[car-o-holic]

Originally Posted by Axe77

The checklist should be comprehensive enough. One aspect I’d ask you to specially check is the batter health in the menu. Should read somewhere between 13 and 14.3.

There have been a few isolated cases of the battery being weak. I can’t think of anything else off hand that’s specific to the Jeep / Meridian outside of our fairly comprehensive TBHP checklist.

All the best.

Thank you Axe77, the reading was 14.2.
We completed our PDI using the checklist and paid up today since there weren't any issues (barring 1 - Hold button wasn't getting activated and SA has assured in writing that it would be sorted by delivery time); now eagerly waiting to bring our Jeep home!

A special thank you for your detailed posts, this has helped us make our decision to a very large extent.

Can't wait to enjoy some more road trips in 2023!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by car-o-holic

We completed our PDI using the checklist and paid up today since there weren't any issues (barring 1 - Hold button wasn't getting activated and SA has assured in writing that it would be sorted by delivery time);

By 'Hold' do you mean the Auto Hold feature? If so, do get it properly checked out and do not take delivery unless rectified. It's a serious piece of hardware/software deeply integrated into the transmission.

I'd be very careful if anything was amiss!

[car-o-holic]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

By 'Hold' do you mean the Auto Hold feature? If so, do get it properly checked out and do not take delivery unless rectified. It's a serious piece of hardware/software deeply integrated into the transmission.

I'd be very careful if anything was amiss!

Thank you for this note!
We did another round of PDI before the delivery and this was sorted out.

We took delivery of our new member over the weekend and have loved the first 100+ kms in it; can't wait to go on a long drive this weekend!

Thank you very much for your advice and for clearing all doubts, we now look forward to enjoying our Jeep drives.

Attaching a pic of our new member immediately after the Puja; will post more details on our experience as we go along.

THANK YOU all for your patient & detailed replies!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

By 'Hold' do you mean the Auto Hold feature? If so, do get it properly checked out and do not take delivery unless rectified. It's a serious piece of hardware/software deeply integrated into the transmission.

I'd be very careful if anything was amiss!

Auto hold is generally a function of the handbrake/esp module, and has pretty much nothing to do with the transmission.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Auto hold is generally a function of the handbrake/esp module, and has pretty much nothing to do with the transmission.

Partially agree. May not have any ramification in a TC automatic, but certainly does in a DSG/DCT. If Auto Hold is not working or working unexpectedly in a DSG, it needs to be urgently looked into, and that too for a brand new vehicle.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Partially agree. May not have any ramification in a TC automatic, but certainly does in a DSG/DCT. If Auto Hold is not working or working unexpectedly in a DSG, it needs to be urgently looked into, and that too for a brand new vehicle.

How? Auto hold, and even hill start assist are merely functions of the ESP. The transmission behaves as it does, whether auto hold is working or not.

In the case of a brand new vehicle its possible the car was in transport mode, and certain features would get active only after the PDI done at the workshop.

[car-o-holic]

After a week and 250+ km, still enjoying the Meridian and not missing out on any opportunity to take the car out!

Quick 2 points:

1. Love: Feel, pothole eatability quotient, nifty features such as wireless car play & 360 cam, drivability in city & the huge sunroof

2. Wish it had: Built in sunshade, sliding middle row & a slightly easier accelerator (feels a little too tight & needs more pressure than my BRV or Seltos)

Couple of questions to fellow owners here,

1. Is there a way to get the maps (inbuilt or through CarPlay) on the MID? It would be good if i could, but otherwise too its not such a big deal!

2. Has anybody installed a parcel tray for the Meridian? Would it be useful?

[car-o-holic]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

In the case of a brand new vehicle its possible the car was in transport mode, and certain features would get active only after the PDI done at the workshop.

Thank you! This was the exact explanation gives to us by the SA - they mentioned they were yet to connect the computer for some updates and as part of their PDI it would be fixed, & they did!

