i bought a new jeep, i dont think i could ever buy a vw.


Once you get the jeep you can take it to any jeep dealer for warranty work. It doesnt have to be from the one you bought it from. I bought mine from a dealer about 75 miles away. ive got a jeep dealership a couple miles from my house.

 

[mreloc]

I’m in downtown too and have one on order. I’ve been obsessively reading over the “Issues” threads because my personality is obsessive and a new car is a huge, expensive long term commitment. I go back and forth regretting my order too because the steering problems scare me to death. I can deal with everything else, I can’t deal with bad steering.

I ordered mine from San Juan Capistrano and made sure my salesman knew I was concerned about the steering and that my $1000 deposit was refundable. I’m planning on asking him for an extended test drive as well for at least a few hours out on my own. Try to do the same. I made sure to look for a dealership with a freeway that wouldn’t be congested so I can take the Jeep up to 70 mph. That will be impossible to do in downtown LA.

DTLA is a nightmare to drive through and traffic is always congested everywhere we go so if our Jeeps veer into the next lane we’re guaranteed to slam into somebody. I feel your stress, I really do. It’s frightening to read that people are having these issues with their 2020 Jeeps.

When does yours come in? Mine should arrive at my dealership around mid November. Instead of sitting on the edge of my seat excited for it to arrive I’m dreading the day it gets delivered. So stupid.

I wish you the best of luck, hope you get a good one! And me too

Thanks for understanding! I’m glad you can relate to why I’m feeling this way. I bought mine at the dealer in DTLA, so, right off the 10. Agree that the many stories of messed up steering, finger-tight torquing of suspension components, etc. is just inexcusable to even have to think about.

Not sure when mine’s being delivered- I ordered mine a coupe of weeks ago. Looking forward to hearing yours turned out to be awesome

 

[mreloc]

Id worry way more about buying a VW than a jeep. Heck i bought a new jeep, i dont think i could ever buy a vw.


Once you get the jeep you can take it to any jeep dealer for warranty work. It doesnt have to be from the one you bought it from. I bought mine from a dealer about 75 miles away. ive got a jeep dealership a couple miles from my house.

If you do some research, some of VW models are pretty bulletproof - the two that I own - one a 2012, the other a 2015 have NEVER been back to the dealer. I do oil changes myself and that’s all they’ve needed. My 911 has needed service to replace a leaky water pump - but I would never and have never heard about blatant safety concerns that were engineered or assembled poorly like I read on here- and when i do visit the dealer, it is total white-glove service. Yeah, it’s a $150k car, but the wrangler isn’t cheap in its own right.

 

[DocTwinkie]

Thanks, all. This talked me off the ledge

Any car is a crapshoot.
I had a Pontiac bought back as a lemon.
I had a 2007 RDX that was trouble free.
My current Volvo has a second engine under warranty. A whole new engine.
My wife’s 2019 RDX has had to go for electrical work.

Any car to have issues is rare when you look at all of them. Some might have a 100/100k sold vs 120/100k. Both are rare.

Know your state lemon laws for one. That alone can give you piece of mind. Here in Ohio they get 3 tries to fix a problem. Third strike and its buyback time. Also 30days in the shop is buyback time.

Know your lemon law and relax. If you do have warranty issues don’t freak out. It happens. Worst case you lemon law it and try again. But it’s super rare.


https://www.dca.ca.gov/acp/pdf_files/englemn.pdf

 

[melman8r]

If you do some research, some of VW models are pretty bulletproof - the two that I own - one a 2012, the other a 2015 have NEVER been back to the dealer. I do oil changes myself and that’s all they’ve needed. My 911 has needed service to replace a leaky water pump - but I would never and have never heard about blatant safety concerns that were engineered or assembled poorly like I read on here- and when i do visit the dealer, it is total white-glove service. Yeah, it’s a $150k car, but the wrangler isn’t cheap in its own right.

What two VWs do you own now?

 

[ViperJon]

I have a 2018 JLUR with 2K on it and it's been perfectly fine, not a single issue and the steering is straight and true. There are tens of thousands of us out there we just don't post about how good the experience has been, that's sort of expected. People only post about problems so obviously it's going to look skewed. But worrying about what "might" happen seems silly. I "might" get hit by a bus today. But the odds are I won't.

 

[Chipe]

Thanks, all. This talked me off the ledge

You always have the lemon law on your side, as well as JeepCares, etc.
You and JennaLee sound a lot like me. Sometimes there is just too much information out there. But, I love my Jeep. It is my first, it is a JLUSahara. I got it new in September, it is the first gen 2018, and it was a leftover. I was lucky to find it.

Have I had any issues? Yes. One FCA's fault, one mine. I had the creaking passenger seat, which the dealer took care of no questions asked. The second was a broken body bolt, totally my fault, and the dealer again took care of it no questions asked.

I think you will love your Jeep. Get it, mod it. It's the best adult "tinker toy" or "legomobile" in the world!

And, in my children's and my history:
1 Chevy Blazer taken back under lemon law
1 Subaru Impreza taken back under lemon law (engine totally seized up while my daughter was driving it, it was 3 months old, (daughter leased it, her first new)
1 Nissan Altima that the dealer wouldn't deliver due to so many issues found by their get ready team
1 Chevy Silverado 2500 (son) taken back under lemon law
1 Subaru Forester finally traded due to oil leak issue that couldn't be resolved (my driveway looked like a Text oil field)

So, you see, it can be any make. I have never owned a VW, nor a Porsche, or even a Maserati, but I'm sure there are problems with those as well.

JUST LOVE IT.

Oh, and btw, most times if you treat the dealer with respect they will treat you with the same.

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