BruceB

what should you do about it?..chalk it up to experience and move on....
these things always will be "I remember once when........"

cruiser54

How about visiting them in person and expressing your concerns?
They might help you and Mom out in some way.

awg

havent you seen those old films where the couple breakdown in sone rural US town, the BF questions the bill. and the mechanic grabs a large Stilson

UKXJ

I understand the anger & frustration but did the shop know the pump was fairly new &, therefore, less likely to be the problem?

Another consideration is how much would proper diagnosis cost, compared with replacing the pump & filter?

PCO6

@AlSpeciale No offence to you or the garage involved but did you ask the question here before you took it in? After reading the second sentence of your original post (It would crank and then quickly die.) my first thought was that it might be the ballast resistor. I've had this happen on two XJs and after stumbling through some basic troubleshooting on the first one I learned this is an easy and good thing to look at first.

Not trying to be a jerk here but sometimes you might be able to save yourself a trip to the garage or even be able to give them a few leads to check out if you do have to take it in. I don't know what your personal relationship with this garage is now but if there isn't a Jeep specialist close by or even a garage that "likes" Jeeps I might give them a second try. You might need a place that's willing to work with you. They might even feel that they owe you one.

awg

years ago i rang the Audi dealer, as my Mrs vehicle had developed a vacuum leak

how much for the part and to fit I inquire ?

maybe 70 for part, over 400 to fit...why so much i ask?...have to remove the inlet manifold he says...i dont think so i say, just sell me the part then

I had removed the hose with (long-nosed pliers)

get home, and by jingo, I fit the part with my bare hands

On this occasion, I went against me own advice, rang the dealership, and told the representative that maybe he should let his techs know about my little tip...after all, that would save the shop a lot of time, wouldnt it

That Jeep Guy XJMJ

Chalk it up as a shop with a reputation not necessarily in the best interest of the customer and move along.

I can attest to replacing "new" parts from other folks work while addressing problems, it happens. Sometimes not necessary sometimes VERY necessary. Its not my day job so i could only imagine how often its done on a weekly basis in the repair shop setting. You can't be too sure why the vehicle has actually ended up there wither from wear and tear or poor workmanship on parts installation.

As far as what could really be argued for if you were to revisit the shop for some form of compensation? I think a fair argument would be the refunding of the labor for the fuel pump install. If it truly wasnt necesary then suck up the cost of the part but they can suck up the lack of investigating and eat the labor on that. If they dont want to accomodate your concerns then again - move along and shop elsewhere for repairs next time

exasemech

Keep in mind that for whatever reason you had your mother (who I'm assuming isn't an automotive technician) take your 32 year old vehicle to a shop. She, I'm assuming, had no idea what was wrong with it.
They fixed it.
If they really wanted to rip her off you would be looking at a new ECM, or a new cylinder head.

cruiser54

So Al, after over 20 responses to this thread, tons of advice, what have you done or decided to do regarding this situation?

AlSpeciale

Thanks to everyone for the input and advice. I went back to the shop last week and asked the owner what the problem was on the jeep, because in their paperwork they didn't pinpoint one definitive cause. I told him I don't think the fuel pump had to be replaced, and asked if we could hook up the old ballast to verify what they wrote was true. I'm going back this week to do that since they didn't have time last Friday, as I went in at the end of the day on Friday.
**they agreed to hook up the old ballast to check.

cruiser54

Nice!!