Need some thoughts & input from some like minded folks.

I currently have a 2012 Jeep Patriot 4cyl 5 speed manual.  45k miles on it.  
I really like the jeep and am happy with economy vs capability vs utility.  
I commute 60 miles a day round trip so mpg is important to me.  I average 26~27 with my Patriot.
4wd works good in the winter and performance is good for a small SUV.
It is paid off.  It still has powertrain warranty.
My goal is to have a vehicle, pay it off, run it as far past 100k miles as it will go.

My issue with it is that in my opinion, the transmission is shot.  Grinds, howls and shifts poorly.  I have two more days of driving it to work before my appointment for rebuild and wonder if it will make it.  
The worse: this will be its second transmission fix as it had issues at 14k miles.

My wife has a 2014 Patriot same jeep and shifts smooth as butter with 15k miles on the clock.

The gearing in the standards isn't the good for much off road as they are geared pretty high, but that's why I have ATVs.  Still some capability is nice.
I tow a small trailer with little weight in it on occasion and am wondering if that could be causing some issues.  (towing is rated at 1000# but I never tow more then say 600?)
I can drive standard well, been doing so since 16 years old and put 170k miles on my last jeep which was a 1998 Wrangler 4.0 5 speed.  No issues other then a dana 35 which doesn't need explaining.

Jeep dealer straight up told me they won't put a new transmission in it under warranty just fix what's broke.  Clutch is not covered and if I had to guess I will be paying for a new one @ the tune of $425ish.

Do I just trade the thing on another Patriot though this time with the 6 speed auto, Which wasn't available back in 2012 when I got mine (only CVT was avail for auto which I hate.)

Other then a few random pull out into an intersections like I stole it, and plowed through snow bank or two I have babied this thing.  60 Miles round trip to and from work, 50 of which are highway with the cruse set at 70mph.

I go under roughly 10K at a rate of 2.9%. 4 years puts me at over 200 a month while 5 puts me at 180ish.  I can afford both which out much issue.

Is it worth it?  I like the Patriot and would only trade to another one, where hopefully the 6 speed auto would give me a little bit lower first gear and reverse and longevity...?
I like having things paid off and wanted this jeep to run me at least 4 or 5 more years with no payment but am having second thoughts.

I was just getting used to stashing what would be a car payment each month into savings to...

Other then Mortgage, my wife's jeep, and a small student loan of mine we are debt free.  

I guess I have lost faith in my Patriot going in for its second tranny rebuild in 45k miles?  I told them there is something else wrong and it needs a new one but they say no.

New one will cost ~24K.  Getting 12K for a trade.

Do I cut my losses and try for something that will give me a trouble free 100k on the odometer?  Wife thinks I should keep it and stay payment free and while I agree, I have lost faith in this particular Jeep.  Who knows maybe they will fix it and I would never have another problem with it again...

Need some quick advise...  If I move on this it will be today or tomorrow.

Are you trying to justify buying a new vehicle, because you've 'lost faith' in the present one?


What makes you think if you buy a new vehicle, and still are unable to service a simple little manual tranny like in your present one, yourself, that you won't find yourself in the same boat as you are now.

The little that I know, suggests you keep your existing vehicle and invest in learning to repair it.


This reminds me of a friend's aunt, years ago, who got a flat tire.

She 'lost confidence' in her mickey mouse whatever she was driving and traded it in on another.

Folks like this are a Dealers' Godsend.

Thats a coin toss. With fuel as expensive as it is a guy needs something that will get good mileage that leaves me thinking fix it keep it  do not trade it keep it and go buy a honda civic.  At which point the wife will brow beat you to death because you have two cars and logic that you need  4wd and tow ability on occasion is something only a guy would understand.   Once you drop this to liability only and full coverage on the new civic or similar it should  work.  Over time you can keep an eye on the junk yards for a new wrecked jeep that you can buy the transmission out of  to have a spare if you want that.

