Need advice on my Liberty/transmission

So I brought the Jeep in for the repairs it needed Monday, and for the dealer to look at the rumble strip noise I had mentioned HERE

They finally got back today that it's at the transmission shop, and that they are not sure what is wrong with it, so they will need to take the ****** apart. Here is the problem. If they deem that it is NOT a covered warranty part, e.g. not internally lubricated, like a solenoid, then I'm on the hook for the costs.
The consensus on the above link is that it was the torque convertor, which according to everything I have read IS a internally lubricated part.

The guy offered two options: have them tear apart the ****** and see where the fault may lie, which means I may be on the hook, or trade it back in to them towards another vehicle(they have no other jeeps on their lot).

I'm really torn because I love the jeep and don't want to go through the hassle of trying to find a new one, especially since I need it to get to work 5x a week. But I also wonder if they are trying to pressure me to not get it fixed because it's going to be a bill on their side. Plus I doubt I am going to get back all the fees I paid like tax, title, registration, warranty, ******** nitrogen, etc... which will put me at a net loss.

If you trade it in, may get one that is even worse. Yes they are trying to cut their losses at this point.
Tell them to repair it ( under their costs )
and then never deal there again

tommudd said:

If you trade it in, may get one that is even worse. Yes they are trying to cut their losses at this point.
Tell them to repair it ( under their costs )
and then never deal there again

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I checked their used vehicle stock, and the only thing they have in the price range that I like is either a 09 Ford Interceptor w/90k or a 03 Eddie Bauer Explorer w/87k. In reality, since I bought the Liberty for 4WD, the Bauer is the only viable option, and I hate Fords. The Interceptor is a novelty and only considered b/c of that.

Gonna get in touch with my Up North mechanic and since has at least seen my Liberty, gonna get his opinion on if it's a lost cause or the dealer is trying to avoid taking a bath on the warranty. If it's the latter, I will fight them tooth and nail to get MuricaMarkII fixed and back on the road. I value everyone's input here and pass it along when I can b/c y'inz have hands on experience with these and aren't just some "internet experts" who have never even sat behind a wheel.

Sorry to hear you're having such a tough time with the dealership. Don't even bother considering those Fords, the Jeep is much better. Hopefully, they can get the torque converter replaced and then she will be all good. Are there any other issues that they need to address?

That ford explorer will probably need timing chains soon if it's the over head cam v6. 3 chains, 1 in front, 1 in back of motor (pull motor job)

It's the TC. I'd be absolutely shocked if it isn't. They should be able to the CVIs (clutch value indices) with a scan tool to check the condition of the TC...no disassembly needed. That's how I determined mine was done. Plus we dropped the pan and the fluid was a mess.

I'm meeting with the new ******-Canoe Monday(the old Sales Manager I was dealing with Quit) Any help with what I can say to him would be greatly appreciated. Is the TC is mentioned in the Field Service Manual? I'd like to be able to print out the pages showing how their service department should be equipped to fix this with the only outlying costs being a new mopar TC. They apparently have at least 12 technicians: https://www.dchacademyhonda.com/staff

I'm sorry if I sound whiny,but I am at my wits end. I bought a used vehicle, sure, but I also bought a warranty and went with a dealer who has at least 4 dealerships in my area, so I thought they could be trusted.

GitEmSteveDave said:

I'm sorry if I sound whiny,but I am at my wits end. I bought a used vehicle, sure, but I also bought a warranty and went with a dealer who has at least 4 dealerships in my area, so I thought they could be trusted.

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Unless you bought the Chrysler Maximum Care warranty you got screwed,any other extended warranty that is not bought directly from the vehicle manufacturer is a complete waste of $$$ and will only cause major headaches.

Best to cut your losses and bail,make sure to get every penny back and find another.

tjkj2002 said:

Best to cut your losses and bail,make sure to get every penny back and find another.

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Dealer said Trade In, not total refund. Not sure if I can get State taxes/fees back.

