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Calling it

5K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  gravitywell 
#1 ·
Well folks, I'm through.

Drove back from Arkansas to Dallas today, got a pitiful 20mpg. Struggled to keep it at speed in 8th gear, and it started doing it's stupid shifting again after being better for a little while after the TCM & valve body were replaced...

This is about the 5th "second chance" I've given it in the past couple of months to try and like it and not pay attention to the little things, but I just can't ignore it. So I will be selling my Trailhawk while it still has no carfax-reportable problems, I have to take a loss but it won't be as bad as if I wait as it is only 5 months old.

With all the whining I could do and the various reasons I don't like it, I'll keep it simple, the most important reason I'm dissatisfied is because I paid $35 grand for a car that was fun to drive. I just don't enjoy driving it. The poor shifting & slug-like behavior ruined it for me.

And partially to offset my losses & partially because I've been pretty deflated by this whole experience, I'm going to buy an older Toyota or other cheap, bulletproof sedan for cash and eliminate my exorbitant payment & lower my insurance premium. Since the new wife won't have a car come October (parents taking hers for her sister) we can get a nice, expensive "family" car then. All I need is a car to get me to and from work anyways.

And I'll devote my car-love energy & wrenching itch toward my old ZJ, currently working on restoring it (http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f197/breckenridge-redemption-build-thread-3111777/). And odds are that old Toyota will need some attention too...

I want to thank everyone on Cherokee Club for their help & discussion, and I hope that I was helpful.

I will be removing the LED headlights I bought, if you're looking for a deal+needed resistors I'll sell them to you for an even $100. Also have a small Cherokee lettering decal from KL Decals, that's just a stamp & piece of cardboard in an envelope so I'll send that for free.
 
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#3 ·
Sorry to hear of your bad luck.
 
#6 ·
Yeah sorry to hear , I often wonder if some of us have the same vehicles , I had a great day yesterday, out in the bush with my TH , Drove a 1000 mile trip last week and got 27 mpg , I couldn't love this car anymore ! Obviously yours isn't working as it should and I wish you the best for the future .
 
#11 ·
Buy a 2009-2012 Rav4 with a V6. You won't regret it. It's got significantly more real world power than the V6 KL and it's absolutely reliable. Gas mileage is about 22-24 combined and it has fairly good towing capacity at 3500lbs. You won't find it has many fancy amenities, but it will drive you to where you need to go without breaking.
 
#12 ·
Best of luck in your new vehicular endeavours.
All cars have problems but I, like you, dont think a near $40K vehicle should be this irritating and get almost no responses from the manufacturer.
FCA is going to lose a lot of customers, like I left Toyota after my 07 Camry debacle.
 
#13 ·
An interesting update...took her up for dealership visit 4 (for the transmission, 6 overall) after doing a rolling right hand turn and it taking FIVE FULL SECONDS of my foot through the floor for the engine to scream & to get any power (dashcam video if interested...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYGQHo2t0hk)

Service adviser couldn't believe I was back, told him how to reproduce it with a rolling right, he drove with me in the passenger side and the computer scanner plugged in. He was patient after 5 minutes of no issues, then finally going around a turn, rolling right, he hits the gas, through the floor, engine screams to redline and nothing happens. Sat there for 5-10 seconds before it lurched forward.

So this is my bonna-fide attempt no. 4 on the transmission, the Texas lemon law magic number. Contacted the 1800 lemon law people, they said they will likely be able to take my case once they review the service orders.

Got the dealership to print off all of my service orders (they seemed oddly hesitant to give them to me...). Got an unexpected bonus as the invoices the girl printed included the actual costs of the repairs covered under warranty & some other extra information that weren't on my copies.

Overall...my Jeep has cost $1,767.24 in labor and parts...
 
#16 ·
Hopefully everything goes in your favor! Best of luck with your next vehicle. Fantastic that the problem showed itself with the sa at the wheel!
 
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#18 ·
Sorry for your bad luck/TH. Have had mine for almost 5 months and over 6500 miles. No performance issues. Rarely notice shifting. Slow to fast, fast to slow, punching it to pass at last second, gentle but firm application for planned passes -- good shifts. Looking forward to getting a travel trailer within a year and taking advantage of the power and towing capability. Love mine.
 
