I recently helped my sister buy a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo V6 2WD. I’ve owned a ’95 and ’02 JGC in the past, both with the legendary 4.0L Inline-6. But the 3.7L V6 is new territory for me.
I know that it is derived from the 4.7L V8 and both seem to be pretty reliable based on what I’ve read and heard. I was a little disappointed that the 3.7L doesn’t have quite the same amount of low-end grunt that the old 4.0L had. But the 3.7L is a lot smoother and willing to rev than the old 4.0 also. Besides, my sister is coming from a 2003 Explorer with the 4.0L “Boat Anchor” V6, so she has no complaints about the power or performance! =)
Her ’07 only has 84k miles on it and we purchased it from the original owner (the doctor she works for). It has been perfectly maintained by the dealer and is in excellent condition inside and out. My goal is to do everything possible to make sure that it lasts her for as long as possible without any major repairs. (FYI- she is going thru a nasty divorce with her husband of 21 years who secretly destroyed their credit, which is why “we” bought her Jeep since she couldn’t get a loan).
My first question is about “Malfunction Indicator Light”. It came on a few days ago and she freaked out and called me. I read online that it could be something as simple as a loose gas cap, poor quality gas, emissions control equipment or something more serious. The manual basically says “if it stays on repeatedly for several normal driving cycles, have it checked out”. The light didn’t come back on when she restarted the car later and hasn’t since. Possibly related- she had just filled up the tank at a Kroger fuel center. Am I safe to assume (or hope) that it was either crappy fuel or a loose gas cap?
I’m also curious about oil change intervals and what kind of oil (synthetic blend or full synthetic) she should use. The owner’s manual suggests oil changes every 3k miles for “Schedule B” or 6k miles for “Schedule A”. Oddly, it states that most vehicles will fall under “Schedule B” which applies to more extreme operating conditions. None of the listed items under that schedule apply to her, so “Schedule A” is the applicable one for her. I will be the one handling the maintenance for her, so I’m thinking that changing the oil every 5k rather than 6k will be easier to remember and safer as well. Being changed every 5k miles, am I safe in thinking that synthetic blend motor oil will be more than sufficient protection?
Finally, what about transmission maintenance? The more extreme maintenance schedule calls for fluid/filter changes every 60k miles while the regular schedule doesn’t mention it at all. It was done at 60k miles on my sister’s vehicle. My personal inclination is to change it every 30k miles from here on. I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to taking care of transmissions. My current 2012 Mazda CX-9 has “lifetime transmission fluid” and doesn’t call for a change at any point. But I changed it at 30k miles and plan to do so every 30k because “lifetime” usually just means “lifetime of the warranty”! Any other quirks or concerns about the M-B W5A580 that I should know about?
Thanks a lot for any input you guys can offer! I really appreciate it!
I know that it is derived from the 4.7L V8 and both seem to be pretty reliable based on what I’ve read and heard. I was a little disappointed that the 3.7L doesn’t have quite the same amount of low-end grunt that the old 4.0L had. But the 3.7L is a lot smoother and willing to rev than the old 4.0 also. Besides, my sister is coming from a 2003 Explorer with the 4.0L “Boat Anchor” V6, so she has no complaints about the power or performance! =)
Her ’07 only has 84k miles on it and we purchased it from the original owner (the doctor she works for). It has been perfectly maintained by the dealer and is in excellent condition inside and out. My goal is to do everything possible to make sure that it lasts her for as long as possible without any major repairs. (FYI- she is going thru a nasty divorce with her husband of 21 years who secretly destroyed their credit, which is why “we” bought her Jeep since she couldn’t get a loan).
My first question is about “Malfunction Indicator Light”. It came on a few days ago and she freaked out and called me. I read online that it could be something as simple as a loose gas cap, poor quality gas, emissions control equipment or something more serious. The manual basically says “if it stays on repeatedly for several normal driving cycles, have it checked out”. The light didn’t come back on when she restarted the car later and hasn’t since. Possibly related- she had just filled up the tank at a Kroger fuel center. Am I safe to assume (or hope) that it was either crappy fuel or a loose gas cap?
I’m also curious about oil change intervals and what kind of oil (synthetic blend or full synthetic) she should use. The owner’s manual suggests oil changes every 3k miles for “Schedule B” or 6k miles for “Schedule A”. Oddly, it states that most vehicles will fall under “Schedule B” which applies to more extreme operating conditions. None of the listed items under that schedule apply to her, so “Schedule A” is the applicable one for her. I will be the one handling the maintenance for her, so I’m thinking that changing the oil every 5k rather than 6k will be easier to remember and safer as well. Being changed every 5k miles, am I safe in thinking that synthetic blend motor oil will be more than sufficient protection?
Finally, what about transmission maintenance? The more extreme maintenance schedule calls for fluid/filter changes every 60k miles while the regular schedule doesn’t mention it at all. It was done at 60k miles on my sister’s vehicle. My personal inclination is to change it every 30k miles from here on. I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to taking care of transmissions. My current 2012 Mazda CX-9 has “lifetime transmission fluid” and doesn’t call for a change at any point. But I changed it at 30k miles and plan to do so every 30k because “lifetime” usually just means “lifetime of the warranty”! Any other quirks or concerns about the M-B W5A580 that I should know about?
Thanks a lot for any input you guys can offer! I really appreciate it!