I just bought a Cherokee on Jan 8th from a local used car dealer called "Fairly Reliable Bob's."



Here's a series of e-mails back and forth....

To say that I have been 'pleasantly surprised' is an understatement akin to Col. Tibbets saying ' I dropped the atomic bomb and it went off.'

Start at the bottom and read up.



From: Stacey Pechin
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2011 2:47 PM
To: 'Mark Williamson'
Subject: RE: Jeep repairs




Thanks Mark! The roof rack is fixed. I will hold on to the Jeep and contact you next week as soon as it is done. Have a good weekend. -Stacey

From: Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2011 1:42 PM
To: stacey@fairlys.com
Subject: RE: Jeep repairs


Dear Stacey,

Thank you for the update. I have another car, so no need for a loaner, but I appreciate the offer. Keep it as long as you need.

As far as telling people, I have already told two people here at work about the great service I have gotten from Fairly's, and I gave out one of Kelly's cards

Your good work will not go unrewarded by me. I will certainly spread the word.

Thank you very much.

Mark



From: stacey@fairlys.com
To: fiskerdraber@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Jeep repairs
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 12:07:56 -0700
Dear Mark,

We have looked at the Jeep – it was a very easy diagnosis. It has a trouble code P0432: right catalytic convertor efficiency failure which means it needs the catalytic convertor assembly replaced. This explains the poor gas mileage. I sublet this replacement to an exhaust shop in garden city but when I called today I found out the part has to be ordered in and it would be Wednesday before they can replace it. You may leave the Jeep here if it is more convenient for you, you may take a loaner car if you need one, or you may bring the Jeep back Wednesday morning if you like (or this can be scheduled for a later date too). The choice is yours. Even with my discounts this repair will cost $525.00. Of course we are not charging you for this – I understand it has been an intermittent concern since you bought the Jeep. I am sorry that you have had to return your new vehicle to us for repairs so shortly after the sale but I hope this repair and the service you received is making up for the inconvenience. I am sharing information about the cost of the repair in hopes that you will share with your friends that we are a good place to buy a car. Your good publicity is appreciated and is all that we ask in return for doing the right thing.

The roof rack part just came in today, so I will get to work on that shortly. I will check my e-mail later to see what you have decided to do while we wait for the cat.

Thanks, Stacey

From: R. Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 7:43 PM
To: Stacey Pechin
Subject: Re: Jeep repairs


Dear Stacey,



I dropped off the Jeep in the same place as last time.



The CEL is still on.



Also, I noticed something else kind of disturbing.

There -must- be a fuel leak somewhere.



On Jan 11th, I filled the tank and the jeep had 96,561 miles on it.

When I dropped it off, it had 96,671 miles on it and half a tank (just slightly more, actually).



Considering the tank holds 20 gallons, that's roughly 10 gallons of fuel to go 80 miles.

8 miles per gallon seems -way too low- for an inline 6 cylinder.



Can you have your guys give the thing a once over and see if there's a leak somewhere?



Thanks!



Mark









From: Stacey Pechin

Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 1:40 PM

To: 'Mark Williamson'

Subject: RE: Jeep repairs





Sounds perfect! I will look for the Jeep keys in my drop slot in the morning. Thanks.

From: Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 9:36 AM
To: stacey@fairlys.com
Subject: RE: Jeep repairs


Dear Stacey,

I can drop it off same as last time tonight after work, a little after 1900.

Will that work for you?
let me know

thanks!
Mark



From: stacey@fairlys.com
To: fiskerdraber@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Jeep repairs
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 09:04:01 -0700
Good Morning Mark,

Bummer! Sorry to hear the light is on. Fortunately now that the vehicle is not losing battery voltage it should retain a trouble code for us. Some Chryslers display the trouble code where the odometer displays if you key on three times in a row. If the vehicle has this feature it still may not display the code depending on which module has the code stored. If the vehicle is not reporting codes to you we will need to use our scan tool – in order to fix the problem we need the vehicle back in the shop anyway. Please let me know what day we can look at it. I can make room anytime this week.

