Hi Guys,
I just visited the dealer where I've ordered my Pat and have come across something strange.

They currently have 2 black Patriot Sports in stock, both auto, both with grey interiors.

However one is light grey and one is dark grey.
The difference is in the seat colour and the door trim (lower part including speaker grill).

when I questioned him about the difference, he claimed that one of them must have been a "miss build", which I don't understand. you dont just accidentally tint a whole batch of parts a different colour and install them.

I questioned him on the possibillty of a colour change with the change of model to the 08 in the US and he said no just a miss build.

He could not tell me which colour mine was going to come with, just luck of the draw.

I can see positives in both.
Dark looks better and will hide dirt/scuffs
Light will hide scratches/marks

Can you guys with grey interiors post up some daytime pics of your front seats and speaker/door trims. Camera phone > 1megpxl is fine :)

thanks in advance guys, will buy you a beer next time your in Brissy!!

M


PS
It also looks like delivery will be later rather than sooner by a whole week.
bastards!

hmmm, as you know i have access to 3 mine and the 2 work ones will be back there tiommorow arvo can compare all three, btw thney are all sports and black..of course;)

The 08 interior grey is a darker grey than the 07.

thanks zbee!

cklinger,
does the 08 have steering wheel controls and leather wheel standard also?
I think the one with darker interior had that too.
and do you know which build date they changed from 07 to 08?

cheers
M

I just visited the dealer ... They currently have 2 black Patriot Sports in stock with grey interiors ... However one is light grey and one is dark grey. The difference is in the seat colour and the door trim (lower part including speaker grill) ... when I questioned him about the difference, he claimed that one of them must have been a miss build ...

does the 08 have steering wheel controls and leather wheel standard also? ... and do you know which build date they changed from 07 to 08?
Good Morning Herr Mud,

The dealer's explanation that a 'miss build' is responsible for the differences in interior coloring is total rubbish. The two-toned interior is an '07 model up here in the States and the darker monotone Slate interior is an '08. It's always amazes me what some dealerships and their salespeople will invent for an answer when they're otherwise clueless. Seems to me it would be much simpler just to say, "I don't know, but I'll see what I can find out."

As regards the leather steering wheel and related controls .. it is not standard on the base model in the US, but can be optioned in as part of an upgrade package and is also included as standard equipment in the Limited edition Patriot.

On the matter of build dates, the Patriot's is shown numerically as month and year on a printed sticker affixed to the driver's side left front door jamb here in North America. I'm not sure, but this very same placard may be located on driver's side right front door jamb on vehicles built with right-hand drive and destined for OZ, the UK, Japan and any other place in the world where people drive on the wrong side of the road :p. At least if would make sense to put it there.

Finally, I believe they started building 2008 model year Patriots in July 2007.

HTH and don't forget to post a truck load of pics once you've taken delivery of your new Jeep Green Patriot. BTW, we're getting a big gang of Patriot enthusiasts together up here and pooling our resources and frequent flier miles so we can all fly Quantas to OZ and show up on your door stoop in Brisbane one day soon to see your new Pat! Naturally we'll be expecting you to show us the sights and shout us a few beers.:beerchug:

Take care my friend,
Irish Waif ;)

hmmm.

Looks like the dealer has no effing idea.

Lets hope the car they are getting me is the newer 08 model and that the light grey one was stock that they've had for a bit. From memory it had 49km and may have been a demonstrator.
Considering its now the end of October and they started building the 08's in July, I would like to belive the 08's are what we're receiveing now.

If this is the case and we're getting 08 models from now on, it would appear the sport now comes with steering wheel radio controls and leather wheel as standard in Australia as this is what the car with the darker interior had (no sound group +).

oh, and how do I handle with this the dealer if I get an 07 model?

should I be asking for extras seeing as though the 08 is now on their lots and that they should have been selling through the 07's?

hmmm. Lets hope the car they are getting me is the newer 08 model.

oh, and how do I handle with this the dealer if I get an 07 model?
Monsieur Mud,

I believe the most accurate and foolproof way to ascertain a Patriot's model year is to simply check the Vehicle Identification Number [VIN] that is embossed or etched on a metal plate located immediately behind the windshield in the lower left-hand corner as seen from inside the vehicle.

