TDI got lemon lawed, hello Jeep.

In 14 months of ownership since new, my 2012 Jetta was in the shop over 50 days.

First was an electrical short under the dash at day 1 causing the cigarette lighters not to work. Dash removed and repaired.

Then a water leak getting in the trunk. This took over 6 visits and 5 months to resolve with everything being replaced in the rear of the car. Turned out to be a pinhole on the back of the taillight that only sucked in water when the vacuum of driving pulled it in.

Then the grand finale. EGR broke, as in had to be replaced altogether. The next week, intercooler icing. The car goes in on a flatbed twice. While it's in there they replace the DPF because it kept throwing an exhaust code.

Multiple boost leaks and CEL's and visits later I contact VW corporate. The process took about a month and the transaction was completed smoothly.

VW bought the car back this morning for what I paid for it and I moved on to another vehicle that I replaced it with this afternoon. The timing worked well and I was surprised it went with no hitches.

I can't have a new car strand me that many times (Once when it was 6 degrees outside). I lost confidence in doing anything more than a 5 mile trip. I paid $23k for a black TDI 6 speed Jetta and yet there I am driving a canary yellow loaner 2.5 automatic NB for 3 weeks.

This isn't a complaining post. It's not a brand bashing post. Not a CR TDI bashing post even. But I was a fan, I got 2 friends to buy 2013 TDIs for their commute because they heard me brag about mine and I hope they are doing fine with theirs for a loooong time. I used PS white bottle every fillup hoping my HPFP wouldn't break, turns out everything else did instead.

I was initially looking at a stripped Frontier and Chevy work truck then I wanted 4x4 but a manual too.....I drove everything and it was the Wrangler for me. It's getting a Kargo master rack for my kayak, a GRM sticker, and thats about it.

I have a 7 mile commute the cost savings in fuel just didn't matter between 21 mpg in a wrangler and 40 mpg in the Jetta. My insurance went down as well. So i'll be paying more in fuel but hopefully I don't have bullE36 M3 break everyday and get stranded. That's why I made the logical choice by buying a Chrysler product! LOL wish me luck.

'14 Wrangler Sport 6 speed with A/C (a must in GA) and power windows,3.73 rear end, and 17s.

Out the door for $23k. Gwinnett Jeep did great.

Congrats! Can't help but think the Jeep must feel weird after the Jetta, but maybe you never had a chance to get used to it

Ransom wrote: Congrats! Can't help but think the Jeep must feel weird after the Jetta, but maybe you never had a chance to get used to it

Thanks! Oh yeah a diesel Jetta to a Wrangler is a weird transition. I drove it in this morning and dropped it off, got my check from VW, then went straight to the Jeep dealer this afternoon and wrote another check for the Jeep. I drove them both today and its different but both are fun in different ways. The VW had 22k miles on it and plenty of roadtrips. LOTS of time at the dealer in between and I drove everything they had as a loaner at one point. Every berkeleying thing VW makes.

This was a poster in the parts department I took a picture of as I was leaving. I had to laugh.

Bad luck! I hope the jeep treats you well. My parents bought a '12 TDi wagon and it has been trouble free for ~45k miles. Knock on wood...

Wow I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a lemon law coming through.

Hopefully Chrysler has learned from the Powertech V6.

RoughandReady wrote: Wow I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a lemon law coming through. Hopefully Chrysler has learned from the Powertech V6.

So far these latest 3.6 Pentastars have been doing well from my research. Its crazy having a Jeep with 285 hp though. Hopefully coupled to this manual transmission I should get a good life out of it. This vehicle is infinitely less complex than the VW.

As far as the lemon law wentm VW had no leg to stand on and didn't try, The car met all the criteria and then some.

Looks like you got a great deal on that Jeep.

crankwalk wrote:

RoughandReady wrote: Wow I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a lemon law coming through. Hopefully Chrysler has learned from the Powertech V6.

So far these latest 3.6 Pentastars have been doing well from my research. Its crazy having a Jeep with 285 hp though. Hopefully coupled to this manual transmission I should get a good life out of it. This vehicle is infinitely less complex than the VW. As far as the lemon law wentm VW had no leg to stand on and didn't try, The car met all the criteria and then some.

Good to hear. I spent all summer rebuilding 3.7's. Couldn't meet demand.

I hope this one works out better than the TDI (although it sounds like it'll work out better if it works at all haha).

welcome to the club!

Raze wrote: welcome to the club!

So far I'm loving it! (72 miles)

It sucks you had to go through that with your TDi. At least VWoA took it back with not a lot of drama.

As an owner of a 2012 Wrangler Sport, I welcome you to the club

Now be prepared to sell all of your worldly belongings to afford Jeep parts. Pretty soon, you will be hunched over your netbook, sitting on a milk crate in your empty house, contemplating on selling your bodily fluids to get that lift or winch you have had your eye on.

Also, thank you for buying the 6 speed. When I was chatting the salesman up at my dealer, he told me that over 80% of the Wranglers they sell are autos. I specifically sought out a manual but I had to compromise on the color to do so. I really wanted a Commando Green but the only one in Florida was an auto The auto got changed to a 5 speed beginning in 2012 and gets the exact same gas mileage as the manual. It seems pretty decent but I feel that it takes away from the experience of a Jeep.

