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As for purchase, I got about 1,500 off sticker in April '04, but I also got free oil changes/yearly inspections for life of car. As oil change is expensive for the CRD its something you might try to get. I also got them to throw in free "slush" mats and spare cover WITHOUT dealer logo.
Good luck
However, my complaint is several:
1) The air/heat vents keep falling apart -- going on my 3rd replacement and only had the vehicle since May - it is a 2005.
2) Problems with rear differential - pinion seal replaced (and vents) just last weekend.
3) Problems with the Onboard Diagnostic System!!
Yes I do regret getting this vehicle and I am checking into Fla. Lemon Law.
C Butler
LK
The previous post with rear pinions and a/c vents being screwed up are making me lean towards the 06. Thanks for the tips
Good information - I have some chance of moving over there and it's nice to know what would be some good "Yooper" tires.
with no regrets. I live in Indianapolis, IN but I drove up to Kokomo, IN (about
1 hour north) because of the great selection at McGonigal Jeep (zip code 46901
if you want to search on jeep.com).
I agree with another poster here that the 2005 CRD Libery Jeeps are few and far between, but they had 8 of the 2005 CRD's in stock until last Friday when I swooped in on a light khaki metallic sport. All of their inventory has good options. I found EXACTLY the color and options I wanted. Most of theirs have the optional SRS side curtain air bags which was a big deal to me. If your going to spend this much money, what's an extra $490 to save your melon in a rollover accident?
My rig is optioned as follows:
Light Khaki Metallic Exterior/Cloth Khaki Interior
Customer Prefered Package 22C
Trailer Tow Group
Supplemental Side Air Bags
5-Speed Automatic Transmission
Trac-Lok Differential Axle
2.8L Turbo Diesel Engine Package
Power Sunroof
Sirius Satellite Radio
MSRP: $ 27,745
EP: $ 25,118
Fin. Reb. $ -1,000
Doc. Fee $ 75
Final Price Paid $24193 (included a full tank of diesel and two free oil
changes).
I think that's a fair price since I got exactly what I wanted. They also gave me
high blue book value for my trade in (about $1000 over what other dealers would
offer).
They have 3 more CRD sports optioned just like mine except for missing the
Trac-Lok Differential so go check them out!
Now I'm looking for adequate skid plate protection as even if mine came with the
MOPAR factory skids, they only protect half of the oil filter, so I'm glad mine
did not come with the factory skid plate option as I can better protect it with
after market equipment.
From all the inventory searching I did to find a khaki liberty CRD, most of the country is selling out of these. The only reasonable supply I see left is here in the MidWest region for whatever reason.
Check out Champion Jeep here in Indianapolis(zip 46268). They let me test drive their black CRD Sport overnight. They have 4 CRD's and have the trac-lok rears, but no side airbags.....
Good luck! LK
The tires were rotten, but I knew that when I purchased my CRD. The dealer bought them from me for a good price and discounted the mounting and balancing fee for my new tires.
Servicing this thing is a breeze, with what little there is to do.
Fuel economy continues to climb and highway mpg is approaching 30mpg on a regular basis. Mixed city/highway averages about 22 mpg.
The really great thing about this CRD is that my wife likes it alot, especially out on the open road. Great ride, good stable handling and power when you need it.
Good luck!
Good luck! LK
Each new unique model of vehicle that Jeep makes is given a two letter model code. For the new Jeep Liberty (starting 2001), that model code is "KJ". Modern Jeeps all have model codes ending in "J". For instance, the latest Jeep Wrangler (97-current) is a TJ and the Jeep Wrangler prior to that (years 1987-1995) are YJs. Cherokees are XJ's while Grand Cherokees are ZJs.
There are fixes on this board that may help.The warranty is solid.
Sounds like a lemon to me.I don't have any of those problems.
I would bring it to the dealer and get the manger involved .
Make him aware of the problems .Hand him the keys and give ultimatums.State that you have never seen a vehicle so problematic,and that DC should be made aware of the flaws.This isn't incentive to buy another one.
Your still getting a more versatile vehicle,and diesel engine is more efficient than a gasser.
I live in Canada just paid .99 cents/litre for diesel. Thats $4 US.
It is still better than gas which is at $118/litre..Hmm.. that figures into $4.72 US.
At 26- 31 mpg , it is still livable.
Speak Soon ..
Lightnin3
I think they go for $400.
Glad to hear another happy customer.
Speak soon ..
Lightnin3
Would buy again, changing own oil is easy (if spendy), oil drain plug is tough to crack open first time; but doable with a consumer grade allen wrench. No sign of any EGR problem, but I do tend to power-up into full turbo-boost more often than more conservative drivers. I have noticed lots of emissions on boost after my wife drives for a day or so. There's something to the "nose-blowing" analogy that penalizes purely conservative drivers. Ride that rocket !!
