Picked up the CRD from the dealer Saturday morning. I'd taken it in to do the transmission flush and fill, oil change (which I usually do myself), and replace EGR cooler coolant line that was leaking, along with other 150,000 mile items, and found April Fools' Day came early.

I'd provided two new/unopened 4-quart jugs of the oil I wanted 'em to use, and noted there was no jug with 1.6 quarts of oil in the Jeep. So about a mile up the road I stopped to fuel up, and checked the oil: you guessed it, level was a good 2 inches high on the dipstick. Clearly the knucklehead who did that part of the job just dumped it all in there.

So I drove it back to the dealership, and pointed out to the boss-man that overfilling by 1.6 quarts was a seriously bad idea. On a gasser, that puts the catalytic converter at risk; on a diesel like mine, blowing the excess oil into the intake means engine runaway and probable destruction of the entire engine. This is serious business here. He apologized and said he'd speak to the folks in the shop when they came in on Monday, and one of them would get back to me about it.

The shop being closed, I drove it home 30 miles VERY slowly on back roads, and drained out a bit over a quart of oil, getting the dipstick level down to just a hair over the full mark.

My point here for folks to ponder is that perhaps when you take in your own oil, it would be a good idea to take 'em ONLY 6 quarts, and top it off yourself, thus eliminating one bonehead error from the panoply of screw ups that are possible. I know that's what I'll do in the future.

In the meantime, of course, running through the back of my mind is the metaphysical question of the week: what OTHER bit of stupidity or carelessness is awaiting discovery inside my CRD's engine bay?

Having been a mechanic, we hated when customers brought their own parts. We said it would be like bringing eggs to a diner.

I know it is tough for you CRD owners since most shops don't even know what you are bringing in.

I would suggest if you are going to bring your jeep in somewhere make sure it has a service writer that will allow you to specify the part before they put it on. I don't know how shops are dealing with the whole internet parts purchasing thing, but they should be able to get parts cheaper than you can even with the markup.

_________________
2002 KJ Limited 3.7
Completely Stock
215/85R16 Kevlar

you might add the caveats that

1) the most inexperienced person does oil changes - because it's the easiest job

2) The standard procedure is change, start up and check for leaks, then recheck oil level
on a CRD - the oil will now show at the bottom of the dipstick because it takes at least 30 min to drain down - so you can add at least a quart topping it off.

_________________
2005 CRD
stuff
Skeptic quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur

You will never be able to get the same part at a shop for cheaper then what can be found on the internet,just is not going to happen.See it everyday at work poeple stating they can get this part or that part for this much online,we tell them to buy it online and install it themselfs.Of course they have no clue how to and want us to and if we can not warranty the part we can not install it.

I think people don't realize that the markup is there for the warranty. Even if the shop can be reimbursed for the cost of the part, the labor isn't covered. Also, the shops usually know what manufacturer's parts fail the most. For example, when I was a mechanic, we never installed hydraulic parts from Italy, nor did we install Green bearings, no matter what the cost savings.

_________________
2002 KJ Limited 3.7
Completely Stock
215/85R16 Kevlar

Yes some of the marketup is for a warranty but you've been out of the loop and now most parts houses do reimburse labor for failed parts along with free part replacement.Granted the labor reimbursement is drastically less then what shop labor is but it covers enough to pay the tech again.This is a very new thing,talking about in the last few months.Sounds great and you'd think it would bring prices down but shops are still not convinced as they are only offering it on the super cheap parts that normally fail to bring in more $$$ due to most parts houses loosing $$$ to shops going directly to the dealerships for quality parts.

Funny thing is when we get parts from the dealership they generally are cheaper then what you can get them for going to the delaership yourself since we are limited to only 15% markup on dealer parts where as parts from other parts houses have up to 150% markup.

I quite understand what you are saying, and I agree with you. The only reason I brought the oil is that they don't stock the oil I wanted them to use. In such cases, we've worked out a deal: I won't demand they hunt down and special order the oil for me, and they won't keep my CRD for two days to allow the acquisition of the oil from the store I stopped by on the 30+ mile drive to their garage. It's a win-win, as far as I can tell.

I know that there is a markup on parts sold, and that part of the reason is to cover the warranty they make on their work. Part is also profit, and comes right out of their pocket. Between you and me, I don't even mind paying a bit more for the labor costs to cover both those issues. But I have talked with parts guys, and when they tell me that they can't get a part for what I can get it, or when they can't get a part period, I have no problem with supplying the part. Last year I developed a leaking injection pump on my VW TDI. I took it to the dealer, whose ONLY option was to replace the pump, for which they wanted $1200 for the pump alone plus $200 for R & R. The pump did not need rebuilt, it only needed two housing seals, part of a rebuild kit available for $25. I wound up taking it to a small shop that knew where to get the kit, installed the seals, threw away the rest of the kit, and charged me $125 labor.

