NEW UPDATES! - Hello, New Rubicon Owner in Las Vegas! And a Post-Sale Cautionary Tale

NevadaTank

New member
Good day!

TANK.jpg

We bought "Tank" about a week ago. My first Jeep, but not my first 4X4. We traded-in a sports car, and I have to say, it's a drastic change, but we are loving it. We mainly bought it so we could enjoy the skiing and snowboarding in nearby UT without having to worry about chains, etc. We also figured this vehicle fits our "Western" lifestyle. We are looking forward to our first winter! We weren't sure about the Sarge Green color, but now we cannot imagine having any other color. We love it! Tank has been a very thirsty beast in the city, but we expected that.

We had an issue with our purchase, and I wanted to share my story so others may avoid a similar fate when buying a new Jeep.

The Las Vegas dealer (JEEP Only) pre-installed a non-OEM KARR brand alarm using a third party installer. I first noticed it immediately after the test drive (a flashing LED under the dash). I asked about it. The salesman advised that they install them "on all vehicles" as a part of their inventory control, that it was not optional, and that "some dealers charge $2000-$3000 for this alarm." The alarm was not listed on the sticker or the dealer's "sticker," so we learned of the price ($599) during the finance discussions. I told them we didn't want it as the vehicle already had factory alarm. The salesman said, "this one has motion sensor which the OEM doesn't have," and again he advised it was not optional (as it was already installed). We proceeded with the purchase.

After some investigating online, it turns out this is a cheap alarm with a cost of about $70 with maybe another $70 to install it. The accompanying instructions were nearly nonsensical. I might have gotten over all this, but some folks online have advised KARR is not a good alarm (faulty), is sensitive to false alarms, has even left some folks stranded (engine cut-off), and some say if you need to change the battery, you become unable to start the vehicle again without intervention from the dealer/a mechanic. All bad things to be sure. As for the motion sensor, we tested it out by pushing up and down on the bumper--nothing happened. The real issue for me: it is spliced into the wiring, and so removing it would likely do as much damage as was done splicing it into the system to begin with. I am also concerned about how this third party electrical work may possibly adversely effect my warranty, should I end up with electrical issues down the road. It rather ties me to the dealer who did the pre-sale-install IMO.

I spoke to the salesperson the day after the sale and expressed my concerns. In short, I stated that I was sold a damaged/altered vehicle IMO. He escalated this to the sales manager. The sales manager called me back within an hour and offered to put a chip in the vehicle to disable the alarm. He admitted the alarm could not be removed by the dealer. I told him I wanted compensation for the factory wiring being tampered with. I asked that the $599 be credited back into the loan. My view being if I had to live with this, I certainly didn't want to pay for it. The sales manager said he would look into it and get back to me. I had to chase him up, but a week later he finally got back to me. He said "...you bought it, you signed for it, and other than installing a chip to disable it, there's nothing we can do." What great customer service! I raised the potential impact to the warranty, which he did not address, he just repeated his position on the matter. I was a bit surprised as the dealer made money on the vehicle, the credit contract, and the trade-in. I asked if he was really willing to generate ill-will for the sake of $599. He said again that there was "nothing they could do." The reality, nothing they would do in this case. I said I was going to escalate the issue, and he said, "don't bother, the answer will be the same."

OK, obviously this is a great little side hustle for dealerships, much like paint protection, fabric protection, window tinting, extended warranty/service contracts, wheel protection, desert protection packs, etc. My bad.

It's a shame because the Jeep ONLY dealership is very cool with a nice Jeep lifestyle shop, parts shop, customization shop, and a nice customer lounge area.

UPDATE: I spoke with Jeep (corporate) today and explained the situation. They said the installation of a non-OEM alarm by a third party voids the warranty should electrical issues arise. They asked if we were experiencing any electrical issues (we are not). They said from their perspective, the dealer should not be installing, pre-sale, non-OEM alarms on all their vehicles. They said they will create an official complaint file and a Case Manager will contact us. I hope there will be some sort of remedy to this situation.
 

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JTCO

Meme King
I hear shit show stories like this all the time. Sound like you've explored your options. What I would do is get ahold of the dealership manager, don't tell him that you contacted jeep, and ask him to write you a letter stating that the alarm will not affect the vehicle's warranty but if it does that the dealership will pay for any repairs related to the alarm.
 

NevadaTank

New member
I hear shit show stories like this all the time. Sound like you've explored your options. What I would do is get ahold of the dealership manager, don't tell him that you contacted jeep, and ask him to write you a letter stating that the alarm will not affect the vehicle's warranty but if it does that the dealership will pay for any repairs related to the alarm.
Thanks! I like this suggestion. It shouldn't cost them anything to give such reassurance, especially if they actually believe in the after market alarm they sell.
 

NevadaTank

New member
UPDATE: 8/19: I put in a call to the General Manager of the dealership and am waiting a call back. My Jeep Case Manager from corporate called and left a voicemail for me with my case number and asked me to call them back. Hopefully the dealership's General Manager will contact me and reach a resolution. I'd like to give them that opportunity before proceeding with Jeep corporate.
 

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NevadaTank

New member
UPDATE 8/20: On 8/19 I got a call back from someone--not the General Manager--describing himself as a "problem solver." I shared my story, and he said he would look into it and get back to me. Today, 8/20, the Finance Manager called me back, "I hear you have a question about the car alarm." Not exactly. I told him I didn't want to speak to him, as I knew his take already (he did the finance deal with us), and that I wanted to speak to the General Manager. He said, "he told me to call you, so you aren't going to speak to him." So much for the dealership leveraging itself as a family-owned, family-run business. The Finance Manger quickly went into his position about how "you signed for the alarm...there's no turning back, etc." I told him the $599 wasn't the concern any more, that I was more interested in the issue of having my new vehicle warranty voided by the dealership having engaged a third party to install a non-OEM alarm pre-sale. He said, "the alarm doesn't void the warranty. I have that exact alarm on my vehicle and have had no issues being covered under warranty." OK, great, I'd hope the Finance Manager of the dealership wouldn't have trouble getting warranty work done. That aside, I told him "Great, I'd like something in writing from the dealership stating the installation of the alarm does not impact my warranty." He said no problem, and that he'd get it put together and "figure out how to send it to you." Hmmm, I am not confident this will actually happen, so if it's not resolved by Monday, I'll proceed with my Jeep complaint.
 

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NevadaTank

New member
UPDATE 9/1: The Jeep ONLY dealership here in Las Vegas did not respond to my request to receive written confirmation that they would cover any warranty issues related to the installation or performance of the KARR alarm. I am not surprised given their attitude on the subject to date. I am moving forward with Jeep corporate. Bottom line, new Jeep buyers beware of the pre-purchase installation of this non-OEM alarm by a third party installers at Jeep dealerships, in this case, Jeep ONLY Las Vegas. The KARR alarm is not worth the money they are charging, and in my view, the installation degrades the integrity of the factory wiring. If I had to do it over again, I would have either declined to pay for it (as a deal-breaker), or I would have moved on to anther dealership that did not install the alarm pre-purchase.
 

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