Thanks, Stacey


From: R. Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 6:29 PM
To: Stacey Pechin
Subject: Re: Jeep repairs


Dear Stacey,



On my way home from work tonight the CEL came on and has stayed on. I again did the whole "push-the-odometer-button-in-while-turning-the-key" thing and the system went through its checks, but again just showed the mileage.



Let me know.



Mark



From: Stacey Pechin

Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 9:50 AM

To: 'R. Mark Williamson'

Subject: RE: Jeep repairs





Good Morning Mark,

I am checking in for 2 reasons: One, to make sure the Jeep was cooperative over the weekend and to confirm we solved the problems. Two, I was just filing the paperwork and noticed I made a typo. At the bottom of the invoice it shows a customer amount due of$ 103.18 which is not true. You owe nothing. I hope this did not cause you frustration.

Thank you, Stacey


From: R. Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 5:18 PM
To: Stacey Pechin
Subject: Re: Jeep repairs


Yes, I have a spare!



Thanks. I have only one virtue: patience.



From: Stacey Pechin

Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 4:56 PM

To: 'R. Mark Williamson'

Subject: RE: Jeep repairs





Yes, I will LOCK the key in the car as you requested (hope this means you have a duplicate with you). It is parked on 24th street near the service department and accessible. Thank you for your patience.

From: R. Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 3:54 PM
To: Stacey Pechin
Cc: Rex Petersen
Subject: Re: Jeep repairs


Hey Stacey,



I got your message. Y'all are awesome!



Sadly, I will not be able to pick it up in time. My wife is not likely to be home from work before 7 tonight.

Can you just put the key in the center console or under the seat or something and lock it up and I can come get it later tonight?



No worries on the re-scheduling for the roof rack, just let me know.



Oh, and please feel free to take the FRB drive-out tags that were on it. I left the on the front seat for you.



Thanks again!



-mark



From: Stacey Pechin

Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 3:30 PM

To: 'R. Mark Williamson'

Subject: RE: Jeep repairs





Mark,

The Jeep is ready. We got the adjustment screws and springs and have corrected the headlight problem. The battery drain seems to be resolved. The engine light has not come on for us and there are currently no codes. The roof rack part is on order (about one week out) and we will need to reschedule, I am sorry this cannot be fixed today. This will give you time to enjoy the Jeep and make sure we have solved all battery drains and that the engine light stays off. I will call you when the part comes in or you can contact me if there are any remaining issues. We have tried to reproduce and correct your concerns as good as possible and hope to make you happy.

I am here till 5:30 tonight. If I do not see you before I close – I will put your keys in the sales office which stays open until 7:00 PM.

Have a good weekend.

Thanks, Stacey

From: R. Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 12:26 PM
To: Stacey Pechin
Subject: Re: Jeep repairs


Dear Stacey,



I got your phone message.



The CEL did not come on last night when I jumped it, either.



When it was on last week, I did the whole "push-the-odometer-button-in-while-turning-the-key" thing and the system went through its checks, but showed no error codes, only the mileage. I think, perhaps, that 'tracking device' may have been responsible for that. Research online leads me to believe that it is a problem with that year model Cherokee. The quick fix when it is showing no codes seems to be simply unhooking the battery for a few minutes, which I did while cleaning it. Perhaps the electrical drain did the same thing because it was dead last night.



Thank you very much for such prompt attention to these things.

I am, again, impressed with the level of service. My fear, since I did buy it "as is" that I would get a 'typical used-car dealer' response.



I have been pleasantly surprised and grateful that 'Fairly Reliable Bob's' has, in fact, been 'Very Reliable Bob's' in taking care of me as a customer.



Also, there was a part for the roof rack on order. Are you aware of if it has arrived? If it has, go ahead and have that repair done as well as it was in the purchase agreement.



Keep me posted.



-mark







From: Stacey Pechin

Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 2:52 PM

To: fiskerdraber@hotmail.com

Subject: Jeep repairs





Hi Mark,

Rex called me this morning and forwarded me your e-mail. I left you a voice mail earlier and I think Rex may have also. We want to help with the repairs here in our shop but need to get in touch with you about picking up the Jeep. Please call me at your earliest convenience.

