After noticing oil on the floor of my garage (never a good sign) I took my 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee to a local repair shop. They told me that the PCV valve was stuck and it was “blowing oil back into the air filter case.” Since I had less than 60K miles on the vehicle, they recommended that I take it to my dealer “since it should be covered by warranty.” However, when I took it to the dealer, they told me it was NOT covered by warranty and it cost me ~$800. To say the least, I was not happy with this. According to the owners manual, the INSPECTION interval on the PCV valve is 100K miles. Mine had apparently failed at about half that so why wouldn’t the warranty cover that? I asked for contact information so I could call Jeep/Chrysler and complain/appeal the dealership repair shop but I could never find contact information and the dealer was no help.
Specifically, should the powertrain warranty cover a part that fails when it isn’t supposed to fail for another ~50k miles?
For future reference, how can I find out if the warranty specifically covers a part/repair without just taking the dealers word that it isn’t covered?
How do contact “corporate” to appeal what the dealer tells me? The website was absolutely no help at all.
Owners manual in the warranty part of it, my vehicle came with 4 or 5 different books, I also have all of them on PDF…
Also, next time make sure you ask for an estimate of the cost for repairs so you can either not be in sticker shock when you pick it up or able to decline the repair until further notice…
Every Owner’s Manual that I have seen over the past 40 years or so had that info in the manual. It might take a bit of searching, but it is in there… somewhere.
I suggest that you begin with a phone call (toll-free, of course), being sure to keep things civil, and that you follow-up the call with a letter that references both the problem and the date and time of your phone call.
The warranty covers the car for x months or xx,xxx miles whichever comes first. If a part fails after the warranty no matter the recommended service interval, tough luck, you pay.
Read the warranty information that came with your car. While not absolutely specific, it is a start. Then call the dealer and then call a second dealer or even a 3rd.
That information is also in your owners manual. Or here,
That a PCV valve needed replacing after 60K is not that surprising. The part generally runs under $25, though, so the $800 estimate seems pretty high. Any decent mechanic should be able to replace a part like this in under an hour. Is there something that makes it a complicated procedure on your particular vehicle? Worrying about warranty issues on this kind of simple fix may not repay the effort.
Just my two cents but I have been told that the drive train warranty covers anything that touches oil. The pcv valve though is an emission part and should be covered by the emissions warranty. The warranty period can vary though but emissions are often 70k. Might be government mandated. A dealer would need to do the work and test it first though.
It sounds like the indy mechanic to whom the OP took the car found damage to other engine parts as a result of the bad PCV valve. Additional repairs could cost $800, but I’m at a loss to understand why this would not be covered by the Powertrain Warranty.
It is expensive because it is located in a difficult to reach spot . The part itself I dont think is more than $50 . Even at a couple hours labor it shouldnt be $800 . It is sorta of up against the firewall. This guy shows you where it is . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxwC5vVqidM&t=190s
As I understand it, my engine has a lifetime PCV valve, so it is not recommended to be changed, but it only has a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty…
My engine also only has a 6 year/60,000 mile warranty on it and is not recommended to be replaced at any mileage interval, but they can last 200,000 miles or more normally, but if it blows up at 61,000 miles for whatever reason, it is not covered, but if it blows up at 59,000 miles it is covered (depending on proper maintenance)…
