Episode 655 – Do You Repair It Or Replace It?

This Week In Jeep

Jeep’s Parent Company Fined $300 Million For Diesel Violations

FCA… Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, part of the Stellantis group, was sentenced Monday to pay a $300 million US Dollar criminal penalty, over diesel engines that polluted more than they were allowed by regulations. The federal court’s decision is a result of a Justice Department investigation and includes a fine of $96.1 million and a forfeiture of $203.6 million. Don’t ask me what the difference is, other than semantics. The penalties also included three years of organizational probation, and three employees awaiting trial over technologies that allegedly aimed to defraud the U.S. and violate the Clean Air Act. At the center of the controversy are 2014, 2015, and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Ram 1500 pickups, with the 3.0-liter turbo diesel V-6, nicknamed EcoDiesel and supplied by Italy’s VM Motori. The penalty is the result of a case that goes back to 2017, and the Trump administration, when the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against FCA alleging that “defeat device” software allowed these vehicles to emit lower emissions levels during official test cycles than they did in real-world use, specifically in nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The scandal closely mirrors (albeit on a much smaller scale) Volkswagen’s “Dieselgate” scandal that broke in 2015.  That led to closer scrutiny over other diesel models and the realization that VW perhaps wasn’t the only automaker aiming to circumvent the ridiculous rules handed down by the politically driven EPA. The government did note that FCA had previously paid a $311 million civil penalty and $183 million in compensation to 63,000 FCA vehicle owners. But it is uncertain whether or not this most recent fine is in addition to that or takes that into account. Either way, those fines were the result of a class-action lawsuit and consent decree with authorities, under which FCA agreed to update these vehicles’ emissions software, provide an extended warranty, and compensate owners up to $3,075 per vehicle. FCA had cooperated with the EPA and CARB, leading to a 2019 recall of the trucks in which modified emissions software was deployed. $300 million is no chump change, and this will undoubtedly hurt the numbers in the next shareholder’s meeting, but in the grand scheme of things, an automaker the size of FCA – Now Stellantis, is well positioned to weather something like this. This certainly begs the question, however…. Will this be the end of issues like this now that the federal courts have clipped the wings of the EPA after years of them exerting power that they were never granted? Speculators are all saying that there is about to be a glut of challenges claiming government agencies are overstepping their mission to tackle climate change. We are entering a new and uncertain era in the automotive world, and only time will tell how all this is all going to play out. But if you keep listening here, I’ll make sure you stay well informed.

Forced Entry Break In To Steal WHAT?!?

A man is facing felony charges after allegedly breaking into a Pennsylvania home and stealing a child’s toy.

While on a cross-country trip with a friend, a 29-year-old man by the name of Orxan Huseynov, decided to pull over in the New Stanton area of Pennsylvania. For some reason, he decided to go for a walk. Ya know, because that’s what you do, pull into a no-name town on your road trip to god knows where, and just start walking into neighborhoods. Totally normal. Definitely not suspicious. Well, that is until that little stroll takes you to somebody else’s home where you then break into it. Neighbors of course noticed and heard something strange coming from the home, and called the police. One neighbor even witnessed Huseynov breaking into the home. Despite the man being in the home for several minutes before authorities arrived, the only thing found on his person at the time of the arrest…. Was a single Matchbox toy Jeep. The same kind you can get at any box store for less than five bucks. According to public records, Huseynov was booked and released and is awaiting his preliminary arraignment on multiple felony charges. Here is where things get even more interesting. The report also indicated the man is from the nation of Azerbaijan. So how likely is it that he’s going to stick around for a trial?

I think the more important question is though…. Why was he released if he was arrested on “multiple” felony charges? And if all he did was a “B and E” (breaking and entering)  …that’s only a class of two or three felonies in the state of PA, and the value of the toy wouldn’t warrant a felony theft charge, so I’m wondering exactly what’s missing from the reports, because in all my research, all I can find is a single crime, and what’s even more strange …is that I can’t find any record now of his arrest in the archives that I was looking at earlier this week, where a lot of this information came from. In a matter of days, this man’s arrest record vanishes. Completely disappears, leaving only the reporting of the incident as a record that it happened at all.   

