Jeep Wrangler - Warranty Service Experience

I bought a used 2015 Wrangler JKU Rubicon Hard Rock in 2017 with 20,000 miles.  After driving it I would notice the smell of antifreeze.  I checked the hoses several times, it never dripped.  Over time it there was minimal fluid lost but I could still smell antifreeze.  I thought the smell was from the antifreeze passing to and from the overflow reservoir.

I took my Jeep in for the 30,000-mile fluid changes with nothing being said about my radiator or the smell of antifreeze at that time. 

Months later I took my Jeep to a dealer for my annual state inspection.  I passed inspection and when picking it up I was told my radiator was leaking at the seam.  I was never able to see anything but the mechanic did.  I said, “That should be covered under warranty correct?”  They told me I was out of warranty.  (3 year/36,000-mile warranty).  I had 36,518 miles.  I said that’s not right.  What can I do?  They told me I need to call Chrysler.

I called the Jeep Customer Assistance Center at 844-827-2006 (877-IAM-JEEP) when I got home.  They routed me to FCA Customer Care whose number is 844-827-2006.

I called and spoke to a customer care rep.  I explained the history of the antifreeze smell and what had happened with the dealer.  She took down my vehicle information and assigned me a case number.  One question she asked was “How long ago did I find out about the leak from the dealer.”  I told her as soon as they told me I called.  (I left the dealer 1 ½ hours before.)  In other words when I found out I called.  I didn’t wait for months. 

She took down the dealer information to call them and said she would call me back.  I received a callback and she said Chrysler would cover a new radiator under warranty.  That was great news for me. 

If I had a dealer issue, Customer Care said I could choose any dealer I wanted.  They would call my dealer of choice to inform them of my case and what was to be done.  Customer Care would advocate for me with a positive result.   She asked what dealer I wanted to bring my jeep to.  I told her the same one since it was local and I had no issue with them. 

Customer Care called that dealer to inform them of my case and the resolution.  I had several more phone calls from customer care regarding billing.  Would it be a direct bill from the dealer to Chrysler or would I pay and submit the bills.  Customer care set up a direct bill from the dealer.  I set up an appointment with the dealer. 

On the day of service, I called Customer Care to inform them my jeep was being worked on.  They called the dealer to make sure all went as planned.  The dealer did the install and it was direct billed.  No issues and all went well.

I wanted to share this positive experience and my outcome from FCA Customer Care.  The customer service was outstanding throughout the whole process.

I also wanted to say a couple other things.  1) If you smell antifreeze, get that checked out especially if you are under warranty.  2)  Call FCA Customer Care at 844-827-2006 if you have a jeep warranty issue, are concerned about what may or may not be covered, dealer responsibility question, etc. 

FCA Customer Care took care of me and saved me some big money.  This was my experience …

45th Annual Show & Shine - Merrimack, NH

I went to the 45th Annual Show & Shine car show this weekend.  I had missed the last couple years but did go in 2015.  I didn’t do a blog post in 2015 but made the collage above from some of the pictures I took. 
 

I thought I would take pictures at this event.  Since there would be many taking pictures I started thinking about how to take my pictures from a different perspective.   

The night before I decided to use my tripod and take pictures from high-up.  The thought of taking pictures from an elevated height isn't new but I thought it would be fun to experiment.  Unless there were others thinking the same thing my pictures would be different.  

My idea was to put my camera on the tripod, pivot the screen viewer down so I could see what I was taking a picture of, set the timer for 10 seconds, raise the camera above my head, and take a picture.

My weather ideal was cool temperatures with blue sky and some clouds but the morning was sunny, hot, and humid.  As it got later the humidity seemed to drop but the temperature was going up.  Not my ideal for taking pictures.

I ended up focusing my camera and pressed the button at ground level.  While the timer counted down I raised the tripod and camera up over my head and aimed using the screen viewer until the picture was taken.  Being 6 feet tall, arms extended, with a 5 ½ foot tripod I was taking pictures 12 to 13 feet up.

I must have looked as unusual as some of the cars at the show.  Based on the reaction of people all around I heard comments like great idea, interesting, resourceful, good idea for short people, etc.  Many came up and asked to see the pictures I had taken. 

I must admit I couldn’t resist taking pictures of a few of the cars at normal height but this blog post is about my pictures being different.

I also reversed my approach from high-up-looking-down to low-down-looking-up with the same set up.  I held my tripod and camera upside down to take pictures from an inch or 2 above the grass.  I was more interested in high-up so only took a few of these.

The height gave me a good picture of the car I focused on as well as other cars and people in the area.  I didn’t see anyone else using a ladder or a tripod so my quest to take pictures from a different perspective was successful.

I saw some great cars and had fun.  Now I have to think about what I might try next year ...