oldnavy wrote:
One nice thig about being retired is being able to be there with the vehicle, plus having been a SM at dealership before I can relate to the problems from both sides.
Having talked with several techs, a couple of engineer's and all tell me the total torque or hp is not reduced for this recall, just that the power is throttled back for a split second while shifting and that this can be done without even being noticable if done proper without a drastic power cut back. Same deal with sudden full throttle at takeoff, the ECM will not allow a foot to the floor full throttle. There are several reasons for not doingh this, EPA and pollution constraints about exhuast, and the ability of the diesel to add sudden massive amount of torque faster then the tranny could handle. Take that into consideration with any new diesel currently on the market. They all have the problem MB, VW, VM, some models even handle the problem better then others by same maker.
I am sure I am going to make some here mad when I say this but, a lot of you guys have created your own problem, some of the problems were strictly the dealer, and others a como of both, all this built on a mistake by D/C and a supplier. Most here are first time diesel owners and have no idea how to take proper care of a diesel, such as finding a good source of fuel, how just minor changes in driving patterns can effect mpg's. What I am trying to say is this vehicle is a far better vehicle then some here seems to think. However if you take a vehicle in for service and the tech doesn't know the proper way to check the tranny fluid and fails to proper fill the tranny then you have more problems with tranny it seems most that it is the vehicle fault instead of DA tech.
Heck, I am not mad at anything you mention above, and I fall into the first time diesel owner category (although I am a mechanical engineer - certainly not an expert, but it helps). I just find it hard to swallow so many issues with a new vehicle and the lack of support from the dealership in resolving those issues. So far, I've had every TSB/Recall performed for the transmission, my CD changer has broken twice, I've had the issue with the temperature gauge - which still doesn't work properly, and to top it all off, my leather seats have just started to crack. DC will not comment on whether they will cover this or not. I certainly have not had the experince of different vehicles as yourself, but I have owned 5 new vehicles including this Jeep, and have never experienced anything like this.
Certainly I think the level of customer satisfaction is dependent on the service department, and I have been lucky enough to find one with decent customer service. But in all fairness to them, what are they supposed to do when a customer calls with the same issue after a recall procedure has been performed??
I wondered if this studdering issue was the result of bad fuel - so I tried using Power Service on a couple tanks over the summer coupled with/without Biodiesel - and it did not affect the studdering issue. Regarding fuel mileage - I was extremely happy with my initial mileage - I used to average 27-29mpg, and now I am lucky to break 20, even with most of those miles on the highway. Granted some of that loss is due to driving in high altitude conditions, but if I am not mistaken several people have reported excellent fuel mileage living in Colorado. I still drive the same, I still strive to hit the "sweet spot" at 60-62 mph at 1800 rpm with no impact. I also find it strange the winter blend has not changed the overall fuel mileage either. Last winter, I noticed a 3-5mpg drop and that was acceptable given the change in fuel.
Ok, ok, I'll get off my soap box too!!

Just frustrated with a vehicle that is so close to being great, but misses it........