Now since your new Jeep will be right-hand drive, I guess it's possible it may be located in the lower right-hand corner but, no matter where it is, you need only decipher the VIN using a decoder chart to definitively establish the vehicle's model year.

Fortunately for all of us, this matter has already been thoroughly addressed in another thread with nearly.normal.jimmy having handily posted a scan of the Jeep's VIN decoder lifted from a 2007 Partriot Body Manual.

Please see:
Patriot VIN: Decoder that gives the Sequence Numbers meaning? (http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?p=26710)

See Also:
Jeep Vehicles VIN Reference Guide (http://www.jeepfan.com/tech/tech_vinref.htm)

As far as 'handling' the dealer is concerned if he presents you with an '07 Patriot, simply refuse it. It's your money and you're shopping for a 2008 Patriot; can't imagine even the most unethical dealer not understanding that.

Good luck & we'll be looking forward to seeing a few snapahots of your new pride and joy once she's safely in your hands.

Kind Regards,
Irish Waif ;)


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b259/Catsmeow_/JeepPatriot%20com/VIN_Decoder.jpg (http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?p=26710)

I have just finished on the phone with my dealer and DC australia.
It seems NO-ONE is aware of a spec change in any of the Patriots coming into Aus.
NO-ONE can supply me with the VIN of my ordered vehicle or even tell me where its coming from. DC Australia say there are no Pats in Jeep Green that are have not been allocated, so the dealer must be getting it from another dealer.
I'm ready to go mushroom cloud on someone!

[I]Monsieur Mud,

Good luck & we'll be looking forward to seeing a few snapahots of your new pride and joy once she's safely in your hands.



will get em up as soon as I get it.

what makes you think it will be a she?

Ok, final update, lets put this baby to bed!

Dealer finally came back to me and said
Difference, one is 07 one is 08. (der)

There are only a handlful of 08's in the country and there has been no communication from DC Aus to any of the dealers regarding the change of model.

He said the only 08's in Aus are Black Sport Auto's and there wasn't that much difference.
If I wanted anything other than that I would have to wait til next year and stamp duty is goin up $800 on Jan 1st blah blah blah.

I said, well I really wanted the darker interior whah whah whah, get your service guys to go out and change the trim panels and seats over with the one you have in stock.

He didn't like the sound of that at all and started back tracking saying there was more than just changing a few bits over, but he'd see what he could do. (should I hold my breath?) and if he couldn't he would give me a free "interior protection" and lifetime warranty on it (final last words, he obviously hasn't sold many Pat's or seen how the interiors can get).

AND then, I pressured him on giving me a delivery date.
Oh looks like Tue or Wed next week now, after he told me it should be this Fri.
The sad bit is I fly to Melbourne for work next Thursday and Friday so no play for me :(

All in all, I'm happy that I now know what I'm getting and when I'm getting it.
Not knowing anything was my real beef.

I'm getting a great price which is pretty much RRP (not having to pay rego, dealer delivery, stamp duty on roads etc which saves me about AU$4500) + Tow bar + Full window tint + Carpet Mats + Interior Protection.

...im happy with my 07, the other 2 are the same aswell, light grey interior, the battle with the other half is going to be resolved in the near future as im goin to have to get her one now, but itll be a limited, after 3 weeks ive already clocked up 5600ks, and shes already been one some very rough dirt roads and must say after a wash still looks and performs brand new..btw my pat is going to be at a outside broadcast at logan at spas plus if anyone is near there saturday just off the motorway, just look for the river truck and the station pat will be up at jimna at the "Mud, Bulls and Music" festival, we gunna get it real dirty;)