Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo diesel

blondie69 · Member

Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo diesel

Plendo · Guru

Hi Blondie69, and welcome to the forum.

We do not have a Jeep, but a Landrover with similar self leveling air suspension, when we first got it I thought it was of questionable value, but now I woud not be without it, why?

1. Ease of access to the vehile, it is so much easier when it is 50mm closer to the ground (you appreciate it every time you get in)

2. By being self leveling we do not need any towing aids, like weight distribution hitches etc.

3. It makes hooking up so easy (set suspension down, position tow ball under coupling, and raise suspension).

Yes I would option it on.

liz795 · Veteran Member

hi blondie69
we have a 2012 overland 5 peed box ,had it 8 months now best vehicle we have owned.also have the of road pack 18 inch wheels ,etc we bought it second hand with extra fuel tank electric brakes all set up for towing.
We have had a problem with the radio, gps. but put a new one in under warranty all good now. servicing is not cheap at jeep, so i found my own mechanic . Have you considered a 2 year old overland, if so you get a fantastic car with ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES the 8 speed box , The only thing i did was put side steps on got them on ebay $360 good value, i think a must, a lot easier to get in and out.for the wife.
Quadra lift great idea , my friend has the same car as i have ,and he says it will level the car with a 22 foot van on the back, no need for Caravan Levelling bars I rang jeep, they told me the same i have not got my van yet so i dont know
Hope this helps

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Don't expect any vehicle with 18" low profile tyres to be a good choice off the bitumen.

Cheers,
Peter

Woody n Sue · Guru

Before you buy any vehicle just get the various tyre sizees available on the car you are looking at, and go down to the tyre dealer and ask how much money you will need to save to replace the tyres might be a difference of $100 or more between 16 and 18" tyres and yes low profile tyres might be good traction on the black stuff but are rough to ride in generally the have more side wall exposed out side the width of the tread and will puncture the side wall very easy on stones and sticks on dirt roads, just ask a tyre dealer in a country area not one in the middle of a city, you just might be amazed at the reply.

Yuglamron · Guru

Just check out all the Chrysler and Jeep forums before you buy, then decide.

KevinC · Senior Member

We have a Grand Cherokee with air suspension, and before that a Range Rover with air suspension. I agree with Plendo, and I wouldn't want to be without the convenience of Quadra Lift.
However with both tow vehicles I've always used a WDH, not to level the tow vehicle but to share the load across all the axles. Takes a bit of setting up, but once done it makes for a nicely balanced tow.
The Jeep is a great vehicle, and the dealers try hard, but the support from the parent company is abysmal.

Bill B · Guru

liz795 wrote:

hi blondie69

Quadra lift great idea , my friend has the same car as i have ,and he says it will level the car with a 22 foot van on the back, no need for Caravan Levelling bars I rang jeep, they told me the same i have not got my van yet so i dont know

Hope this helps

Pretty sure Chrysler state that a Weight Distribution Hitch is to be used if towing in excess of 2268 kgs

Bruce and Bev · Guru

see Fiat/Chrysler (who make the Jeep range) got fined $US105M by the American fair trading body for 1) lying to them 2) failing to keep their vehicles to advertised spec 3) refusing to carry out warranty repairs our replacements. Apparently the biggest penalty for any vehicle manufacturer in the USA so far. The next dearest fine was $US35M.

Off to the naughty room for Fiat/Chrysler (owned by Fiat).

Do I want to buy a Jeep?????????????

nimrod · Veteran Member

I have a Grand Cherokee. I love the car but support is not good and very expensive.

David

liz795 · Veteran Member

i agree with Peter_n_Margaret 18 inch low profile tyres are not ideal if you plan to do a little of road
the overland , limited, have 20 inch wheels the Laredo 18 inch. I think the Adventure pack has the smaller wheels , perhaps 16 with higher profile tyres
Read the jeep forum ,i did before i bought one. i did read all the problems and unhappy jeep owners , but you seldom hear from very happy owners. Jeep is the best selling SUV
All makes and models have there share of problems, and jeep no exception. i test drove prado, pajero ,isuzu dmax ,navara all new. The last one was grand cherokee and we both prefer the jeep
Then we test drove the overland and we were hooked, but price was a factor for us buying a new one . We looked around for a month till we found the right one, 2 years old and some
$25000 cheaper,now looking forward to our van in january

blondie69 · Member

Thanks for all the replies - we have a Crewman with mags and low profile tyres and it rides awful (and has had numerous wall-punctures from rocks), so know what to look for in that regard, lol..

We have an amazing mechanic (who is also Jeep qualified) who looks after us extremely well, so no matter what vehicle we take to him, we get a good deal. He orders a lot of his parts direct from America to keeps costs down, etc...

Have actually been amazed at how many dealers don't know what they are selling, in terms of features, extras, etc too, lol...

:)

blondie69 · Member

We had a Prado and I HATED it, when I had horses and towed a couple of big fat Thoroughbreds around to shows, I always felt like it struggled, especially when overtaking.. Much preferred the Crewman (6cyl), did it easier and safer IMO.. :)

blondie69 · Member

Well, apparently we have bought a Jeep! Have spent the week wheeling and dealing all over 2 states, have bought a new one with a heap of extras for well under what we were first quoted on a standard one.. Take delivery in a week or so..

-- Edited by blondie69 on Saturday 8th of August 2015 04:35:51 PM

liz795 · Veteran Member

Hi Blondie,
Hope you are as happy with your car as we are with ours. Well done.