The dealer service experience - A simple battery replacement case

[entropy]

I bought my Jeep back in 2019 when dealerships had excess inventory. My Jeep had been sitting on a lot for 6 months so I got about 22% off MSRP discount on it. Consequently, the dealer didn't take proper care of the batteries and I had battery issues since the beginning. ESS never worked properly, anytime I used my winch or air compressor. I would get "battery protection mode" message. Everything pointed at dying batteries. I took my Jeep several times to the dealer and asked them to replace the batteries under warranty, all they always did was keep the Jeep for 2 days and then tell me "they're fine". They'd trickle charge them, 1 week later, issues again. Eventually at 1 year ownership the Jeep died and wouldn't start. I jump started it and took it to the dealer. A dead AUX battery was replaced under warranty. I asked them to replace BOTH batteries, but they refused and showed me a document that said FCA did not require both batteries be replaced.

The issue is. When the AUX starts dying it drains the main, and damages the main battery. So I ran my Jeep for 2 years with a very weak main battery. The jeep never died on me again. ESS never worked, I just turned it off. Alternator charged the batteries always, and I would get weird electrical stuff happen every now and then. I decided the monumental effort to fight the dealer about it was not worth it.

This week I decided to replace both batteries. The main with an odyssey and diehard platinum for the aux. All my issues have been solved. ESS works flawlessly, I can use my winch or my air compressor and I don't get weird errors. I drove my entire 3 first years of ownership of my Jeep with weak, damaged batteries that should have been replaced under warranty. It makes my Jeep a lot more enjoyable. The product works as it should.

What baffles me is. They spent so much money and effort producing this vehicle. There are so many wonderful things about my Jeep, and it has been such a pleasure to own. But if I wasn't the owner, but some average soccer mom or wtver owned my jeep, who didn't have a tazer to permanently disable ESS, or who didn't own a trickle charger or know nothing about cars. I am pretty sure they would've sold the Jeep and call it "unreliable". All because of a FUCKING battery. Because Stellantis and jeep dealers are so FUCKING CHEAP, you have to fight them left and right to get your batteries replaced. They wont do ANYTHING until your Jeep dies, and then they would only replace one battery. It is a scam warranty @JeepCares and it leaves a bad impression on your product, because both batteries are connected in parallel. One battery starts dying and it will drain the other battery. The selfish AUX battery doesn't like to die alone, it takes the main with it.

Sorry for the rant. It is just that after replacing the batteries I couldn't stop thinking about these 3 years. And I honestly believe this is an industry wide issue. The service we are getting from the auto industry is absolute shit. I am grateful my issue was minor, but I can't imagine those of you who get bad engine, transmission, etc... and are left at the mercy of dealers.

The dealer system sucks, it is outdated and I am sure a lot of you have had similar or worse experiences. I myself have completely lost faith in the dealer service and factory warranty. Also have you seen the prices for simple jobs? they charge about $400 to service the differentials. A job that took me about 5 minutes. I can't imagine how much they would charge to replace batteries, a job that requires you to either take off the fender or the inner liner.

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[rohdawg]

 

[Stetson]

Truth!

i am always baffled by people who buy extended warranties or service plans or anything like that. Do you really want to have more interactions with your dealer??? Give me my Jeep and then see ya!

Stetson

 

[aldo98229]

The incompetence Jeep dealers display every day starts at FCA.

 

[entropy]

The incompetence Jeep dealers display every day starts at FCA.

Have you had a different experience with other brands?

Last time I left my Toyota for a dealer free oil service I asked them why it would take them the entire day. I schedule an appointment that said it would take half an hour through their own website... Their answer:

"Leaving your car at the service department is like going to the Dr. you never just walk in and leave right away. Cars are complex and it takes a lot of time to service".

This was a 6 month old Camry all it needed was an oil change lol..... why not just tell me "Because we have a lot of people coming in, we are busy".

 

[aldo98229]

I too bought my 2018 Jeep in late 2019. I also got 22% off MSRP. In my case, the Jeep had been sitting unsold at that dealership for 18 months.

Eighteen months into my ownership, I started getting the tell-tale electronic gremlins: ESS Unavailable, missing backup camera, popping speakers, 4WD shifter slipping into 4H on it own, etc.

Having read numerous posts on here of dealers wasting customers time for weeks on end, I replaced both batteries myself. I drove to O’Reilly Auto Parts and got two of their Super Start batteries. Problem fixed.

 

[aldo98229]

Have you had a different experience with other brands?

Last time I left my Toyota for a dealer free oil service I asked them why it would take them the entire day. I schedule an appointment that said it would take half an hour through their own website... Their answer:

"Leaving your car at the service department is like going to the Dr. you never just walk in and leave right away. Cars are complex and it takes a lot of time to service".