Trying to decide if I should abandon ship with the current one headed in for its second transmission rebuild...  I want a vehicle that's going to last me 150~200k miles.  I can do regular maintenance but having a transmission rebuilt twice under 50k miles isn't inspiring.  Maybe I got a lemon transmission or maybe it isn't going to hold up to my uses?

Meh, it's a component, and prolly wasn't rebuilt correctly the first time.

If you don't have confidence in their rebuilding of your tranny, order a replacement, take yours out yourself, install the 'new' one, learn to fix the original, and either sell it or keep it for a spare ---that you can install in a couple hours with your new skills that have made you a more powerful person.

Depending on others to 'fix' your stuff just leaves you weak, in many ways.

$450 for a clutch, go to YouTube and see that you can prolly replace it in a couple hrs for less than $100.  Course, your hands will get a little dirty unless you wear those cute plastic gloves.

You don't want to go thru life being a dependent sucker, getting ripped off at the whim of every service person you meet.

You know I have though about that many times, but my original Idea was to keep the Jeep for the commuter and after owning it for 3 or 4 years buy a used truck in the 5k range...  Reason being is I really need AWD at a minimum during winter as my driveway is a hill climb.  
3rd vehicle is a tough one, my wife would probably kill me to.
10K and I could have a pretty nice commuter car or truck vs. a two year newer car exactly the same as I currently own.

I don't know much about those Patriots but have heard that the CVT transmission in them is a steaming pile of shit.  

I don't mind repairing a vehicle but two repairs to a transmission within 45k miles....that's stupid.  A vehicle that hasn't been worked hard should have its transmission last at LEAST 200k.  If you tow a lot with it, then of course the transmission may need replacement sooner.  But, even a hard working truck should last at least 100k.  

Dodge isn't known for many good auto transmissions.

I would dump that turd.

It's a little MANUAL tranny, prolly no larger than two loafs of bread. Hold it in one hand prolly....



Prolly can swap it out in two hrs once the vehicle is up on stands.


OP might want to tell them to repair it, be there when they remove and OP inspect the clutch, and if there's nothing wrong with it, tell them to reinstall it...

IF he won't do the work himself.

Trouble is, YOU CAN'T TRUST THE DEALERS!

Sounds like he want's to spend a little $$$ and add more drama to his life.

I can fix my own stuff.  I have rebuilt motors, axles, did much off roading and vehicle modification in years previous.  I have even rewired a Jeep Cherokee I used to own after the wiring rotted out.  I don't depend on others to fix stuff but when its under warranty and I need it to get to work I can't really leave it in parts in my driveway or in my brothers garage on his lift.  If it wasn't under warranty I would just order a used tranny from a junk yard and swap it out.

$425 is the actual cost of the clutch kit itself.  I was really surprised myself.  Hopefully aftermarket stuff will start to appear for these things so it will be $100 like every other older vehicle.

Thank you for your response.  Money/ finically wise, trading in for new is probably not the best option...  And further more I probably shouldn't do it on a whim like I have in the past.  Debt and payment free is a nice thing and I should probably stick with my original goal and stick it out with the thing for 5 years minimum.  
Maybe find that older used pickup truck some time in the next few years...

This is why I enjoy SF...  Grounded thoughts and opinions that really mean something.

I agree.  I am fucking pissed.  I only two that small trailer maybe 10~20 times a year, no more then one ATV or one snowmobile because I know the ratings.  I got the manual because I wanted the longevity of it vs the CVT and look how far that got me.

All newer vehicles are being made lighter and less durable in my opinion.  If its not one its another.  I can't afford to drive a one ton truck to and from work...   Payment free vs dropping 10K is what I can't decide.  I don't like to think about it payments because it makes it easiyer for the mind to accept.  Its only 200$ a month which is over 10k total for the same as what I have.  10K could also park a nice used truck in my driveway to.

Think how long it will take you to swap out the tranny on your bros' lift, with him helping you likely.

The solution to your issue seems like a no brainer and can be accomplished smoothly with your knowledge and available resources.

Besides, unless you are going to trade it to your DEALER...



You gotta fix it anyhoo.




