[Starwar19]

Hello team,
I wanted to provide you all with an update on my ongoing issue and the subsequent diagnosis. The Flying doctor from Jeep came to inspect and make repairs on the car, but unfortunately, his efforts fell short. He conducted a diagnostic check on the car within a day and took me for a test drive. On the Drive, the noise was absent. I did numerous speeds and terrain drive but the noise didn't show.

I had requested an extended test drive before coming to a conclusion, because similar case happened with all previous repairs, where the noise disappeared after alignment of doors, but he expressed great confidence that the noise wouldn't return. They applied a 3M noise insulation kit to the car doors, placing 3-inch patches at the top and bottom.

Given his assurance and the absence of noise, I accepted the car back as I had a flight scheduled the following day.

However, my disappointment was profound because, during my journey to Mumbai, the noise reappeared after covering just 300 kilometers. This marked the 14th visit to address the issue, with persistent problems such as creaking and rumbling noises from all four doors, sunroof noise, and gear lever noise.

I mentioned the failure to Jeep because the issues persisted. Despite numerous emails detailing the problems, escalations, compensation requests, and a final resolution plea to the company, I received no affirmative response. They have been delaying the process and appear to have shifted away from their customer-centric approach, citing their policies, protocols, and anti-consumer terms and conditions.

Escalations and follow-ups proved fruitless. Frustrated, I decided to request the service history of my car for resale purposes. The service history was marred by entries related to door noise and sunroof noise, primarily due to their quality control issues. In light of this, I sought monetary compensation, which they outright denied. This denial only exacerbates the depreciation of the car's value due to the tarnished service history.

It's disheartening that a consumer who trusted and invested 40 lakhs of hard-earned money in your company must endure all these problems, inconveniences, and frustrations. It seems the company has given up on addressing the core problem, offering only a temporary solution of realigning the door every few thousand kilometers.

I'm left with only two options at this point:

1) Take the matter to the Consumer Forum and live with the issues until a final judgment is reached.

2) Sell the car and shoulder all the losses incurred due to Jeep Company's problems.

It's truly frustrating that the company seems intent on evading the problem without offering a genuine resolution. They refuse to compensate, won't rectify my service history, won't consider replacing the car, and fail to provide a meaningful, conclusive solution. It's as if all their responsibilities cease once the car is sold.

Sorry for long post.

[EagleEye76]

Being a fellow Meridian owner, and first 4x4 owner from Mumbai, I feel sad every time I see such an experience from owners. Not to mention apprehensive of facing similar issues myself.

It is disheartening to see Jeep not owning up their issues time and again. Even my recent service feedback was not great and despite giving poor feedback during their QA call, I did not get any call back. Just shows they are least interested.

[GoBlue]

Please sell the car and move on.

Life is short, time precious.

The Jeep company would continue to exist, make shoddy cars which would find buyers. There’s no end to this cycle.

Nothing that you can do to fight them would compensate you for this agony, a court battle would only serve to aggravate it.

[Livnletcarsliv]

I was in a similar position earlier with my ex-Harrier. My sincere empathies to you. I know what you are going through. Unfortunately, in our country consumer laws and more so enforcement and processes are not strong enough. I sold my car and moved on.

Now coming to the brand, in terms of reliability and ASS experience, my take is that Jeep is worse than Tata especially with Compass and Meridian, given the ratio of sales numbers Harrier: Compass and Safari : Meridian. And there is no roadmap/commitment from Jeep to improve its quality or ASS experience.

Coming to your situation, sell your car and move on. The legal route is not worth the time, energy, and money unless you have all these in abundance. You will only lose money by selling it. But peace of mind is absolutely more than money in that sense. So sell your car and live in peace.

[Eco_boost]

40 Lakhs is a very big number. I think you should at least try it out in consumer court. There have been numerous cases of Jeep breakdowns since they launched the facelift compass in 2021, followed by horrendous service experiences. This is something you can use in favour of your argument. The least they should do is provide a replacement or a full refund.

[Jainudit]

Originally Posted by car-o-holic

A quick update on a pleasant experience with a Jeep Service centre!
......... turns out it was the DPF clogging - no other codes came up...they were able to rectify the issue as we sat in their service centre (simple, decent set up - water was offered) and we could leave the place in just an hour! Extremely impressed with Vignesh's team and the way they attended to our request immediately -- we did not have to pay a single rupee for any of this.
.

While the service from Jeep is appreciable, my question on this is basic. Why was an intervention needed at all for DPF cleaning. The car comes equipped with an automatic DPF declogging mechanism. The DPF cleaning in progress light comes on the dash and the car goes through a DPF declogging program on its own. The driver is suppose to keep the car running and drive at medium speeds preferably at higher RPMs during the whole cleaning process which takes anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes. Once done, the light on the dash switches off and its back to normal. I would advise to check with the service centre why they needed to do this manually. My car in its 6000kms has undergone automatic DPF declogging twice. It is also mainly city driven. India anyway doesnt have many regularly travelled higways where you can cross 100kmph.

