It seems like a lot of people on here are having trouble with their Jeep service departments. I know my family is having problems with ours. They used to fix everything the first time and let us know whats going on with our cars, now they could just care less.

 

Go to an auto/tire place, dealers don't know what to do when it comes to servicing, all they know how to do is oil changes and tire rotations. You have to go third party to get anywhere, NEVER go to the dealer.

 

It's not just you. I've gotten nothing but runaround and doublespeak from the Jeep dealerships I've tried to get anything done at.

Still trying to get my computer flashed for the transmission problem.

They've already made their money, they don't need us anymore.

Last time I buy a Chrysler product. Compare their service to Nissan and it's like getting screwed with no kiss or lube.

 

When my Pat quit working with electrical issues three days after picking it up, I figured I'd have issues too. Thank GOD, my service Manager is competent and they take care of me very well.

Only problem with not going to the dealer is having to pay for repairs that are covered under warranty.

Alex, have you complained to the owner of the dealership? I would write a letter addressed directly to him/her. It may not get all the way to them through the chain of retards, but someone will read it and maybe, just maybe, realize they are stupid! Of course, tell them you won't be purchasing from them, nor recommending them, and you're filing a complaint with Chrysler. And hold true to that.

Man, it really does suck how people are these days. It seems the 'customer' service department is more of a rubber wall to bounce away customers and save the company money. Ya know, now that I think about it... The dealer gets paid by Chrysler for warranty work, and it keeps their employees busy! Idiots.

Sorry about your luck. My service dept. makes up for my sales guy (HE was a dip-****).

 

I got blew off by my dealer's service department vis-a-vis getting the CVT software flash done - "Come back after 10K - 15K kilometers and see if you still have an issue". Well, I gotta go there today for my Jeep's first oil change at 5K kilometers. I will let you know how I make out getting an oil change. I don't expect stellar service.

 

Get to know the guys at the service center first and then ask for help. Go in for a "car wash" and chat them up. Go back for a "oil change" and continue to build the relationship... Then finally once you need something taken care of, you will be on a first name basis with the guys (or gals) at the dealership.


Typically this makes the whole experience a lot better.

 

I can not agree more. Interpersonal skills are a definite must in this area. Don't look at like you are kissing butt or brown nosing, you are just making "friends" with the people who are working on your car. Makes me feel better about having work done if the people doing it have at least some level of personal investment in the vehicle/me. On a little lighter side, think of it like this; would you piss off a fast food cook before he prepares your meal? lol
Of course if the folks have a bad attitude towards you and your car no matter what then that just sux!

 

Are the dealers you are going to certified five star dealers? If they are, and you call DC to complain the dealer will be in the soup and will fix your problems quickly.

 

If you do, let me know if you get anywhere and who you talked to. The guy that I registered my complaint with basically said it doesn't matter if they are 5star or not and that he had no recourse for my issues.

 

We have tried 2 jeep dealers in our area with awful results. Actually did a formal complaint with chrysler (not that they seemed to care either). The service manager (at one dealer) actually helped and gave me 3 oil changes for my issues - so try him at yours. We are only going there for the free oil changes. There is a third dealership that we have heard good things from, so will try them next...

OTOH, we LOVE our saturn dealership and have since day 1 (service and sales). They'll service the jeep and take chryslers coupons if we decide to go that route. And, we might buy our next jeep from them. The guy that does orders there now was our original salesman and he said he can get whatever we want (not sure if that is just swapping with dealers or if we can place an order through him).

 

My dad is a small town Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer for over 50 years. Our #1 concern is and always has been our customers. Our customer satisfaction index has always been at the top. The reason being is that we take a personal interest in every customer we have. The current trend is to have nothing but impersonal "mega dealers" and phasing out the "little guys" like us. The above threads sure seem to imply that might be the wrong direction.
Bottom line is: We're all not that bad.
(wish you all could come to Kalida, Ohio....we WILL take care of you)

 

I so agree with this! I live in the Greater Toronto Area and I drive 1.5 hours to do business with a Smaller Chrysler dealer - Goudy Motors in Meaford, Ontario. The only downside is that their hours are not the greatest 8-5 M-F & 8-12 on Sat. However the service is GREAT, they also charge a LOT Less for Labour. My family has been buying cars from this dealer for 20 Years now and I believe that the Compass that I have on order will be the 10th vehicle that we have bought from them.