ETA that little trailer din't hurt your tranny.

A poor rebuild job prolly did.


Take a little $$$ you will save by fixing your tranny...

And buy an asbestos POCKET PROTECTOR  for the $$$$ that's burning a hole in your pocket.


An important part of survival in life, is controlling compulsive emotions.

Its still under warranty so that's my dilemma.  Otherwise I agree with you 100%.  If they say it needs a new clutch I will be keeping my old one.

Tell them YOU will warranty your clutch, and to reinstall the one that came out of your vehicle, NOT A WORN OUT ONE FROM SOMEBUDDY ELSES.

Mark it if you can and see if there's an inspection port to verify you got you original one.

Sometimes the drama of warranty work isn't worth having it done.

I didn't read it all, but skimmed through.































 

I will have to see if I am able to do that somehow.  I guess at this point trading for a brand new one for the tune of 10k isn't probably worth it since my plan is to drive it into the ground any ways.  Worst case scenario I can probably find a used transmission for less then 1000.

One of the main reasons the wife and I have identical vehicles is for parts compatibility.  Getting  a new one with auto would make that void.

I guess I should remember a bad transmission does not mean its a bad vehicle.  Transmission is just gears and some moving parts in a housing.  Everything can be rebuilt for the most part.

I probably shouldn't even go test drive that 2014 six speed auto that's on the lot huh.

Now you're talking Derrick.

Why not do a Google search for a Youtube vid on the R&R of the tranny for a similar vehicle to yours.

And post it.


If I were to hazard a guess, I'd guess the dealer didn't preload the input shaft bearing on your tranny and it is failing. Sometimes manual trannys have an inspection cover you can quickly pull and take a look inside.

You DO have lub in the transmission?

If it's a bad bearing, then 1/2 hr to R&R it once the tranny is in your hands and wash out the tranny with gasoline and slap it back in.

Tell the dealer to stuff his warranty, that is often a gimmick to screw you on something else. Or pick up a CHEAP trade in.


EXPY/who once in his life took a new Vett to the dealer for a tranny issue 2 weeks after he bought it ---and got screwed. Never again if he can help it... Mechanics couldn't even work on it and made a half assed  attempt at a repair. Expy bought it in his company and told his mgr to sell it. Poor guy came through a few weeks later wanting to know if the Vett was still under warranty.



Bought another and promptly wrecked it at 5AM when a newspaper delivery vehicle was in his side of the road. Dealer couldn't fix it either and bought it back! Expy ordered another one the morning after the accident and his ex-wife ultimately took it.

No moar Vetts...

No moar dealers' service shops....




"I probably shouldn't even go test drive that 2014 six speed auto that's on the lot huh."


Well... Duh....

As you grow older, you will likely learn [after mucho dinero under the bridge and wasted] that new vehicles are often sucker bait, for working stiffs.

If you are wealthy [or on Government Assistance], then go for it. If you have to budget, fix what you got and keep your $$$ for better uses.

I got 292K on a 90's Jeep Cherokee straight six. When it got to the point where we finally had to start putting REGULAR money into it and it was $100. here, $200. there, we decided it was time to start saving for a new car.

Also, gas was highER then, still is high though but people are USED to high gas prices now so the tards have went back to buying huge trucks that get 3 MPG... You'll hear from them again when it hits $4. complaining that they don't have any money for preps or to train, etc. Some never learn.

We saved for a year and paid cash for a new smaller car. It's now got 165K on it and still runs like a champ. Not that long ago we paid cash for a new truck.

We are on an approx 10 year rotation on vehicles. Buy them new, buy a decent vehicle, maintain it well and drive it till the wheels fall off. If you can take the time to save up and pay cash for it, all the better.

If not, there is a point you cross wherein the monthly repairs for a used car that you don't have a "payment" on get as much as the payment AND/OR the FUEL DOLLAR SAVINGS justifies the new car payment.

Old Jeep got around 20-25 MPG, the car we got in 09 gets almost 40, almost double. Being as we drive a lot for work, this "saved" us a considerable amount of gas.

