Unreal. I had my Pat for 3 weeks when a cd got stuck in my 6 cd changer. The service manager tried to tell me they won't cover it under warrenty because i was using cd-r discs, and tried to tell me it is in the book that they don't play cd-r, when in fact it is in several places that it does play them. They are basically looking for any excuse not to cover broken parts under warrenty.

 

maybe the compressor had mud in it :icon_rolleyes:

 

maybe the compressor had mud in it

That is a valid question.

Were the pictures that they sent of the exterior or were they pictures of the inside of the engine compartment?

If there is mud caked on everything inside the engine compartment (especially the compressor and condenser) then you are going to have a hard time legally. Running the A/C with the condenser clogged with mud can cause the compressor to fail.

I am just playing devil's advocate here:
Yes, these vehicles can be taken off-road - responsibly.
The issue Chrysler probably has is that it appears that there is owner negligence. If you've played in some deep mud puddles and possibly have gotten quite a bit in the engine compartment, but didn't bother to wash it out why would they be on the hook for repacing something that may have been damaged due to your negligence.

This is the angle Chrysler is going to take and so it will be your job to attempt to prove that although you were having fun you haven't been negligent. Pictures of an engine compartment caked in week old mud is a sign (however weak it may be) that the owner might not be taking care of the vehicle.

Oh, and your signature pictures (especially the one with steam rising out of the hood) aint helping.

I am glad that you have been having fun with the Patriot. :smiley_thumbs_up:

 

...but its a jeep...why should mud have anything to do with it?

 

rule # 1 (or maybe it's #14) is to clean out your radiator/AC condensor after mudding so that things don't overheat.

sorry dex, but having seen how you drive the Patriot hard and muddy, I don't think Chrysler's in the wrong here. If you play, ya gotta pay (I know I'm going to end up paying for that statement later on...)

I have never seen a Patriot ad that has it buried head to toe in mud.

Warrantees are to cover manufacturers defects.

 

what is a jeep supposed to do and what do they promote when selling it. OFFROADING. and then they say in the warrenty that if you do "severe" offroading you will not be covered. What the hell is severe offroading anyway... oh wait anytime off the road.

 

severe off-roading = rock crawling, really. Dirt roads and a bit of mud shouldn't be a problem at all. It's what this Jeep's forte' is. So I dunno, looks like they're trying to get out of something. The problem is none of the ads I have ever seen feature a Patriot off-road, it's usually a point at "we not spends lots o gas so buy us" ad... good luck man.

 

Just curious, was the condenser (foremost radiator) plugged with mud?
Perhaps a stick or rock poked a hole in it?
Either way, I would not expect it to be covered under warranty -- both caused by external forces, not by something the factory failed to do properly.

If they cannot determine the cause was due to negligence, or external physical damage, it should be covered under warranty!

 

If you're planning on going to court I would erase the pictures from your post just to be safe. They could be used against you if the find this forum. (Not that you're doing anything to void the warranty if you Pat is trail rated.) The brochure that I got from Chrysler showed one driving up a mountainside through mud, but amazingly it didn't have a spot on it. Unfortunately, I think I pitched it with the rest of the crap they give you to persuade you to buy.

 

X2!!! One time we lost our insurance because our insurance company looked at our web page and saw all the crazy custom things we make or repair.

 

Your first question should be.. why are they not covering the repair under warranty?

they should provide a written explanation.

- Dan M

 

Your first question should be.. why are they not covering the repair under warranty?

they should provide a written explanation.
- Dan M

AND how many miles do you have on it?

 

Looking at the pics in your signature, I don't think you have much of a case against a team of high paid lawyers working for Chrysler.

 

Dex, I hate to side with the corporate guys, but like most are saying here, you may be out of luck.

Is there any chance of you getting a copy of the picture they took of your Jeep so you can see what they are using as their excuse?

 

Dont forget the Patriot was originally designed as a 4x2 small family station wagon--just as an entry level model to intoduce newbies to the Jeep badge! Ok so it evolved slightly into a simple 4x4 & a FD 11 trail rated model was introduced . But its not a Wrangler !! Its pretty fragile & under powered & was never designed to take too much off road abuse. Basically its a Dodge Caliber with Jeep Badges & a SW body.