I've had to use one of the Big Dealers a few times (when I've had issues were my car wasn't driveable) and it's always been a nightmare.

I posted this on another Forum:

Well today my anger @ Chrysler grew some more. I took delivery of my 2002 Neon in May 2002.
On August 26, 2005 I had to replace the battery. I've always got at LEAST 5 years out of a battery in the past. I had to go to the closest dealership , instead of my usual dealership (for obvious reasons)
On August 26, 2007 my battery dies again.
Both times there was Absolutely NO WARNING. Both times the car started fine 5 Minutes earlier & then nothing.
So of course August 26th 2007 was a Sunday so the dealership isn't even open & I can't go to my normal dealership because I need to go to the closest dealership to make sure that I actually get there.
So once again they charge me a $60 Diagnosis charge even though Both times I told them it was the battery and the battery light came on after I got a boost. They say that they have to Prove to Chrysler that the Battery was defective (for the warranty coverage on the battery) so they have to do the test and I have to pay for the test. The warranty only covers the test for 1 year. I ask the service manager if he thinks that a battery should only last 2 years and he says that they had a bunch that only lasted 1 year in Neons.

Wow what an answer!

So $125 later I have my 3rd Mopar battery in 5 years...


On the way out I notice that they didn't put the Battery Sticker on my Reciept so I go back in and they tell me that they put it on Their Copy of the Reciept and I don't need it. I ask them to read the sticker to me and they're like Oh it does say to attatch it to the customer copy... they remove it and staple it to my reciept.
These are the same clowns that put my Radiator Hose on backwards after they replaced my Radiator - if I hadn't caught that mistake the hose would have melted as it was sitting right on top of the engine...
Plus the last time they changed my battery they Forgot to Tighten the Battery on to the Battery Tray - It was just sitting there loose. My regular dealer found it like that during my next oil change & they tightened it down for me - for free of course.

A word to the wise - Avoid Elgin Mills Chrysler in Richmond Hill, Ontario @ All Costs!

As you can see the small town dealers seem to be Much better!
Funny thing is the small town dealers are never 5 star dealers...

 

ricku,

I know where you're coming from. Our village has a Chrysler/Jeep dealership that has been here for many years. Mullen Motors, Southold, NY. They have a great reputation for customer service and I purposely purchased a Patriot from them so I could be a customer of theirs. They are just a great bunch of folks who treat their customers like family. It's a family owned dealership and I hope they stay in business. Rich Mullen told me that when they get a car with problems, it bothers them as much as the customer, if not more. I do not know why Chrysler or ANY car company will tolerate a poor dealership. It is in the service department that the future cars are sold, not on the floor. I am very sorry for all you folks who have experienced poor workmanship or service on your Patriot. It should NOT be accepted by the bosses at Chrysler.

 

Wow! You guys are making me feel very lucky. I have had great service and satidfaction from my dealer (Auffenberg Chrysler Jeep in O'Fallon Il ).

Of course, I live over in Missouri and didn't like the way the guy at the local dealership talked, so I went acroos the river to this one.

So I guess when I think about it I wasn't all THAT lucky since it was only on the second try.

Oh, by the way, the dealership over here missed out on at least three sales that they could have had if they hadn't blown me off: A Compass, a Patriot, and a Liberty.

 

Bah. I ain't kissing no one's butt. That's their job man.

Here's a good link to a funny mechanic clip, fits here perfectly...

http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=25415

 

Like I said it isn't kissing butt... its more like having them see you as more than just another joe blow who comes in gets good service and never even says thanks. No, having people saying thanks (with sincerity) isn't required for them to do their job. But it is nice to feel apreciated, i know I like to feel that way. Costs nothing to give out and the rewards are usually intangible but well worth it.

 

Poor service

Kind of like being an American in France; ignored, poo-pood, viewed with disdain.

