Jeep Liberty

john81

www.jeep.com, there is a search inventory option on the lower left hand corner. Depending on where you live and how far you want to travel, you can see what's out there within a 300 mile radius. Like myself, I found 3 Liberty sticks, one in Kentucky, one in Northern Ohio and another in Pennsylvania.
I discovered that our local dealership here in southern Ohio had just received a light khaki stick shift only a couple days before, so I didn't have far to travel.
The search inventory really cuts through needless traveling and you get an idea of how much inventory is out there. All I wanted out of the sport was cruise control. I had the dealership put on a trailer hitch as part of my negotiations.
It's a buyers market, use your search inventory and see which dealerships are prepared to jump through some serious hoops to make the sale.
Good Luck
John

stever

If the Liberty isn't floating your boat, maybe you'll like the Compass. (Straightline).

Talk about it in the 2007 Jeep Compass discussion.

Steve, Host

moparbad

Patriot too.

stever

None of our bloggers have mentioned the Patriot at the show yet. The '07 Wrangler crashing through the plate glass window blew them away though! (link)

Steve, Host

chili4x4

You should go to www.rocky-road/liberty.html and http://lostkjs.com/ these guys know libertys... You really don't want to lift your libby more than 2.5 inches of suspension lift. To much binding of the cv joints and really tough on the axles. With the 2.5 lift, you should be able to stuff 275/75/16s under her.. you may have to knock down the pinch weld at the rear of the front wheel well.

chili4x4

I have a 2002 Libby Limited with the 4 sp auto trans and selec trac t-case. I can run in full time 4wd or 2wd with absolutely no difference in mpg. I put a K & N panel filter in my stock air box and I run Mobil 1 extended life oil (fully synthetic). I dont think I see any difference in mileage. I do have a Wilderness rack by Garvin on my roof and that hurt my mileage by about 1 to 2 mpg. But, if I head west from Huntington WV to say Decatur IL, I can easily get 20 to 21 mpg on the highway if I keep it under 70mph. However, going east from Huntington over the mountains say to Carlisle PA and I am lucky to get 15 mpg.

gaga1

Some students at my job thought they'd thank me by Silly Stringing my 2002 black Jeep Liberty. It was cute at first and much of the string came off just in driving, but there was a WHOLE lot more left on the car! I ran it through a regular gas-station car wash and some more came off, and then later took it to a soft "touchless" wash with hand-wipe afterwards. The guys couldn't get the remnants of the string off and it's still all over the spare tire in the back. I emailed Jeep.com but no recommendations were forthcoming. Any suggestions? Thanks!

71charger

We just put a set of Contitrac 235/70-16s on. So far, so good. No complaints at all. They're quiet and have been great in the rain. It hasn't snowed since we got them so the jury's still out on that. I bought them from the local Ford dealer oddly enough and got a great price. Cheaper than the local tire centers. They told me they're factory issue on Escapes so they buy a lot of them and, consequently, get them at a great price.

indianrefining

Better yet, take a look at the forthcoming 2007 Dodge Nitro.

stever

Well yeah, but that's not a Jeep. :-)

Ok, I'll give you that it's the same parent company. (Dodge Nitro)

Steve, Host

indianrefining

Yes. First, I'd kick the living you-know-what out of some "students", and then take it to a reputable "detailing" shop. I don't think this contingency would be covered in Jeep's SOI.

gaga1

Yup, it has crossed my mind to hunt these "kiddies" down and show them what being doofuses can cause. Guess what? They're training to be...doctors! However, they're from medical schools in the various islands so that should tell you something, though they were generally nice boys and girls (ages in their 20s!). Funny how they didn't try to decorate their supervising docs' cars: a Dodge Stratus, a Toyota Avalon, a Nissan van, and a Mercedes SUV...hm! Will see what a detailer can do-didn't know if there was some trick,like toothpaste or peanut butter or the like that would work! ">

indianrefining

All kidding aside, one thing which might want to try is a shot of WD-40. I've known it to do some unbelievable things. If it takes it off, then wash well and apply some clearcoat-safe polish. (Either way, I'd still do some student kicking!)

stever

I'm not sure what the residue is like -- maybe a clay bar would do the trick. They work great on rail dust and other types of dirt. You can find them in the wash and wax section of some auto parts stores for ~$15 US.

Steve, Host

71charger

The search inventory function doesn't return anything near complete results. For example, our local dealership has perhaps two dozen Libertys. According to the inventory search they only have five. A couple of other dealers at which we'd scanned the Libertys on their lots came up on inventory search as out of stock on Libertys.