[car-o-holic]

Originally Posted by Jainudit

The driver is suppose to keep the car running and drive at medium speeds preferably at higher RPMs during the whole cleaning process which takes anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes. Once done, the light on the dash switches off and its back to normal. I would advise to check with the service centre why they needed to do this manually. My car in its 6000kms has undergone automatic DPF declogging twice. It is also mainly city driven. India anyway doesnt have many regularly travelled higways where you can cross 100kmph.

Thank you, will check with the service advisor again; the understanding was that since the car had not even touched 40kmph speed in the last month or more, the self mechanism couldn't kick in.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Hello Gentlemen,

My brother owns a Meridian 4*4. The car is about an year old and should have done around 8-10K KMs. It is always very cautiously driven. The car had gone for its 1st annual service this week. My brother received a call from Jeep SA that they have observed an oil leakage from the gearbox. They will check with Jeep, keep the car under observation for 3 days and then come back. The latest update is they have changed a few child parts on Jeep's instructions and need to keep the car for a few days more for observation.

Have anybody heard or read about any similar issue with any other Meridian or Compass? My brother is dealing patiently with the situation. The SA is prompt in communication and are communicating well with him.

Any pointers we should keep in mind while these repairs are carried out?
Should we ourselves request for a new replacement gearbox or let them take their own course?

Any help or pointers will be greatly appreciated!!


Regards
Rachit

[zepp1108]

Originally Posted by Starwar19

It's truly frustrating that the company seems intent on evading the problem without offering a genuine resolution. They refuse to compensate, won't rectify my service history, won't consider replacing the car, and fail to provide a meaningful, conclusive solution. It's as if all their responsibilities cease once the car is sold.

Sorry for long post.

Really sorry to see you going through all this. In my, selling will not be a good option as there will be a lot of loss. I was checking with a local dealer who said that even if my car has clocked 10k and is 9 months old, I cannot get more than X-10 lakhs where X is the invoice value. I think there is no market for Meridian and also thanks to Jeep’s reputation.

[Jainudit]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Any pointers we should keep in mind while these repairs are carried out?
Should we ourselves request for a new replacement gearbox or let them take their own course?

Any help or pointers will be greatly appreciated!!


Regards
Rachit

Please do raise a ticket with Stellantis. Call or send an email. They do their own daily followup with service center and dont close the ticket till issue is resolved. Also the service center service metrics are impacted with open tickets so they are more prompt. Have experienced it first hand.

[Starwar19]

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Please sell the car and move on.Life is short, time precious.
The Jeep company would continue to exist, make shoddy cars which would find buyers. There’s no end to this cycle.
Nothing that you can do to fight them would compensate you for this agony

I really appreciate for your opinions. I seek your opinion, I will sell the Car but I find no replacement to it within 50L. My running is around 4000kms per month. I find Tucson to be overdone in terms of design and didn't like it personally.
Also they know that customers fear Court case and don't want to waste their time, so this companies get away and people suffer!

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

The legal route is not worth the time, energy, and money unless you have all these in abundance. You will only lose money by selling it. But peace of mind is absolutely more important

You have rightly summarized what I will be losing and what resources I need in abundance. It pains me to realize that as a consumer, we have so little control. After buying, all the sugary words of showroom people vanish, and their attitudes change.

Originally Posted by Eco_boost

There have been numerous cases of Jeep breakdowns since they launched the facelift compass in 2021, followed by horrendous service experiences. This is something you can use in favour of your argument. The least they should do is provide a replacement or a full refund.

Jeep says that replacing is not in their policy and they only rely on repairs. There are more than 600 cases ongoing against Jeep India. Also the problems I’m facing are related to rattling and issues with my doors and car body. The sound is very disturbing but it is also subjective. What intensity troubles me might not disturb other drivers. But it is very evident that it is not normal sound and absent in other Meridians.

Originally Posted by zepp1108

I think there is no market for Meridian and also thanks to Jeep’s reputation.

Im not getting any offers above 29 Lakhs! I have paid for the extended warranty as well.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Originally Posted by Starwar19

Im not getting any offers above 29 Lakhs! I have paid for the extended warranty as well.

That is really disheartening to get a number like this for a 45L car.

Alternatively, since that your SC and OEM are anyway not helpful, I suggest you take it to a good FNG for a final call. Either in your place or somewhere near by. Hopefully, they can diagnose and fix the issues forever.

[anshumandun]

I took delivery 2 weeks back and just completed a 6500 kms trip from Bangalore to Kashmir and back. Super impressed with the car! The suspension is the highlight and it just decimates bad roads. Reading the reviews, I was a bit concerned about the car being underpowered but I never felt the car to be lacking power on the highways. The interiors are rich, sound system is good and the car handles really well considering its size. I will write a detailed travelogue soon on this

[car-o-holic]

Insurance renewal related query:

Any pointers or suggestions for renewing our Jeep Meridian insurance which is due in 2 months, please?

