I have a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that has right about 30000 miles on it at the moment. At 24,000 thousand miles my mechanic noticed that it had gone through about 2 quarts of oil since the last change. We decided to keep an eye on it at the next oil change. At about 27000 miles I took it in again and it had burned more oil. My mechanics advice was to take it to the dealer for repair since it was still under warranty.
The dealership said that I needed to drive it for another 3000 miles and have them check the oil levels every 1000 miles before they could look at the problem as per Jeep’s policy. I dutifully agreed.
After 3000 miles of burning oil, they agreed to look at the car. I got the call from the mechanic yesterday saying that they had to replace the piston rings and the car was in the machine shop having the pistons looked at for probable replacement. After long story, I guess my questions are; is the car worth keeping? Should I demand a new engine? Since the car was still under warranty and this was a major repair is there any way I can get a new vehicle instead of this one.
Thanks for everyone’s input!
Jason
I can’t answer your question, but I have to comment on your statement that your mechanic noticed that it had gone through two quarts of oil. Do you mean that you don’t ever check your oil? If so, that’s a very bad idea that could cost you an engine (at your expense) at some point.
I hadn’t really been checking oil level on the car since it was less that 2 years old and never had any major problems before. Oil light never went off and engine light never went off. Probably correct that it is a bad habit to get out of, but it never occurred to me that oil issues would be a problem in a car so new.
All cars, regardless of age and make, need their oil checked regularly, like every second tank of gas. Your owner’s manual has a section called “owner’s responsibility” or similar. It outlines the things you have to check on an ongoing basis, such as cooling liquids, oil, tire pressure, windshield wiper fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid and others.
You are lucky that the dealer is going to fix your engine; warranties normally only cover repairs or replacement of the defective item, not a replacement car, unless it is a lemon, and the dealer cannot cure the problem.
When the new rings are installed, it is very important to check the oil regulary, like every 1000 miles at least, since a rebuilt engine uses oil for a while until the rings are properly seated.
When you take it to the dealer…DON’T tell them you didn’t CHECK the oil…it’ll void your warranty claim. NOT checking your oil is a BIG NO-NO. I don’t care who makes the vehicle or how old it is…you need to check the oil at least every 1k miles…
Again, it never occurred to me that a new car would start to burn through oil. I’ve watched oil level on older cars before, but have not worried about it in newer ones. I got the oil changed every 3k miles and nothing seemed to be amiss until the 24k check up when the problem was identified.
I guess my question still remains. If they have to replace the pistons as well as the piston rings, is the engine going to be trustworthy even if I check the oil every 500 miles?
I’m amazed Jeep agreed to do anything about it…2 quarts in how many miles? No big deal. I have never been in favor of doing major engine work in the field. The correct fix would have been to install a factory short-block, not try to repair the defective engine…You brought your Jeep to this party now you will have to dance with her…
3000 miles (from 21000 to 24000). Another quart+ from 24000 to 27000. Then essentially 1 quart every thousand miles while they were checking to see if the engine was “burning enough oil to warrant repairs”. Chrysler was the one that finally made the call to do the work. I guess we’ll see how it goes.
The reason you were losing oil is owned by the manufacturer, it happened prior to 27000 miles. While not checking oil between changes is a big no no, you realistically had no reason to suspect such inadequate performance on a car this new and thus is not a warranty breaker(they really cant get out of this one). It rolled from the factory with a problem. The plus side is now that it has been found they own the problem past the 30000 miles. I have had and still have higher milage cars(70-110k) that really do not warrant checking on a every gas refill basis. Usually five or six tanks or around 1400 miles is fine. I always check but my wife does not. These cars are 1995-2003 forien and domestic models.
They should short block the car but they still own the bottom set bearings and mains no matter when they fail. Because they own the repair they get to decide.
You can have a good future with this car. It will be annoying until the repair is proven to be a good one. On the other hand if its not they still have to fix it. Might want to have a consult (free) with a lawyer just for peace of mind. If they offer you a replacement car that might be ok too.
Hopefully these first repairs do the trick and with some better attention on my part I can still enjoy my car.
Thanks.