Just wait until you take the doors and the top off. You won't ever want to put them back on haha.

I think the biggest difference will be the mileage. Jeeps are less than stellar in that department. I sure do like Wranglers though.

crankwalk wrote:

Raze wrote: welcome to the club!

So far I'm loving it! (72 miles)

There's a pretty good chance I watched the body-in-white for your JK roll by my desk at work, so I hope you have a good experience with it.

grafmiata wrote:

crankwalk wrote:

Raze wrote: welcome to the club!

So far I'm loving it! (72 miles)

There's a pretty good chance I watched the body-in-white for your JK roll by my desk at work, so I hope you have a good experience with it.

You work at the plant in Toledo? Either way that's pretty cool!

I am going to keep this thing mostly stock except for the kayak rack. I can't stand the though of hosing mud out of this thing just yet.

RoughandReady wrote: Wow I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a lemon law coming through. Hopefully Chrysler has learned from the Powertech V6.

Chrysler bought back the 1993 Dodge Intrepid my mother bought new. She had it maybe a year and it spent more time at the dealer than on the road - mainly electrical woes. She replaced it with her 2nd Subaru.

Good luck with the Jeep. Stinks about the TDi, but these things happen.

I want a Wrangler, but they won't make one that can tow 6,000lbs. Come on!

I hope dodge will come through on something like this for a buddy of mine who lives just down the road.

He got out and shut the door (too hard for a dodge truck I guess) on his 1 week old ram 1500 quad cab and ALL the interior air bags deployed. He was not impressed.

I smell something fishy....

bgkast wrote: I smell something fishy....

Oh? Pray tell. Like you think I'm a canoe or... I did something shady? Maybe you don't believe me or something? Not that I should feel the need to prove what happened to an anonymous person on the internet but here's how it went.

I went through VW corporate and sent paper through the Governors office address for state of GA. All the paperwork was handled by VW corporate and they fedexed some papers and a check to the dealership. The service manager looked it over, I turned in both keys, signed the papers and he gave me the check sent by VW corporate.

Then I went to the bank. Deposited that check. Got a ride to the Jeep dealership. Wrote another check. Got a Jeep.

Very smooth transaction with VW. They initally offered me a replacement with a '14 Jetta TDI. Since not much has changed in hardware I passed on that deal.

How is this sounding fishy?

Im sure i know someone who helped build that! Thanks for supporting my city!

How useless is 1st gear? I think i started in 1st in my 06 Rubicon about 3 times. I bet that sucker's quick, though.

beans wrote: Im sure i know someone who helped build that! Thanks for supporting my city! How useless is 1st gear? I think i started in 1st in my 06 Rubicon about 3 times. I bet that sucker's quick, though.

1st gear is nice, I use it because I am used to instant torque of the diesel so I am still revving it out a little more now.

Yeah 285 hp is strange in it, in a good way. It roars under WOT and changing gears you get the squat and shimmy. I am sure its offroad manners are pretty nice with all the extra power too.

Any of this seem fishy to anybody else but bgkast? Not sure why he feels that way but I can clarify anything in the process if anybody is confused.

He was talking about the dude with thr magic air bags in the dodge truck, not you.

I didny even know you could get a new Wrangler spec'd out like that. I've only noticed the 4 doors. Is this a different truck than the wranglers of old? Or the same thing just with an awesome drivetrain?

As a former VW owner and someone currently tormented by a Jeep as reliable your TDI, from my perspective escaping from that VW and buying a Jeep is like finally getting your syphilis cured and celebrating by intentionally catching gonorrhea. Good luck.

Swank Force One wrote: He was talking about the dude with thr magic air bags in the dodge truck, not you. I didny even know you could get a new Wrangler spec'd out like that. I've only noticed the 4 doors. Is this a different truck than the wranglers of old? Or the same thing just with an awesome drivetrain?

Ahh that makes sense. This is still a JK Wrangler like it has been since 07 but the 4 doors and automatics seem so prevalent now I agree. So it was hard to find one that was 1. a 2 door and 2. Not a Rubicon 30k special edition etc etc with DVD in dash....

So the only option I cared about was A/C (which you can still get it out without). I wanted manual front windows (glass not plastic) but wanted the 17s with 255s. I couldn't find that. I wasn't opposed to power windows and found several at gwinnett jeep in stone mountain ga that all have power everything, 17s,and keyless for $27,XXX but a $3k dealer discount. So basically the base base Wrangler with 16s, manual everything, and some don't have A/C go for around $23k usually, so you get the convenience pack free essentially.

The dealer still has like 4 identical ones to me except in red, silver, and 2 in white. I think they aren't moving because people want big automatic 4 doors.

Apis_Mellifera wrote: As a former VW owner and someone currently tormented by a Jeep as reliable your TDI, from my perspective escaping from that VW and buying a Jeep is like finally getting your syphilis cured and celebrating by intentionally catching gonorrhea. Good luck.

Maybe but at least it wont be boring. I could have bought a regular cab 4x4 Tacoma, have the frame potentially rust, certainly not have cruise control or an armrest but not worry about reliability. Meh.

Also just to clarify this is a 3.6 Pentastar motor not to be confused with some of the other V6 variants out there.