71charger

We walked into the dealership in Hagerstown to look at the Dark Khaki Renegade they had; it was the only Renegade they had. They offered me $700 off sticker. I left my phone number and told them to call me with a better price if they wanted to sell it. They finally called yesterday afternoon with a price that gave me a payment about $4 per month more than we had on the '02 Sport. I was sorry to see the '02 go. It didn't even have 30,000 miles and I had just put new tires on it. But they gave me 0% and a $1,000 rebate for taking the 0%. I also got an extra $500 rebate for being former military. I really wanted a 6 speed but my wife thought she'd prefer getting another auto so that's what we got. The sales manager told us that Renegades are slow sellers. I can understand if they have the light bar but without it they're my favorite Liberty.

john81

I would have purchased a diesel if the NSG 6 spd was available. Making biodiesel is alot easier than producing ethanol. Biodiesel is less expensive, less "red tape" (will explain later) and all the needed upgrades is less as per the CRD engine.
Before I make a drop of ethanol, I have to complete a government form to legally produce 190-200 proof ethanol. Now, while I'm getting my paperwork done and fabricating the "still", I need to have my 3.7 liter's carborator modified, engine compression changed from 9:1 to 15:1, altering the timing, and a couple other things. Wow! So before I have the opportunity to save any money, I've invested quite a bit of money and time into something that may not pay off right away.
What I fear are computer chip makers offering upgrade kits to make all those modifications for me, putting additional strain on the engine and shortening its lifespan.
The old-standby 6 cyl inline could withstand the additional compression forces better than a V-6 engine. There are thousands of old inline-6 engines out there, so some enterprising person could set up a shop and start pumping out modified engines. This same person could even start up a business to modify V-6 engines. There are opportunities here that people would be willing to pay good money for. Don't wait for the govenment, because you'll be waiting a looooooonnnnnnngggggg time.
It's people like us who will make the needed changes, not the government, or even the car manufacturers for that matter.
Making your own fuel is a lifestyle change. No more depending on others, but depending on yourself. I know there are people out there who are so afraid of doing something themselves. But times are a changing.
The question is not "ethanol vs Diesel", but rather "the enterprising individual vs the lazy "hook-me-up" artist.
So Jeep, make the CRD with the NSG370 transmission. I can see it now, neighborhood backyard ethanol stills for fuel production spawns a new type of criminal - still stealers. You know, we are making "moon shine"!
John

unclebubba

Has anyone done any performance mods to their Liberty? My wifes 02 Limited model is going to become my "toy" to do mods on. I am considering ceramic headers as well as as exhaust system improvements. Any other suggestions? Or warnings from experienced folks out there? :confuse:

rick42

I am thinking of buying a 2006 Liberty Sport and I have just one question. I've read all of the problems with ESP and the gas mileage and all the rest. But, would you buy another one? Before I jump in and buy one it would help to know it the present owners would buy another, or jump to a different make or brand.

Thanks in advance.

renoliberty

Probably. It would be because I want a small, truck-type, real 4x4 SUV and not a unibody car pretending to be an SUV with AWD and there isn't much else available in the price range.

I've owned my Sport for three years and have had small nagging problems that were fixed by warranty work. The electronic locks have been fixed several times. The oxygen sensor has been replaced twice in less than 24K miles.

With a manual, the mileage averages about 17-18 in almost pure city driving. It drops to 16 in the winter and climbs to 19 in the summer. Pure highway mileage is 23-24. It doesn't make economic sense for me to spend many thousands of dollars more on a vehicle to have it get only 5-10 mpg better mileage when it is driven less than 10K miles per year. Sure, I would be happier if the mileage was better than it is and would always consider buying something with better mileage that met the previously mentioned criteria.

So I guess this is a qualified endorsement of the Sport.

john81

http://healthandenergy.com/ethanol.htm. I can't help but wondering, with all these ethanol cars in production and the President pushing for new fuels, and then this website listed above shows up.
Cummins thinks its solved the emission problems for 2007, and hopefully so. Biodiesel will suffer if diesel can't solve its clean air standards.
This is what I'm talking about (website above), those individuals who see themselves as so helpless, so terrified that the world is going to end, that all help is lost. America is the next energy cartel for both ethanol and biodiesel, even as we continue to feed the world with corn, wheat and oats. Its these people who see themselves as defeatists, who shouldn't serve any useful purpose or roll in this new "do it yourself America!".
The government should not be able to dictate what fuels we can and should not make.
The Jeep liberty should be able to burn 20% ethanol max. without reconfiguring the fuel injection problems. If anything, the ethanol should keep the fuel injection system much cleaner.
The engine compression should be brought up from 9:1 or 9.5: to atleast 11:1 without much damage to the mechanical integrity of the engine. New specs on engine timing need to be published.
Jeep should be out in front on this "in house push for fuel modifications!" Jeep has always been part of the Pioneer spirit, well, this is just the beginning of another chapter in American ingenuity. We can do it with or without you. I would prefer we had a LEADER . . Jeep?!
John

stever

I have a problem with taking farmland out of food production for biofuels too. Around here all the farmland is going to subdivisions anyway though.