It is sometimes tough for CRD owners. When an issue comes up that requires specialized knowledge, our only defense sometimes is to learn what you need to know ourselves so as to babysit the wrench through the process. And I know that they don't like that so much either, but what choice does one have?



Finally, small detail: I do know (having discussed the matter with the dealer's parts guy) that they are restrained in where they are permitted to purchase parts. Sometimes they can indeed get 'em for a better price. Sometimes, however, not so. There are OEM parts places online, and from whom the dealer is not permitted to buy by contract with the manufacturer, that sell retail cheaper than Mfg. wholesale. At least that's the story I get.

Yeah, luckily I have been out of the loop for a while. Buying the KJ has gotten me back into working on cars again, and I am a bit rusty, as the guys in Long Island can tell you.

When I got out they just started calling mechanics "technicians" and I bet the good ones now earn that title.
I was in before OBD and we were reading codes by shorting two pins.

_________________
2002 KJ Limited 3.7
Completely Stock
215/85R16 Kevlar

I still have my paperclip,and use it sometime still,that I 1st used to read codes from old GM's all those years ago.

Well - I think the ones that are "technicians" without being mechanics - are really good at reading computer codes and swapping parts - without any thought of what the part does - or how it relates to the codes - or how to think through a problem is there is no code.............

_________________
2005 CRD
stuff
Skeptic quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur

A "technician" reads the code and swaps out the part, with no care to the cost. A "mechanic" reads the code and swaps the SENSOR first, to see if it was the $4 chinese piece of crap sensor that failed instead of the $$$$$ component.

Which one do you think does it the right way, and which one makes the dealership happiest? They are not the same person.

_________________
Proud supporting vendor of LOST Jeeps
TRAVELING CRD TECH. I come to you!
Need help? Just ask! I've taken it apart more than most.
Email jeep [at] maincomputer [dot] com - BOARD MESSAGING IS BROKEN
Over 225 CRDs currently driving with my valves, timing belt, rockers, or ARP Studs.
Bad noises = REALLY bad things.

I think taking your own parts and how shops deal with it depends on the shop. most places that I have used do not care. they do not guarantee the part though only their labor. often the parts have a warranty of there own.

I know that some brake shops that sell a lifetime bake service (Midas) only include the parts and use national brand pads. when you take it in to claim the warranty the brake pads free not the labor these days.

I took my own oil to NTB to have my CRD's oil changed last winter. they had no issue with it since they didn't stock or couldn't easily get the correct oil. they even set me up with a coupon price since they were only doing the wrenching not proving the oil or filter.

I recently found a story about a 93 year old Florida woman that kept her 1964 Mercury Comet going for over 40 years and 576,000 miles in part with lifetime warranties. 3 sets of sears shocks, 7 Midas mufflers, 17 JC penny batteries since she bought it new. she has recently given up driving due to her eye sight, but to see the videos of her I was amazed how she cared for that car for so long.

_________________
2006 Liberty CRD Limited Deep Beryl Green Metallic Clear coat, Fumoto valve, MH ProVent (removed), GDE Eco tune,
OME 790/948 springs, OME struts, OME N132L shocks, Jeepin by Al A-arms, Hercules Terra Trac AT2 245/75R16
Weeks Stage 1 EGR delete, 5 volt steel glow plugs

You got it backwards.

1st they got to sell that sensor to install it to test it,can't return electronic parts once they have been removed from there original package and installed.No shops going to just buy parts like that.

No, I had it correct.

How many Chrysler "five star" dealers have insisted on replacing the turbocharger on the CRD because of "underboost" codes, when the problem is either rotten boost hoses or a plugged MAP sensor?

I don't think a single customer would turn down the suggestion of replacing the inexpensive sensor as an experiment FIRST before replacing the most expensive component.
Also, your argument of "no refunds on electronic parts" doesn't hold water either. You think those dealerships would NOT charge for the labor and the turbo when the problem didn't go away b/c of the bad hose on the driver's side? OF COURSE NOT, they will happily continue digging around in the customer's wallet, looking for solutions.

They have no INCENTIVE to do it any different way, and the people they hire don't have the training to do it any different way.

_________________
Proud supporting vendor of LOST Jeeps
TRAVELING CRD TECH. I come to you!
Need help? Just ask! I've taken it apart more than most.
Email jeep [at] maincomputer [dot] com - BOARD MESSAGING IS BROKEN
Over 225 CRDs currently driving with my valves, timing belt, rockers, or ARP Studs.
Bad noises = REALLY bad things.