Jeep Liberty

psedrish

I have an '03 Liberty. Can the system be retrofit ?

ranger38

Since you are so familiar with the NAV system that can be added to Jeep Liberty (MOPAR), how's the mapping, etc.

jglackin

psedrish...call your local dealer (not me) and give the parts dept. the VIN, they will be able to confirm the answer... it should be no problem, I just did one.

ranger...everything is good. Your local dealer (not me) should have small "technology brochures" with the Nav info and some hands free cellular info. We go them about 3 or 4 months ago. If that is not good enough, or they are out, it is the same system being used in the current Grand Cherokees, 300m's, et al. Check out one of those for a hands on go at it.

We are having no complaints other than screen size. Ours is smaller than some of our competitors. The nature of this system, though, is voice prompting through the stereo speakers with minor visual prompts while driving. The detail map is really only for viewing while stationary, so it does not have to encompass a huge area. Hope that helps, w/o upsetting our host.

scorpinaz

I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty, I bought the truck in Arizona and recently moved to Georgia. Since moving the truck has become a piece of crap. Because the vehicle was hauled here in my moving truck, I cannot blame the additional mileage by driving from AZ to GA.

First it was the serpentine belt, then it was the battery, the 2 manufacturer recalls, the evaporator hose, tires and you name it. I suggest that anyone buying a Liberty also stop at their local AAA to get a membership, you will need it. The evaporator hose was not long enough so the condensation from the air conditioning went into the passengers side of the vehicle. It was soaked, I have to suck the water out every other day to prevent any problems, now they are going to replace my carpet because it left a very moldy smell in the truck. I have had it with this truck, it only has 26,000 miles on it, if I am seeing these types of problems now, what will happen in another 10 or 20,000 miles. It really sucks because I just spent 500.00 on tires! Don't buy a liberty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

colorado1974

I have a 2002 Limited and I have:

Put it in 3 feet of water (didn't leak a drop or stall)
Bounced it off of river rocks (no damage)
Jumped over sand dunes (scared my wife)
Pulled a 10,000 farm trailer (to help a friend)

In all the 20,000 miles of torture I get 24 mpg on the highway, have not had one warranty issue, not a single squeek leak or rattle of any kind.

I am astonished at how well this thing is put together. I just give it a bath and the thing looks like brand new. Ever day I have this it confirms this is the best purchase I have ever made.

71charger

Since Jeep doesn't make belts, batteries or tires that leaves them with one part they made incorrectly. Your drain hose. Sounds as if they are making amends for that quite nicely. They could have just sent your car to a detailer for a shampooing. Belts go bad. I replaced a serpentine belt in our Cherokee at 40k miles because it seemed like good preventative maintenance. The replacement belt broke in less than 1k miles. I went back to the auto parts and bought another. Same brand, same part number and that has been on for over 60k miles with no problem. These things happen. As for tires with OE tires you rarely are getting the best. I barely got 20k out of the OE tires on the Cherokee and 50k out of the ones on the Neon. Both Goodyears. The Goodyears on the Liberty, at only 6k miles, still look brand new. As far as batteries most are fine, some aren't. If your belt was bad perhaps it was slipping and the alternator was not charging adequately.

div2

Good points. And I bet the "drain hose problem" is similar to the problem I had with my 1999 TJ- There is a TSB for the Lib and the TJ which calls for fitting a rubber elbow to the evaporator drain to ensure that the condensation drains outside the passenger compartment. Unlike some on this board, I chose to fix the problem rather than whine about it. Total cost:$5 and @5 minutes to install. Dry floor ever since. I can't imagine how long you'd have to let the problem go in order to ruin the carpets; mine dried out just fine.

mad0865

The serp.belt is a part that wears down. Can't blame Jeep for that. All cars need those replaced from time to time. The two recalls are just that. RECALLS. I got mine done last year. Tires that come with the Jeep? Have 38,000 miles on mine and they're fine <knocking on wood>. Haven't had the A/C issue, but there is a TSB on it. Good luck.

jefferson1964

thanks, Jeff

jglackin

04's are avail for order, but no pricing is avail yet. we expect them end of august or so.

colorado1974

We have Libertys that are D1 status (sequenced to get built) and that have already been assembled. From looking at the changes it looks like they are dropping the 2.4L from the early allocation.

Sporin

Any Diesel info???

colorado1974

official word is that once the last 2004 rolls off the line, the 2005 diesels will go into production.

ozone1

Just to balance out what my fellow poster said above....