This was a 6 month old Camry..... why not just tell me "Because we have a lot of people coming in, we are busy".

I had a different experience with Chrysler-Jeep years ago.

I’ve been buying Chryslers for 30+ years; Jeeps for 25+ years.

I noticed things started to go downhill after Fiat took full control of Chrysler in 2014.

My trusted CDJR dealer in Long Beach, CA, carried a lot of clout with Chrysler: they were a large volume seller with high customer retention rates; the Service Managers, Parts Manager, Service Advisors had all worked there for decades. When they spoke, Chrysler listened. Chrysler even took its company and press vehicles there for service.

Around 2014 FCA introduced a whole string of changes in the way they tracked customer satisfaction, how they paid dealers for warranty work, etc.

Chrysler used to be pretty easy going with warranty jobs; FCA nickel-and-dimes dealers to death. So, too busy and afraid to not get reimbursed by FCA, many dealers don’t even try any more.

Anyway, the changes were a giant wrecking ball; I saw the guys that worked at my dealer struggle under the new corporate directives. By 2015 the treatment I received had changed dramatically. Much of the personal touch was replaced with surveys, stats, generic texts and emails.

By the time I relocated to Washington State I found an appallingly low level of customer service at my local Jeep dealer. To the point that I got into a yelling match with the Service Manager; something I have never done before. In disgust, I dumped my 2018 JKUR with 8,000 miles at the Toyota dealership across the street and drove off in a Tacoma TRD Off-Road.

I didn’t keep that Toyota long; sold it after six months. I’m a Jeep guy through and through. But my brief experience with the Toyota dealer was much better. It wasn’t anything extraordinary by any means, but they were efficient and professional. That’s a lot more than I can say about my local Jeep dealer.

Toyota guys tell me that Toyota dealers are not what they used to be, either. They are too busy, and are much more strict now in applying rules for warranty jobs. But everything is relative: I still find the local Toyota dealer much more professionally run than the tent full of gypsies that passes for a Jeep dealership.

 

[swampflyer]

I know there are some bad experiences with dealers but I have to say my experience has been mostly positive. A lot of negative experience is caused by corporate policies and restrictions placed on the dealers. I'm not defending just stating facts. Some of the restrictions are just insane. Then there is the occasional individual that come to work and just occupies space. It wouldn't matter where they are employed they are just an AH and was probably born that way. Our gene pool has deteriorated over the past 30 years to unbelievable levels. I just heard that the reading level has dropped to what it was 35 years ago. We can't expect the same service and efficiency that we are used to. It's just not there. Things will have to change if we are to regain our lost quality of life. Start by teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. There is another way to say this but it would have been to negative. I have had a good experience at my dealership for many years and hope I can continue to do so. I do my on fluid changes and tire rotations or assist, with a friend of mine. Dealer for warranty work. Sometimes we need to take a deep breath and count to ten.

 

[entropy]

I know there are some bad experiences with dealers but I have to say my experience has been mostly positive. A lot of negative experience is caused by corporate policies and restrictions placed on the dealers. I'm not defending just stating facts. Some of the restrictions are just insane. Then there is the occasional individual that come to work and just occupies space. It wouldn't matter where they are employed they are just an AH and was probably born that way. Our gene pool has deteriorated over the past 30 years to unbelievable levels. I just heard that the reading level has dropped to what it was 35 years ago. We can't expect the same service and efficiency that we are used to. It's just not there. Things will have to change if we are to regain our lost quality of life. Start by teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. There is another way to say this but it would have been to negative. I have had a good experience at my dealership for many years and hope I can continue to do so. I do my on fluid changes and tire rotations or assist, with a friend of mine. Dealer for warranty work. Sometimes we need to take a deep breath and count to ten.

I am sure there are some good dealers around. I didnt count till 10. But I counted 3 years lol. As long as we keep buying these expensive vehicles and bending over stellantis and their dealers theyll keep giving us crappy service.

Maybe it is as you said. Stellantis and not really the dealers. I had an issue with my front seats that was actually worth fighting for. I fought for over a year. And it wasnt until corporate got involved that they got fixed properly and swiftly.

The issue with the battery. It is just so miserable from their part. And whats the customer gonna do? Lawyer up for a battery? Lol. It falls under customer satisfaction in my opinion. It is those small things that make a customer experience so much better or so much worst.

 

[aldo98229]

It makes no sense all the unnecessary frustration, inconvenience and irritation Stellantis and its dealers put hundreds of Jeep customers through every week, when they could easily resolve it by replacing both batteries on the first visit and allowing everyone to move on.

