Reboot for Jeep in Australia

[desertman]

I read this article with great interest.

It will be interesting to see if they actually do something about their after-sales service and whether they will actually improve parts availability and pricing. I thought that $150 for 8 litres of oil was just a tad steep (although that is the dealer and not FCA). My soon to be ex dealership also advised that it would cost $150 to hook up my vehicle and troubleshoot why the seat heater was not working.

The RFDS style troubleshooters will also be an interesting development. Perhaps they will also invest in some dealer training?

All very positive news if they follow through on the words. Without being cynical (no really), I do recall similar promises in the past from previous "fearless leaders".

The job at hand is one that will take time. Messing up your brand reputation can be a relatively quick exercise but repairing the damage and restoring consumer trust takes a lot longer. I wonder whether they have the patience and deep enough pockets to achieve this noble goal.

I hope they do because as a product, I love my Jeep. Sadly, a good product that is let down by the manufacturer and their representatives.

Cheers,

DM

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...pB8E14jZCunZsA

[Hoppy99]

I think every Jeep owner on this forum needs to print that article and highlight the quotes....

Then next time you get a service or whatever, pull it out and show it to the service desk at your local dealer if you are having issues!

[lujabe]

Yep. I had one for 5 years and put up with a vehicle that had multiple faults for all but the first 3 months. I was treated like an idiot, lied to, and in the end copped a horrible loss to get out of a vehicle with an unresolved fault just to wash my hands of the whole sorry saga. They made all these public promises about fixing their service/etc while I owned the vehicle, but nothing changed.

Thing is, I like the vehicles. If the aftersales support had been merely average, I’d have been a happy customer and I’d be driving another. Instead, I took my money elsewhere and warn everyone I know to think very carefully about buying a FCA vehicle.

If they can turn around their attitude - and sustain it for 5 years, maybe then I’ll think about another. But they burned up any trust or confidence I could have in them and then some. They’d need to prove themselves before I’ll give them any more of my money.

[SouthernComfort]

I agree wholeheartedly with these comments, and Desertman is right on the money, we've heard the promises from FCA before, and yes it takes half a lifetime to recover from a tarnished reputation. Watch this space.

I find the whole dealership experience to be the main issue, not the product itself. I never go near a dealer if I can avoid it and only use a trusted independent Jeep Mechanic.

[drover]

Heard it all before and like Politicians I take it with a grain of salt, I got bad service from a Holden dealer 40 odd years ago, tried a dealer again years later another brand same again when I got my first Jeep years ago it was ingrained to bypass them and stick to DiY or a trusted workshop.

When I buy a new vehicle it never goes to a dealer for anything and amazingly never has the hassles or problems others seem to get. Besides I can't afford them in time or money.

[humdingerslammer]

I have now had my 07 JKU Rubi 3.8L petrol for going on 13 years and it has done about 230000km off road mainly, into deserts, long distance touring, towing etc. I must say that I have perhaps had a "lucky run" given that I have not had any dramatic "issues" with it.

Perhaps this is because I have maintained the vehicle myself as much as I can (oil changes, air filter changes every 10000km, plug and lead changes etc). Apart from the "first service" and having a clutch replaced (at rip off prices) and a clutch slave cylinder (at rip off prices - parts and labour) at a Jeep dealer, I have had all of the major work done by a "normal" mechanic who serviced my "normal" cars and, now that he has gone, a 4x4 specialist/garage.

So far, all major work has been wear and tear replacement work (front end components after 100000, ball joints, total suspension change (bushes, springs, shocks etc), exhaust system, clutches X 3, alternator etc) and I have upgraded all these with better than OE gear. I have practiced, as much as I can, "preventative maintenance" so as not to be stranded in the bush.

The major issue I have had with the vehicle has been death wobble. But of course that does not exist. Some of this is attributable to the actual design of the front suspension and its geometry but mainly, for me, it was more to do with wheel balance. The OE tyres were complete shit and would lose balance in no time at all and death wobble would happen in the scariest situations. I improved the front suspension, kept the height within normal parameters and changed the tyres and the problem has been all but eliminated. When it does occur, I usually address it by re-doing the wheel alignmnet and balance, although this is not guarantee that it is ever fixed. I have learned to live with it... and to take plenty of toilet paper with me, although even this now looks like it might be a problem!!

I have kept costs down by NOT using a Jeep dealer unless there is no other alternative (and there usually is), buying my gear from USA (Quadratec or Morris 4x4) although now that parts are more available, I am buying them locally when the price is right. I have quite a stock of spares actually.

When you hear a service manager in a substantial Jeep dealership saying that he does not like Jeep vehicles and would not buy one, you have to listen, I think.

I would like a JL Gladiator ute but at $80000, I don't think so. Far, far too much to ask for a vehicle that has virtually no real improvements over what I am driving now, except for a tray and some glitzing and bells and whistles that are probably unnecessary, and dynamics and capacities way below competition that is at least $20000 cheaper.

Just my tuppence worth.

Stay happy... and mind the toilet paper.

[Clarky]

Originally Posted by humdingerslammer

Stay happy... and mind the toilet paper.

I have to agree with the sentiment here, my worst experiences have been with dealers.

I feel a Jeep is an "enthusiast's" vehicle and there is a love/hate environment in Australia. If you can't wield a spanner and an OBD reader then a Jeep is not for you.

Personally I didn't want the headache of 2 Jeeps so when my wife needed a new daily I went Japanese ($50k not in FCA's pocket).
Put fuel in it, service at a dealer for under $500 each year and drive it, so if that's what you want/expect then move on.

I am 100% buying a new Jeep in the next 18 months or so. I want a Gladiator BUT a JL diesel for $10k less is making me wonder is it worth the extra.

Oh and by the way FCA (if you even read these forums) the photos of the bent Gladiator doing the rounds on social media as not going to your reputation as an uncompromised off roader any good even though it is most likely the modifications done by the owner that caused it. I suggest the Mojave reinforced chassis should be part of all Gladiators sold here in Aus.