The dealer service experience - A simple battery replacement case

[The Last Cowboy]

A lot of these service/warranty issues would go away if manufacturers would certify independent shops to do warranty repairs. Most already do them for 3 rd party warranty companies anyway, so they have the experience to file the claims.

All new car dealers, except Tesla, are franchises which aren't owned by the manufacturer. They are licensed and owned independently or by larger groups. Dealer overhead can be tremendous. Cutting costs and streamlining service saves them money. Questionable warranty repairs aren't attempted by most, as the dealer will have to pay if the claim is denied.

As for me, small items like lights, batteries, etc, I'll just fix myself. Not worth it to me to make an appointment, drop it of for a day or more, then have to go back and get it. Then I always have to inspect it afterwards for issues like @Junker21 posted.

Major stuff, Hell yeah I'm going to take it in. In my opinion that's where the value really is with the warranty.

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[MayThe4x4BWU]

When I was searching for my 2019 GC SRT, I refused to do business with the local dealer where I lived at the time. They were an absolute ****show in my previous experiences with them. So, I hit the web, and found a small town dealer that was about 35 miles west of where I lived.

It was the best decision I'd made in my many years of auto buying/selling. From sales to service, they treated me like I was a valued customer before and after sale. They even transferred the SRT I wanted to their location for FREE (mind you it was from a dealer that was about 80 miles away from them...)

My only interactions with the place afterwards were for service and a warranty replacement for a head unit when my nav went kaput, and each visit was excellent. I turned in my ex's lease vehicle there and they dropped me off at home without even a blink on how far it was.

FF 3 years later to my current JLUR order. I was a bit concerned of what to expect with the pandemic wreaking havoc on supply of all things. And the fact that I sold my home last year and moved even further way from my dealer (I'm over 60 miles away now lol)

But, being a realist, I simply reached out to my salesperson, who was still there and he got back to me the same day to schedule test drives, etc. They were extremely transparent about what to expect in the current market situation both for my trade and ordering. At the time I wasn't sure if I wanted a 4 or 6 engine, so they even offered to let me take one of the JLUR's they had on the lot home to test out and they would put my SRT into one of their storage areas out of sight. I politely refused because there's no way I felt comfortable taking it the 60+ miles home for the weekend lol

Needless to say, I was happy to order my JLUR through them and will be more than happy to take mini-road trips out to them for something as simple as an oil change

So why am I sharing all of this? and TLDR too I guess

There are dealers out there who still value their customers, they are just extremely hard to find in these times...but they are out there!

Edit: after reading through my response and re-reading through the OP's post...there's no getting around if Stellantis/FCA, whatever we call them, is gonna be a PoS about warranty stuff. Hopefully finding a good dealer despite corporate pressures isn't as rare as it seems to be nowadays...

 

[swampflyer]

What is the answer to the dealer problem? would it be better if they were dealer owned? I surely don't know. I do know that a well organized lawsuit with plenty of evidence of which there is plenty works wonders. Only draw back, takes time. But when they loose they pay big. Look at VW and if I read correctly Chrysler has one now for their diesel pu. Could be wrong. I have a vw tdi great vehicle. Great milage and I have received so many updates to the warranty on this vehicle I'll be dead before it is. Like the above these small failures are so easily fixed. Batteries so simple. lockers so simple. So if they end up paying billions so be it.

 

[wolfdog]

"Easiest way to replace aux battery" remove fender??? What idiot thoughtbabout this battery setup!!!

My 2015 Cherokee Trailhawk has ESS and it has one large battery and works better than my JLU??? Main and only battery goes bad and ya change the battery like they've been changed forever!

Go Jeep!!! sort of

 

[Pinky Tuscadero]

Some good - Some bad
Is this not our experience with all the businesses we interact with
Is this not the experience with all the people we interact with
I hate dealerships more than anyone on this forum but I can honestly say that mine did a very very good job on all the latest work and they were awesome to deal with
If you walk in with "dick mode" on then you can expect "double dick mode" in return for sure

 

[The Last Cowboy]

What is the answer to the dealer problem? would it be better if they were dealer owned? I surely don't know. I do know that a well organized lawsuit with plenty of evidence of which there is plenty works wonders. Only draw back, takes time. But when they loose they pay big. Look at VW and if I read correctly Chrysler has one now for their diesel pu. Could be wrong. I have a vw tdi great vehicle. Great milage and I have received so many updates to the warranty on this vehicle I'll be dead before it is. Like the above these small failures are so easily fixed. Batteries so simple. lockers so simple. So if they end up paying billions so be it.

There’s always someone who thinks a lawsuit is the answer. Who do you think pays those judgements? Here’s a clue, look at how much the price has risen on the window sticker. Billion dollar judgement? No problem. Each of their new cars goes up $1,500 and rebates vanish.

In other words, every cost the manufactuer incures winds up in the sticker price. Every tax hike, pay increase, rise in cost of parts, cost of new product development, warranty repairs, etc, are all paid by those of us who buy new. Private corporations don’t print money.

 

[aldo98229]

There’s always someone who thinks a lawsuit is the answer. Who do you think pays those judgements? Here’s a clue, look at how much the price has risen on the window sticker. Billion dollar judgement? No problem. Each of their new cars goes up $1,500 and rebates vanish.

In other words, every cost the manufactuer incures winds up in the sticker price. Every tax hike, pay increase, rise in cost of parts, cost of new product development, warranty repairs, etc, are all paid by those of us who buy new. Private corporations don’t print money.

