26th May 2004, 18:43

To the guy who wrote the first comment, you must not know a single thing about engines. Every engine has a break in period. Next time you get a NEW car, pay close attention to your gas mileage. You will notice it getting better and better as you put more and more miles on the car.

8th Jul 2004, 17:53

I have a 2004 Limited. I am having continued problems with the air conditioner. Specifically, whenever I start the engine the air conditioner (light) turns on. While my vehicle does have climate control, the problem occurs when in "manual" mode. Also, the air conditioner turns on whenever it feels like it. Winter time - below zero - it turns on for no reason. I have returned the vehicle to my dealer at least 7 times to no avail. Is anyone else experiencing the same issue? If so, can you tell me if the problem has been rectified and how they did it. I am on my second complaint to Chrysler. Other than this problem, I absolutely love my Limited. Gas mileage could be better, though. Much appreciated for any comments you may have.

18th Sep 2004, 12:01

The gas mileage is awful on the 2004 I6, I average 16 MPG in blended driving. My 1997 I6 got 22 MPG, I am told they changed motors somewhere in between there. I took it in to the dealer after 3k miles and was told the same thing, "it will get better after 5k miles" Guess what? After 10k it is no better, still 16 MPG.

12th Oct 2004, 20:08

I also have a 2004 Limited. And I am also having continued problems with the air conditioner: whenever I start the engine the air conditioner (light) turns on. Seems like it is a FEATURE in "manual" mode?!! Other than this, I'm in love with my Jeep.

27th Dec 2004, 15:47

I just wanted to update from my original post. The dealer was correct, my fuel mileage did improve after about 3,000 miles.

I changed to Mobil-1 and my mileage is currently averaging about 15MPG city, and has gone as high as 22 highway. Still have only 7,500 on Jeep so I trust it will even out as the engine breaks in.

24th Sep 2005, 14:06

"A car gets its best mileage when it is new and there is no performance-reducing wear on it yet"

Are you kidding? Vehicles not only improve in fuel mileage after the break-in period, but they usually have slightly better performance as well.

However, regarding the very first post, I find it hard to believe you were only getting 4 to 6 mpg. I think those calculations were off...

10th Nov 2005, 09:33

I have had on-going problems with the A/C as well. It does seem to engage and disengage on it's own with the A/C light being on most of the time without regard to outside temp. The dealer's attempts to deal with the problem have been outrageously unfocused and generally arrogant.

24th Jul 2006, 02:04

I guess you are no longer around to read this. If mileage and economy is your goal, jeep is not for you. They are build to offer maximum HP and torque at low RPM and both required fuel delivery. The paradox is to achieve economy with a machine asking to be push hard. I hope you enjoy your right lane econobox.

27th Oct 2006, 12:57

The standard break in period on an engine is 1,500km's after that you are able to rev the engine higher and begin to push it harder. I also do not believe you were getting 4 to 6 mpg, the 6.1L SRT Hemi doesn't even give that low mileage. There must have been something mechanically out of place or you had a dirty air filter among other things. It is important to use regular motor oil for the intial break in period on an engine, after 1500km's you should switch to full synthetic and never switch back. The 4.7L V8 believe it or not will actually get comparable if not better fuel mileage because the engine does not have to work as hard to pull the weight of the vehicle. Also the V8 is mounted lower and farther back on the frame thus giving better handling due to a lower center of gravity. I am not putting down the i6 engine it has been proven for a long period of time, however Jeep (and mopar for that matter) seemed to think it wasn't good enough for the 2005 and newer models and switched to a 3.7L i6 engine, only time will tell which is better.

For fuel economy trade in your 2004 Jeep and buy a new Grand Cherokee with the CRD diesel engine (CRD stands for common rail diesel) better fuel economy more torque, no crying over empty wallets and bank accounts.