On April 2, I noted a strange knocking in the engine on the way home from work, with associated power loss happening just before I got home. It felt at first like a cyclinder was out spark-wise, so I changed the plugs, fired it up again, no change. Checked the oil, bone dry...I had just replaced the oil less than 3,000 miles before this, so this had me shaking my head.

Contacted the dealer, they recommended having it towed to the service dept, I called AAA and had it towed...Upon examination at the dealership, metal shavings were found throughout the engine, later determined to be from a main bearing that disintegrated. Dealership contacted the extended warranty company to request what they considered to be a cut-and-dry engine replacement claim. Well, after four weeks of back and forth, the warranty company kept asking the dealership to tear down the engine bit by bit to ensure it was necessary to replace it...Dealership called me several times to express their frustration that the warranty place was doing what they (dealership) considered to be "wasting my money and delaying the inevitable...there's no way this engine shouldn't be replaced..." Finally, they agreed to give the dealership $5400 to get a Jasper rebuild. The engine was then due to be installed by 20 May. It was on track, with it being delivered 16 May and ready to go in. On 19 May (yes, one day before they were supposed to have it all done) the dealership was putting the engine into the Jeep when they noticed a hairline crack in the block that Jasper had evidently tried to weld and cover...

Not wanting to put a questionable engine into my Jeep (which I appreciate), they then had to contact Jasper back and start the three week process again...now it will likely not be done until mid-late June...over three months since the incident occurred. Out of that three months of not having a Jeep, I was authorized a total of 6 days rental coverage from the warranty dealer and 10 days from Jasper who felt bad about the cracked engine...

Couple things I've learned in this whole experience:
1) Never count on a warranty company to do what's right the first time. Even with the 5-star dealership recommendation and having sent four separate inspectors out who all concurred that the engine needed replacing, the company still drug their feet. While I understand the economics of it all, it was just plain silly the way this went down...
2) Even with all the pain, the fact that I had an extended warranty in this instance saved me $5400 in the end. With two sons suffering from a rare brain disease, one of which underwent an experimental chemo/bone-marrow transplant procedure 8 months ago and has been in/out of hospitalization ever since, we simply could not have afforded to pay anywhere near that amount to get the Jeep fixed. That said, ALL WARRANTY COMPANIES ARE CERTAINLY NOT MADE EQUAL...beware!!
3) Being without your Jeep for an extended period of time, particularly in prime Jeeping weather, is just plain cruel and inhumane. You truly don't realize how much that vehicle becomes a part of you until you go without it and end up driving a "rental" car...
4) For all the bad experiences people have had at dealerships, I can honestly say that this dealership truly went to bat over and over again for me. They even tried to see if there was something they could do by contacting headquarters to find out if they could simply replace the engine. Without them keeping constant pressure on the warranty company for a decision, this would still be unresolved.

Sorry for the rant, without my Jeep sitting in the driveway, this forum is the closest I come to living the Jeep life right now...

Keep your fingers crossed that I'll be back in my red baby in a couple weeks....

 

I'm afraid that I'm the type of person that doesn't handle things like this very well. Loosing your ride for even a couple days is a bitch of an inconvenience let alone Two Months! I'm kind'a possessive and maybe overprotective when it comes to the Jeep, and having it sit around in a shop for an extended period of time would have me damn near suicidal. Hope you get it back soon!

 

I feel bad for ya cap'n. I would go crazy. It is good to hear about a dealership doing the right thing though. I, like you, am one of the lucky few to have a fantastic service department at my dealership. Hope it all comes out okay, and I will keep your boys in my prayers.

 

If it's alright with you, I'd also like to add your boys to my prayer list. Way to stay positive!
Nathanb

 

MaineJeeper, appreciate all the prayers we can get!! If you'd like to read about the boys, we set up two websites for friends/family to keep track of developments:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/awales
www.caringbridge.org/visit/zwales

Both boys have loved going for rides in the Jeep, whether it be in the summertime with the top down on Skyline Drive in the Shennandoahs, or during our two "blizzards" here in Virginia last winter. Alex, due to him still recovering from his transplant and having a wiped-out immune system, watched from the window as the neighborhood kids were able to play outside in the huge amounts of snow. I decided that he should have a little fun, too, and carried him out to the Jeep and we went for a "dad/Alex exploring trip" four-wheeling in the snow, including visiting his school parking lot and getting introduced to doughnuts...it was simply a blast and to see the smile on his face the whole time was worth its weight in gold to me. He still talks about how he was able to go on roads where no other cars were able to drive (a bit of an exaggeration on his part, but hey, I'm not begrudging him a bit of embellishment!!).

Now that his immune system is slowly recovering and he's able to go for a ride with the top down (with a mask, etc for protection), you can imagine how hard it is for me to wait to get the Jeep back in action!!! After what he's been thru this past year, he deserves every bit of joy I can give him!!!