The Liberty CRD brings style, handling, performance, fuel economy, all-terrain ability, and proven towing ability to the table (show me another rig the can ably tow a 2-ton trailer down very steep, primitive logging roads, then get 19 mpg towing it in the bottomlands).
Do not buy one if you don't plan to tow and will do little open road or off-road traveling. You'll not get the benefits of its sturdiness (ie. weight) and you can do much better fuel-wise. However, if you just want the heavier projectile in a crash of economical rigs, it's it.
However, when commuting and coasting down the mountain for 10-15 minutes and get into an area where it flattens out, when I press on the gas (diesel) the engine starts stuttering almost like it is running out of fuel. Tried easing off, then applying more pressure, but it takes a good 2-3 minutes until it runs normal again. Also difficult to start at times.
Has anyone else had this issue of engine stuttering before, and if so how do I have mechanic correct?
Also no Shell stations in my immediate area, only Conoco. Should I add an additive? If so, what kind and how often?
I think there are two possible causes for what you describe as "stuttering":
- mine will do this when the tranny has not yet downshifted and RPM are too low to shear the converter's friction
- the EGR stays open when you are coasting
What I do is go into Neutral, give it a bit of acceleration and shift back into Drive. It takes a second and I know what's coming next...
Problem is the MPG (without pulling the trailer)
I am averaging 20-22 mpg overall and most is on the hwy. I drive in the 65-70 mph range and it doesn't matter. I've tried going 60mph and it didn't do much to improve mpg.
---- K & N filter.
---- Amsoil 5-40 Euro blend synthetic
I did put on Cooper Discovery ATR 235/70 R 16 when I first bought the CRD. Does anyone think they could be costing me 4-6 mpg?? I figured on about a 1- 1.5 mpg loss. I have them inflated at 35 psi cold.
So far I have s 10,000 miles on my Libby and love it except for the MPG not being what is advertised.
Thanks in advance
I suspect that the engine was shipped from Europe with all loose ends strap tied to convenient parts with the thinking that the assembly at the factory or dealer would route the plug in wire next to the radiator.
Well it didn't happen to catch anybody attention until you looked and I found.
Westie
Now about fuel additives- what is recommended? I primarily drive in the mountains and it gets pretty darn cold up here come winter.
I'm having a hard time understanding your statements in the most recent post. I didn't distinguish between mechanical injection and modern, electronic fuel injection. I simply indicated that your distinction between gas and diesel engines was not well founded, nor well explained. However you get the fuel into the engine, assuming constant gearing, the engine will produce X amount of power from Y amount of fuel. Gas engines have the additional constraint of the throttle butterfly, which is not present on diesels. Adding forced induction, changing the gearing, adding computer-controlled fuel injection (which may change the amount of fuel being introduced even when the throttle position doesn't change) affect the calculus, but your basic statement in the post starting this exchange was still misleading. And incidentally, if you believe that the changes between mechanical injection and CRD technology are subtle, then I'm not sure what would constitute a major change.
1. Each cylinder has it's own injector. Only air travels through the intake manifold.
2. The injectors are electro-mechanical
3. Your statement about the camshafts is correct. The camshafts operate the valves only.
4. The injector plunger is operated by a solenoid and a spring.
As for the tires, I am assuming they are all-terrain type. Depending on the tread design, and considering you went to a somewhat wider profile, that might account for about a mile or so in loss of fuel economy.
I do not know if you are a lead foot, but a light foot on the accelerator helps quite a bit. While accelerating, try keeping the RPMs at 2500 - 2600 or less. As for fuel economy, I generally exceed the EPA highway mileage rating by 2 - 4 mpg. For mixed city/highway, I get 20 - 21 mpg. If I drive straight city, 18.5 to 19.5 mpg.
Well you've come to the right place...
At least one of us can find a solution for you.
First off , We need to find a few pieces of info,off of you Ok?
One is , what is the rear end gear ratio ,on her?? A 3:55 ,or 3:73 ??
A lower gear ratio would make up that 2-4 Mpg...
But there are other ways to get around that.
Definitely get some road tires.
These are the highest rated tires you can find.
I have had excellent results with these..
My suggestion without doing too much is to try getting a set of cheapy steel rims,
16 inchers and get yourself either some Michelins LTX A/S or M/S ,or
Goodyear All Terrain T/A KO . <$ 110 - 145 U.S./tire>
Keep them at 36 psi.