Oh & it wont pull Rocks out of Gardens --In Reverse!!

 

you would have better luck in small claims court.But I agree with some people here not a lot of people have there jeeps covered in mud all the time or at least rinse off the mud after your done having fun.

 

And maybe they thought the compressor failure was related to THIS:

"So.. I broke the Jeep. I broke it good.

I was trailing away happily, and found myself in a precarious position of ground. Two troughs for my wheels, and one solid rocky lump in the middle. All four wheels were spinning freely without much ground contact. When I got pulled out, there was some significant damage.

Front cross member that the front Engine mount is attached was twisted and turned into a bit of a W. The Engine-mount support that reaches below the engine was ripped from its bolt, and bent backwards until it was dragging firmly on the ground.

I brought it in, and had to get the frame pulled slightly, the cross member, motor mount, and motor mount support replaced. As well as a four-wheel alignment, and undercoating on the new parts. While it was in there I had them throw a skidplate on the front. No tow hooks yet, that.. obviously would help, but money is tight.

$1800 in repairs, $200 tow. Ow."

That would be MY guess. If you turned this into your insurance company, maybe with your dealers assistance, they can convince your insurance company that this was related to that accident. Just a thought.....:icon_rolleyes:

 

Look at your warranty info that came with the vehicle when you bought it.

It states things not covered, including abuse.

- Dan M

 

poor d3xt0r, he was hoping for a support and having some proof to prepare his case...

We don't even know the root cause of the damage. He may abuse his Patriot but that doesn't mean that warranty won't be covered if the damage is happened during normal usage.

 

Maybe you are right... It was never stated what muddy conditions Chrysler considered as "voiding" the warranty in this case. If it is solely based on a muddy exterior (but the engine bay is clean), then he may have a good basis to sue. If the pictures Jeep took of the Riot shows a grungy engine bay, then the story is a gloomy one...

I am sure that whatever lawyer Dex gets a hold of will take him down the right path for a successful conclusion.

All I can offer is the 2009 sales brochure. it's the same as the one for the US. If it helps and you need it Dex, shoot me a PM with your e-mail and I will scan it in color and e-mail it to you.

 

If it was an FDII you would have more to stand on as that vehcile is pitched as an off road vehicle you might have better luck, but the FDI isn't marketed as a vehicle that can handle severe off road situations.

Good luck.

 

yet the FDI and FDII have the same A/C system - not much of an argument either way kev.

 

off-roading video released by chrysler

even has Matt Liddane narrating it all...but there isn't really any "mudding" ...just driving through large puddles which doesn't really count


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2stIOe9QJg&feature=related

 

even has Matt Liddane narrating it all...but there isn't really any "mudding" ...just driving through large puddles which doesn't really count


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2stIOe9QJg&feature=related

That video is priceless! You can tell the drivers had little concern for damaging the test vehicle with how fast they were going. Of course, I'm sure those shots were all staged and practiced many a time.

On a side note... Why is there a lady pushing a portable dishwasher with bike tires on top of it down my street? WTF is happening?

 

Big Panda,

Was that quote from something Dexter previously wrote? If it was, I'm sure the Chrysler lawyers have already downloaded it along with those pics of Dexter's Patriot, if I know my corporate legal staffs.

 

YEP, sure was. It was from a thread he started titled "So.. I broke the Jeep."


Good luck with that lawsuit 'Dex'......:doh:

 

Here is some links to Jeep Patriot photos, all located on Jeep's very own website, with the vehicle shown in an offroad setting...

1 of 8

2 of 8

3 of 8

4 of 8

5 of 8

6 of 8

7 of 8

8 of 8

Hope these will help, slim chance, but you never know... BTW, having the SBO Patriots in the photo was NOT my doing... Good luck...

 

Here is some links to Jeep Patriot photos, all located on Jeep's very own website, with the vehicle shown off road in each photo...

Photos 1 of 8, 2 of 8, 3 of 8, 4 of 8, 5 of 8, 6 of 8, 7 of 8 and 8 of 8.