#19 ·
And the plot thickens...

I got my car back a few days ago after they replaced the valve body again. Didn't shift any better & in the process of making a lemon law case...

This morning leaving for work, first it wouldn't start after pushing the button a couple of times with the brake depressed, only went to the ON "position" without starting the engine. Then it finally started the engine, and then the errors started. First service transmission. I tried putting it into Drive, and a loud clunking & banging noise, followed by "Service Parking Brake" and a check engine lamp.

So I put it back in park, shut off the engine, waited a bit, then started it again. It was like nothing happened...except the check engine light remained.

Hopefully I'm not stranded at work...it'll be Trip No. 5 to the dealership for the transmission this afternoon...
 
#21 ·
My husband has an active lemon law case for his Dodge Ram 1500 Eco diesel. It's been about 60 days now and still pending. They have agreed to a buy back, and last we heard on Tuesday, the case was with the "number crunchers" whatever that means. He has had the truck since January has 4500 miles on it and has spent at least ten weeks in the shop with the issue not resolved. Overall Chrysler has been cooperative, but keep calling them to get updates, don't wait for them to call you. (Hubby is a bit impatient because he has his new truck picked out and the dealer has put it on hold for him)
 
#22 ·
Another small update. Decided to take it in again to resolve this high pitched whine/beeeeeep like noise coming from the rear end, and the clunk/rattle going over speed bumps, as well as the obvious cruddy shifting.

For some background I recently had a heated discussion with a "jeep resolution specialist" over the phone asking for a buyback, he told me to take my car to the dealer to get fixed to discuss a solution, but then when I got it back he said I didn't need a solution because it was fixed, and I said it still shifts like crap, so then he said I needed to take it back to the dealer to get serviced again to offer a solution. He mentioned having me drive with the shop foreman to demonstrate my problems, but I was so fed up with him by that point I just told him to close my case and hung up.

So now I barely get out of my car before the service adviser is like "Mr Evans! Let me go get our shop foreman to talk with you right away!" Now I admit my orange Cherokee is pretty distinctive but he barely remembered my name when I had it in for service the last time. Then this old dude who just looks like he's fed up with everything comes up, then completely changes his demeanor on a dime into a jolly old wise wrenching dude. He was nice but was pretty firm in that there was nothing wrong with my Jeep. He said we should go on a drive and then after he had a dealer-demo identical Trailhawk ready for me to drive to see if it drove any different. Boy you could tell this dealer got chewed out by Jeep and this guy was coached and scripted by them all the way...

So apparently all Cherokee's have the whine, he says it's the fuel pump on 4X4s just all whine loudly, and that you can't hear it from the cockpit so it's OK. I made the comment "I guess insulation is cheaper than quality electric motors that don't whine".

And I showed him the rattle going over speed bumps, between 5-15mph going over any bump, especially speed bumps, things will rattle and the stability control light will flash. The identical Trailhawk did the same thing though...so whatever. He sure lit up and sarcastically was like "oh my gosh imagine that it does the same thing!" Kind of a jerkoff...but what can I expect...

And finally I drove the demo hard trying to get it to bang and slam like mine (which happens sporadically, but I can get it to do it on command by hitting and letting off the gas at the right times). I couldn't get it to do it, it was still extremely delayed and confused itself with what gear to be in, but every shift, even the confused shifts, were smooth and imperceptible. I tried to tell him but then he went on a long story about how since the 80's cars with computers and electronic throttles and fuel injection all made cars different, how you couldn't find a car with its quirks...on and on...

Till finally he said they couldn't do anything for me and they wouldn't do anything even if they took it for a few days. Best they could do was flash computer software.

Oh well. I'll wait a few weeks till I can tolerate another bunch of idiots spewing nonsense like "The valve body is part of the engine" and "Well your car wasn't designed to pass other cars" and take it to another dealership and just have them look at the slamming.

Oh Lemon Law...please save me!
 
#23 ·
My traction control also "rattles" when it activates after going over speed bumps. It's part of the 4x4 transmission, and the traction control kicking in.

In fact, turn off traction control, and hit the same speed bump, the "rattle" is gone, as is the flashing light, as is the temporary delay in pedal response.
 
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