Zonie wrote:
You guys are great! Upon further investigation, here's what I found: Oil was also down the side of the car where mud/water would splash, indicating I probably ran over a puddle of something. Oil was down just a fraction of an inch, nothing significant. I put in 6 qt. 6 oz. to compensate for the oil still in the filter. I'll check it in the morning to make double sure. BUT the mechanic (a former student) did point out to me a leak at the transfer case output seal. He also estimated the time needed to repair it, so the dealer won't be telling me they need it all day.
The CRD created quite a stir in the place. "Hey guys look at this!" It was fun being a relative expert and spitting out HP and torque, MPG and why I was changing the oil at 800 miles. I also got a quick primer from him on what's where under the hood.
Without mud flaps in the back, will all the road crud wind up on the back of my car like the oil did?
You will want to check the oil regularly. The dipstick will likely be "off" about 1/8 of an inch (reads low). Overfilling will just cause more oil in the intercooler hoses.
On the transfer case seal leak, common. Mine was done under warranty after the first oil change, they replaced both but they had to order the seals.
On the splash guards, went on after the first couple of snowstorms. Got tired of scraping through the slush to find the door handles. Noticed afterwards that it helped keep the crud down the the back end too. I used off-the-shelf molded style Grobralski, available at Advance. Will need to cut a notch in them for use on the front. Jeep dealer also sells a similiar style.
Get used to the attention. I got chased down the produce aisle by some guy that wanted to see mine. Common to get the pumps shut-off by gas station attendants thinking you grabbed the wrong nozzle. One night, had to go inside, argue with the attendant (the guy looked @ 12), and get him to come outside to look the the jeep for himself before turning the pump back on. Fotunately I was in a good mood that night.