Anomic

I own a 2003 Jeep WJ. I have had some electrical issues, ground fault, fan motor, etc, etc. doesn't matter to me. My lifted, locked WJ looks great riding on 33s with fender flares and stealth bumpers front and back. I was bouncing in and out of creeks today where brand new JKs were getting stuck, comfortable with the AC blowing and tunes blasting.
Four wheeling in comfort, carrying friends, tools, cooler etc. is what the Grand Cherokee experience is about, if that doesn't work for you I am sure there is a Mondeo out there with your name on it!

basegrinder

bla bla bla bla bla bla IF YOU TAKE CARE OF IT bla bla bla

same as any other car.

SoCalxJ4.0

When you have more things that can go wrong, well hey, more things are going to go wrong. Can't argue with logic. Blah blah blah.....

dave1123

I think the whole point of this discussion is due to the uncontrolled environment an automobile is, you can't expect electronics to last long at all. Think about it. They're exposed to temperatures from -40* to 140* and all levels of humidity and vibration. The Grand is so loaded with creature-comfort electronics and convenience stuff that isn't really needed to operate the vehicle. Add to that, the electronics and sensor systems that ARE needed to operate the vehicle, and you have the basis for problems, as with any vehicle.

The Grand has more if these bells and whistles than any other in the jeep line.

The thing I can't fathom is why the A/C evaporator core is such a problem with ALL jeeps.

Hymie

It’s just that I had gotten used to owning a car (Mondeo), on which something major did not break at least once a year.

I take what I consider reasonable care of the vehicles that I have owned, such that I have only had one breakdown away from home (allowing the tank to run very low, allowing cr*p to be sucked into the carburettor) in nearly 40 years of motoring. I take Bustedback’s point that the Mondeo* had very little in the way of gizmos – but a cabin blower, warm air and a reliable ignition barrel mechanism are essentials, not luxuries.

* Interestingly the Zetec engine was fitted with two independent belts driving the alternator/water pump/power steering – for added reliability.

The blend door and blower motor failures on the Jeep are in my opinion unforgivable on a vehicle in the 21st century; and I dare anyone to claim that they own a WJ with fully working wing mirrors. Any half decent R&D testing should have caught these design faults with ease.

I work in the area of electronics and while I would agree that vehicles represent a harsh environment, with extremes of heat/cold, power dips and electrical noise from the alternator – if the design cannot tolerate these conditions, then don’t incorporate them in vehicles sold to the public.

dave1123

BTW, my 2000 WJ's mirrors work fine, although the only function they have is position. They don't move unless you ask them to move. I haven't reset their position in a year.

There are electronics that can take the punishment, they're called "avionics" and cost 5 times what automotive units cost.

rgs80074

yeah the evaporator cores seems to be problems on most years makes, thats whats keeping my ac from working.

Brewman454

I feel lucky. Had my 04 overland for 4 years now and other than what ive broke on the trails ive only had to replace the ac blower motor.

Anomic

[
The blend door and blower motor failures on the Jeep are in my opinion unforgivable on a vehicle in the 21st century; and I dare anyone to claim that they own a WJ with fully working wing mirrors. Any half decent R&D testing should have caught these design faults with ease.

[/QUOTE]

My 2003 has perfectly working wing mirrors. My WJ went wheeling both Sunday, 5 hours, and today, 3 hours, My mirrors have hit: trees, other mirrors, replaced glass twice but they function perfectly.

Creature85

Oh, I see you're one of THOSE guys.

"Your WJ/ZJ/XJ/etc is junk because it's not the Jeep I own."

I don't see how your bad experience translates into every WJ having wing mirror issues. My mirrors work without fail. I've had blower motors die on Ford and Chevy vehicles that were just as old, so it's not like things don't go wrong with other makes and models.

dave1123

This thread seems to have turned into a proverbial cat fight. Everybody is snarling and hissing at each other. Everybody needs to back off and take a deep breath.

I think we all have said what we think about Jeeps and I hope it has helped the original poster. We all have our own opinions.

basegrinder

It's just silly that anyone says that a ZJ has any more problems than anything else since there are page after page after page of XJs with problems here.