However, I must say the service department where I take my Patriot is right on the money. Point one, the dealer services and scans all the incoming new vehicles and corrects problems. The dealer is small, though, with low volume.

One member mentioned 'chat 'em up'. You bet.

My suggestions are to not overload a service appointment with too many concerns. If the situation is not critical, push out that appointment so scheduling is not an issue.

One thing I do is request the same mechanic each time. I think they like it. Maybe not. But, at least, they get to know the vehicle.

Then again, if the service dept. is getting heat from sales or management to increase volume or profit margin, somebody's gonna get the blowback. Probably us.

Overall, I agree. But for all you service industry folks out there, I find many areas of service have improved or become much more efficient (I'd place an icon here but, there doesn't seem to be one kissing butt).

 

From what I have read so far, it sounds like small town has not lost the value of the customer, of courtesy and genuine caring. Big city tends to not care as much. Just sheer numbers of disgruntled customers will feel trapped and will endure equally surly service people and dealers I suppose. If I discover that my local Chrysler dealers are anxious to not service me then I will give them precisely what they are looking for. We will all feel good. They can enjoy their sloth and I will be delighted to not throw my money at them. Hey, in a sense everyone wins. Sad commentary mind you.

My dealer is a 5-Star and so far they have given me every indication they do not want me back and the rating is meanlingless to the customer. Oh they have gone down the checklist and sent me the obligatory stuff. So has Chrysler. But has anyone called me just to take my pulse? Nopers. I received a late evening phone call from a some dealer admin person who was doing a survey. But the survey as presented didn't even come close to addressing the issues I had. If she wrote down my concerns and passed them on, I sure haven't heard from anyone. Another opportunity to improve and delight their customers was lost.

I wonder if Chrysler would listen to a complaint letter really. Or depending on the complaint would they merely high-five each other because it provided another statistic to indicate their cost-cutting measures are at work? Sadly, I think the latter would occur.

Laurels to all dealers who truly remember who keeps them in business.

/rant off

 

The Jeep dealer here is 5 star fwiw.. and I am all for getting on first name basis with the guys, but one problem is that there are so many of them.

There has been a different person behind the desk everytime I went in, and asking for the guy I was dealing with 'Todd' didn't always work. "He's off today, he's on an errand, he went to lunch, we can't find him." Whe I look in the back there seems to be about a dozen actual service guys running aruond, and about 6 different guys rotate at the desk.

Who do you 'buddy' with? Who do you give the 6 pack too? Which one is actually doing the work? Will he be there the next time, and available?
Did you make friends with a guy who works 2 days and you will never see again?

Sure is a lot of BS and hoop jumping just to get people to do their jobs.
What if we all had that same attitude and professionalism at our chosen professions? How long would we last?


(Another RANT... this is the kind of service place where when you walk in, all guys at the desk have their head buried in a computer ignoring you are even there. 3 times this happened to me.. once I waited till someone finished their solitaire and looked up, once I said excuse me.. and got **** looks from all 3, and once I just walked up to the first guy and he, without even looking up pointed me to the next guy , who judging by his body language, wasn't too thrilled about it)

I DREAD having to contact them to get my dash problem resolved.

Jim

 

After having 2 Hondas, Toyota, 2 Infinitis, and Lincoln, I was feeling all Jingoistic/Patriotic and broke down and bought American instead of the LR3 I wanted, well all the American car companies can go broke for all i care!

Boy I feel better!

Uhh... Why would you get a Patriot if you could get an LR3? :icon_rolleyes:

 

My $1 oil changes for life is why I visit my dealership. They are pretty good with service. I always see my sales rep and service manager is always happy to see me and shakes hand etc... no problems here. must be certain dealerships. mine is a 5 star btw

 

I went to my dealer late Fridfay afternoon and the Quick Lube bay was 5 deep in cars awaiting oil changes. So, I waited until Saturday morning when the dealership opens at 8am. I thought that to be proactive in getting in and out, I best be there a half hour earlier so I can get to the head of the queue. Nope! When I arrived at abput 7:20, I was - guess what - 5 deep in the queue.