Every used car I've purchased has made true the idea of "not buying someone else's problem."  And I'll avoid doing that again where possible.

Let them repair or replace the transmission.



IF they say it needs a new clutch tell them no.



If transmission wore out clutch, they cover clutch.  You say you did not wear it out and you want to see the clutch.



Sure they will fight you.  Tell em no.



Transmission may have worn out clutch faster than normal.



If it is currently slipping clutch and worn out, tell em the tranny did it.



If it is currently a decent clutch take up and hold, deal with the idea you have a possably short lived clutch.



Get vehicle back.



Research transmission on net and with your experience I don't care who says what about the transmission I would probably slide that vehicle down the road and find something else.



Even something with the jeep straight 6 can have problems.  Lots of folks did if you run some searches.  Same goes for the old ford straight 6 that I have in a truck.



A paid for piece of junk is a money eating piece of junk.



Now when you get it back from the dealer and it runs ok, decide what to do.



If the aftermarket has something to replace a stupid weak piece in the transmission, and research who all uses that transmission and engine combo, I could see saving some money up and doing that before this transmission goes kablooey.



But once back from dealer it should run a bit.



Dealer is likely to tell you the clutch needs replaced and make you help cover their cost on warranty since warranty usually won't pay as much as when they can really scare someone and get into a big piggy bank.



While that is a jeep I call em cars.  Sorry.



I like the compass that tj got, it is fwd with maybe a nice 4 cylinder and a stickshift transmission and his sport package has a stiffer suspension so it won't sag under a decent grocery shopping trip.



To some extent if you love the vehicle you might find that swapping in some synthetic fluid and if it has a fluid pump adding a bigger transmission cooler, yes manual transmissions can have fluid pumps and coolers, then yeah you might be able to aftermarket it and keep it going.



To me it is overweight and under built and not worthy of your ownership.



But my opinion on new stuff made me go backwards and buy some older stuff with high mileage and that needed a bit of work.



But lots of different drivetrains work in my stuff and if I feel an engine or transmission or axle is not worthy, my wallet is all that stops me from upgrading to stronger factory parts and aftermarket parts.  and I am talking bolt in stuff, not super duper make your own engine mounts stuff.



I rented a new f150 recently.  Cool truck.  Same mileage as my old 1995 truck.  I popped the hood before returning it.  Would hate to own it and work on it, but nice truck.



I mostly did not want to live in my vehicles for a really long drive on my off days, they would have done it but would have been more tiring than a nice new pretty truck with lots of luxury items and I even used their insurance for it.

I'm old,my vehicles are old (an '02,'02 and '00).If something goes bad I fix it.If it's beyond my skills I pay someone to fix it.
I haven't had a car payment in a LONG time.It works for me.

The second part of the picture is that as an old retired fart there is NOWHERE I have to be every day.

I agree on a little bit older stuff but I really drive to many miles to be messing around with a significantly older vehicle as my DD.  I have no problem getting an older truck as my second vehicle and working on that, then its a backup incase I need to work on my primary DD.  At this point and considering I am very happy with the Jeep (except the transmission) I am going to let them fix it, get it back drive it some and see how it plays out...  I think trading mine in and jumping into another new vehicle would be impulsive and not well thought out, not considering the difference ends up being 10k.  Like I said I would rather keep my jeep as a commuter and have an older truck...  (that was my original plan anyways.)

2012 with 45k miles is still pretty new so I probably shouldn’t scrap it just yet.  Although knowing me I could drive over to the jeep stealer-ship tomorrow and trade for a new one without much issue, but a little common sense says, finically it’s probably not the best decision.  I like not having a payment and was trying to get myself to a point where I am saving cash for a newer vehicle, buy it outright then repeat vs. paying interest and owing some one else.

Thanks for all the replies; I was having a hard time making a decision and or justifing it one way or another...  Getting others thoughts and suggestions helps.  

