The Random thought thread

[facthunter]

The MARKET decides.  Nev

[onetrack]

Jeep have never recovered from their crappy construction, with a huge number of build faults, and their especially poor treatment of complaining customers, fobbing them off with standard lines such as, "We can't find anything wrong with it", and, "It's the way you've driven it and treated it, that is causing the problems". 

 

I've got a farmer friend who actually has a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and he loves it. But he had a Falcon and a Nissan before, so I guess they made the Jeep look good.

However, he's in the minority, as I know several other people who couldn't get rid of their Jeeps fast enough, such were the constant problems.

 

Look up the reviews on Product Review for Jeep Grand Cherokee, and you'll soon see why their sales have dropped like a stone for the last 8 or 9 years.

Most common reports are "no sales support", "horribly expensive parts and service", and "faults not rectified by dealer". For years, Jeep parts were rarely available off the shelf, and cost twice as much as any other car brand.

[facthunter]

Lots of Plastic in the ducts in the dash and it goes brittle. The rest "as you say"  Nev

[pmccarthy]

A family member had one and it was rubbish.

[spacesailor]

Grandson just bought a 2014 model  ! . lets hope it's a good one .

His wife is off with their first baby & her employer has paid her off ,

Which, I thought was illegal ! .

Must have been a good settlement as they didn't complain. 

spacesailor

 

[onetrack]

Spacey, let's hope he got one with all the faults fixed!

 

Jeep Grand Cherokee Model Year to Avoid: 2014

The 2014 Grand Cherokee was improved as a later model of the fourth generation, with a more powerful engine, improved electrical system, and a more elegant and comfortable interior. Nonetheless, there were several concerns concerning the engine, interior accessories, and brakes of the vehicle.

 

Issues:
Engine
Airbags
Shifting and acceleration control

The 2014 Grand Cherokee’s biggest flaw is its gearbox, especially its harsh or jerky gear changing. There were injuries from rolling cars, even with a disengaged motor because of a failed shift from drive to park.

 

Recalls:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued 12 recalls for this Grand Cherokee model. The following were the significant issues:

 

Engine: Brake fluid leaks were common, causing the actual fluid to be used at a higher rate than average, requiring faster replacement.

Wiring System: Short circuit difficulties prevented drivers from turning off the cruise control; thus, the car maintained or increased its speed, even after its desired use.

Speed Control: Like the wiring system for cruise control, when the driver releases the accelerator pedal, the car may continue to accelerate, posing a hazard to the driver, passengers, and those around.

Airbags: Due to a defective Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module, front and side airbags were sometimes disabled. Some users have reported issues with the malfunction indicator light failing to glow to alert them. 

Brake Booster Shield: Corrosion was a problem with the central brake booster shield. When it rusted, it let water in, which subsequently froze, resulting in reduced braking efficiency.

Electronic Stability Control: Due to software problems with the Steering Column Control Module, the ESC might have been disabled. As a result, the driver could not maintain proper control of the car, increasing the likelihood of a collision.

Alternator: The SUV was prone to stalling without warning due to a sudden alternator failure. This is a common way that increases the likelihood of a collision on a busy road.

Electronics: Software vulnerabilities were discovered in radio-equipped units. As a result, unauthorized third-party access to, modification, and control of parts of the vehicle’s control systems might have occurred on these failed units.

Automatic Transmission: Shifting and locking the gear into park was a typical report by drivers, making it difficult to park, especially on sloped roads.

 

[facthunter]

Parts costs are outrageous unless aftermarket and that's enthusiast stuff. Nev

[old man emu]

I'm about to pay $600 for a reconditioned oil pump for the WLA. A "new" one is over $US750, and I can't be sure that the new one is up to OEM specs. But that's what you have to pay for parts for 80 year old machinery.

 

It was wiser to buy a complete pump than to buy to ball valve and spring, plus the tool to recut the valve seat and for me to try to do a job I know nothing about. Now all I have to do is undo some pipes; remove and replace the oil pump and reconnect the pipes. The oil pump works, but the ball valve is a check valve that stops oil draining from the oil tank to the crankcase when the engine is not running. I left the bike for a month and the oil tank drained onto the floor.

[nomadpete]

2 minutes ago, old man emu said:

left the bike for a month and the oil tank drained onto the floor.