Thank you, Stacey
342-7777 ext 5



From: rex@fairlys.com
To: fiskerdraber@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Problems with my Jeep Cherokee
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:25:33 -0700


I left a message on your cell. Sorry to hear you have had a problem. Please call the service dept at 342-7777 ext 5 Stacey will be more than happy to help you. Please call when ever you need help.
Thanks
Rex


-----Original Message-----
From: R. Mark Williamson [mailto:fiskerdraber@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 5:18 AM
To: Rex Petersen
Cc: kske032668@yahoo.com
Subject: Problems with my Jeep Cherokee

Dear Rex,

I am writing this morning to express my disappointment with some problems I have encountered with the 2001 Jeep Cherokee I purchased from Fairly Reliable Bob's on Jan. 8.

Since that day I have driven (or attempted to drive) the jeep four times.

The first time, the jeep started fine and drove fine.
The second time, the jeep started a bit slowly and after about 20 minutes on the road, the "Check Engine Light" came on (and never went off).
The third time, I had to jump start the thing. The CEL was still on. There was some slight build-up on the battery so I bought some cleaner and some battery protectant.
Today would have been the fourth time, but when I put the key into the ignition a few moments ago, neither the door buzzer nor the dash lights came on.

I can think of only four reasons for these problems:
1- The battery is bad. Despite the small amount of build-up, it looks like a brand new interstate battery was installed recently, so I am not sure if that's the issue.
2- The alternator is bad and not charging the battery properly
3- There is a short somewhere in the electrical system that's draining the battery.
4- A combination of some of the above.

Also, until I drove the jeep at night, I did not realize that the front left headlight bracket was loose, causing that light to shine into the faces of on-coming traffic. I was unable to get it tightened up.

Now, while I fully understand that I purchased the vehicle "As Is" with no warranty, in light of how recently it was purchased and how quickly these problems arose, I would expect a business such a good reputation to make it right and either have these problems remedied, or reimburse me for doing so.

I suggest that either I return the jeep for the needed repairs or you allow me to take it to Rod's Auto in Garden City and have the vehicle repaired and just deduct that amount from my next $1000 payment (due on Feb 22). He's as honest of a mechanic as I have found in the area. I will, of course, provide documentation.

Please note the time I am sending this mail. Fearing that even if I jump-started the jeep this morning, I would be faced with the same problems tonight, so I opted to not drive it to work today.

Your prompt attention to this matter is much appreciated.

Thank you,

Mark Williamson.

 

thats good... i would go back.

 

Wow! That is awesome!

The dealer I bought my Cherokee from actually gave me a check for the difference in registration since I had over paid them, but this is so much nicer of them!

 

Dude... good dealer, nice to know that there are still some honest businesses out there.

 

This is good stuff. Not too often you find used car dealers going to such trouble. Of course here in Jersey the vehicle must be able to pass inspection, the stipulation being that the dealer has to correct any problems preventing this. It's possible that all the issues you describe would need to be fixed in order to pass inspection: headlight, CEL, starting probs ... I dunno. Do you have that in Idaho?

That being said, I'd still buy from this dealership.

 

There's no vehicle inspection requirement, just emissions testing, and not all counties have that.

 

That's awesome seems like u got ur way but I had the same electrical problem as u seemed to have in my 98 I popped a new battery in and hit my starter with a wrench 9 times and started right up been runnin great ever since glad u got urs all up to date....

 

Same thing in ohio gosh it blows I got no cat on mine right now and they wont pass me so I keep renewing my 30 day tags and now my check engine light is on great!;(

 

wow very nice to see good business practice out there still.

I think it's funny you bought a car from a place called

fairly reliable bobs. it's ironic with all the help and good luck it looks nice.

 

OK, where in Idaho are you and fairly reliable Bob? It is a big state. Some people may want to check them out if they knew where to go.

 

That's pretty impressive, I have to say. If I lived there they would get my business. Kudos to you for finding one of the truly good businesses left!

 

i'm impressed.

 

Only goes to show that there are still good people in the business

 

Downtown Boise

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl...79809636551885