I don't have the link, but back in the good ol' days (before internal combustion engines were common), something like 90% of the arable farmland was used to grow corn and stuff to feed the draft animals that were used to do the farming so little wound up on the table anyway. Some things never change.

I suspect there's lots more over in the Biodiesel vehicles discussion.

Steve, Host

john81

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php?action=showcat&catid=6
I am facinated with the ALLPAR news, especially the monthly sales figures. It doesn't take a marketing genius to compare the foreign vehicle commercials on T.V. and see how that translated to real car sales. Jeep seems to be holding its own.
Sales competition is fine, until you receive your new car sales "critique" in the mail. So, what to put down as a fair evaluation of the car, dealership and experience? I figure, for Jeep to continually get better, you have to be alittle hard on them, or else they'll loose sight of quality.
Jeep, make a manual stick diesel, not in all wheel drive with rear wheel drive capability in the transfer case. Stretch the rear (make it longer) by 6" and wider to fit a dana 35, 3.55 ring and pinion in the rear.
Get rid of the crappy brake system and completely redesign it with electronic actuators to control brake functions. Get rid of the flash memory system. EPROMS or flash memory are notorious for dumping or "reset" their memory due to excessive static charge. I wonder how much static charge a turbo charger creates? Then put a diode between the turbo charger sensor and the computer so it doesn't fry the computer module. Unless you put numerous electronic or frequency filters (grounding straps or shielded cable) inline with wiring, these memory dumps will continue.
Otherwise, I like my Liberty 3.7 6 stick manual.
John

farout

rick42: I have owned a 2005 liberty Limited 3.7 gas, and a 2005 CRD (diesel) Sport. I traded in the 3.7 gas in on the CRD Sport. Between the two the CRD beats the gas liberty hands down! More power, better ride, and the diesel engine gets 22 to 30 mpg, where the gas you will be lucky to get an average 17 mpg. The Five speed auto trans is a much stronger transmission over the 4 speed that comes with the gas. If you drive both then you will see what I mean. The 2.8 4 cyl. CRD is faster, cleaner, and has 295# of pull power. There are places that still have 2005's at about $8,000 off sticker. the 2006 have only a 36,000 mil Warranty where the 2005's have 7 rear or 70,000 mile warranty. So you do have some real good choices. Good luck and enjoy your new Jeep Liberty (CRD) I hope.

Farout

farout

john81: I like my Jeep Liberty CRD real well too. Now if Jeep could only make a gas 3.7 that got 25 mpg, and it didn't need spark plugs, and a has a larger oil pan, with better pulling power, and go up to 12,500 between oil changes, then..... Wait a minuet! I already got that in my CRD (diesel) Jeep Liberty! Does this give you something to think about?

Farout

john81

if you read a while back, I got 27 mpg on a trip I took with my 3.7 WHILE YOU'RE BS'ing, and saved a whole bunch of money.
Check it out.
John

farout

John81: I congratulate you! I am sure this is a record for the 3.7! Now was this down hill? Do you really know how to determine gas mileage? Are you from Texas? John I did not get off the trunip truck yesterday! Maybe there are some gullablel people out there, but I am not one. I had a 3.7 2005 Limited I traded in with 15,000 miles on it. The very best I ever got was 19.5 and a good part of that was down hill.
Say John, I have a bridge ......
Because you do have good taste in getting a Jeep Liberty I will not tease you any more.