Yup. As well as executive bonuses, the cost of multiple repair attempts due to dealer incompetence or the automaker’s misguided greed, etc.

The dealer service model is broken across the entire industry. Everyone, from Mercedes to Hyundai, has dealer service bays booked out for weeks, is unable to properly diagnose the simplest of issues, and needs weeks to get the most basic parts.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

This is why if I ran an auto maker right now, I’d push for warranty service certification at independent shops. Competition is better. Some very large dealers (not Jeep or CDR) compete with the independents for mechanical and tire work. Independent shops competing for warranty and authorized work would make for a better customer service reputation, fix minor issues quicker and allow most people to get service much closer to home. Would the actual dealer start providing better service? You bet, or they would contract out and close their service bays and focus more on providing a better sales experience.

Most of the good techs leave dealers and work in the independent shops. A dealer will keep it’s good techs on jobs with high book hours. The little crap like electrical issues, vibrations, leaks and other assorted minor issues go to the new guys who work for less and aren’t as highly valued. Oil changes are mostly done by those who have little to no training and no certifications.

 

[Junker21]

A lot of these service/warranty issues would go away if manufacturers would certify independent shops to do warranty repairs. Most already do them for 3 rd party warranty companies anyway, so they have the experience to file the claims.

All new car dealers, except Tesla, are franchises which aren't owned by the manufacturer. They are licensed and owned independently or by larger groups. Dealer overhead can be tremendous. Cutting costs and streamlining service saves them money. Questionable warranty repairs aren't attempted by most, as the dealer will have to pay if the claim is denied.

As for me, small items like lights, batteries, etc, I'll just fix myself. Not worth it to me to make an appointment, drop it of for a day or more, then have to go back and get it. Then I always have to inspect it afterwards for issues like @Junker21 posted.

Major stuff, Hell yeah I'm going to take it in. In my opinion that's where the value really is with the warranty.

Yes . Really the only reason I checked the fender liner was to see if they went in
from the top (which requires removing
the fuse box ) or through the wheel well .
Many if not most people would not have caught the sloppy work .
Not a word from the dealership after
they received my survey.
The dealer I now go to is all about
customer satisfaction and take the surveys very seriously.

 

[mwilk012]

Should have just replaced both batteries yourself when you first had an issue. Everyone should.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Jeep dealers are...terrible for the most part. I mean just about every single one. From sales to service. Stellantis needs to require some serious retraining and licensing consideration if they are going to get into the high end luxury SUV market.

A couple of weeks ago we tried to buy a new Grand Wagoneer for my wife. What a terrible (attempted) buying experience. We had to just walk out. With dealers as bad as they are, they really have no business selling $100k vehicles. Probably a blessing in disguise. As nice as it was, really nice, She will probably go with a Grand Cherokee (IF we can find a decent dealer) to downsize and get better mileage.

That dealer experience sucked. Same one I bought my Wrangler from and the last one I would consider buying another from. I'm talking to you Covert Jeep in Austin.

 

[aldo98229]

Jeep dealers are...terrible for the most part. I mean just about every single one. From sales to service. Stellantis needs to require some serious retraining and licensing consideration if they are going to get into the high end luxury SUV market.

A couple of weeks ago we tried to buy a new Grand Wagoneer for my wife. What a terrible (attempted) buying experience. We had to just walk out. With dealers as bad as they are, they really have no business selling $100k vehicles. Probably a blessing in disguise. As nice as it was, really nice, She will probably go with a Grand Cherokee (IF we can find a decent dealer) to downsize and get better mileage.

That dealer experience sucked. Same one I bought my Wrangler from and the last one I would consider buying another from. I'm talking to you Covert Jeep in Austin.

Yup. I still don’t understand how Jeep plans to sell $100,000+ Wagoneers and $80,000 Grand Cherokees through its terrible dealer network, especially once the market corrects itself.

The last time I bought a Jeep, a few months before COVID hit, I spent weeks looking up and down western Washington State. I knew what I wanted to buy, but couldn’t find anyone I wanted to buy it from.

I ended traveling 1,000 miles to Tooele CDJR, outside of Salt Lake City. The vehicle was heavily discounted (22% off MSRP), and the purchase experience was well above average, so it was worth my time. I’d would do it again.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

We're going to another dealer to look at this one tomorrow. If we get the same type of tag team, 4 square, "what do want you payments to be" BS, then we will just find another way.

https://www.chrysler.com/hostd/wind...12.963613937.1662158111-1141132498.1662158103

She's had 2 Lexus GX460s, maybe we'll just buy another. But damn their design is antiquated and the Toyota/Lexus design language isn't aging well. The mechanics of it are outstanding though.

She like the GC and would like the 25 MPG on an all wheel drive one. The interior of the Summit Series looks great. I know the 3.6/8 speed is an excellent combo.

But damn, the dealers! C'mon FCA USA/Stellantis, you need to get them under control. Your dealers remind me of second chance used car franchises.

 

[slowpoke387]

Should have just replaced both batteries yourself when you first had an issue. Everyone should.

THIS. Yes the dealer and Stellantis failed here but three yrs like that? If I had the information about doing both batteries at once and the dealer refused to replace both, I would just have done it myself and paid out of pocket for a new main battery. They are not a million bucks and in the end those three years would have been much more enjoyable. The blame squarely lies on Stellantis but at the same time I would not just drive it around like that either especially when I knew it was the main battery.

 

[entropy]

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