Coincidence or not

My JEEP journey, coincidence or not?

A few interesting, though totally unexpected, events occurred since I bought my Jeep. Was that coincidence or not?

When I bought the Jeep brand new some time ago (Midrand), it was like a dream come true and on top of it the Jeep came with a 5-year unlimited kilometer warranty, giving me peace of mind.

I enjoyed the Jeep to its fullest, until one day - not long after a service at Arnold Chats Constantia Kloof, the Jeep broke down and had to be recovered by a flatbed tow truck. Luckily it was nothing major, it turned out that the diesel filter seal collapsed. Was it a coincidence or not? Apart from the inconvenience, the warranty plan covered the full cost including the breakdown recovery truck.

Then came one dreadful winter morning, I got into the Jeep, turned the key, oh no the battery is dead! I phoned the dealership and explained my situation. The dealership informed me that the battery is unfortunately not covered under the maintenance nor warranty plan. I then asked for a quote on a new battery – it came to about R10,000.00. I was shocked at the price. That model Jeep was fitted with a special deep cycle battery normally used in extreme cold weather conditions, which we do not have in South Africa. However, the battery cradle is such that a normal battery cannot fit on it unless the cradle is replaced. I then asked the dealer to price a standard battery cradle. It was priced at about R3,000.00, but I was told that there is no stock in the country and it could take up to one month to get a standard battery cradle, however they do have stock on the original deep cycle battery.

I asked for a copy of the extended warranty contract. After reading through it, I could not find any reference that the battery is excluded nor covered. Then upon closer look, I noticed that page three was missing. I asked for the warranty contract to be resend as page three is missing. Upon reading page three it turned out that the battery is covered under the extended warranty plan. Was the missing page three a coincidence or not?

Nevertheless, someone was sent to jumpstart the Jeep and I drove it to the dealer for the battery replacement. When I got home, I was curious, looked under the hood and made a crazy discovery! The battery was indeed replaced, but not with the expensive deep cycle battery that was available off the shelf, no a standard battery cradle appeared from nowhere and was fitted together with a standard battery. Amazing how a month could fly!

Then came last year December. An event occurred that caused the left rear power window to malfunction. Since then, it was only operating in the downwards direction. I took the Jeep in for diagnostics at the Arnold Chats Constantia Kloof dealership. Later the day I received a call and was advised of certain spares to be ordered. Upon collection of the Jeep, I noticed a bad rattle coming from the left rear door. After inspection I found that the window guide was refitted upside down. It had to be corrected. Was that coincidence or not?

Upon arrival of the ordered spares, the Jeep was taken in for fitment. Later that afternoon I received a call from the service advisor informing me that the spares are installed “but there is a slight technical problem”. I was then put through to the technician to explain the problem to me. He explained that the window is “now working”, but only in the downward direction. Was it a coincidence or not? The same fault persists after the expensive parts have been fitted. Again, I explained what happened that caused the window to malfunction. Half an hour later I received a follow-up call to inform me that the problem is solved, and the window is now operating normal. I asked what was done to resolve the problem, the dealer did not answer the question and only presented a job card showing the parts that were fitted, which did not resolve the issue at the time I received the call and billed me accordingly. What was done after the call to rectify the problem remains a mystery.

Late January this year, the Jeep was due for an annual service. During the day of the service, I received the quote estimate for the work to be carried out. I noticed that the pollen filter was not included, and I asked for it to be added. After collecting the Jeep that afternoon I noticed that the pollen filter is not on the invoice, when I queried it, I was told that they checked the pollen filter and it was found still in good condition, hence they only cleaned it at no extra charge. That following week we had a heatwave in the country and the air conditioner did not cool the interior down as it should. When I pulled the pollen filter, I discovered that it was very dirty and it restricted the air flow, the air conditioner problem was solved by replacing the pollen filter myself. Was it a coincidence or not? How could the pollen filter become so dirty in one week’s time and how did the requirement to replace it disappear from the job card when I queried the event? Arnold Chats Constantia Kloof denied any faulty workmanship and apologized for poor communication.

Then came one rainy morning early April, the tires started slipping on the tar despite being brand new, fitted a week ago, followed by smoke coming from underneath the hood and then the engine lost power. Needless to say, I had to call for a flatbed tow truck to recover the Jeep and take it to the Arnold Chats Constantia Kloof dealership. Upon loading it onto the flatbed truck I noticed diesel pouring from the diesel filter area. The repair – the diesel filter seal collapsed, not to mention that the diesel filter was one of the items replaced during the recent service. Is this coincidence or not? Arnold Chats Constantia Kloof denied any faulty workmanship and apologized for poor communication, I cannot help to wonder, am I the only person to wonder if these incidents were coincidence or not?