Keep the Coopers as a back up set , for the rough stuff ,bad weather , backroad mudbogging tires
The idea is to lose some rubber weight , and drag co-efficient which will help on the highway.Those lugs you got are slugs...
Next is to do some maitenance on your tranny .
Do a routine tranny fluid and filter change...<$ 110 U.S.>
It sounds like she's been through some rough towing.
This reduces the longevity of the tranny fluid.
Plus not to mention , you probably have all kinds of metal fragments floating in there from the initial break in period which needs to be cleaned out..
This can reduce the efficiency of the engine/tranny,and cost you $$$ 's in mileage.
Last off , I would stick with the recommended Mobile 1 synthetic 0W40 oil for the engine
till the warranty is done, plus I feel this is the better more efficient higher grade oil.
But that's my .02 cents Canadian ,which ain't worth much... :shades:
Hope this helps.
Good Luck ..
Lightnin3
___________________
If you want the mileage, DO ! the maintenance ,
It'll pay off in the long run. " An ounce of prevention..."
1. All CRD's that I have seen come with a 3.73:1. ratio. That is a lower ratio than
3.55:1. As gear ratios approach 1:1, they are considered higher than those further away from 1:1.
2. Tires are sort of a personal thing. I tend to avoid Goodyear because they are terribly overpriced and offer only marginal performance. Michelin tires are good, especially in the dry. Most of their tires are quite allergic to water especially after they are 1/3 worn or more. The TKO tire he mentions here is quite good. It is made by B.F. Goodrich, not Goodyear. I like Pirelli, Yokohama and am growing rather fond of Bridgestone. I have had very good luck with Pirelli. They have two drawbacks. One is ride. They tend to be a bit harsh but offer amazing control under all conditions. Their second problem is durability. If you get 33K out of them , you have done well. Personally, I like the control over the durability. Yokohamas are nice. They stink in snow, but are otherwise a very nice tire.
3. As for the oil, Amsoil is fine. I find Mobil 1 to be an over-hyped product. I have used Amsoil for years and it has no impact on the warranty, I find that Amsoil is slipperier than Mobil 1, has better flow than Mobil 1at colder temperatures. Also, the 5W-40 formula offers better protection (detergency) than Mobil 1 considering that ULS diesel is still not available in my area. Also, Mobil 1 uses more viscosity improvers than Amsoil. The viscosity improvers come apart under stress and heat.
Drive at a constant RPM. Use the cruize. I've seen a lot of people hit the gas then hit the brake, etc. Use the Cruise. The people who vary the speed a lot take a big hit on their mileage for some reason.
Has anyone got a kit out yout to relocate the oil filter? I could see it gettin' clobbered by some stump or rock in the middle of a logging road. Sometimes those ruts settle pretty deep and the hump in the middle of the road gets grown in and rises high.
So far I have been thrilled with its performance. Solid riding, peppy, quiet enough, and good mileage. I read this board before buying so I understood how to drive a diesel - keeping it in the ideal rpm range and setting cruise control. The dealer filled the tank and I drove it 125 miles (115 of it on the highway). I kept the cruise set on 65 (1900 rpms) and gased up whrn I got to town. This trip right out of the box got me 28.9 ! Even if my math was slighly off, that is pretty darn good for a 4X4.
Anyone have any additonal tips for mileage?
also, how about break in - the maual says very little about it.? I read you should accelerate hard evry so oftent to help seat the rings.
Does anyone have any expereince with the "Predator" module which claims to increase MPG 10-15% and boost power by 60-150 hp? Is that a hoax or true? They run about $600 on ebay.
Thanks.
Check out Gas Saving Gizmos & Gadgets too. The operative words to look for are up to - if the ads say that, keep a tight grip on your wallet. :shades:
Steve, Host
The difference between gas and diesel is that for a given throttle aperture, say in percentage, the behaviour of the gas engine will allow to reach max rpm level with no load or going downhill whilst the diesel will not.
Driving downhill in the mountains even on steep inclines can be done with very little assistance from the brakes. When I go into LO mode, I often have to accelerate in order to keep a decent speed. This works as long as the engine stays under 2200 rpm. My brakes show practically no wear at 57,000 Km!
What a great forum you got here.
I am leaning towards the 2006 J. L. Diesel automatic , because my wife can't drive stick & since we're both used to driving each other's car for many reasons, I like the automatic knowing the stick is better in many ways, so my question is:
Is the automatic reliable when driving in mountainous terrains and heights like San Francisco?
And one more thing is 27k a good price for a 2006 JL diesel 4X4 automatic ? and does the 2006 come with Trac-Lok Differential Axle ?
Thanks a bunch
Ace