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Comments
I agree that they should fix the tranny problems without gutting the enginee performance. You paid for a vehicle that delivers 295 lb-ft of torque @ 1800 rpm and that is exactly what you should get.
He would not let me schedule repair till next week as it took 5 working days to get tc for repair to other CRD. They will give me car under 70k extended warranty and will call region rep if repair goes over 5 day limit due to pump order. He did say that it would be almost impossible to get any parts from dc during week between xmas and new year due to short staffing at distribution center.
I have not had the shudder problem and would not have made an appt. if the guy had not called me. He was pretty insistent about getting it done which is unusual for a recall. The SM said to forget the 5 hr repair time and to expect the car to be in shop at least overnight as only their tranny tech will be doing fix.
Having rented a Dodge Magnum last week,if this vehicle is the kind of quality DCX is putting in their vehicles, DCX is in seriouc trouble! The hatd cheap plastic dash and pannels, not only looked cheap, it made the old Yugo's insides look fancy! If you look at the Caliber, Compass, there interior is just as cheap as the Magnum! I am not a Ford or GM fan but they have better quality materials than DCX has. These "Low Rider, Hood-mobiles" will just about send DCX down the tubes, that's my opinion anyway. However the Nitro did have a better materials and much better cloth seats. Our seats need to be cleaned so often because even a raindrop makes a stain! I too have a love hate feelings about our CRD, but it's more love than hate. Actually is is the Customer care line and Star that makes me very frustrated, as no one knows anything! And they are "sorry for any inconvience.". That just outright sucks! I will never buy a brand new model or new engine type again. This being a "TEST MARKET". However I am in hopes the new Jeep Liberty will have a better looking front end than the Nitro has.
Farout
Your comments concerning the K&N filter are unfounded. I have a K&N filter in my CRD and have not experienced any loss in fuel economy nor has any oil come off of the filter. I have had the filter in my CRD for about 1500 miles now and have not found any oil or film emanating from the filter. The only way this could happen is if the filter was dripping with oil.
I have used other oiled filters in the past and have never experienced any oil coming off of the filter.
The torque converter has been replaced along with other parts. Front pump is still original. Once I get it back tomorrow I will give more details.
tidester, host
From what I have seen and heard DCX is very hard noised about buy backs and customers changing anything that could even remotely related to emissions. Even small things DCX looks for to bring anything into question, that devalues a persons defence in why something failed. I have had three dealers tell me that the oil is a critical issue that DCX does not budge on. Using 15-40w or 5-30w is trouble. They expect 0-40 or 5-40 and that is pretty narrow and rather explicit as to what DCX will accept and nothing else. I think the CRD is a good engine, it's the added emissions that make it a very technical, computer controlled vehicle. One should expect some reflashes or other recall items, but I do feel this CRD has had more recalls that I expected. I hope being a "test market" for DCX means we are getting all the bugs worked out so it will last longer than the payments. Merry Christma2s.
Farout
As to the oil issue, the use of a synthetic 15W-40 is fine. It meets DCX's specs based on what they recommend. DCX would have to prove that the oil caused a problem/failure. Remember, the owners manual uses the word recommended, not must when it comes to motor oil.
Several people in the EU reported they had no 'sensible' improvement when used with common rail diesels, but this does not alter in any way the quality of the product. Few (younger) people complained because they had no return on their investment when used on diesel engines.
People with limited budget buy diesels here but they can't dissimulate social standing behind accessories. I've noticed greater differences between two fillings from a same station than by using my K&N versus the original. Turbo lag is reduced on my engine, but the converter locking sequence eats the extra performance
Since there is practically no dust in the air between late fall and spring, I use the K&N about 5 months in the year. It's great to know what it's worth and to have one on the shelf.
I didn’t buy a diesel because I like the smell, or the joy of being extra careful during refueling to ensure that good clothes aren’t ruined by the fuel that averages at least 25 cents a gallon more than gasoline, or because I wanted the opportunity to pay one hundred bucks for what would have been a thirty dollar oil change. I bought the diesel because it had torque, lots of torque, and because I hoped that I could get a couple hundred thousand miles out of the vehicle. I’m now very concerned by the thought of keeping this car after the 70k mile warranty runs out.
My love/hate relationship with this car continues, but I have to say that Mrs. Parkenfarker’s 5th grade science class could have done a better job of engineering a dependable drive train than the nattering nabobs and nincompoops that seem to occupy the engineering department at DC. Everyone that I share my recall letter with is amazed that the corporate solution is to gut the engine rather than fix the problem.
I can only hope that the loss truly is minimal, and that the new TC will solve my intermittent, low-speed shudder problem that occurs about once every three weeks. It only happens when I have pulled out of my heated and air-conditioned garage and driven to the first intersection, which is about 150 feet from my home. I’m glad that my speed is under 10 m.p.h., because it sounds and feels like the entire drive train is falling out.
I predict that those of you worried about this TC tuning will be generally happy and after awhile will forget what all the fuss is about.
On another note. Does anyone else have the problem of the transmission dip stick poping up a couple of inches after freeway driving? Maybe this is related to the TC tuning?? I have a wine cork holding it in place now but that seems a bit rigged.