Farout

john81

Try driving from Richmond Va to Columbus, Ohio over the mountains. Average of 26-28 mpg at 65 mpg on prolong synthetic, undertanding the principles of frictionless brake calipers/rotors and use of a manual transmission.
A vehicle may have a diesel, but why surrender your resourcefulness and intelligence, when you can make any machine perform better?
A diesel is a great improvement over the gasoline engine, but design flaws put the nsg370 on hold. I bet that Jeep will ditch those other diesel contracts and go with Cummins. Cummins is light years ahead when it involves the clean air standards of 2007. Europe is still in the 19th century when it comes to clean air standards, so a little diesel fumes won't hurt anyone. If you're going to do diesel, you have to do it right.
Cummins' market share is in big rigs, so to keep their edge, they had to improve on environmental issues. As 2007 rolls around, there's going to be a scramble by other diesel manufacturers to copy what Cummins has already accomplished.
Diesel (with rpm control) and manual transmissions are a perfect match. None of this automatic transmissions, all wheel drive stuff, none of this tranmission chips and computer interface with flash memories. What a peice of crap! The Liberty is on its death bed.
They should have put the Cummins/man 6 spd in the Commander, but Oooh NO! That would have been a sales boom. Always concentrate on market share.
Small talk about mpg is trivial as compared to the imagination lost at Jeep. Jeep held a whole assortment of possibilities as per the Scout to later incorporate into the Commander. Unfortunately, they squandered that opportunity. I don't know who thought of the hemi (probably an x-engineer from Ford or GM), but I can almost guarantee that a decision was made to scrap any diesel option. A fatal mistake.
I would rather talk about big money, big contracts and the market movers, not who got 3 mpg more that someone else.
If America is going to win the car and fuel wars, go diesel, think smart and do it right. Biodiesel has an infinite assortment of possibilities and uses. Ethanol on a massive scale becomes too much of a target for those who wish to destroy us.
If you're going to do diesel, you have to look long term and do it right. In the end, the CRD Liberty was only part of the learning curve. Hopefully we'll be showing off our new (yet to be discovered brainchild by Jeep) that gets 40 mpg and its a diesel manual.
I'd buy it.
John

sandhog2

rick I'd look at somthing else and as for get 25 to 27 mpg good luck the best I got was 17 most times less. look at anything else

spoonman631

I was just wondering if you received anymore info on the problem that you were having with the mpg? I have a 2005 limited and I am also getting the same mpg. The dealership is telling me that it is normal.

bvcrd

It is supposed to downshift when going downhill in cruise. It is trying to maintain the speed that you set instead of letting it freewheel. My Buick freewheels and gains speed and that is normal for it, but not for these Jeeps.

farout

sandhog: You are so right! ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THE 3.7 WILL GET 26MPG IS IN A DREAM WORLD!The running gear is not set up for fuel mileage. I think John thinks we are easy to convince. My gas 3.7 has no real comparison to my CRD Liberty. Now the CRD has some flex and things you can do to improve fuel mileage. However, your 17mpg is high compared to most others. Good day.

Farout

john81

Hey, dream on!
Apparently you feel threatened?!

I get a kick when I can make machines operate better than originally intended.
But you know, that's why America is 27th in global education. If I can figure it out, then I am sure you can to! You have to be smarter than the machine!
I'm glad you feel inadequate! Apparently diesel does the talking for you.
John

bvcrd

I too would like to go on record and state that 27 mpg in a 3.7 is living in la-la land. Oh sure, maybe down hill with a tail wind and all the planets were aligned.

farout

john81: Ifand I do mean ifin disbelief, that you have done something so far out of this world, as to make a 3.7 V-6 Jeep Liberty archive the mpg you claim to have achieved, then you are just the man DCX wants to talk with.
I in no way feel threatened or inadequate. I worked with JPL at Edwards AFB in Calif, for two years. During that time work on the hybrid gas electric was developed, and it was nothing short of a major development that we have hybrid cars today. I also know that people that were far more educated than me or you, tried to get fuel mileage and the weight of the car to get the pound ratio and fuel mileage you say you have achieved.
Unless you have more money than you will ever use, you will attempt to make your invention available, so our Nation who is so dependant upon foreign oil, can make a giant leap into super fuel mileage.
There is no reason for you to feel inadequate or threatened, you just might become a hero!Not only will the forum be proud of you, but I will have a feeling of pride that I pushed you into world history!
Apparently you need a push so talk becomes a reality? I sincerely can't believe you would make up such a answer to our Nations fuel problem and keep it to yourself. John, please help our nation! Share your secrets!

Farout

farout

Hello John: I felt I would let you know that the same diesel engine company who makes the Liberty CRD's engine (V M Motori of Italy) makes a V-6 3.L and it does extremely well.
I hope you do follow up and build one of these engines you talk about. You just might be the one to make a billion dollars from such a idea. You think?

Farout

siberia

don't know who thought of the hemi (probably an x-engineer from Ford or GM),

John81, neither an x-engineer from Ford or GM invented the "Hemi". Also, neither did Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth.