I finally got pulled into the bay at 9am (about 15 minutes per oil change). The refreshing thing is, and why everyone tolerated the long wait, is my I have oil changes and tire rotations free (16 and 8 respectively) through 2011.

The young chaps doing the work were very courteous. Perhaps they are newbies and understand customer service. They haven't been sullied in attitude by the so called Service Advisors yet I suppose.

 

I went to my dealer late Fridfay afternoon and the Quick Lube bay was 5 deep in cars awaiting oil changes. So, I waited until Saturday morning when the dealership opens at 8am. I thought that to be proactive in getting in and out, I best be there a half hour earlier so I can get to the head of the queue. Nope! When I arrived at abput 7:20, I was - guess what - 5 deep in the queue.

I finally got pulled into the bay at 9am (about 15 minutes per oil change). The refreshing thing is, and why everyone tolerated the long wait, is my I have oil changes and tire rotations free (16 and 8 respectively) through 2011.

That's why I don't go for the "free oil change" thing ... spending 2-1/2 hours to get your oil changed is rediculous. I'd rather spend the $30 at a quick one and be out of there in a half hour. I'd rather spend that time with my kid than sitting in a dealership.

 

That is a great story right there... A dealer providing some service that seems to have caught on in your area.

There's a place by my home that offers free lifetime oil changes - I might buy my next car from them. We'll see.

 

One of the reasons that we bought our jeep where we did was because we have a good history there. My wife drove a Sundance in the early 90s and they were always top notch with service and attitude. Hopefully, they're still the same.

On the other hand, we did scout out vehicles on the other local jeep dealer's lot. Although there were salesmen on the lot (mostly standing near the door smoking) none of them approached us. In fact, at one point two salesmen held a conversation while we stood in between them. What made it even less professional was that it was laced with profanity. Our feeling was, that if the sales department couldn't give us the time of day, what would the service department be like?

 

Man that really is the pits! Profanity in front of potential customers?? Bad news.

My dealership is low key, so they don't bug you if you are looking around in the lot, but they'll be glad to help you with any questions. Frankly, if I walked into a dealership and the same thing happened to me, I would send the owner a letter. Now if one of the idiots WAS the owner, just put a BIG X on their listing in the phone book!

 

I'm about a 4/10 on the service I received from my local dealer. Took it in after about 800 miles as it pulled slightly to the right and had a buzz/rattle...

Dropped it off in the morning with the understanding that I'd pick it up in the late afternoon. Waited 30 minutes for their shuttle to take me to the office. Got a ride back to the dealer at 5:00, and turns out they had not finished with it...finished up about 45 minutes later... They checked it out on the alignment rack and it was fine, and then rotated tires and said to come back if it was still a problem. It now pulls to the left...so they didn't fix the problem...nor did they find the obvious rattle... haven't been back yet.

That said, they were courteous and nice enough.

 

Well I am never, ever taking my Jeep back to the dealership I purchased it from, even though they're a "5 star" dealer. Salesman was seedy and lied outright to me, I was handed off two two other salesmen... and they "great deal" they promised to give me to get me in the door was never offered.

So for my first checkup (6,000 mile) plus the headlight recall and CVT TSB, I took it to the other Jeep dealership in town (Steve Christy). They DID lose my paperwork but it turned out they spelled my name wrong and it got filed incorrectly, but that was taken care of quickly. They were friendly, courteous and even balanced all four tires for free when they rotated them.

 

Mitaku - how are you testing the alignment?

If there is even a slight angle in the road, or wind blowing, the car will respond and pull to one side. I have noticed my Patriot pulling left one moment and right another moment, and I realized the roads are not flat.

I also noticed even with -slight- wind, the Patriot will pull to one side because its not very aerodynamic and the wind can move it easy.

 

no, it was not just a road crown or wind issue... that's why i didn't make a snap judgment and waited a good 700 miles to be sure that it was not just a situational thing.

the fact that it now pulls slightly left after they crossrotated indicates that it is something with a tire or rim, but i'm going to be swapping both out soon anyway, so i'm not too concerned. would rather have it pull slightly left for that matter as it compensates for road crown.