Jeep has announced a five-year warranty across its vehicle range, calling it a ‘there and back guarantee’ part of its drive to improve customer service.

JEEP HAS MADE all sorts of statements of late about improved customer service, not least when talking to us about aftermarket care. But anyone can sit there and pontificate; what matters is action. Today, Jeep has launched its “There and Back Guarantee” which certainly qualifies as action.

One of the biggest statements a car company can make is the nature of its warranty and how claims are handled. As of today, 24th February, MY17 and newer Jeeps will come with a five-year manufacturer’s warranty – albeit only for 100,000km, which is a bit low for a five-year plan but still 20,000km a year, but it’s some way off the warranty leader, Kia, which offers 7-years unlimited kilometres. Sibling brand, Hyundai, offers five-years, unlimited kilometres and Toyota announced yesterday its C-HR would be available with five-years capped price servicing at just $195 per service.

Regardless, 5 years/100,000km is better than many other manufacturers, and now the once-standard three-year, 100,000km warranty is looking more and more like those manufacturers really aren’t all that confident in their products. So, good on Jeep for making this move.

The new warranty will cover all MY17 vehicles, is fully transferable, and comes with five years roadside assist to match, even if the 100,000km kilometre limit is reached first. The vehicle does not need to be serviced within the Jeep dealer network during this period, which is probably the Headline news here as many car makers have caveats hidden in the fine print that to maintain their warranty the vehicle must be serviced within the brand’s dealer network.

Jeep also offers a lifetime roadside assist programme. Once the warranty expires, if your vehicle is serviced by Jeep then your roadside assist is extended for a year, and that continues so long as you use Jeep servicing.

What if you just bought a Jeep?

• Model year 16: Jeep says that “to ensure that MY16 Jeep vehicles sold [after] February, 2017 don’t miss out, for those models Jeep Australia is combining the standard three-year manufacturer’s warranty with a two-year extended warranty provided by Eric Insurance Limited.”
  A Jeep spokeperson told us that the differences to the manufacturer’s warranty are that this one doesn’t cover trim, glass or paint. However, all Jeeps have an eight-year anti-corrosion warranty on the paint, so that’s largely covered anyway.
• Model year 15 or 16, purchased before February 2017: these customers can buy a plus-two year extended warranty, coupled with an additional two years roadside and five-years capped price scheduled servicing for $1950 including GST. These customers will be eligible for Jeep’s lifetime roadside assist if they service their vehicle though the Jeep dealer network after their warranty has expired.

Another change is servicing. For 2017 models onwards, Jeep service intervals will be 15,000km or 12months for petrol models, and 20,000km or 12months for diesel models.

Jeep Australia CEO Steve Zanlunghi said “The Jeep There & Back Guarantee is the next step in our commitment to improve the Jeep ownership experience” and added “this is not a limited-time offer or a short term promotion. It forms a fundamental component of our business going forward and it’s a commitment to our owners now and in the future”.

Jeep also said it has taken the following actions to “improve its business foundations in order to deliver industry best dealer support and an improved customer experience:”

• 360 Degree Dealer Service Coaching Program, to educate and better equip dealers with techniques to improve management of their workshops and better meet the service needs of their customers;
• Parts Pricing Reduction, to lower the cost of servicing and ownership;
• Direct Line Haul Shipping, between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to ensure swift parts delivery to reduce inconvenience and improve fix;
• Increased Parts Warehouse, by 200% to establish a 96% parts fill rate ensuring timely access to parts and a reduction in service wait times;
• Increased Field Team, to help increase responsiveness for dealers, manage technical issues and provide resolutions to customers;
• Three Tier Customer Call Centre and Increased Staff, to reduce wait times and improve resolutions and enquiry; and
• Real Time Net Promoter Score Program, to ensure dealers can respond to customer survey’s immediately and resolve potential issues.

Further reading

• “No more lemons”
• We need Jeep to come back