We have over 15,000 miles on our 2002 Jeep Liberty and have had zero problems with it (Born in April 2002). We even had a minor accident, my wife was rear ended by a Jeep Cherokee (strange coincidence) and I was amazed at how little damage we received. All the impact was taken by the spare tire and mount. We are getting the tire cover replaced and the mount looked at, but overall, no significant damage.

My wife drives our Liberty daily and she and I are more and more impressed each day with the quality of this car. In my opinion, this is the best car in it's class. We drove the Xterra and Freelander, but felt the Liberty drove better had more power and had better comfort features. We could not be happier with our purchase.

alitomdrew

My bride has fallen for a Liberty Limited but wants some very specific features. The dealer has told us he will search but is not confident he will find what she is looking for, Red, light interior, sunroof, ABS, Side Air Bags, G Package? I am not confident he will look and seems to be pushing us toward a 2004. Maybe not a bad idea but are there any thoughts as to what 2004 will hold both price and feature wise.
Thanks

forestergump

Go to another dealer. As long as you are willing to wait, any dealer should be able to order a vehicle with the specific features you (and your wife) want in their weekly order. If this one is not willing, than they are just trying to move their current inventory at the expense of your satisfaction. I could be wrong, but I don't think Jeep has stopped shipping 2003 vehicles from the factory yet.

colorado1974

He is pushing you toward a 2004 because he will make more money on the holdback from Jeep. If he trades it from another dealer, he will lose that extra money. I would do as forestergump said and see if another dealer will locate the vehicle you want.

One thing to remember is that the more specific you are in your request, the lower the chance that an exact match will be found.

jregen7243

The options and color you described are exactly the same Lib (except for sunroof) that I was looking for last December. I searched dealer inventories in 3 states and could not find it anywhere. First of all, it seems DC doesn't make very many Libs in Flame Red. Second, they make even fewer with Side Curtain Airbags. The dealer knew they would not find the combo I wanted and ordered it. It took 6 weeks to come in...with exactly the options I wanted.

-Jon

colorado1974

For anyone interested, I have found a great picture of a Jeep Liberty at:

http://www.theptking.com

I've had mine in deeper water than that.

psedrish

my dealer didn't want to do anything special for me either. I called the svc dept and asked if they would like to svc my Jeep bought elsewhere and they said "you bet", so i found exactly the car I wanted elsewhere (350 miles away) and bought it last sept. I had one minor svc call and they were great with it, so I'm glad I shopped around.

stever

I've canoed shallower water than that...

Steve, Host

shoeboy

Hi Everyone:

Newbie to the "board" so please bear with me...

While I'm not specifically in the market for a Liberty at this time, the look and capabilities of Jeep's newest variant intrigue me. So with the end of the model very near, I am wondering what the rumored and/or confirmed changes & upgrades with regard to the mechanical, interior, or exterior aspects of the '04 model year are.

I am no stranger to Jeep products, as I have owned a '96 & '98 Grand Cherokee Laredo, and am currently driving a '99 Grand Cherokee Laredo. All have had the 4.0L straight-six and the '98 & '99 had/have Selec-Trac 4x4 system. All have been top-notch for me; no major mechanical difficulties.

I have been visiting local Jeep dealerships and have noticed that none of the '03 Libertys in stock have anti-lock brakes. I can't seem to figure out why, as I live in northeast WI. Another bewildering observation, while the Limiteds come standard w/ Selec-Trac, very, very few of the Sport models have this option. Is this common on your local dealer's lots too? I don't have a problem w/ anti-locks and Selec-Trac being options for the Liberty, but what slays me is that the dealer(s) order out models stoked with expensive options like 6-disc CD changers and sunroofs vs. the equally expensive safety options. I know, I know, just order-out what you want...but I like to drive the model I'm going to buy before I sign and I feel (rightly so or not) that the dealers tend to "give" more on models that they are perhaps paying interest on, rather than writing a contract on a "gimme" factory order that doesn't have to be floor-planned.

I'm also seeking current owner's opinions on whether or not they think that I would be happy/satisfied w/ a Liberty after running around in Grand Cherokees for the past several years. I realize that this is a tough one, but give it your best shot. We are a family of three, no pets, but have vacation property that we lug "stuff" to each weekend. 5,000 lb. towing capacity sufficient for us.