I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota. Kicked over 300k earlier this year (original auto tranny, btw). I'm putting about a grand in it a year keeping everything ship shape (more this year because I just bought new tires). It's my DD so I can't really afford to have it down for too long. I've started looking for a new-er vehicle only because in not too many more years, parts for the 2000 will become hard to get. I still plan to keep this truck until the wheels fall off. The mileage sux but has since it was new, one of my few complaints. I like having 4wd and the ability to haul around my crap so I put up with the crappy mileage. Someday I may learn to fix some of the more common things that need replacing. Little things I can do, it's the bigger mechanical jobs that I'm reluctant to take on until I get additional vehicle for going to work while I fix the truck.

Not advice so much as a similar experience.  I had a 2011 Jeep Patriot AWD with a CVT transmission as a company car; it was on its third transmission when I turned it in at 72,000 miles.  Regular maintenance was always performed by the dealer every 6k miles since it was new.   It left me stranded at least twice 2+ hours from home in the middle of nowhere, maybe more, I can't remember exactly how many times.  IMHO, these vehicles are steaming piles a turd.

If you are looking to buy another comparable vehicle that is exponentially higher in quality and does everything better, buy a Subaru of your choosing.

No joke -----  no freaking way would i "learn to rebuild" on a daily driver -- especially one made in the last couple of years with less than 50k on it -----    your time is worth something

time in the shop, - time on the side of the road , time waiting for guys at the dealership to re-repair stuff -----   thats something my brother is going through now on his 3/4 ton -- but it has 225k on it, not 50 --- i told him that it sounds like the vehicle is beginning to become an unnecessary distraction
-- remove the distraction and make life more pleasant ----
   
Hell, get it fixed, sell it private party and look for an 03-06 Wrangler Rubicon long chassis model -----  your "cash money" business model you have been trying to cultivate for yourself is awesome   --- a Wrangler gets 15 mpg  ---- but with a manual transmission and the old inline 6 are pretty easy to deal with  (sounds like you had experience with your 98) -----

Then why are you considering another jeep with the same problem built in?



 

One more day to and from work then it goes in.  I am hoping its bad enough to where they just replace the darn tranny.  Mine is the 5 speed not the CVT...  Completely different animals.  And if I were to trade, which at this point I am going to hold off it would be for one with the 6 speed auto which is different then both the 5speed manual or CVT.  I am going to have it fixed under warranty, see what they do to it, then go from there.

Yes I have had a TJ in the past 4.0 5spd and put over 170k miles on that thing with very few issues.  Motor finally started skipping and the darn OBD2 wouldn't pass due to a slight skip which was a bad valve.  Cost of motor rebuild vs trade value and rusted frame didn't give me much option.
MPG was 15 at best and that is not doable with a 60mile per day commute.  I do about 20k miles per year so if I want to live in the "woods" (which I wouldn't trade for the world) I have to compromise with a crossover do it all SUV.  4x4 is a must because of snow, we get a lot and I need to make it to work.  

I am very happy with the vehicle other then this tranny issue.  This is Jeep # 6 for me and the first with major issues that weren't self inflicted.  My wife currently owns #7 which is a '14 patriot same as mine, no issues so far.

Hopefully they replace the tranny or at least all internal components.  If that's the case I will be a happy camper.

My previous Jeeps:

98 TJ  First Jeep and last Jeep before my Patriot.  Owned the longest and while I had each of the others.


Second Jeep 92 XJ:


Third Jeep 99 TJ:


Fourth Jeep 94 XJ:


Fifth Jeep 98 ZJ:


...  I need to dig out some better pictures. That's all I still have the line.

I would love to still have a wrangler or something lifted and locked, or even a full size pickup but owning a newer house, some land, having a family and reality sets in.  "Economy rig" becomes part of reality.  If that means I can shoot in my back yard, hunt in my back yard, play bushcraft in my backyard, be self sufficient with my firewood in my back yard then for me, the choice is easy.  Smaller crossover SUV it is.  Getting out of debt for me is more important then having the a "cool BOV."  Someday yes, today... no

Apparently reading is fundamental and I failed at it.  Somehow I missed that you have the manual transmission.  Still say that I would get rid of it with that many transmission problems in that few miles.