GitEmSteveDave said:

Dealer said Trade In, not total refund. Not sure if I can get State taxes/fees back.

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Depending on how long it's been, and your State's consumer protection laws, what the dealer "said" may not mean squat.

I've not read everything here but has anyone talked about a possible bad TPS?

With it not doing it with O/D off, I'm not sure how that would rule anything out. The TC still locks in 3rd so if the TC clutch was bad, it would still surge.

Went in today and told them to make repairs. I mentioned a '07 TSB mentioning the 42RLE ****** and rumble noises and how it was the Torque Convertor and also that I had expert advice from here. The Torque Convertor is a internally lubricated part and is covered by the small warranty I bought. I figure if they try to screw me with extras, they can really only get me for parts, because most, of not all, this labor should be covered as work on a internally lubricated part.

Getting a loaner on Wednesday, because I paid ~$250 for a week+ rental and no work was performed and that is like 20+ hours of me working for nothing. My father seems to think that even if we have to throw a few hundred at the total bill, it's worth it to have a rock solid ****** for the life of me owning it.

GitEmSteveDave said:

Went in today and told them to make repairs. I mentioned a '07 TSB mentioning the 42RLE ****** and rumble noises and how it was the Torque Convertor and also that I had expert advice from here. The Torque Convertor is a internally lubricated part and is covered by the small warranty I bought. I figure if they try to screw me with extras, they can really only get me for parts, because most, of not all, this labor should be covered as work on a internally lubricated part.

Getting a loaner on Wednesday, because I paid ~$250 for a week+ rental and no work was performed and that is like 20+ hours of me working for nothing. My father seems to think that even if we have to throw a few hundred at the total bill, it's worth it to have a rock solid ****** for the life of me owning it.

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When they drop the ****** the torque converter is right there on the flywheel. If they are rebuilding the ****** then they should replace the torque converter.

Keep after them. I went through this same transmission warranty scenario with Toyota and I had to stay in almost constant contact them to get any results. Can't the dealership or your insurance company help out with the rental fees?

vandyboy said:

Keep after them. I went through this same transmission warranty scenario with Toyota and I had to stay in almost constant contact them to get any results. Can't the dealership or your insurance company help out with the rental fees?

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I didn't get rental coverage, but if I did, it only covers during a claim. The dealership is supposedly helping me out with a car, but the loaner car they promised me on Wednesday never materialized, and I'm back to a rental, but I'm kind of getting a break on the cost, so there's that.

It's frustrating, because I'm still paying insurance on my Jeep and also for a rental car.

towpro said:

That ford explorer will probably need timing chains soon if it's the over head cam v6. 3 chains, 1 in front, 1 in back of motor (pull motor job)

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This is the EXACT reason I traded in my Explorer for my Jeep. The Explorer started giving me the “timing chain rattle of death” and a repair was more than it was worth.

Back in 2010 the 5.0 Explorer was an amazing find that would run forever...but I bet they’re all above 200k now.

Anyway, any Explorer newer than 2001 doesn’t even have a solid axle on the rear and put the half-shafts through holes in the frame, so lift was limited to 1-2”.


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Phil + Neela said:

This is the EXACT reason I traded in my Explorer for my Jeep. The Explorer started giving me the “timing chain rattle of death” and a repair was more than it was worth.

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Agreed! I'd avoid the Ford SOHC version of the Cologne engine. That's one of those "What were they thinking" things to me. Guess it gave a bit more power but timing chains on the front and back of the engine seems like a bad idea. I think the Ford cam phaser issues were common on those things too. I have a 98 Ranger with the 4.0L OHV version and no problems with over 170k. I've heard those 5.0L are really solid, but the last 302 I had was way back from the 1970s vintage.

Going to pick her up tomorrow. Dealer said the ****** was done, but has not mentioned any costs to me in communications. Also fixed the E-brake. Racked up nearly $500 in car rentals.