[car-o-holic]

Originally Posted by car-o-holic

Couple of questions to fellow owners here,

1. Is there a way to get the maps (inbuilt or through CarPlay) on the MID? It would be good if i could, but otherwise too its not such a big deal!

2. Has anybody installed a parcel tray for the Meridian? Would it be useful?

Bump! Any pointers, please?

[Axe77]

10,000 kms up!

Sorry for the radio silence but no news is basically good news. Nothing of substance to report - the Jeep’s been functioning flawlessly and without incident (touch wood).

Sometime at the end of February the car crossed the 10,000 km mark. The milestone was when my wife was going to Pune with her family for some work with them - my only request to her was - please take a click of the ODO when it hits 10,000 km mark.

I got the car in the middle of June and in the same period, the BMW has clocked a little under 2000 kms. I didn’t expect the miles to get this badly skewed towards the Jeep but it’s just that I’ve pretty much made it my workhorse for in-city as well as the numerous outstation trips my family does. My mum goes solo to Karjat almost every week / alternate week and the Jeep is very often the vehicle we send for this (unless she’s taking her Grand i10). Same for any outstation trips we do otherwise as a family.

In the city, when there’s a driver around I prefer giving them the Jeep and drive the GT myself for most part but I’ve now tried to rotate the cars a bit more to keep the GT also clocking some share of miles at least.

Got the car detailed (interior + exterior) a few weeks ago from Mazda Motors at Tardeo, which I’ve frequented for several years now. Finally, leaving some pics from last weekend - had taken the car to a colleague’s place for lunch somewhere around Karjat followed by an overnighter at Pawana.

The ODO at the 10,000 km mark.


Pics below from a weekend outing near Karjat followed by an onward journey to Pawana.

[ScorpWarp]

Originally Posted by Axe77

10,000 kms up!

Sorry for the radio silence but no news is basically good news. Nothing of substance to report - the Jeep’s been functioning flawlessly and without incident (touch wood). S
.

No news is indeed a good news when it comes to Jeep vehicles, wishing you many more happy, trouble free miles.

Did you get an opportunity to evaluate the AC performance on a hot day under full load? There seem to be a lot of queries on this topic now that the summer is near.

Did you do any more off-road adventures ?

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by ScorpWarp

Thank you.

Did you get an opportunity to evaluate the AC performance on a hot day under full load? There seem to be a lot of queries on this topic now that the summer is near.

I've found it all right so far to be honest - but the months of April and May will be the acid test I guess. Its still not that hot yet in Mumbai. Will update here how I feel about it once I've experienced it in peak summer.

Did you do any more off-road adventures ?

Not really. This is my first SUV here so wanted to explore its capabilities as a one off in a controlled environment under expert supervision. I might do it once in a blue moon but this is not something I would actively seek out on a regular basis.

Its a rough road vehicle bought to handle the bulk of my chauffeur driven duties, both in city and long distance. I doubt I would subject it to hard core off-roading on a frequent basis.

[AKSO]

Nice. The Jeep is a super all-round car and encourages you to take it off the beaten path. Enjoyed seeing the Thoseghar pictures and that thali looked yum. Wish you many more such trips and safe driving.

[Axe77]

ONE YEAR OWNERSHIP UPDATE
Odometer: ~13,500 kms

The Jeep is just about tipping over its first year anniversary - I got her around the second week of June and I thought this is as good a time as any to record major updates during the course of the year. These include a minor incident that led to some D&P work, an incident involving non recommended AdBlue, one warranty replacement and the first service.

1. The minor shunt

It was literally our first fortnight with the Jeep and we were happily on our way to Lonavala for a long weekender with some friends. We hadn’t even left the city and were at the Mankhurd bypass that leads up to Vashi bridge, stuck in fairly tight traffic (in a heavy downpour) in the middle lane. A truck on the right lane, coming a bit faster than it should merged in and brushed badly against the front right of my car taking with it the right mirror, and the grey plastic cladding over the front right wheel well.

