Shaun Cerutti

Hi Guys. My wife is driving a 2014 grand Cherokee and has always had it serviced on time at our local Jeep manufacturers. Last week she was driving and the car shut down, brakes stopped and window wipers were going crazy. She managed to park up but then the car wouldn't start and had no power. Just got told that the car wont charge and we need to replace alternator and battery just to run a diagnosis that will cost us around 3.5k to do. What I'm asking is would there be any warning to this happening or is it just a bad surprise. Cheers.

Shaun Cerutti

Also just noticed I am probably on the wrong thread lol.

CurrySoSpicy

Yea there is a grand Cherokee tech thread. But did I read that right? 3.5K to replace a battery and an alternator? Sounds like they are taking you to the cleaners.

cruiser54

I fixed it.

Shaun Cerutti

Cheers as you can see I'm new here haha. Crazy price I thought especially as we pay top dollar to get it fully serviced by "the best" and it was only done around a month ago. To make it worse the mechanical warranty had run out only 3 weeks ago.

Charlie Foxtrot

Can't speak to overseas pricing, but in the States (lower 48) the alternator could run you $150-$300 USD, and a battery would run between $50-$150USD (parts only, labor would be extra). I would be suspicious of a shop that can't/won't charge the battery, then test the alternator for output. It's a pretty basic auto repair.

BTW it helps others help you if you list your location (country, state or province) and list the engine & trans info (ie: 4.0L 6cyl w/auto trans w/4wd) and any other pertinent info in your request for assistance.

Good luck!

CurrySoSpicy

Is he overseas? Did I miss that?

extrashaky

Just making sure I understand correctly. By "3.5K," do you mean $3,500?

If so, that's insane. I'm assuming the vehicle is stranded at their shop, not running. Sounds like they think they have you by the short hairs, so you'll pay anything they dream up. What are you gonna do, come get it?

If it were me, that's exactly what I would do. I would take it away from them just on principle alone. If you can do the work yourself, have it towed home. It'll cost you $100 to $150, but you won't be paying the crooks $3,500. Take it home, pull the alternator and battery out of it and take them to a reputable alternator shop (with good online reviews) to be bench tested.

If you need a shop to do the work, search around on Google for a reputable independent shop with good reviews OR another dealership with good reviews (read them!) and have it towed there instead. Occasionally a shop will have its own tow truck and will throw in the cost of the tow if you have the repair done there. The dealership is not necessarily any better than a good independent shop, and the independent shops will usually be cheaper. There are even some reputable mobile mechanics out there who will bring a truck to your driveway and fix it there.

Stay away from Firestone, Pep Boys and similar traps.

You may even just need a new battery. A bad battery won't hold a charge even if the alternator is pumping out plenty of juice, and if it's the original battery, it's already three years old. I'm not too familiar with your vehicle, but you ought to be able to pull the battery in less than five minutes and take it to have it tested. Auto Zone actually tests batteries for free, but I don't always trust that they know how to use their tester.

There is no way in hell I would pay anyone $3500 to swap an alternator and battery. No way in hell.

Shaun Cerutti

Sorry, I'm from New Zealand so money difference is pretty crazy. Apparently my battery had enough power after getting charged to show that the alternator needed changing. I spoke to him again and he has said that the alternative is to take the alternator out and send it away to see if there is a way to fix it.

extrashaky

That's still almost $2600 USD. That's still insanely expensive. Here in the US, I wouldn't expect to pay a mechanic more than $500 to replace an alternator, which is about $780 NZD. Are your car parts and labor costs really that high there?

CurrySoSpicy

Cheap labor must be about as allusive as the Moehau Man. LOL.

Charlie Foxtrot

Have the local Jeep/Chrysler dealer contact corporate headquarters regarding various recalls affecting 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee's defective charging systems (here is an example: p60/ NHTSA 14 -634) (here is a site that documents this group of problems: http://www.carproblemzoo.com/jeep/gr...r-problems.php). Chrysler/Jeep should have various TSB's (Tech Service Bulletins) that address this problem. In your situation (outside of USA) I am not sure what consumer protection regulations apply, but this is a known problem with the alternator in this model of Jeep. You may have legal recourse. In any event IMHO this dealership's handling of this situation is outrageous. In addition to the above, contact FCA :

https://www.fcagroup.com/en-US/Pages/home.aspx

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.
Corporate Office:
25 St James's Street​
London SW1A 1HA
​United Kingdom

Good luck!

dave1123

Someone closer to you is John Cadogan at autoexpert.com.au He is the Australian guru for auto problems. He has a YouTube channel or you can e-mail him directly. At rockauto.com a Mopar reman alternator is $330 USD.