Seeking advice from the experts here - What is the recommended IDV and likely premium, please? Any specific insurer we should consider?

[anshumandun]

Jeeplife begins

What a time to buy a car in India! The Indian players are just killing it (XUV, Safari, Thar etc). Koreans are putting luxury cars to shame with their features offering. Japanese are bringing hybrid technology to the mass market. Germans are giving the rich Indians a lot of options to choose from. Meanwhile, some Americans are running away . Thankfully, Jeep is still here!

I was looking to complete my single-car garage this year. Our VW GT TSI has already done much more than she promised us when we got her home in 2016. 1 Lakh plus kms on stock DSG, a road trip from Bangalore to Leh, my wife's daily office commute and she still continues to be my weapon of choice when I want to have some fun on the weekends! She is a keeper.


In Jan 2023, I could not stop myself from taking the plunge into EV space when Tata launched the Tiago EV. She turned out to be the best city car ever. Remember the time when every household had an activa? That's what the Tiago EV is turning out to be. 18k kms done in 9 months and I intend to keep her for 10 years. Another keeper!


After the EV came home, I started looking out for a highway cruiser in the 30L range that could do 4 things that the GT lacked.
1. Big on space
2. Some opulence in the cabin
3. Good suspension
4. Good brakes

The Elimination Game:

XUV 700 - Ticked all boxes. Could not see a logical reason for not choosing it. Except the 6 months waiting period. Hard to eliminate.

Safari - Again ticked all boxes. Things that worked against it: service centers are overburdened (personal experience during Tiago service), the quality issues and general lack of finesse.

Innova HyCross - Did not like the interiors and the music system. The hybrid powertrain felt both weird and exciting to drive but I did not feel a connect with the car during the test drive. 1 year waiting period was another negative.

Kodiaq: Out of budget and abysmal fuel efficiency (although the engine is a gem).

Fortuner: Out of budget and not a comfortable monocoque.

Meridian: It wasn't even in my shortlist but a friend who works at Stellantis urged me to check it out before ticking it off the list. As destiny would have it, it was love-at-first-drive! It was an instant connection and something special about the car that got me hooked. Took my family along for a second test drive and everyone just loved the car instantly. Stretched the budget and got home another keeper.

Why FWD: I am not an off-road enthusiast. I have never felt the need for a 4x4 in my 15+ years of driving. I could even take the humble Polo to KhardungLa and Pangong without worrying about losing traction. I believe that FWD will do the job for me.

Delivery: Excellent experience dealing with PPS Jeep Kanakapura road. Special mention to Vikas, Irfan, Suresh and Pragna for the pleasant buying experience. I had some special demands as I intended to take the Meridian to Kashmir within 2 days of delivery. Vikas ensured that the car was ready for a long drive: fasttag, DEF cans, number plates etc everything was made ready as promised.

Jeep's customer centric approach.


Took delivery on a Sunday and took off for Kashmir on Wednesday.


Somewhere between Bangalore and Delhi.
The car looks handsome and will continue to do so for a long time (similar to Polo) with its clean and timeless design. But I do intend to dechrome it a bit very soon.


The cabin is minimal, classy, elegant and feels luxurious with the materials used. Everything can be controlled by the touchscreen and also by physical buttons which is a big plus.

The panoramic sunroof just enhances the cabin feel so much further. For all those who think that sunroofs are a waste in India, just go to a scenic place and experience clear skies or rainfall or snowfall from the back seat and you will never buy a car without a glass roof.




The Alpine audio system is really good once you play with the equaliser a bit. Crisp and clear at both low and high volumes.





The heavy doors, heavy hood, heavy sun blinds, heavy everything: the car is designed to feel like a tank. Build quality is at a whole different level.





The engine is not the smoothest at low speeds but once you start cruising, it becomes butter smooth. I don't expect this tank to drive like the GT TSI so I never felt it to be underpowered as several reviewers have claimed. I don't remember struggling during any overtake on the highway. The torque is always there. Adequate power I would say.




The 9 speed transmission works well in my books. Again, I never expected it to work like the Polo's DSG and so I am content with its performance. This car is designed for a different purpose and as long as you are not trying to drive it in a sporty manner, there is nothing to complain about.




The suspension is the highlight. Beautifully tuned! Eats bad roads, coax you into going faster over bad roads and enjoys rough-roading while keeping the family comfortable inside.



Handling is really good for a car this size. After a few minutes of driving on the highways, you tend to forget the size of the car. It almost shrinks and drives like a Polo at times.

Got a fuel efficiency of around 14.7 kmpl for a 6400kms drive which was mainly highways including a lot of mountain driving and some traffic jams. Very impressive figures for a behemoth.



Hope to keep this tank for 10 years minimum.