Hello,

This is my first post here and I have already seen some very good post from the members here. I purchased my 2006 Grand Cherokee on January 3rd and I have had minor issues with it up until this point less than 30 days later, I was told I hydrolocked the engine.

First let me point out that Im in Cleveland, Ohio and we are experiencing a very cold, snowy, and mostly icy winter, with temps reaching well below zero some days like many places in this part of the country this year. So when I got my jeep on Jan 3rd I was pretty satisfied and excited to have it in the snow. I bought it from a well known local buick gmc dealer, and they had it on sale, i figured because they were not a jeep dealer and just wanted to move it. I should have followed my gut to back out when i got to the dealership and the car was a totally different color, yet had the same vin listed online. Also one of the rear tailights was cracked. they promised to replace the taillight before i drove away and I figured maybe they just used the wrong pic no big deal. Car was literally buried under snow in fact I could not even see it and the sales rep had to dig it out to pull it around. Once i test drove it I felt good that it was a solid car for used with 70,000 miles and the asking price of 10,800.

*note to self don't go to a dealer after working 18 straight hours and feeling tired.

I asked about a extended warranty at which the finance manager mumbled somethin about he wanted to talk to me about cus the bank only gave him so much wiggle room. Of course I forgot to bring it up again, after he show me GAP coverage options. I took a gap package and was so tired I simply forgot about the extended warranty. However it did have an limited 30 day warranty. So I drove away. The next day the rear windshield wiper stopped working and the tire pressure indicator came on. I called them and they said bring it in the next week.

After looking the car over I was told by the lead service mechanic that he could possibly replace the motor on the rear windshield wiper but that they didnt have the equipment to really work on jeeps and I should take it to a jeep dealer. After insisting that i should have to pay for a repair so soon he agreed to service the window motor. The tire pressure indicator stayed on but since I looked into it and it seemed minor I decided to wait until the weather improved to check into it.

Two weeks later, after letting it warm up for about 10-15 mins because it was below zero outside I went out and noticed it was making a loud and noticeable ticking noise. No lights on the dash were on but the info screen was saying perform service. When I pulled out the driveway I went less than 100 feet to a stop sign and the engine light came on. I called the dealer the next day and again they mechanic acted like he didnt even want to look at it for me, And suggested I take it to a Jeep dealer. I went to O Reillys and ran the codes, which were p0300, p0344, and p0304. They thought it could be for a cam shaft sensor which inst a big deal but the ticking noise and the way the gas pedal felt made me not trust that diagnosis. So I call the dealer again and this time he says he will see what he can do after i told him the codes. I went to the appointment the next week, and after checking it out they came and told me again to go to a jeep dealer because they werent sure if they were pulling the correct codes. And that they would be in contact with their service department and would try to make sure they would try to minimize my out of pocket cost. This time they gave me a car wash at least lol. So i made and appointment at Jeep dealer thinking at the worst I would have to pay an diagnostic fee.

I made my appointment last week, I was still not 30 days out when this began in fact I had just received my title and had to get 30 day tags. I waited a while with the car but decided to go to work. Before I left I asked what they thought so far and I was shocked to hear that they thought it was hydrolock and it needed a new engine. A term I wasnt familiar with. They explained I must have driven through deep water or into a puddle. I reminded them that we live in cleveland I have had the car since january 3rd and that it had been pretty frozen so unless i drove through lake erie or the cuyahoga river I find it impossible. I dont go off road, or haven't driven anywhere where i encountered deep water. There has been snow but Im driving mostly highway nothing higher a few inches and the driveway has been generally clear.

I went to work after that news and they said they would inform my dealer and see how they wanted to proceed. Well after waiting to near closing I decided to call the jeep dealer to see what was going on and they rep there said my dealer came and got the car and they were surprised that they didn't at least call me. That was Wednesday. Today i finally got a hold of the used car manager (Sunday) and he basically informed me that there was no way they sold me a defective vehicle, I couldn't go 100 miles without this issue showing up and i must have driven through some water or went mudding lol. I work in a restaurant I drive highway daily and have put only around 1300 miles on this Jeep with about 200 coming after the light came on. He also let me know that all he could do is help me with 10% of the repair or try to trade the car in. I feel like Im getting jobbed. Is it possible that I could have done this unknowingly? Are the 06 Jeep in particular susceptible to this issue? And is it possible it could have had this issue ahead of time? Sorry for the long post but I really need to be clear. I cant afford to repair this right now, or trade it in because then i would need a cosigner and money down to offset the the negative equity. I got ok credit to get approved on my own at first but Im not interested in bringing someone else in and taking them to this dealer. Im also considering calling an attorney. So any help to my questions would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.