Jeep Takes Home More Awards

The New England Motor Press Association was founded in 1987 to coordinate professional media coverage of the auto industry in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, whose 14.5 million citizens have unique demographics and automotive preferences. Membership in NEMPA is by invitation and open to carmakers and their public-relations and communications staff, suppliers to the automotive industry, and trade and consumer auto show producers as well as to automotive journalists and photographers. NEMPA’s media members appear on network and cable TV, on the Internet and radio, and in regional and national newspapers and magazines. But despite my repeated attempts and the strongly worded, possibly desperate request letters I send out every week, they refuse to let me into their fancy little club. Nevertheless, each year the New England Motor Press Association recognizes excellence by bestowing a number of awards upon cars and light trucks, automotive technologies and designs, and even individuals (like executives, public-relations people, and other automotive professionals). Winners are selected by the vote of the regular members. After being chosen by Americans as the most patriotic brand just a couple-few weeks ago, Jeep is now receiving another award, this time from the NEMPA. And it’s not just a single award for a single vehicle either, but with three! 

This year’s winners of the NEMPA Winter Driving Awards are the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, and of course the Jeep Wrangler.

The New England winter driving awards were specially designed to choose the cars that best meet the qualities of an off-road SUV, able to cope with the harshest of winter conditions while maintaining the dynamic qualities that make for safe, enjoyable, and competent all-weather driving. So once again, congrats go to Jeep for winning even more awards.

Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

Jeep JK/JKU Grab Handle Accessory Box/Storage Tray

https://amzn.to/3zxcA0n        $13.00

I like form and function, and when I see a device that knocks it out of the park in both those categories AND comes at a price point under $20, I absolutely have to put it in the show. For this episode’s pick of the week for your Jeep, I present to all of you the 2011 to 2018 Wrangler owners out there, the Grab Handle Accessory Box. That useless space behind the passenger side dash-mounted grab handle is the perfect location to add some additional storage. With this handy one-piece design, the function of the grab handle is retained but adds a utility pocket behind it to place virtually anything.

No messy glue or drilling is required for installation. The device simply snaps into place. 

This Grab Handle Accessory Box is made of high-quality ABS material with a stamped textured finish to give it that OEM look. And If you’re not 100% satisfied with this unit, simply return it for a full refund in 30 days, no questions asked money back guarantee with a 1-year warranty. Oh, and you don’t have to take my word for it, this item has been reviewed over SIX THOUSAND times on Amazon and has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating.  Check it out for yourself, and at a price point of only $13, I think it might be a good idea to grab a few, that way you can hand a couple of these out at the next Jeep party and look like a hero.

Tech Talk with Jeep Talk

TOPIC/QUESTION: Repair vs Replace

The Jeep Talk Show has been around in one form or another for over a decade, and this segment, Tech Talk, has been around for more than half that. Over all those years, and all those episodes, rarely have I ever covered the same topic, the same way twice. What’s even rarer than that, is having an open discussion on this segment. So instead of me rambling or droning on for several minutes about one thing or another in gross technical detail, I thought it might be fun to bring the other hosts into the discussion for a bit of a change on this one. Now that being said this won’t be a free-for-all, I actually have a topic that I want to cover, and I think it’s one that any and virtually every Jeeper will be familiar with in any number of ways. And that’s where do you draw the line between cleaning, fixing, or repairing something, and simply replacing it altogether? Because sometimes something like a carburetor on an older Jeep may just need to be cleaned, or maybe it’s a spark plug that just needs to be filed and re-gapped… or would you just replace these components? Maybe the transfer case or transmission is on its way out, do you rebuild or replace it? There’s no right or wrong answer here, and these examples were just for the sake of having an analogy. But I’m curious as to where that line is drawn for different Jeepers, with different backgrounds, different Jeeps of course, and different levels of technical or mechanical aptitude.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

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