Went to the dealership the other day for free inspection and they said everything was fine but that the front and rear diff's needed to be cleaned. They wanted $240.00 to do it. The manual says that the fluids should be changed every 20,000 miles or so but nothing about a cleaning. My question is are they trying to pull a fast one on me or is this something that needs to be done?

 

When they say cleaning, they probably mean fluid change.
It's a good idea to change the fluid periodically, especially an early first change to get the break-in filings out.
However, lots of people NEVER change differential fluid and don't have any problems.
I recommend periodic fluid changes. You can do it yourself for a small fraction of what the dealer has quoted you.

 

i'll change the diff fluids for half that and throw in a wash and detail.

 

You're getting a line of crap from the dealer. Dealers will steal you blind. Look at their (the dealer's) recommended service schedule for Jeeps. You'll find that they more than half the mileage on intervals when compared to the manual.

My local dealer recommends changing spark plugs at 12,000 miles.. I laughed out loud. A good set of platinum plugs will last up to 80,000 miles or more.

For a novice, it takes less than an hour and a few bucks of gear oil to drain and refill both diffs.. You can do it in your driveway if need be.

The Manual defines the required oil and provides basic instructions. Supplemental guides are on the web, like this one from Mobile: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ntial_Oil.aspx

My regards,

Widewing

 

The stealerships will rob you blind when it comes to servicing....they tried to charge me $25 to re-set my parking break.......I changed my own diff oil, front and back in 20 minutes in my driveway...used royal purple and it cost me a fraction of that you were quoted.

 

I was trying to drum up a little business when u guys butted in trying to tell this feller how easy it is to change his diff oil. how can i ever get rich like that????

 

Well...GLAD you asked this question as I'm in the same boat and your price is actually better than the one my stealership gave me...

get this....

2 axle inspect and fluid replace $499

is there ANY way to get around having these bastards inspect the axles and still be able to keep up the warrentee??????

 

Yeah, thats a lot of money. Just change the oil yourself. It's not difficult to do.

 

Changing the diff fluid is actually quicker and easier than doing an oil change for the engine. Just make sure you buy the correct fluid (I changed to Mobile 1 Synth). Ideally you could pull the covers and actually clean out the inside, but many just drain and re-fill. The bottom drain plug is magnetic so it should catch most of the metal shavings anyways.

 

Thats actually a fair price diff oil not cheap.