Upon inspection, it was found that the transmission oil was leaking from a loose pipe. Surprising it was not noticed during PDI

Buying a car is the second biggest purchase an individual makes after a home in India. Its a celebration of sorts and one puts down a lot of hard earned money when he buys a car. What should be moments of joy turned into a nightmare and agony for Throttle Blips fan and reader Vinit Murkibhavi from Mumbai.

Vinit took delivery of a brand new top of the line Jeep Compass S 4×4 diesel automatic (Rs. 35.50 lakh on road) on 8th July 2022 from Landmark Jeep in Worli. The odo reading at the time of delivery was 87 kms.

The very next day, when Vinit was driving to Pune, the Jeep started jerking and “SERVICE TRANSMISSION” started flashing on the instrument cluster. The odo reading was 177 km at this point.

The vehicle’s transmission oil was found leaking. He stopped the vehicle immediately and called the SA from the dealership that had delivered the car on the previous day. Together they called the company’s MOPAR 24-hour RSA, who refused any help as the vehicle broke down within 48 hours of delivery and RSA wasn’t activated yet. He ended up being stranded for hours with his two 7 year old kids in the rain.

Finally 4 hours later, Vinit managed to a flatbed on his own and got the vehicle sent to Landmark Jeep, Thane. The service centre didn’t check the car that day because it was a Saturday evening, and then the next day, the service centre was shut because it was a Sunday, and the vehicle was inspected only on Monday.

Upon inspection, it was found that the transmission oil was leaking from a loose pipe, and it is a bit surprising that such an important part was missed during the vehicle’s PDI. This is nothing short of stressful.

The part was rectified, and the vehicle was delivered after that. After persuasion, the vehicle’s warranty was extended from 3 years/1 lakh km to 5 years/1.5 lakh km free of charge. All was good for a couple of days, but it was short-lived and the Jeep broke down again on the 15th of July.

Vinit was driving his car from Powai to Bandra, when he stopped to buy some groceries. The car refused to start when he got back. This time the RSA sent a tow truck and the car was sent to Landmark Jeep Andheri. The cod reading at this time was less than 400 kms.

The vehicle is currently at the service centre and there has been no resolution yet. Vinit has no resort but to make do with other modes of transport for now. This entire episode has given Vinit lots of mental stress and sleepless. He had upgraded to the Compass from his well running and reliable Mahindra XUV500.

This particular example seems to be a defective piece of the line and Jeep India should intervene at the earliest and replace the car with a new unit or give a complete refund along with compensation. Such things happen but it is at these times the customer support from the manufacturer is of utmost importance. We wish a speedy resolution to Vinit and hope he can get back to driving again soon.