I look forward to any/all replies...

jregen7243

I have to agree that it is very strange how few Libby's on the dealer lots have ABS, and even fewer had side curtain air bags. These options are relatively inexpensive, but for some strange reason, the dealers aren't stocking them. I mentioned this if you look back a few posts. It doesn't seem to matter though as the Liberty is close or at the top of its class in sales every month.
As far as for changes for 2004 - from what I have read, there will be very little if anything. There is supposed to be a facelift for 2005 or 2006.
I have had a lot of time behind the wheel of a '95 GC 4.0, a '95 GC 5.2, and a '98 GC 5.9. There is no question that the build quality of the Liberty I have is light years ahead of those. The only complaints I have is wind noise over 50 mph, some cheap plastic on the dash (especially the glove box), and the poorly designed Chrysler HVAC. Other than those minor things, it is a great truck. The 3.7 has more power than I expected, and the exhaust sound is great (reminds me of my '94 Z28). The fit and finish on the inside and the outside is first rate. One area where the GC has an advantage is cargo area. The 93-98 GC's had the spare tire in the back, which ate up a ton of room, but as you know in your '99 and on, they put it underneath which was a huge improvement. Also, there are no brake rotor issues with Liberty which was finally fixed last year in the Grands. Hope this helps somewhat.

-Jon

colorado1974

As a dealer, it is always tough to plan ahead and order what we will think will sell 60 days from the order date. As for ABS, we only get one Jeep person in a hundred that even cares if a car has ABS as we live in Washington State where we get many feet of snow. For one thing, ABS is proven in the rain but in snow, dirt, gravel or ice, it is counter productive. Plus it is an pretty expensive option.

As for selec-trac, it is optional in all Libertys. I will say that it is more common in the higher-end models than the Sports because if a person wishes to have more amenities, full-time 4wd is one of them more often than not.

I personally purchased a 2002 Limited for my wife to drive for many reasons. I feel the build quality is higher for one. Second, at 6'5" I am sensitive to head room and the Liberty takes the cake hands down. Third, it is using all of the knowledge from after the DCX merger to it's advangate while the new GC was developed in the mid-late 90's. Fourth, I really like the look. It almost looks like a cousin to the Land Rover Discovery with the tall sides and neat porportions. And lastly I tow a 3800 lb bayliner which it does great.

After 20,000 miles I have put it in 3 feet of water (didn't leak inside), jumped river rocks and sand dunes (scared my wife) and have gone places only a Jeep could go and we have zero rattles, squeeks, air/water leaks. On top of that, using synthetic oil, a k&n filter in the stock air box and the MOPAR/Borla dual exhaust I get 24 mpg on the highway.

Basically I love this thing.

jregen7243

Do you think people don't know that side curtain airbags are available? It seems so strange to me that very few people would care about having them.

-Jon

rock1

Colorado 1974- You mentioned in your message 3544 that you have a Mopar/Borla Dual Exhaust system on your 2002 Liberty.
Where does one acquire this system and what is a ball park price.
Is this available thru the Jeep parts department, if so do you have the part(s) number(s).
Thanks.

ozone1

My buddy just purchased a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and we're planning an offroad trip in Northern California later this summer. While I have no intention of keeping up with the Rubicon off-road, I am still extremely leery of the stock tires on our Liberty Limited and was looking into swapping them with some nice off-road tires. Any recommendations for a novice, relatively new off-roader?

colorado1974

The borla/mopar performance system retails for around $600 at any dealership, however if you search a little on ebay, you can find them much much cheaper.

Tires: I run BF goodrich all terrains on everything. They have a great tread that doesn't howl and they last me over 50,000 miles.

Options: It is strange how people pick and choose what is important to them. I can honestly say that people, as an average, care more about the bottom line every month than spending $1100 or so on Side air bags and ABS. I guess that it shows that everybody has different motivations.

mad0865

Was the previous owner of a '98 Cherokee, and let me tell you that the Liberty beats it in drive performance hands down. You're right, it doesn't come with ABS/Selectrac on the sport, but I ordered mine with those two options and it was WELL worth it. As Colorado is always saying, this truck drives great, awesome power and handling. No problems <knocking on wood> at all, and with 40k on the odometer, it drives like it was brand new.

One suggestion, switch to synth oil and get rid of those stock tires, they stink. BFG's are solid. As for someone else asking about the Borla's, you can order them on their website, or get a list of venders that will sell/install it for you. Good luck.

colorado1974

Synthetic oil is a must. I run it in both of my Jeeps.

The exhaust, from what I have seen is around $700 from borla, $600 from a dealer and about $400 on Ebay. Just do some checking around before you purchase.

Sporin

The BFG AT's and the Dunlop Radial Rover R/T's are both excellent on and off road tires. Much more aggressive then your average "all-season" and with good, thick sidewalls. Both would serve you very well in most off road situations except for deep mud.

