We purchased a Jeep Cherokee 2017 New December 2016. After 5k miles, the car would slow down, display the oil change light, then turn off. The settings show oil at 38%, so we took it to the dealership’s service. They were unhelpful. Told us they cannot replicate the problem, and therefore, they filled the oil and told us to bring the car back at the next 1k mile mark. We did this repeatedly until 8k where we had enough. We finally spoke to a supervisor who agreed and told us they would install a new engine. They gave us a rental car, all while charging us until we, again, had enough, and they “allowed” out of courtesy a free rental car.
See, we were satisfied with the solution, since we thought a new engine makes the car newer. I’ll come back to this.
Fast forward 1.5 weeks, were picking up the Jeep and I notice a inch scraped dent on the front bumper. This was definitely not present when we dropped off the car, as a walk-around was conducted. We spoke to a different supervisor (the one who previously spoke to quit apparently). This man was extremely rude. He claimed this did not happen under their care. We kept arguing how paperwork showed no damage was done to the car when they received it, this is clearly damaged under their care. He said this could be fixed, but will charge us and the rental car will no longer be free. He rambled on how after 15 years of working, any damage to an engine change would only occur on the driver’s door, but out of courtesy and kindness, he will fix it complimentary. However, he needs to speak to his supervisor about the rental car charges, and won’t be able to reach his supervisor until the next day. He told us to drive the damaged car home and wait for his call. We did not accept that, and tried to compromise by saying we can leave the car, but the rental car should be free of charge. After much rambling (by my mother who went off on tangents in broke English), he finally said he will try to reach his boss. (My guess is he became annoyed she wouldn’t listen to his “courtesy” and “kindness” language. ) He went into his office and seem to make a call, except I never saw his mouth move, so I suspect this was for show.
This rose my suspicion, and after much googling, I realized we were completely played. Replacing an engine lowers the value of the car drastically! This is a new 2017 Jeep Cherokee with only 8k miles on it! Lowering a new car’s value is not just for he consumer.
Please help and advise what I should do. I’m a 20 year old girl that could pass for a high schooler. My car knowledge is limited, and I’m well aware the dealership is taking advantage of our naiveness. What should I say and ask for to receive proper compensation for my loss?