Have you thought about something like a Subaru Forester with AWD?

Buy a Honda CR-V. The tactical soccer mom gets you everywhere and simply will not die unless you do something REALLY stupid with it.
Road, snow, mud and sand, its all good unless you make the effort of going to particularly challenging off-road tracks.
FerFAL

Sell it buy a toyota and be happy I sold my GM and I love my toyota

First off go assert yourself at the dealership. Or take it to another dealer.  Make them fix the Trans to your satisfaction.

Second there is no way I would spend those dollars for that vehicle new. For 24k you could get a used commuter car and a used pickup that will haul twice as much as that trailer. You would have two reliable vehicles that were good at their intended purpose and still have 9k left over. Budget about 1500 a year for repairs and consumables and you are good to go.

I got out of the new car habit in 2001. These days I pay 5k or less in cash for a vehicle max. I have a good mechanic and I can pay him a fraction of what I would pay for "new car" reliability and it's still plenty to keep him happy and loyal.

Eta: you have 50k tied up in two little commuter jeeps!  With loan payments!  That's crazy...  that's just too much cash just to get down the road.
Different strokes I guess.  At least get Chrysler to fix the Trans.

Good luck.

I have a basic Patriot with the only option being AC. It cost ~19k out the door.  Same for my wife's.  Ether way it is what it is and I can't change it now.  Like I said in my OP mines paid off, and other then a mortgage, one car payment and a small student loan we are debt free which is our ultimate goal. Saving while paying things off was tough but I am finally headed in the right direction after a few years.

I have made myself very clear to the service manager, parts manager, and even the sales person I bought it from so they know how I feel.
I still have a few years and miles left with the powertrain warranty so I am hoping this gets squared away.

At this point, and due to several suggestions I am not going to get a new vehicle.  I am keeping this one for now and don't plan on spending more then 10k on a vehicle again.  There are some really nice used vehicles out there in the 10k range that should suite me just fine some time in the next 3~4 years and if things go according to plan I can pay cash from that point forward.  If I can find something nice in the 5~8k range I will be that much farther ahead.  Problem is I live in the "rust belt" and you can pretty much plan on replacing every metal line under any vehicle that is 10 years old.  Not always but it can be a challenge to find non rotted vehicles in my AO.  Since I can do most basic work in my driveway, and even a little bit more technical stuff using my brothers garage and lift I should be OK.

So far your car is paid off and still under warranty. Get it fixed and drive it I don't see the problem ? It's not costing you anything to fix why trade it in. You also should demand a rental car be covered too.

Now someday it will come to a point to keep your car on the road it will cost money, once that number for regular and unexpected repairs gets closer to a new car payment, or reliability goes down to the point of being stranded, it's time for a new car.

Stand your ground with the dealer and have them fix the tranny properly.  Then once it's running fine sell it.  Buy another '98-'00 Jeep XJ for under $5K with minimal if any rust and under 150K miles on it.  Keep it stock, except maybe some better rear leafs.  This is your light trailer hauler and winter 4x4 vehicle.  Take the remaining cash and buy a decent econobox commuter such as a '99-'03 VW TDI, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevy Cobalt, Ford Focus, etc.  Or just only run the XJ and use the remaining $$$ on fuel.  I owned a '99XJ and an '89MJ and wished I had kept both.

Many people seem to trade in a decent shape paid for vehicle to buy something with better mpg thinking they are saving money.  When you factor in the loan interest, higher insurance, and depreciation for the initial 3-5yrs you could buy plenty of fuel.  It is false economy.  I sold our beloved '99XJ for $5K in '05 after Katrina when fuel spiked since we had just moved form a 10mi to a 60mi commute.  I then spent $15K on a VW Jetta TDI.  I saved some money overall, but if we didn't already own another 4x4 I would have kept the XJ.

