[Lucumon]

I thought I would post my purchase experience, thoughts, and recommendations for people who may be in my position in the future. I spend a lot of time reading pages on this site before I pulled the trigger, so this is my way of giving back.

How I chose the Summit: I was looking for a manly vehicle that had a lot of luxury features that was relatively small in size but had a lot of capability. Originally, I had built a limited with the diesel engine, the luxury package, tech package, and off road adventure… evidentially I built a Summit. This build could tow more than my dad’s Suburban, so I have that over him.

How I negotiated the price: Given it was nearing the end of the year, I used USAA’s car buying service (truecar.com with a different skin) to find the lowest cost in the area. Three dealers in the NOVA area had Diesel Summits so it was a case of communicating with them via email. Once I got one to email an “on the road” price with breakdowns, I went in later that week and signed the paperwork. In all, I was able to get almost $10k off the MSRP price… so the arguments over the additional engine cost could be negated.

Impressions: Overall, the vehicle is exactly what I want… pure awesome and way, way more vehicle than I will ever need. There are some nagging concerns that I’d like to chalk up to poor dealer prep:

1. The Uconnect had not been updated.

2. There was a recall on the vehicle for the steering column control module. I understand this came out within the last month… but this is disappointing.

3. The trim over the wheel wells was peeling. I mean, jeez people, this was one of the ‘selling points’ the sales guy harped on… now I am noticing it more but not because it is color coordinated with the body…

I am bringing the vehicle in on Monday for these issues. Given some of these minor problems/dealer inattentiveness/buyer expectations, it makes me wonder if I will have further issues?

Things I should have considered beforehand, but did not:

1. Check the recall page when the dealer gives you the VIN.

I will update this thread if things pop up or if things are totally awesome mostly for the lurkers out there going through a similar process. This build seems to have issues which is why I decided against my better senses to purchase the extended warranty plan (I told my wife in front of the finance manager selling it, “Honey, this is a Chrysler product, so you never know”). The buying experience for my wife’s Ford Escape was much better and had no little issues like the ones described above (Well, a couple recall issues for a reprogramming and a door/frame check but we got a free state inspection out of it)

Thoughts/comments?

 

[vandkb]

Glad to see another USAA member out there.
Bought ours 1 year ago. Our buying experience was different in who we dealt with.
The fender flares started coming off within a couple of months. Went thru having them removed and re-taped (3M double stick) twice. Had new flares ordered and painted and attached with 3M - they came off too. Finally Chrysler said if I agreed, they would authorize dealer to apply them with urethane adhesive, similar to how they do spoilers etc. That seems to have fixed the problem.
You're lucky to have bought at end of year as all the issues with Check Engine Light coming on seem to have finally been remedied with either software upgrades or re-designed cat converter. Depending on your build date, you may have the old cat, but at least if your Check Engine Light comes on, the dealer now knows what to check and what to replace.

 

[Lucumon]

Ignorant question: What is the difference between urethane adhesive and the double stick tape? If the double stick tape a lot cheaper? Why would urethane adhesive be a negative?

I appreciate your feedback on your experience... it gives me a pleasant thought that I know what the unknowns are going to be in the future.

I took her into the dealer this past Monday and the aforementioned issues were remedied... they tried to give me a rental car as it was available under the warranty but they had coffee in the waiting area and I really had nowhere to be. 10/10

Funny thing... the salesman called me and said, among other things, that I'd given a 7/10 on my buying experience and that was not a good thing. I was trying to give constructive feedback... having to show up to the service department less than two weeks after a purchase because some simple stuff (the software update, software recall, and trim issue) was a whiff on the dealership/Jeep. Hopefully the comments will be taken as constructive criticism and not general bitching.

 

[MFD]

Glad to see another USAA member out there.
Bought ours 1 year ago. Our buying experience was different in who we dealt with.
The fender flares started coming off within a couple of months. Went thru having them removed and re-taped (3M double stick) twice. Had new flares ordered and painted and attached with 3M - they came off too. Finally Chrysler said if I agreed, they would authorize dealer to apply them with urethane adhesive, similar to how they do spoilers etc. That seems to have fixed the problem.
You're lucky to have bought at end of year as all the issues with Check Engine Light coming on seem to have finally been remedied with either software upgrades or re-designed cat converter. Depending on your build date, you may have the old cat, but at least if your Check Engine Light comes on, the dealer now knows what to check and what to replace.

Are your fender flares still holding? One of mine has detached again.

 

[Lucumon]

So I have 3,700 miles on the odometer now and wanted to convey a few thoughts:

1. Pretty happy with the vehicle. Way more capacity than my old 350z (kek), enough get up and go, and plenty of creature comforts to satisfy. This past weekend it made an excellent winery cruiser.

