Spank

I'm dealing with the same bullshit: I've got an issue that should be covered under warranty, the dealership is trying to get money out of me, and they've done an amazing job of not getting it fixed.

I have a rattling noise coming off my clutch (not to mention you can feel it vibe, too) when in neutral that goes away with just a gentle press; a pretty good indication there's an issue with the throw-out bearing. This noise didn't exist when I first drove it off the lot and it has slowly been getting worse over the past few weeks. I took it to a local dealership, explained the problem, and asked them to focus on that area.

When they put the Jeep on the lift and took a look at the undercarriage, they called me, claiming I had "massive damage" and they'll need to do at least two hours of diagnostic work at a cost to me. The guy was seriously upset, like I had raped his wife, killed his dog, or screwed him out of a life insurance policy. I asked to speak to his manager and explained to him that I do take my four-wheel drive Jeep that has the word "Rubicon" affixed to the hood onto rocky surfaces known as trails, so going apeshit on me about how I properly utilized my skidplate is futile. I went down there and took a look at it and saw only tiny little scrapes, scratches, and dents on the skidplate and a minor ding on a crossmember. I asked them to show me what any of these things had to do with my rattling clutch, which was a problem before my wheeling trip, and suddenly my "massive damage" gets downgraded to "superficial." At this point, it's pretty evident I'm dealing with yet another Chrysler dealership run by fucking morons.

After making it clear they weren't going to get a dime out of me, no matter how much diagnosing they do, they finally agreed to look at the clutch. They had the Jeep for two days, called me up, and proudly announced they had fixed it. I go to pick it up and discover they have replaced the shifter, which had absolutely nothing to do with my problem, didn't eliminate the noise, and was in perfectly working condition beforehand. I look at the paperwork and they claim the shifter and transmission noise is part of normal operation when in gear, even though A) the noise is only audible OUT of gear, B) the NOISE ISN'T COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION, C) replacing the shifter was completely pointless, and D) you can't fix a problem you didn't address to begin with. I asked the manager how exactly they fixed it without bothering to pull the transmission and he mutters, "We just went in through the top, so we didn't have to pull it." After he finished spitting out his utterly idiotic statement, I just said screw it and left.

I'm taking the Jeep up to the dealership where I purchased it, which is outside of town. I should have done this to begin with, but I went to the local one simply for convenience.

NH-JK

If you don't leave a dealership with a pain in your ass, then your sleeping and it's a dream. Dealerships are only here to make you want to kill people. Specifically Jeep dealerships. Worst customer service ever!

NativeMsSon

Well... I hope i don't regret saying this, but I took our 08 rubi in to have the gas tank changed under warrenty because it was spitting gas out when we filled it up. I called, gave vin#, they ordered tank, changed it out in a few hours with no hassel or finding of other issues. I evan asked them to look for anything else that could be done under warrenty and they did not tell me that other work needed to be done. Hope my luck does not change next time I go in.
WTB.. I bought the jeep out of state at another dealership too.

CreepyJeeper

I hate going to the dealership for anything. Just dont trust em. Period.

jeepguy1986

Am I the exception to the rule? I have a great relationship with my dealer, and they have went out of their way every time Ive been in (3 times). Is it really that hard to find a good dealer?

RubiDude

Yeah I have pages of documentation showing how.incompetent my local dealer is...they were so bad I started doing all my own maintenance work and mods. I have learned more about my Jeep and am saving valuable time and money.

Southern Girl

Definitely one of the exceptions because most just want your money and could care less about you or your jeep!

Spank

As a follow up to my experience, I took my Jeep to the dealership I purchased it from (which is out of town) and they determined my throw-out bearing is toast, just as I thought. They're going to replace it and the clutch under warranty. Simple as that. Unlike the local dealership here, they didn't give me any crap for taking it offroad, nor did they try to screw me by attempting to bill me for checking out non-related stuff. They found the problem, got the parts to fix it, and simply got it done.

When I went up there to drop the Jeep off, I mentioned I had annihilated my steering stabilizer on a rock on my last wheeling trip, causing it to leak. I asked them if they could get that covered under warranty, but that it was totally my fault and they weren't able to cover it to not sweat it. They got that taken care of as well.

THAT is the kind of service you should be getting when you purchase a new vehicle, especially one that is marketed for some abuse off the street.