I thought all old bikes do that.

 

 

Oh, maybe only British ones....

[old man emu]

Let's not forget that the seals between surfaces of components of engines made that long ago were not perfect. Even the paper gaskets did not have an infinite service life. If you were a vehicle manufacturer, relying on continuing sales, year after year, would you be hoping that what you build today will run as well in 80 years as it does on Day One? I'm only lucky that this model of bike was built on a military contract. Production figures vary, but they range between 80,000 and 90,000 completed units. However there also had to be spare parts. Here is a page out of the spare parts book. The far right column shows how many of each part are required per 1000 complete bikes.

[red750]

The tow truck turned up to take my old Festiva to the recyclers. The driver, obviously a Pacific islander, was built like this guy,

 

Jordan Mailata

 

However, it was a woman.

[old man emu]

Why did he need the truck?

[facthunter]

The oil pump doesn't give much trouble and I'd normally just replace the spring as it's  ESSENTIAL to the Pump working The body is cast iron and hardly ever wears. The breather has to be timed if you disengage the Pump Skew Gear. Nev

[red750]

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

Why did he need the truck?

She.   Read the last line of my post.

[nomadpete]

That's equality for you.

 

These days, women are even allowed to come in as many different shapes as men!

 

Oh My Goodness! Where will it all end?

 

(Dunno why some people feel threatened by all this.... not referring to you, Peter)

[old man emu]

Talking about the shape of Humanity.

 

Australia's health problem is that in 2022, based on measured data from the ABS 2022 NHS (latest published data), of adults aged 18 and over: 66% were living with overweight or obesity, approximately 13 million adults. 34% were living with overweight but not obesity. 32% were living with obesity. In 2018, obesity cost the Australian community $11.8 billion and if nothing is done, may cost an estimated $87.7 billion by 2032. Seems we are digging our graves with our mouths.

[nomadpete]

42 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Seems we are digging our graves with our mouths.

In spite of the constant cries of our present day 'unaffordable cost of living', We are living in the land of plenty. 

 

Few people today are as slim as we were when we were young. Millennials don't want to know how unaffordable excess eating was back then.

 

[facthunter]

 Sugar and overprocessed food is most of the problem and  lack of exercise. Fad diet and putting it back on are worse that just staying the same.  IF you are putting it on slowly then just consume a bit less and it will SLOWLY come off and you have to not stuff  it in the cake hole ever again. IF you say IF I have to do that I'd rather be Dead, it might happen as you wish. Nev

[spacesailor]

What do you expect! .

Food in every shopping district.  The smell permits our every waking hour .

When are we going to get no calorie food  .

The Romans worked it out .  'pig- out then disgorge the whole meal ' .

spacesailor

[red750]

The way to avoid fattening foods is to look at the price ticket. Nearly $10 for a simple burger, over $5 for a donut. Works every time.

[spacesailor]

Not on the young ! , who just " tap & go " a 4 dollar ' icecream ' .

They don't seem to know the value of things like the older folk , who struggled to make do .

spacesailor

 

[red750]

Yes, that's the problem with tap and go. It's all too easy, and invisible. If you have to pull out a $10 or $20 note and break it, you may have second thoughts. The effect of tap and go doesn't hit home till you get your statement.

 

And the adverts are so tempting.

[red750]

Life insurance companies are nothing more than legalised thieves. My wife insisted I took out a life policy to protect her and the kids in the event of my death. Obviously, that didn't happen. However my wife passed away a couple of years ago, and the kids are now over 45. And yet, without increasing the payout figure, my insurance company, Zurich, continues to increase my premium. If I die next week, it will cost them no more than it would have, had I died 5 years ago, but they continue to take me for $500 per month, and now want more. If I cancel the policy, I lose all I have paid over the years, The only way to get a payout on this policy is to die.
Legalised thieves.

[facthunter]

Read the fine print.  Haven't you heard about the "Gnomes of Zurich"? Nev

[octave]

13 minutes ago, red750 said:

but they continue to take me for $500 per month

Holy sh1t $500 a month.    I know what I would do.  I would forgo the money put into this policy over the years and think about the $6000 a year I was forking out.   I would redirect that $6k into an account and then after a year I would go on a nice holiday.