My DD is a '00 VW TDI with 250K on it.  The ALH motor is known for decent economy and LONGEVITY.  I bought it with 100K and over the last 5yrs and 150K I've put another $7K in tires, timing belts, injection pump, brakes, etc.  It gets low 40s for mpg and my round trip commute is 120mi weekdays.  I plan to get at least 3 more yrs out of it , maybe 5yrs?  I expect mechanically it to be fine, but cosmetics (rust and failing paint) to eventually retire it.

I bought a '97 F250 CrewCab with the 7.3L diesel for $7K with 225K on it.  I've put less than $2K into it in the 2yrs I've had it getting it in shape.  It sees maybe 5K a yr running to the lumber yard and pulling the trailer.  We needed the crew because of a growing family and it replaced my '94 X-Cab that was the same truck, although fewer miles.  Parts for these trucks are EVERYWHERE and it is the best diesel option Ford ever offered.  The truck is the spare in case one of the others is in the shop although I do the majority of the maintenance.

The wife drives an '05 Jeep Liberty with the 2.8L diesel.  We bought it for $11K 3 yrs ago with 105K on it.  It needed a timing belt service and tires.  Between Google and Youtube I swapped the TB, water pump, etc over a weekend.  Maybe $1500 total in getting it into shape and it gets an easy 25mpg which is great for a small SUV.  It sees less than 10K a yr and the $500 tires will dry rot before they are worn out, but it is the wife's grocery getter and kid hauler.

We have 3 older vehicles, and 2 drivers.  Initial cash outlay for all 3 totals less than $25K.  The single most expensive vehicle I own is my Kubota  :-)  In my experience the RIGHT older vehicles are cheaper to run.  Pick something that has a HUGE aftermarket and enthusiast crowd or a fleet vehicle.  You can keep one of those running forever and parts are fairly common.

Now you're talking!  Get that number down to 5k - 7k and you are really getting somewhere!  

Not clear enough if this is their mickey mouse solution.  You've had it "fixed" once already and this is happening again on a vehicle so new and with so few miles on it? In what world is this an acceptable solution and level of service? If it were me and I was treated this way this would be the last Jeep I'd ever own and I'd make sure everyone I ever talked to knew it.  It is ridiculous.

Yep, Derrick may have made it 'clear' to them, but they are laughing he hasn't escalated the issue.

im in a similar boat.
wife drives a new hyundai elantra, 42 mpg with a/c on. We traded our patriot in on it and gained newer vehicle, fuel mileage and a cheaper payment for about 5k$
We feel it was a good trade.
I drive a 1990 k5 blazer and it needs a few things, missing rear seatbelts, it needs the big lift kit removed and smaller tires, some a/c work and I may swap out the transfer case because of another issue. But my wife wants me to just get something new instead of knickels and dimes here and there. I think 2-3 new vehicle payments could pay for the fixes on this truck. we'll see.
For us it balanced out, one vehicle is bulletproof the other is economical.

Sorry for your problems OP.  I'd be ill if that happened to such a new car.  To me 2012 is a "new" car and shouldn't have any major issues like a transmission.  

That said, I'd be OK with the dealer fixing the "stuff that is broken".  I'm not sure exactly what that would be for you, but I'd make sure they warranty their work and get that in writing.

Have you researched this lovely transmission and seen if it is used elsewhere and if the aftermarket has found solutions to the issues?



if I had kept my grand cherokee with the mercedes diesel I had a bit of a list of stuff to do to make it more reliable out of warranty, it had a little thing in the intake that needed cleaned around 100k miles or so on most engines and there were some alternatives to do that might let you not have to mess with it.



Overall I got annoyed learning about all the electronics on it and went another direction.



I am debating a detroit locker in the rear axle of something and maybe that will teach me to give electronics a chance, or air or cables.



I am tired of limited slips since they will eventually wear from what I have experienced and I have only dealt with factory limited slips.



The grand cherokee had qd2 on it so it had pretty much locking capability and I miss it a bit.  I go where I want to go with my 2wd even, but lockers just make it more controlled.



Anyway, if there is no fix on that friggen transmission sell that sucker in a year or three and research what you buy and what drivetrain it has.