Hope these will help your case, might be a slim chance, but you never know... BTW, having the SBO Patriots in the photo was NOT my doing... Good luck...

 

Here is some links to Jeep Patriot photos, all located on Jeep's very own website, with the vehicle shown off road in each photo...

6 of 8

Yea, 'if' you have ANY chance, it might be due to #6 here. It appears they are telling you that your Patriot can be driven like this with no problems and if there's no disclaimer below the pic stating "will void warranty", then you 'might' have a case.

Again, 'if' and 'might' are still longshots, but longshots DO pay off from time to time.....:icon_rolleyes:

 

If Jeep didn't intend for you to drive through water like in the pic, they should have a disclaimer to that affect or not even posted a pic as such

Running through water, no big deal. You might bend a few fins on the condenser (damage but not termial) but once you are out of the water it dries/evaporators....

Running through mud is completely different. When you are done, the mud is still stuck to or wedged in places.

Playing in a mud puddle itself probably would not be considered abuse.
Driving around for weeks after without cleaning the mud out of possibly sensitive areas is.

 

This is assuming that mud is the issue. but, look at it from chrysler's stand point... you have a guy with a basic 4x4 (not FDII therefor not sealed for water fording). playing in a mud puddle. What would you do? fix what he broke for using his 4x4 as it was not intended? Hey, if you wanted to ford water, should spring more money and get the FDII.

Again, all assumptions. we still do not know the exact reason why warranty was denied. The fact it is a jeep is irrelevant, what matters is what shape the dealer saw the vehicle in and under what reason did they deny warranty coverage.

this is the same concept as taking your tacoma prerunner off road, sure it has the ground clearance but it's not 4x4. the prerunner was not designed to do what 4x4s were designed to do. You can drive a car through 19" of water, but why? it's not designed for that. The Patriot with FDII is designed for that not the FDI patriot.

We still need to know why warranty coverage was denied, i have yet to see a follow up post with the answer to that question.

- Dan M

 

Sorry I haven't been responding much. To answer a few questions, and to show my strategy..

The Patriot has 26,000 kilometers on it, and it was less than a year old when it went into the shop. I checked the part numbers for the A/C unit, and they are the same on both the trail rated, and north edition.

I'm counting on Chrysler to weigh the options, and settle with me before court. I just need a case so that I have something to push against them. That's where the pictures and movies and such come into play. If I can prove enough of a doubt to Chrysler that they'd have to ramp up on the Lawyers to defend themselves, they're going to settle. Why would they want to pay 3-4 thousand dollars to defend themselves against a two thousand dollar bill? Money is always the bottom line, not who is right or wrong.

I appreciate all the discussions and support, as well as the non-support. It all helps weigh the options out, and figure out what I can do. The pictures provided and the videos will help a lot. Thanks everyone!

 

ah.. i can't see youtube here at the office.

why was warranty denied?

- Dan M

 

If you're serious about going to court over a warratee issue, you'd be well advized to be knowledgeable in the Magusen-Moss act.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson-Moss_Warranty_Act

 

Doesn't seem like that would apply in my country. Beng US Law and all. But I will be looking up at what specific laws back up our own Warrenty systems in Canada.

 

If you would have cleaned it before you took it in you might have had a case. They will most likely claim you failed to properly maintan your vehicle and say you abused it. Anyway just my 2 cents good luck.

 

I'd get either another dealer's opinion or an independent mechanic's written diagnosis before a lawsuit. Mud/abuse has yet to be proven as the root cause. Heck, it could have been any rock or road debris that got seized the AC compressor, which would mean an insurance claim would be more appropriate. Make sure you get every broken//replaced part!

I do not agree that mud = water fording and AFAIK, there is no specification for water fording provided by Chrysler for the non trail rated Patriots. The only thing I can think of the the FDII has that may have helped prevent something from getting into the belt/compressor is the front skid plate, but no one has proven that was the cause yet.

Legally, signing something that accepts responsibility for payment when Chrysler denied it is probably what will tip the scales against you if it would have been covered.