Matt
First think I noticed was the fact that the Jeep does not lunge the way it did before when starting out from a stop. Pickup is smoother and easier to modulate. Never had the "shuddering" issue as others have had. From 50 - 80 MPH, performance in top gear is the same, namely very fast acceleration. Shift quality is improved in my view being a bit firmer and a bit quicker. Would prefer it to be firmer but it is better than it was. FE is unchanged. Do not have any hills here in Florida to try hill climbing power tests but when I get back to Maryland next month, I will test there.
Remember last year or was it two years ago I said that after disconnecting my EGR I could shift gears just by moving one toe! Well, my tranny is still working like this after many many miles.
On the issue of 15-45w oil, I have asked several service managers how would DCX know what oil you are using? The dealership I used for over a year insisted it was not hard at all. The Dodge dealer Service Manager whom I just talked to said there is no way anyone could tell. So now you can see why I changed who services my Jeep!
Winter2 I am no expert, and my mechanical skills are limited by choice (I hate to get as mad, and look like a hot head, as I do when I do mechanical repair) I am sure there a few others like me. At least on our road I have seen a few others like me. But what ever I say it comes from watching and asking questions. That and I get about 4 auto magazines. I read stuff that the dealers haven't heard of sometimes.
Again i never intended to ruffle your tail feathers, ok?
Farout
As to the oil issue, DCX would have to prove the oil caused the problem. There is also Moss-Magnuson act too. Go to the websites of the respective oil manufacturers and write down the specs you find. Evaluate the oils based on the specs that are common to all of them and see for yourself.
I still wish it shifted more firmly. Way back in the 60's and early 70's Chrysler had a three speed automatic called the Torqueflite 727. It was a wonderful automatic. Shifts were quick and firm. The transmission was very strong too and could handle just about anything you threw at it. It is a shame you never got to drive a car with one.
As to disconnecting the EGR valve. No thanks. The idea of stiff fines is no particularly appealing. Now that we finally have ULSD, the EGR valve should be well behaved for a long time to come.
The CRD do not run the same way, i think that DCX do not make a good trans for the CRD, they better use a mercedes trans next time.
When i start it in the morning i always go slow, the engine rpm on first is higher, the shifting is more positive and now i do have at 55 some shudder witch i didn't have before. My wife told me to take back but i will run it longer to see if it will fix itself. They use 8 quart of oil and didn't replace the pump, they didn't even took the pan off. The front joint look to me the same as the one it had before but the CRD seems to be a bit higher.
Well that is all will see what happen next.
nescosmo.
The CRD couldn't use that one either
Assuming that this is accurate, this implies that there was some sort of running production change in the CRD transmissions.
It would be interesting to know what that was.
I found that my transmission dip stick was way out when I changed the air filter. I was going to blame the dealer's mechanic, but since you've mentioned it, I'll need to open the hood at each fuel fill up, and check that everythng is in place.
Merry Christmas.
Farout
Nescosmo.
First impression was were did all the power in the first cm of pedal go? I can get over it if that is what it is supposed to do but I really got worried when the Overdrive button did not turn on or off, nothing. Going back to dealer.
We don't think that my shudder is fuel related. It only happens when the engine is cold----within the first 100 feet of my heated garage, and it only happens once. When I stop and start again the problem is over and it won't return for about three weeks, and then the event will be the same.
Reference the wine cork fix for the dipstick. Perhaps we can get DCX to prescribe a wine cork as an official solution. That way we could carry a bottle of Merlot around with us at all times. I'm already under doctors instructions to have one glass per day for cholesterol, so how about an entire bottle for the car??
Nescosmo.
I have found out that all screw clamps on our CRDs need to be snugged down or at least checked monthly. I have been doing this since new and have had no problems. Do not over tighten the clamps as they could either break or eventually cut the hose they are meant to hold.
nescosmo Happy Holidays
THANKS GOODCRD.
Nescosmo.
Merry Christmas and God Bless All.
Nescosmo....
Goodcrd's suggestion is worthwhile, find another dealer with a better reputation.
Unfortunately, we only have one Jeep dealer in town so getting a "good or reliable" mechanic that will qualify for the long term maintenance contract we bought is probably out of the question. The first time I took my Jeep in for its first oil change the problems started. First, I noticed an oil leak that had not been there before. It gradually got worse. Then as I was driving down the road, I happened to look up at the little sticker they put on your car for your next oil change and it said THEY PUT 10w-30 oil in my diesel!! OMG - I rushed over to the dealer and they changed it out - but I have always wondered, did it cause any damage? Oh, and that oil leak, well, it seems who ever changed the oil, stripped the place where the screw goes into (don't you love my descriptions) and they didn't say a darned thing, just said okay it's okay now. Then my husband changed the oil and he said the whole thing was stripped out - so back I go to the dealer. Oops, we need to replace the oil pan and oh by the way, the transmission pan needs to be replaced because it has a leak too. Well, the transmission pan is still leaking but the new oil pan worked out.
We love our jeep, it totally fits for our ideals of hooking it up behind our big ole RV and taking off on retirement day, soooo, any new information you might be able to give me would be welcome. There are too many threads to read but you seem to really know your stuff so if you could just give me any good news other than to try and find another mechanic!!! Thanks
When you find a good mechanic. Keep him!!! Good Luck.
tidester, host