Jeep Problems

That particular variant of the Grand Cherokee weighs an impressive 2336kg. That said, manufacturers often underquote their vehicles' kerb mass, and that could be the case here, so take it as a ball-park figure only.

If you're concerned with overloading the vehicle, the best thing to do is load it as you would and then take it to a local weighbridge to gain an accurate idea of what it weighs in-service. Many council recycling facilities (we used to call them the tip) now have weighbridges.

Most of the references I can find regarding the 20-14 Jeep Compass with the 2.0-litre petrol engine suggest that it requires premium unleaded fuel with an octane rating of at least 95 RON. Given that the engine has a fairly high compression ratio (one of the factors for requiring PULP) of 10.5:1, that’s not really a surprise even if the output of 115kW doesn’t suggest a highly tuned engine. I’d be inclined to take the Jeep dealer’s advice and use premium fuel. Engines tuned for PULP can suffer internal damage if they’re run on an inferior grade of fuel.

The other question is why there is a discrepancy between the handbook and the dealership. The advice to Compass owners in the US is to use low-octane fuel (as low as 87 RON) where possible. This is possibly because the engine uses a different state of tune on the US market. One guess, therefore, is that while the Australian version of the Jeep requires PULP, the handbook hasn’t been changed from the US version to reflect this.

There are two issues here. The first is that you’re paying a lease on a vehicle that isn’t functioning right now. There’s not much that anybody can do about that and it’s not really anybody’s fault. The disaster that is current global supply chains has meant that freight out of the United States is either moving at snail’s pace or not moving at all. Many Australians are waiting for bits and pieces from North America, all of which seem to be stranded on the dock in the US. Perhaps you could talk to your finance company about some interest-rate relief, but based on past experience, I wouldn’t be holding my breath there. And since it’s not Jeep’s fault that global trade is in such a state right now, I don’t think you’d do much good there, either. Nor is this a Jeep-specific problem; many car brands are having trouble sourcing repair and service parts.

As for the vehicle being replaced, on the face of it, I doubt that you have much of a case. If Jeep refuses to or cannot repair the vehicle, then you’d have grounds for a refund or replacement, but if Jeep believes that replacing the engine will fix the problem, then consumer law allows for that to happen.

The chances of the same vehicle having two engine failures seems pretty slim, so I wouldn’t be worried about it happening again. Don’t forget that there are any number of reasons (fuel pump, sensor, electrical problem, fuse, relay and a thousand more) for an engine to stop virtually in its tracks. Again, this is not a Jeep thing; all car-makers have experienced engines that for whatever reason have simple spluttered to a stop, often at speed on the highway.

When that happens, of course, you can lose the assistance to the power-steering and the braking system which is what your wife is concerned about. But it’s probably worth explaining that even though she would have to wrench the steering wheel with lots of muscle and really stomp on the brake pedal, even if the engine stops, she would still have brakes and steering. They just won’t be power-assisted. And even if she doesn’t think she’d be able to turn the wheel if that happened, adrenalin is a very powerful force on its own in such situations. And, again, the same thing could happen in any make or model of car.

I wouldn’t be concerned about the cylinder configuration of a particular engine. What’s more important is how much power and torque that engine makes, and how towing-friendly that power delivery is. By which we mean how smooth and flexible is the delivery. What you don’t want is a peaky engine that needs to be revved before it delivers the good as that puts a strain on everything and make the vehicle tricky and unpleasant to drive.

The good news is that all the vehicles you’ve nominated have good, solid powerplants that are well suited to towing a caravan. Modern turbo-diesels – especially with an automatic transmission – are ideal for this task.

What you should go for, however, is the vehicle with the highest towing rating. In this case, that’s any of the Grand Cherokee, MU-X or older Discovery, all of which have variants that can handle a towed load of 3.5 tonnes. The Everest is almost as good with 3.1 tonne, but only almost. The problem is that the van you’ve nominated can easily weigh between 2.2 and 2.8 tonnes which, with a 3.1-tonne limit, leaves you very little headroom for water tanks and camping gear. You’d be amazed at how much a fully loaded caravan weighs, so don’t rely on the brochure, load the van and take it to a weighbridge to make sure the vehicle you have can legally tow it.

The 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine fitted to the Jeep Wrangler (and some Cherokee models) in the earlier part of this century seems to be a decent proposition in terms of reliability and ability to go the distance. The engine is made in Italy by VM Motori, a diesel engine specialist that was owned by Jeep’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler (as it was then).

A large capacity four-cylinder engine, the basics seem well engineered and inherent problems are uncommon. As such, Jeep Wrangler 2.8 diesel problems are more likely to come from the engine’s ancillaries including the turbocharger unit, intercooler and some of the emissions-control equipment.

Turbochargers have a shelf life in pretty much any vehicle and, depending on how hard a life the vehicle has had, these can require replacement when the bearings begin to wear or the internal components become damaged by carbon deposits.

Intercoolers can fail over time, and the car’s emission controls, which see it consume a proportion of its own exhaust gases as well as its own crankcase fumes, can lead to black, sticky deposits in the intake system which can require manual cleaning.

The engine is also a common-rail design, so injector and fuel-pump life can be shorter than for older, conventional diesel-engine designs.

The key to any engine’s longevity, of course, is its service history. Even the best design will be a source of ongoing grief if a previous owner has not followed the correct servicing regime. A complete service history is an absolute must when buying any second-hand turbo-diesel.

Perhaps a little strangely, the only recall I could find for this model to do with the transmission was one alerting owners to the fact that the unconventional design of the shifter handle could trick them into leaving the vehicle unattended without first selecting Park. But it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve had this failure as this generation of Jeeps has been plagued by all sorts of quality and reliability problems and, therefore, recalls and technical service bulletins (like a recall but not a safety-related issue).

I would definitely be tapping Jeep on the shoulder as I don’t believe 85,000km is a reasonable expectation when it comes to the life expectancy of such a major component in a modern vehicle. However, your car is clearly out of warranty, so it could come down to a dog-fight between you and Jeep.

I’d like to think that Jeep might meet you half way with the cost of repairs given the youth and full service history of your car, but there are no hard and fast rules here. You could also consider talking to Consumer Affairs over this.

The other thing you can do is talk to a transmission specialist as opposed to a Jeep dealer. Chances are, the cost of a replacement or rebuilt transmission from a specialist might be a fair bit less than a dealership can offer. But I’d definitely talk to Jeep head office first.

The best thing to do it to call the experts at Jeeepart Recyclers (03 5448 8444). They will be able to help you with a front tailshaft for your car.

There are many SUVs that would fit within your budget. I would suggest you try a Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Isuzu MU-X, Jeep Grand Cherokee.