2. A lot of weird stuff has been... glitchy:
a. The UConnect 8.4 screen turned off yesterday. The radio still worked and all, but the screen shut off. I was unable to figure out what went wrong... it just flipped back on after I turned the vehicle off and turned it back on again. Nice to see the old computer engineering trick work...
b. The Easy Exit works rather randomly. Most of the time the steering wheel and driver's seat move appropriately but sometimes so they stop working altogether. One time the seat memory did not work at all when I got in and the seat was all the way back and the steering wheel raised. I solved this issue by doing the 'reset' which is moving the seat all the way forward then all the way back.
c. The climate control wonky compared to my wife's Ford Escape. The front window fogs on the JGC during days of high humidity and unless I dedicate the air conditioning to blow onto the front windshield, it does not work; the FE gets rid of fog almost instantly. The JGC heated seats take 15 minutes to work and I can't even feel the low setting; the FE's lowest heated seat setting is within 30 seconds and feels like there is a fire under my seat on the lowest setting. The JGC feels (I havent measured this yet) noticeably cooler than the temp I set to auto.

In all, I am beginning to understand other Jeep owners who are infatuated with their rides despite the idiosyncrasies. Not experience killers but for a $50k+ vehicle you'd figure this would be minor stuff. Can anyone clue me in as to why these delightful glitches occur?

And I don't have any flaring issues.

 

[Bvigne01]

Just ordered a 15 Summit ED now for two months of waiting

 

[Lucumon]

So, I had a check engine light blink on this past Friday evening.

Saturday morning I called the dealer to schedule an appointment.

Sunday the check engine light turned off.

Monday, earlier this morning, I had it checked out... and, not surprisingly, the diagnosis was that it needed a new catalytic converter. Interestingly, the service manager said it would only take 3 to 5 days for the part to arrive. I am surprised it was going to be so quick... I guess Jeep has fixed this problem that was such a bother last year?

 

[willys]

They may, or may not, have it solved. I'm not a diesel mechanic and am not well versed in the DEF technology in this vehicle. That said, I seem to have logged more miles than most so far. My first cat was replaced at 15,000 miles or so, and the second at 12,000 miles. Both my first and second cats had oat numbers ending in AA. If the redesigned cat, the one with a part number ending in AB, solves the problem, along with some software tweaks, it will be many miles before anyone knows. That's why in another thread I've been asking if anyone has at least 20,000 miles on any Jeep Ecodiesel without having a DEF system problem. As yet, no one has posted up saying they've logged that many miles problem free. I'd like to know because they are buying back my '14 JGC Ecodiesel and I can apply the credit to any new Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler vehicle I choose. If they have solved the problem I'd like to get another JGC Ecodiesel. If they haven't I'm going to opt for JGC with the V8 hemi.

The mechanic at the dealership where I bought the car has been very helpful throughout. I got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. He's going to call his sources at Jeep and see if there is a consensus on whether or not the '15 Jeep Ecodiesels are running problem free.

 

[Bogeyman2B]

They may, or may not, have it solved. I'm not a diesel mechanic and am not well versed in the DEF technology in this vehicle. That said, I seem to have logged more miles than most so far. My first cat was replaced at 15,000 miles or so, and the second at 12,000 miles. Both my first and second cats had oat numbers ending in AA. If the redesigned cat, the one with a part number ending in AB, solves the problem, along with some software tweaks, it will be many miles before anyone knows. That's why in another thread I've been asking if anyone has at least 20,000 miles on any Jeep Ecodiesel without having a DEF system problem. As yet, no one has posted up saying they've logged that many miles problem free. I'd like to know because they are buying back my '14 JGC Ecodiesel and I can apply the credit to any new Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler vehicle I choose. If they have solved the problem I'd like to get another JGC Ecodiesel. If they haven't I'm going to opt for JGC with the V8 hemi.

The mechanic at the dealership where I bought the car has been very helpful throughout. I got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. He's going to call his sources at Jeep and see if there is a consensus on whether or not the '15 Jeep Ecodiesels are running problem free.

We have over 23k. Cat was replaced around 10k.
Never had DEF issue, BUT we have only used MOPAR branded def.
I researched the ISO number, know the manufacturer and don't believe it has to be Mopar. But with all the issues, taking no chances.
Once I switched dealerships, the new mechanics really know what they are doing. I also documented the use of a bluetooth code reader to monitor activity or CEL issues.
We have the Overland model. Very happy these days.
26-28 MPG local commuting, 15-17 MPG pulling 6k lbs RV trailer.