As busy as Jeep dealers claim to be, they make it unnecessarily harder on themselves by making customers come back four, five or six times, and often keep their Jeep for weeks at a time, to resolve something so simple.

 

[Sazabi19]

Truth!

i am always baffled by people who buy extended warranties or service plans or anything like that. Do you really want to have more interactions with your dealer??? Give me my Jeep and then see ya!

Stetson

I just got 1 for my new JLR, but my service dept seems quite good and competent. They've treated me right with my JT so I'm happy. I'm not the most mechanically enclined so that piece of mind for me is well worth it. Hope I never have to use it, but it's there if I need it.

 

[Stetson]

I just got 1 for my new JLR, but my service dept seems quite good and competent. They've treated me right with my JT so I'm happy. I'm not the most mechanically enclined so that piece of mind for me is well worth it. Hope I never have to use it, but it's there if I need it.

If you find a dealer you like and are happy with their service then I think that is great. You should support them.

I have not had that experience so prefer independent shops. I feel like I get better service and a more personal touch which goes a long way with me.

 

[Junker21]

I also had the aux battery replaced on my Gladiator . Not a good experience . They left all
all the fender liner screws just hanging there and wouldn't replace the main .

 

[entropy]

I also had the aux battery replaced on my Gladiator . Not a good experience . They left all
all the fender liner screws just hanging there and wouldn't replace the main .

Shitty. Thats the kind of crap they do. Get yourself a nice battery. Even my audio system is better. Super nice actually. i am starting to think a lot of people complaining about bad quality audio it is their batteries.

 

[Mikester86]

I bought my Jeep back in 2019 when dealerships had excess inventory. My Jeep had been sitting on a lot for 6 months so I got about 22% off MSRP discount on it. Consequently, the dealer didn't take proper care of the batteries and I had battery issues since the beginning. ESS never worked properly, anytime I used my winch or air compressor. I would get "battery protection mode" message. Everything pointed at dying batteries. I took my Jeep several times to the dealer and asked them to replace the batteries under warranty, all they always did was keep the Jeep for 2 days and then tell me "they're fine". They'd trickle charge them, 1 week later, issues again. Eventually at 1 year ownership the Jeep died and wouldn't start. I jump started it and took it to the dealer. A dead AUX battery was replaced under warranty. I asked them to replace BOTH batteries, but they refused and showed me a document that said FCA did not require both batteries be replaced.

The issue is. When the AUX starts dying it drains the main, and damages the main battery. So I ran my Jeep for 2 years with a very weak main battery. The jeep never died on me again. ESS never worked, I just turned it off. Alternator charged the batteries always, and I would get weird electrical stuff happen every now and then. I decided the monumental effort to fight the dealer about it was not worth it.

This week I decided to replace both batteries. The main with an odyssey and diehard platinum for the aux. All my issues have been solved. ESS works flawlessly, I can use my winch or my air compressor and I don't get weird errors. I drove my entire 3 first years of ownership of my Jeep with weak, damaged batteries that should have been replaced under warranty. It makes my Jeep a lot more enjoyable. The product works as it should.

What baffles me is. They spent so much money and effort producing this vehicle. There are so many wonderful things about my Jeep, and it has been such a pleasure to own. But if I wasn't the owner, but some average soccer mom or wtver owned my jeep, who didn't have a tazer to permanently disable ESS, or who didn't own a trickle charger or know nothing about cars. I am pretty sure they would've sold the Jeep and call it "unreliable". All because of a FUCKING battery. Because Stellantis and jeep dealers are so FUCKING CHEAP, you have to fight them left and right to get your batteries replaced. They wont do ANYTHING until your Jeep dies, and then they would only replace one battery. It is a scam warranty @JeepCares and it leaves a bad impression on your product, because both batteries are connected in parallel. One battery starts dying and it will drain the other battery. The selfish AUX battery doesn't like to die alone, it takes the main with it.

Sorry for the rant. It is just that after replacing the batteries I couldn't stop thinking about these 3 years. And I honestly believe this is an industry wide issue. The service we are getting from the auto industry is absolute shit. I am grateful my issue was minor, but I can't imagine those of you who get bad engine, transmission, etc... and are left at the mercy of dealers.

The dealer system sucks, it is outdated and I am sure a lot of you have had similar or worse experiences. I myself have completely lost faith in the dealer service and factory warranty. Also have you seen the prices for simple jobs? they charge about $400 to service the differentials. A job that took me about 5 minutes. I can't imagine how much they would charge to replace batteries, a job that requires you to either take off the fender or the inner liner.

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