TJ has had some excellant advice on vehicles and discussed exactly why he got the calibre he bought, think that is the name of the weird little station wagon thingy but I could be wrong.  



He knew the engine was used by many different makers, it was called a world engine or something, and the transmission and suspension were picked for specific reasons and blah blah blah.

Nothing that meets those criteria has the word "Jeep" on it...





 

A 2012 with only 45k and it's going for a 2nd transmission rebuild? Not sure why you would want another one after that experience. I've never owned a car that had a major failure before 180k. Getting 26-27 MPG in a 4x4 is impressive though. My 6cyl Maxima won't average that much. I'm lucky to average 22 but I don't do a lot of highway driving.

I am too lazy to see if it was mentioned.  Does this have a low range 4x4 system or just awd?



Some of the suburu stuff can about do the mileage you are talking about, I just have issues with how the suburu stuff is done.  My uncle has one that has lots of wind noise and what not and overall it is built a certain way and I can't get past the 12 gallon fuel tank.



Then again, I doubt I could get past what the original poster is using either.



I figure with the older fords I will just buy some spare vehicles and make my own parts yard since everything is getting scrapped out these days.  



A jeep wrangler can be built from catalogs and while not cheap that is a heck of a thing to consider when you look for some of the parts not available for some of the older vehicles.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions, My reasoning behind posting the thread wasn't so much for brand wars but financial and life planning thoughts, and ideas.  There are advocates out there for every brand and every one always knows what's best.  I am not brand partial but I also don't buy into one is significantly better then the other ideals.  My post was more for financial advise vs. vehicle advice.  

I like Jeep always have.  I also like others.  Any vehicle can have faults and major issues.  Some don't.

I have owned:
Ford
Jeep
Dodge
Nissan
Mazda
Honda
Hyundai


Jeep is in the shop.  Hopefully they put a new transmission in it and it will be good to go.  I have bought two brand new vehicles in my life, a Hyundai Accent and a Jeep Patriot.  Hopefully I can stick to my new plan and never buy a new vehicle again.  10k is my new limit and hopefully less shopping around.  Cash can be a powerful thing when looking at used private sales.  That's where I hope to be 3~4 years from now.

I tend to be an impulse buyer so hopefully I can pull it off.  

How do you like your brand new 6 Speed?

I was in your situation earlier this year. I tried to avoid buying new cars until I had the cash saved but I recently bought two newer vehicles. I had a car that was pushing 20 years old, a truck that was 18, and a Kia van that was 10. It was getting to the point repairs were more that the book value and I don't always have time to do my own work. I kept the truck and ditched the other two for newer used cars a 2012 and 2011. I went with certified pre-owned so I had a factory warranty and looked for cars with less than 40k in miles. I don't like to borrow money but I figured interest rates won't be this low forever. One of the cars was financed at 0%, the other we were offered 1.8% but decided to pay cash for it.





If you end up getting something else. I found these two web sites informative. I'm sort of an impulse buyer also. I bought the 2nd car I test drove but this time I did my homework and knew what I wanted and what was a good price before I went shopping. I got prices well below book on both.





I used this site for price shopping. I saved about 4k driving an hour to another dealer I found with this site. Everything in my area was way overpriced.


http://www.cargurus.com/





I used this site to check which years were lemons


http://www.carcomplaints.com/

 

BwhHaHa

I'll join the In Before The OP Posts that his shiny new jeep is that same turd that the old jeep was...but it is a SHINY turd

Updates please, Derrick!  Been awfully quiet...

Did they sucker you into the new red 6-speed???

It was a black one.  




Truthfully the Jeep is still at the dealer.  I dropped it off Wednesday night the 24th.  They decided that Friday it was going to take longer then they expected and offered me a rental car.  I still have the rental car.  I was getting a little irritated that it was taking so long but I got over it.  I will gladly rack the miles up on the '14 dodge journey.  

They told me yesterday it should be finished Friday by the end of the day but never called so I bet I have the rental all this weekend to.