What to do.

[bazzybtec]

Hi, wanting some advice on this one.

My jeep is in at the mechanics again, had to have it towed for about the 4th time since i bought it in January this year from a dealer (1998 grand cherokee)

The Crank angle sensor was replaced about 2 months ago with a new one that according to the bill cost $50 for parts yet apparently new. (cheapest new one i can find is $114. the car has not even done 5000km on this sensor and it has failed again. AWN are insisting the mechanic that worked on it last time can repair the job. despite the fact last time he had it he did physical damage to the car but that's another issue.

Towing at this point has been at my expense,

If the sensor that replaces this one is of the same quality as this one then i will again be in a situation where the car will just die.

The strange thing is when it died i could feel the engine was stopped yet the guages where for about 20 seconds telling me the engine was doing 800rpm (idle) before it dropped to 0 and would not let me restart.

now i am weighing up the option of just getting rid of the car as there is a list of issues i need to fix such as

needs new rear pads
needs new rear disks
needs new front passenger ball joint
needs new bushings in the trailing arms
needs new bushings in on the stabilizer bar.
needs new tyres
needs new belt
needs wheel alignment
needs electrical fault fixed in the window and doors.
potentially will need to replace the crank angle sensor with an OEM quality one after they do there "warranty repair"
faulty fuel filter (covered under warranty however the "AWN" mechanic doesn't think it is faulty despite kmart auto, the jeep dealer and an independent mechanic saying it is)

according to kmart tyre and auto they are telling me that these issues would have been present when the car was issued a road worthy certificate.

would it be worth getting all this done to this car?

it does have good paint work and the interior is in immaculate condition (has never been off road.)

Also regarding the warrenty it has 2 years remaining on the 3 year warrenty, have to service the car every 3 months (i generally clock up 2000 to 3000km on the clock by then. the oil is generally still honey color when the change is done.

Given the fact that this over the top servicing costs me a lot and when the car brakes down (in this case due to using garbage parts) and that they only have one "authorised repairer" near where i live and i have no choice but to use him for these repairs and the repairs are of poor quality. would i be better off just letting the servicing lapse?

nearly every thing that i have taken the car to this mechanic for he has tried to get me to pay for the repair rather than putting it through the warrenty. only when i point out the work being covered in the paperwork of the warrenty will he consider processing it. and i usually have to take the car back time and time again for the same issue despite replacing parts at my expense before eventually listening to me and actually finding the real problem.

even his online reviews are negitive with people experiencing the same issues i am.

anyway i guess my question is, is it worth fixing the above car

[bjm]

Any vehicle of that age may have some problems. I would also be asking the question how did it get a roadworthy with worn bushings, ball joints etc as KMart pointed out. Go back to the selling dealer and tell them you will report them if he doesn't fix these items FOC .What motor is in it.6 or V8 .Why do KMart think its a fuel filter ,maybe crook fuel pump ,fuel , relays etc that is causing it to stop. A good mechanic should be able to sort the stopping problem out and test crank sensor. Nearly all your other problems should not have past the original roadworthy. Unless of course KMart are looking for business !!! In other words you may be being taken for a ride. Might pay to go to reputable mechanic and get another opinion ie roadworthy. or take it to NRMA or state equivalent.

[cherokee94nz]

Time you got a second opinion, I think you are getting screwed over. What area you in, someone who is close may be able to recommend a good mech to look at your Jeep for you.

[bazzybtec]

I am in Ipswich, queensland.

[ZG Doug]

Hey mate, it's a bit suss they used a $50 sensor when like you said their generally around $100. There are 2 types though. 96 type & then a 97-99 type. If He broke stuff the first time round I wouldn't be giving him another crack on round two. Seems strange considering it only has one 8mm bolt holding on the sensor.

Remember the car is getting close to 20 years and some of the original bits will be definitely dead by now but they should of been replaced over those years. As qld law states to buy the car registered it needs a RWC which seems like a fob for you when you bought it.

If you don't have a scanner your car will tell you it's own fault codes on the dash to see what electrical fault it may be having by following these steps;
1. Turn your ignition to start and then off cycling 3 times in a row within like 15 seconds.
2. On that 3rd turn leave your key on in the start position.
3. Your dash will light up and chime a few times then show some codes like 12. And flash once for 1 and twice for 2.
4. If you got any faults it will show a number (?) then maybe end in 55 or something.
You can google that fault code number and there is heaps of stuff on the net for the ZG code list and you can really find out what's going on why she won't start.

Good luck bud and hope this helps

[Siggers]

If you can travel to Brisbane hit up murchisons, they are a very reputable jeep mechanic, and cjd mechanical on the Gold Coast (Chrysler Jeep Dodge), I have been to cjd and he knows his stuff, he is an ex jeep dealer mechanic from NZ.

[bleetnblurt]

not much info there, you say 50 ? how much for labour ?
could be anything , fuel, throttle sensor , map sensor ,could even be a computer connector did they do a scan ? did you get a printed read out of the scan ?
go back and ask for the read out.