I've run both on my trucks and have been very happy with them.

jregen7243

Colorado...I'm switching to Mobil 1 at my next change. Are you running 5w30 or 10w30?

-Jon

colorado1974

I run 10w30 because in the pacific northwest, we get really hot, then really cold. It offers the best of both seasons.

Anybody have any good jeep stories?

I saw a little cabin on the other side of a small river. The tracks there looked like a Jeep would make it. Against my wife's wishes I pulled off the main road and started crossing in 4Lo. Then we hit the deep spot in the river. Water came over the hood and was almost up to the door handles. The Liberty, with the stock goodyears, pulled right on through and up the 15 foot bank on the other side. It never stalled or hessitated. Needless to say I got yelled at for that but I know that she secretly enjoyed the experience.

stever

Didn't know you were in the NW, Colorado - you might want to look up anadromous streams sometimes and keep your wheels on the pavement. Fording creeks like that in Alaska where I used to live was illegal since it messes up the spawning grounds, and takes salmon off my table.

I get miffed if I don't get my wild Alaska salmon now and then. Rumor has it that the NW used to have salmon runs too. You really don't want to get me started on dams and suction dredges....

Steve, Host

purduealum91

I recently avg 50 mpg going to NJ in my VW Golf TDI. I would love to have a diesel 4wd.

kullenberg

I asked that question of the guy at Jeep Warehouse, and he seemed to be as much in the dark as we are. The latest buzz I heard on another forum was 1st qtr of next year,

Cheers
Pat

colorado1974

is that they will begin production after the last 2004 rolls off the assembly line. My guess is that it will be next July.

libertycat

leather is not available on the CR-V, only cloth and a tiny amount of leather on the outside of the seats.

Sporin

I second the Tread Lightly. http://www.treadlightly.org/

There are plenty of places open for 'wheeling, and you should stick to them. making your own paths, and especially crossing streams where it is not clearly a legal water crossing is HIGHLY illegal and horrible for the environment.

It's that sort of behavior that is getting more and more land closed to off roaders. Please 'wheel responsibly so you don't ruin it for the rest of us.

dustyk

I'm trying to find the bore and stroke of the 3.7 V6 engine. Can anyone in the forum help me?

Thanks in advance,
Dusty

jglackin

Bore and Stroke are 3.66" x 2.31".
Compression ratio is 9.1:1

mpfaf

Has Anyone attended a JEEP Route 2003 Road Trip event? I'm scheduled to attend one at the Aurora Airport in Sugar Grove Illinois on 8/16/03. It looks like a fun filled event but I would like to hear a few testimonials if possible.

Thanks from a Chicago area liberty owner

jefferson1964

well on a new car do you switch to synthetic oil on the first oil change or immediately upon purchase? -

oceantoad

I have a Wrangler and asked the service people at the Jeep dealer about switching to synthetic. I was told that I should wait till I have about 15,000 miles on the engine so that it is broken in. Currently at a bit over 10,000 miles.

Still a happy camper.

stever

I've read theories that range from immediately to the kind of miles that Oceantoad's dealer suggested.

You may want to browse the Synthetic motor oil discussion too.

Steve, Host

div2

The rule of thumb is to wait 10K-15K miles to switch over to synthetic. Engines that receive synthetic as an initial fill are machined from the get-go for synthetic; e.g. more aggressive cylinder honing and tighter ring clearances. In 1995 I switched my track rat over at 3K and it took several thousand more miles before it was fully broken in. No harm done, but I won't make that error again...

elmoblatch1

I am thinking of purchasing a 2003 Liberty with a V-6 & automatic. The sticker says 17 mpg city & 21 highway. I have heard & read accounts of the Liberty getting poor gas mileage. Just wondering what other Liberty owners with same engine & transmission have gotten for MPG.

Also looking for other comments on the vehicle, pro's & con's.

Thanks for the help !

red98tbs

The 21 mpg highway is quite realistic. Getting 17 around town requires a VERY light foot. This is one heavy vehicle. Take a look underneath the Libby and its competition and you'll see it's just built tougher. The Liberty is my wife's vehicle, but I plan to trade my Cherokee in on a Sport in a year or so. We're very pleased so far. (10,000 miles)

colorado1974

with synthetic 10/30, the MOPAR performance exhaust and a K&N filter I get 24 on the highway with my 2002 Limited.

elmoblatch1

Thanks for the post.

The exhaust & special filters...how much did they cost & where did you get them ? What function do they perform that mileage is increased ?