The result was an inevitable insurance claim and a visit to Jeep’s D&P workshop at Turbhe (IIRC, it was Turbhe).

Overall, I was quite pleased with Landmark’s support during the entire process and nothing extraordinary to report in the insurance claim process either, which went as smoothly as can be expected. My first experience with Landmark Jeep A.S.S - a lot sooner than I’d have wanted but absolutely no cause to complaint from them on any front. They were excellent throughout. This has also been consistently my experience with them in later interactions as well - more on that below.

The evident damange to the front right panel, the broken mirror. Minor damage extended to the front right door and bumper as well so all these parts had to be painted.

2. The DEF incident + fuel pump replacement

I lent my car to some family members at really short notice (like literally overnight) for a trip to Ratnagiri. My AdBlue reading at the time was hovering just a smidgeon below the halfway mark. Ordinarily I’d have topped up the AdBlue and then sent the car for such a long trip but for unavoidable reasons the decision to take the Jeep was literally taken overnight with an early AM departure the next morning. I knew there’d be enough in there for the car to come back to Mumbai over its intended 1000 km journey so I didn’t stress too much on it. So far I had always topped my AdBlue level up by the time it came to half so I hadn’t really witnessed the readout dipping below that mark. I’ve also always purchased only the Jeep recommended yellow can before this, purchased in fact from Jeep A.S.S. itself.

During the return journey the readout gauge turned red and this caused some concern to the travellers. They checked in with me - I in turn checked in with my Jeep contact and seeing the level he assured me that the car will comfortably return till Mumbai (the vehicle was somewhere around Satara at that time and on its return journey). Unfortunately, even I was on the bike returning from my own weekender at Panchgani on that day so I had limited availability on my phone.

I told them to simply come home and ignore the warnings and not to put any AdBlue other than the image I had sent them of the one Jeep sells. Sadly at some point, they took advice from a local pump who further created some panic in their mind and despite my request to leave it be, they topped up some Tata AdBlue purchased from a highway petrol pump. BIG MISTAKE!

The car reached Mumbai fine and I discussed the incident with my SA, showing him a picture of the can from which the fluid was filled. He advised me that they really do not recommend any DEF other than what’s recommended and asked me if the car had stalled at all. I replied that it hadn’t but if he feels so strongly about it, I’ll bite the bullet and have the tank drained and refilled with the correct DEF just to be on the safe side. I thought maybe its extreme but better safe than sorry.

The next morning, when the car was to be driven to the service centre, as the SA had predicted, it refused to start on the crank and started throwing up some error messages.

The Jeep had to then be put on a flat bed and sent to their Andheri workshop. By some mercy, the vehicle actually cranked up when the truck came an hour or so later so we could thankfully just drive the car up the ramp on to the truck, instead of towing it up.

Weak fuel pump | warranty replacement
When the DEF tank flush and injector cleaning was taken up, the SA mentioned that they have also detected a “weak fuel pump” during their general diagnosis. This had nothing to do with the DEF incident itself. They promptly took the necessary permissions from Jeep and replaced the part under warranty.

TL;DR
# Please fill only the Jeep recommended DEF. I have heard divided opinions on this with some indicating that any DEF is fine - but I’ve learnt first hand that that is NOT the case. Jeep owners please note.
# On any long trip, its worth keeping a 5 ltr can handy which you could purchase off Amazon or your local A.S.S. This is stating the obvious of course and something I’d have also done if I’d had the chance.
# If for any reason you’ve put questionable DEF in a pinch, dont turn off the car. If you keep it running, the car will at least get you home. Your issue will more likely be if you turn the engine off - in which case it will refuse to restart. I’m not technically gifted - just parroting what the SA explained to me.
# For those who haven’t experienced it yet, the DEF level indicator turns red VERY EARLY on. Do not let that create panic. It will continue reducing and at some point start indicating how many kms more it can travel before a refill is a MUST. You have all that time to sort the issue out. At the time my family topped up the DEF, it was still only red - it had not even started a “kms remaining” counter. If they’d just come home without bothering, I could have just done the refill peacefully at home base after buying the correct DEF from Landmark / Amazon.

