Jeep Grand Cherokee after 100,000 miles

jeepfreak101

I have a 97 JGC with over 100k miles. Can anyone fill me in on any common problems encountered in JGC's after the big 100k. The only problem that I've had with it is a crack in the exhaust manifold, otherwise it still runs great. I need to decide if the maintenance is going to be a headache or not.

Mr_Shiftright

Well, if you've made it to 100K, any "problems" would have manifested themselves by now.

What you are up against at 100K and beyond is just the vehicle wearing out naturally. Since at least 2/3 rds of its useful normal life are over already, you have to expect there will be component failures of one sort or another.

Best thing to do with a vehicle over 100K is to increase your periodic maintenance, pay special attention to belts and hoses, maybe replace the battery if its original. The key now is "reventive" maintenance.

kkulig

You can look forward to some potentially expensive drivetrain repair... engine, trans, transfer case, diffs, bearings, etc., if you haven't encountered some of this already.

jismaster

Just had mine looked over extensively by an expert/friend who was a Jeep Service Mgr for many years. I have nearly 90k miles and he feels it's as good as a 30k mile vehicle. He really likes the 1997's. The 1997 editions had limited troubles but scores of problems in the years since. I got lucky. I've had a few brake rotor problems, changed the hoses and fuel pump, but so far the problems haven't been terrible. I'm keeping it

bored

"maybe replace the battery if its original"

Please, they don't last three years.

My mother had a '93 Plymouth Duster. Battery lasted no longer than 3 years.

My father has a '98 Dodge Durango (No Problems) and the battery crashed June of last year.

My aunt a '99 Durango. She just replaced her battery.

Other than that, Chrysler vehicles have minor (If any) problems after 100K. My mom would still have her Duster if my sister hadn't blown the Engine. 124,924 MI on the Odometer when she got rid of it last year.

cmorin

Speaking of stepping up maintenance on aging Jeeps: is it worth it to pay about $1,000 for the super-comprehensive service package that the authorized Jeep service centers push? It seems like a lot of money (before the additional cost of real repairs) for a 75,000-mile 1995 car that's worth maybe $9,000, but if the alternative is more frequent problems and failures or trying to find an honest and less-expensive mechanic, I may just let Jeep do it.

steely1

I have the 10 disc CD changer and recently when I try changing from disc to disc I get error messages. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Is it something I could fix (i.e. cleaning the system?) or do I need to have the dealer look into it.

swschrad

the changer mechanism gets dirty and dry after a couple of years, and I had that on a sony. cleaning fixed it. I did sell the system a year later, though, because I upgraded to a new vehicle, so can't say how long it worked after the fix.