Afternoon all,

I just want to preface this by saying I'm not much of a car guy and don't know my way around vehicle maintenance other than swapping out the occasional windshield wiper or refilling wiper fluid etc...

I have a completely stock 2014 cherokee that I lease and am seriously considering financing it at the end of my lease term. Since it is a lease and I always anticipated turning it in, I haven't done any maintenance whatsoever aside from regular oil changes every 8000 miles or so (Full synthetic).

The car currently has about 52000 miles on it.... mostly highway. Can anyone paint a picture for me of what it will cost to get her current on maintenance and in tip top shape?? I've not had any issues with it whatsoever and there are no indicators that there is anything amiss.... it's just that if I'm gonna buy it, I wanna get the proper maintenance underway so I can make her last as long as possible....

Any information is greatly appreciated!!

 

It probably isn't too far behind on maintenance, but you'd have a few expenses coming up soon. All fluids (Trans, PTU, Diff, brake, etc.) are likely due for replacement soon (50-60k mi is standard on most newer vehicles, don't trust anything that claims to be a "lifetime" fluid they all break down and it isn't wise to go much beyond 60k mi without changing on a vehicle you plan to keep long term), probably around $500 for everything at a shop. Which engine do you have? I believe the 4-cyl still has copper plugs which should be changed every 30k mi (if you have these and haven't changed them already you are overdue and will likely notice smoother idle, and improved throttle response and fuel economy after changing them), the V6 comes with iridium plugs from the factory which are good for 100k mi, probably $100-150 at a shop for the plugs. Belts and hoses will also likely be due at 100k mi. Of course tires and brakes may need replacement soon (brakes largely depend on driving style and may last well over 100k mi if you do a lot of highway driving). The "lube for life" suspension components (ball joints, tie-rod ends, etc.) may also need replaced around 100k mi or so (sometimes before), this is a common issue on virtually all newer vehicles since non-greasable suspension parts are now common (when the factory grease dries out the part has to be replaced).

 

All of that information (except the cost) is in the maintenance section of the owner's manual.

 

http://jeepcherokeeclub.com/106-owne...-schedule.html

Honestly, looking at the maintenance schedule its clear that the KL cherokee is just another regular commuter car. The only specify oil changes and a spark plug change at 100,000k miles. No mention of trans fluid, brake fluid, differential fluid (if the KL even has diffs), etc.

At 50,000 miles, you are probably due for a trans fluid change if it is dirty/burnt, brake fluid change every 3 years, rotate tires, inspect brakes, grease suspension (if the KL has that)

The maintenance schedule is basically saying "sell it and buy a new one", these do not appear to be designed for ~30 year service life otherwise it would have some recommendation of preventative maintenance above the standard oil change.

 

It doesn't, all Jeeps (and just about any vehicle) made in the last 10 years or so have non-greasable suspension components. Generally don't expect these components to last much past 100k mi (and much less if you do serious off-roading) until the factory grease dries out and they fail (you may get lucky and have them last longer, but don't count on it). Like you said most manufactures aren't interested in making a vehicle with true long-term durability, and just want you to buy another after about 10 years or 100-150k mi when a bunch of "lifetime" components/lubes will fail all in a short period of time and probably cost more than the vehicle is worth at that point to fix it.

 

Thank you to all who took the time to respond, that is exactly what I was looking for. Happy Father's Day to all who are celebrating!

 

Hopefully it does not come accross as "knocking" on the KL cherokee or anything.

Its probably 100x nicer to daily drive than my XJ is, but along with the "modern comforts" you both gain and loose reliability. You gain it in the sense that the components should be more "reliable" for a longer period of time, but you also loose the reliability of having cheap and easily changeable/maintainable parts.

I would say just make sure you are keeping up with oil-changes, change the spark plugs at 100K miles, and just fix stuff as you need to.
I don't even think there is a transmission fill port accessible with it in the vehicle (maybe from inside the cabin, on the top-side of the trans), but I do know that they didn't even bother putting a dipstick in because only 1 out of 100 owners will ever check it for proper level/condition anyways.