Top two images. The recommended AdBlue by Jeep. Bottom two images are the Tata DEF that was put on the highway. Please AVOID THIS!

One of the error messages that was throwing up when the car refused to crank. Finally, we sent it on flatbed to the workshop.

Top two images: The replaced “weak fuel pump”.
Bottom two images: Taken while undertaking the flushing of the DEF tank and injector cleaning.

3. The first annual service
Done around the end of May and at about 13,330 kms.

An uneventful affair. The car was sent late morning with my driver and came back home the same night. So all in a day’s work. The various job works carried out have been detailed in the attached bill.

While on the point of service, through my various visits to Jeep I have more or less zero’d in on a senior SA by the name of Michael and his deputy Abhishek who look after at my vehicle whenever it goes for anything. Michael came strongly recommended by a couple of Jeep Compass owners who are good friends and I’ve ensured my car only goes to this duo. Till date they’ve never disappointed and I’ve always been more than happy with the service I’ve received from them. Jeep A.S.S. horror stories are something I’ve dreaded since I’ve purchased the car but touch wood, I’ve never been at the short end of the stick on this front. I hope the experience remains the same in the years to come as well.


The final bill - totally around INR 15k. I opted out of some optional stuff like 3M which they had thrown into the initial estimate. My car had already undergone a comprehensive detailing pretty recently. Note that the bill displays the extended warranty period. There is also a general note on the DEF to be used. One that I’m not gonna forget in a hurry.

Some pictures of the car at the workshop before it was sent back home.

4. Random observations from one year of ownership

4.1. The AC: Definitely leaves a lot to be desired. Performance is barely par for course (maybe even under par), specially in peak summer months of April and May. Nothing compares to the AC we had on our Hondas. Even the BMW AC has not been as good.

4.2. Fuel efficiency: Consistently dismal. Admittedly I’m in the worst travel conditions in my office commute but getting 5 - 7 kmpl is not unusual at all and even on highways the usual range ends up at 10.5 - 11.5 / 12 max over an entire journey. I just checked my Trip B meter which is hovering around 3700 kms - the avg FE against it shows at 7.7 kmpl.

4.3. Comfort: The car really is a very comfortable chauffeur driven car both for my city usage where I’m driven as well as on longer highway journeys. No complaints on this front whatsoever.

4.4. DEF: This is my biggest pain point of owning a modern BS6 diesel. I am definitely not too hot on this whole DEF rubbish and I suspect by the time this car is 3.5 - 5 years old, I’ll most certainly want to flip it for a strong hybrid petrol, EV or maybe even a performance oriented petrol. Anything but Diesel. Don’t be surprised if this car is replaced sooner than even the GT, despite the GT being of 2015 vintage.

4.5. Service experience: Another big watch area and thankfully no negative experiences so far.

4.6. General reliability: Excellent. The car has never left me stranded on account of any reliability shortcomings. Even the weak fuel pump issue was timely and proactively diagnosed by the service centre and promptly replaced under warranty.

4.7. Build quality: The car is aging well although that should be par for course given its just a year and 13k kms. Hopefully this remains the case over the years although my gut feel is it definitely won’t match the utterly solid build quality of the BMW in comparison. (I know they’re not competing with each other but just as the only other point of reference I have in my garage). I haven’t found any squeaks or rattles creeping up over the last one year.

If anyone has any questions from my one year experience with the Meridian, happy to take them up as best as I can.

A final parting shot to conclude the update.

[shansense]

OMG. The DEF situation is an eye opener! My meridian is about 9mo old and about 9k. I’ve filled 5L ad blue twice. Both times from Shell. The shell ad blue actually says ad blue so I never bothered checking beyond that (plus it’s shell). Anyways that’s something to note for me for sure. I had not really bothered checking ad blue details.

Overall I agree with all your observations. So far pretty happy with the Meridian!