My recollection is that it was a very old European engine that was the first "Hemi" that was too primitive to benefit from the design. There are a lot of newer engines that have the technical equivalent of the Hemi. Most 4 valve per cylinder engines have the spark plug in the center and a dome cylinder. "Hemi" is a Chrysler registered trademark or copyright, don't ya know?

stever

Gee, you don't think marketing has anything to do with it?

Mr_Shiftright, "Hemi's: any make, any size....What do you think?" #21, 22 Dec 2001 2:21 pm

:shades:

Steve, Host

swannee

2006 Liberty - just got it, now it has 1100 miles and averaging 15.5 per gallon. Does anybody know if this will get better or this it it for mileage? Feel like I'm filling it up all the time! Wish I would've got the new RAV4 - sounds like it gets better mileage and the hp is way better.

farout

swannee: I bought a 2005 Liberty limited on 1/29/05. I drove it every way that might get better MPG. In 14,000 miles I averages 16 to 17 and the best was 18.5. I saw the Liberty Diesel (CRD) and drove one in the first part of Sept 05. I was so impressed! The dealer found one just as we wanted. We got the Liberty CRD on 9/29.05 and we have just a few miles short of 12,000 miles. We are very pleased. It hurt to trade a 05 in on a Sport CRD 05. Like pretty good sized dead horse to trade. We as very pleased, and we get 22 all the time in of Ozark Mountains driving. Every day we have it in 4x4. Even with the 20 cents difference in diesel over gas the cost per mile is less than the gas Liberty.
The CRD has more power (get up and go) and it has 295 lbs instead of the 230 lbs of the 3.7 gas. There is much that canme standard on the CRD that did not come but as an added cost on the gas 3.7. The ride is much smoother, and noticablely much better in rough roads. Drive one see what you think. Many report the CRD gives then from 25 to 32 mpg on the highway. Maybe this might just work for you as well. Being retired we felt this might be our last car, and we felt trading for what we really wanted served us better. Not everyone would have the consideration of their age weigh inon if they should swap as we did.

Farout

Farout

farout

John81: Have you ever driven a CRD stick shift? It's not as fun as one might think. Farout

farout

Just found out from my dealer that there will not be a diesel Liberty for 2007. So those of us woh bought the 2005 and 2006 CRD's were just a test market! I might add we paid a dear price to be test marketiers.
I like mine and have had no problems in 12,000 miles, it does have enough power to pull a very heavy load, but for some reason the general public has not beat down the door to get one.

Farout

farout

PLEASE REMEMBER AT THIS TIME THIS IS ONLY A RUMOR THAT THE 2007 LIBERTY WILL NOT HAVE A CRD. Thanks and if you hear anything for sure let us know.

Farout

stever

If you interested in the Liberty's sibling, the news embargo has been lifted:

2007 Jeep Patriot (Straightline)

There's talk about it in the Jeep Patriot discussion.

Steve, Host

sheilaihr

I just bought a new Jeep Renegade on Saturday. But from reading all the problems people are having I am now wondering if I did the right thing. I had a Dodge 1500 4x4 short box quadcab truck with a Hemi. It was a 2005. I loved it but The truck and I spent a lot of time at the gas pumps and I really didn't need a truck that big. I see a lot of Jeeps like mine around town tho so am thinking they must be quite popular. Would love input.

u136646

I got 3.7. My local fuel prices and 25mpg v 17 MPG calculate out to a recovery distance of about 80K miles to offset diesel price. Just my own personal opinion.

bvcrd

Since the CRD should last well over 250,000 miles, it would be a wise investment for those planning on keeping them for 5+ years.

vik66

who can tell me how good 2006 Jeep Liberty Renegade 4x4 off-road ability is , it has off-road group, select-trac , all-terrain tires... I am going to buy one, but it looks like has low clearance... who can advice?
Thank you

bvcrd

It is basically a Sport with a few different bells and whistles. Skid plates, off road lights, different roof rack, flatter hood etc. The clearance isn't a problem unless you plan on doing some seriuos rock crawling. It's approach and exit angles allow for some quick recovery and it should never bottom out except for the most extreme ridge drop off. The Rene is just a "group" package and is basically still a Libby under a different color.

craigk1

I bought a 2005 Jeep Liberty sport in October and now I want to have the crossbars installed to complete the roof rack and also have skid plates installed.

What would everyone out there recommend? I've heard that some of the crossbars create a whistling noise while you're driving?

What do I need in the way of skid plates (I'm a newbie to 4-wheeling)?

How much can I expect a dealer to charge for this?

Are the crossbars something I can install myself, keeping in mind that I'm not the handiest guy, and can I get them cheaper going through someone like Kragen?

Thanks for everyone's help

craig