Considering: 2011 JEEP Grand Cherokee Limited...
08-25-10, 07:23 PM
#46
Super Moderator
So what was actually wrong with the car, cause bumper to bumper means everything is covered, cause my brothers 300C just had a weird issue, that we cause
and after 1000's of dollars in parts and labor and 2 weeks in the shop, and nothing was covered by warranty, they only charged him 250 bucks for new spark plugs which fixed the problem, so you might want to find a new dealership, cause I think the people who worked their took advantage of you
and after 1000's of dollars in parts and labor and 2 weeks in the shop, and nothing was covered by warranty, they only charged him 250 bucks for new spark plugs which fixed the problem, so you might want to find a new dealership, cause I think the people who worked their took advantage of youBut it was mostly "maintenance items" which aren't covered under the "bumper to bumper" warranty. The thing went through trans fluid like nobody's business, for example. 10k miles and the stuff was PITCH BLACK. And yes, I checked it myself. Or a bearing would wear out, which also isn't covered. PCM burned up 4 times, two of which were covered under warranty (the other two were after it expired, one by less than a month and Chrysler wouldn't budge) but had to be replaced one extra time when the voltage regulator, which is attached to the alternator on every other car ever made by any other manufacturer but for some reason is part of the PCM on mopars, stopped working.
Plug replacements cost a fortune because the intake manifold has to come off, and therefore the gaskets have to be replaced. Fuel filter costs a fortune because the tank has to be dropped. None of that is covered under any warranty. And it only gets worse after the warranty expires. Alternator took me 6 hours to replace (before I found out the problem was the inexplicably-not-part-of-the-alternator voltage regulator) because it's at the very top of the engine, but has to be taken out from the undercarriage, which means removing the A/C compressor from the car and loosening or removing at least 8 bolts completely blind. Battery replacement (it's been through 7 at this point) requires jacking up the car and removing the inner fender.
It's like they design their vehicles for the express purpose of being unreliable and difficult to work on. My parents' Concorde, a friend's Neon, another friend's Cherokee, and my Dakota were all similarly awful (though the Dakota and the Jeep, being trucks, were larger, less complex, and easier to wrench on than the others), so it's not like the Sebring was simply an anomaly.
Last edited by geko29; 08-25-10 at 07:28 PM.
09-13-10, 05:50 PM
#49
Lexus Fanatic
That was exactly my finding when I did a full-review on the new 2011 model recently.....a super-smooth V6/transmission combo and much-better interior than last year. Did you notice somewhat weak or questionable front-seat attachment hardware, though? That was one of my few complaints with it. Of course, you are probably not as large or heavy as I am, or put as much stress on it.
09-13-10, 05:57 PM
#50
Lexus Fanatic
Glad we agree. That was exactly my finding when I did a full-review on the new 2011 model recently.....a super-smooth V6/transmission combo and much-better interior than last year.
Did you notice somewhat weak or questionable front-seat attachment hardware, though? That was one of my few complaints with it. Of course, you are probably not as large or heavy as I am, or put as much stress on it.
That was exactly my finding when I did a full-review on the new 2011 model recently.....a super-smooth V6/transmission combo and much-better interior than last year. Did you notice somewhat weak or questionable front-seat attachment hardware, though? That was one of my few complaints with it. Of course, you are probably not as large or heavy as I am, or put as much stress on it.
No questionable front-seat issues observed, rock solid. Maybe the demo car you drove was abused or had an assembly defect.
09-13-10, 09:37 PM
#51
Lexus Fanatic
Even with the new JGC's refinement, good looks, and many all-new parts (and I admit there were several features I was impressed with), it still would be a pretty hard sell for my money. Jeeps have simply been too unreliable for too long, although I have a close friend (a Jeep fan) who had had good luck with two Cherokees and a Commander....but that is generally not the norm. IMO, I would have to wait and see some indication, from Consumer Reports, of (widespread) average or better reliability before I would either buy one myself or seriously recommend one to others.
So, in a nutshell, let's hope its general reliability now matches its new-found refinement.
09-13-10, 09:42 PM
#52
Lexus Fanatic
^^ Agreed, Jeeps have a history of hit and miss reliability. I've owned 3 with good results but never kept one over 100K miles. I sold one JGC to a family member that kept it for 159K miles, only 1 significant failure with A/C.
But all that is history with little relavance, because the new JCC shares very few components with past products. And in 2010, sloppy first year introductions with poor reliability are not viewed highly, or in other words being the first year is no longer a valid excuse for any automaker.
But all that is history with little relavance, because the new JCC shares very few components with past products. And in 2010, sloppy first year introductions with poor reliability are not viewed highly, or in other words being the first year is no longer a valid excuse for any automaker.
Last edited by IS-SV; 09-13-10 at 09:46 PM. Reason: sp
09-13-10, 10:06 PM
#53
Be very very very very very cautious getting a JGC. For decades, they've had some of the worst reliablity in the industry. While every new model that debuts looks promising, 95% of the time they end up proving just as unreliable as the last model. Check Consumer Reports and Edmunds for more.
09-13-10, 11:06 PM
#55
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09-13-10, 11:23 PM
#56
Lexus Fanatic
How much do you weigh, my buddy weight was up to 300 when he had his JGC Limited 4.7, he broke the seat and the dealer replaced the seat with what they called heavy supports, it's something they do for their heavier clients, an outside shop does it for the dealer, he later broke the seat in his Explorer, again reinforced, by the same outside shop
Perhaps the flimsiest seat I've seen in a new car was in my brother's Renault LeCar, back in 1979. If I remember right, it had PLASTIC supports. He's big like me, and they broke after about a year. He had to prop the whole seat up with a wooden block behind it to keep it in place.
(Standard warranties, in those days, were generally 1/12)But boy, were those front seats comfortable, if flimsy........even on a cheap, entry-level car like that. Can't beat French cars for seating comfort.
09-14-10, 12:34 AM
#57
oh how they run this into ground... 12-15 years ago, this was the suv to get. I "had" one while i was living in cali, pretty good.... and bam, they destroyed the whole brand.
unfortunately there is no "switch" you can turn on to instantly go from crap to quality so be extra careful.
unfortunately there is no "switch" you can turn on to instantly go from crap to quality so be extra careful.
09-14-10, 10:03 AM
#60
My dad just bought a loaded 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7L Limited as a CPO for $30K with ~15K miles on it. He bought the extended bumper to bumper warranty for it which is good for 7 years/100K miles...paid $3200 additional for that but it's worth it! The car was on the lot for $35999 and got them down to $30K. It even came with the 20" SRT8 wheels powdercoated in black (it is white on biege leather)! I tell you, I am impressed with this vehicle...the leather and interior quality seems very nice and the nav, back-up camera and heated REAR seats are all nice touches as well! There are power outlets everywhere; even a 110v outlet by the rear seats. Gets the same gas mileage as the V6 gets due to it's MDS engine that switches to only 4 cylinders when cruising and back to 8 cyclinders when accelerating on demand. The new ones look VERY nice as well! I think Jeep has come a long way and is a great competitor.
BTW my dad's truck seems to ride very nice IMHO...smooth, powerful and quiet...so I'm not sure why people are saying that the previous year's model JGC's suck.
BTW my dad's truck seems to ride very nice IMHO...smooth, powerful and quiet...so I'm not sure why people are saying that the previous year's model JGC's suck.