[Palmerm94]

Hey all,

I'm on track to pick up my 2016 Latitude tomorrow and I'm pretty excited. However, when I took it for a test drive I noticed that it was pretty shaky, almost as if there was a wheel balancing issue. Sales rep noticed this as well and brought it up just as I was about to.

Service department said that they'll check the balancing but this usually happens to a new car that sits on the lot without moving for a year and usually corrects by ~30 miles driven. Has anyone ever heard of this?

Thanks!:ReneBlueWave:

 

[sciond]

could be a number of things such as a defective tire...
Howver I have driven many of them and have never had that issues

 

[Palmerm94]

could be a number of things such as a defective tire...
Howver I have driven many of them and have never had that issues

Thanks. That's why I'm skeptical signing the papers if it's still riding rough like that when I go tomorrow.

 

[Traceee]

Don't sign, don't commit. Ask to take the Rene for an overnight extended test drive. Put some miles on it, you'd be doing the dealership a favor giving it a chance to "correct itself." Yeah, right - NO. In fact, I'll bet if you walk from that one, they will offer you a newer one at the same negotiated price.

 

[Dom C]

Let them check the wheel balance. I noticed that with my wife's when she got it and I brought it in and told them the wheels were out of balance. (been fixing cars since I'm 10) They came back and said you were right three tires were out of balance ! I also had them do all ECM updates and transmission updates. Also it might be a little rougher until the tires wear in some. Check the cold air pressure ! Best of luck !

 

[Palmerm94]

Don't sign, don't commit. Ask to take the Rene for an overnight extended test drive. Put some miles on it, you'd be doing the dealership a favor giving it a chance to "correct itself." Yeah, right - NO. In fact, I'll bet if you walk from that one, they will offer you a newer one at the same negotiated price.

Let them check the wheel balance. I noticed that with my wife's when she got it and I brought it in and told them the wheels were out of balance. (been fixing cars since I'm 10) They came back and said you were right three tires were out of balance ! I also had them do all ECM updates and transmission updates. Also it might be a little rougher until the tires wear in some. Check the cold air pressure ! Best of luck !

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going down in 2 hours and am going to take it for another drive. If it's still doing it I'll have them check the balancing. The only thing I gave them so far is my down payment.. haven't signed anything yet.

 

[bwbike]

Don't buy it until you are satisfied that the vehicle drives nicely. It will be much harder to get a reluctant dealer to fix thinks once you own it.

Tire shake could be from out of balance, loose lug bolts, or bad tire(s). A flat spot from sitting should work its way smooth with about 10 miles of driving if the temperature is above freezing.

 

[Palmerm94]

Don't buy it until you are satisfied that the vehicle drives nicely. It will be much harder to get a reluctant dealer to fix thinks once you own it.

Tire shake could be from out of balance, loose lug bolts, or bad tire(s). A flat spot from sitting should work its way smooth with about 10 miles of driving if the temperature is above freezing.

They did a balance and rotation and the tires were under inflated. It rides smoother now but still has a noticeable bounce. It hasn't been above 20 degrees here in a few weeks so maybe it will take a little longer to smooth out.

 

[tazzel]

I would still not sign the contract on that Renegade. Walk away until you are satisfied with the Renegade. Test drive a other Renegades to see the difference. You have all the power right now do not give it up.

 

[kbagrows]

Agree with tazzel. I would definitely drive another of the same model for comparison.

Is the "noticeable bounce" a new issue?

FYI - I park outside on the street in Chicago. The engine growls when it starts, and there's plenty of creaks and groans as it warms up (same as all vehicles I've owned and parked outside) but it still drives well in cold weather.

 

[Dom C]

Definitely ask to drive another one. But I just think it's the tires themselves. Like I said when I first took my wife's on the highway I was like hell no. Even after the wheel balance it was still there some but now that the tires have worn in some it's good. The other thing is that when the Jeep is in high gear and you lightly step on the gas I can only relate it to like lugging a Harley. Try a different Highway also. There's one out here in Jersey that all my cars seem to vibrate on even though it looks smooth. Any other road the cars are fine. Let us know the end result !

 

[GSO_Kyle]

I had the dealer road force balance my tires after delivery at ~300 miles for vibration issues. They were out of balance on delivery. Not a big deal. They should be able to do it for you before you sign the papers.

 

[sciond]

I had the dealer road force balance my tires after delivery at ~300 miles for vibration issues. They were out of balance on delivery. Not a big deal. They should be able to do it for you before you sign the papers.

this
more common than you think
Have them change out the tires with another vehicle as another option.

 

[Dom C]

Road Force is hands down the absolute best balancing method. Not many places have the machine though. I did it on one of my cars that had new tires but still had a little vibration. After Mavis rebalanced the tires multiple times I brought it to a place with a road force balance machine and it came back smooth as could be ! Regular balance machines don't compensate for high/low spots in the tires and rims. The road force machine optimizes or matches the high/low spots between the rims and tires giving you a more true balance than a regular tire balancer can.

 

[tazzel]

Road Force is hands down the absolute best balancing method. Not many places have the machine though. I did it on one of my cars that had new tires but still had a little vibration. After Mavis rebalanced the tires multiple times I brought it to a place with a road force balance machine and it came back smooth as could be ! Regular balance machines don't compensate for high/low spots in the tires and rims. The road force machine optimizes or matches the high/low spots between the rims and tires giving you a more true balance than a regular tire balancer can.

Wow, learn something new everyday. Hate to admit it but never knew there was a different type of balancing tires.

 

[Palmerm94]

Road Force is hands down the absolute best balancing method. Not many places have the machine though. I did it on one of my cars that had new tires but still had a little vibration. After Mavis rebalanced the tires multiple times I brought it to a place with a road force balance machine and it came back smooth as could be ! Regular balance machines don't compensate for high/low spots in the tires and rims. The road force machine optimizes or matches the high/low spots between the rims and tires giving you a more true balance than a regular tire balancer can.

Maybe this is what I need. After they balanced and rotated the tires it is definitely better, but the Renegade still feels like it is off-balance. It doesn't feel like an issue in the drivetrain it feels like a balancing issue. The dealer that I bought it from has more than 300 Renegades on the lot so this particular 2016 I bought sat unmoved for over a year. They told me because of this the tires probably developed flat spotting (which I read that Kumhos are susceptible to).

I bought it because the ride was better. I'm going to give it ~500 miles and if it doesn't get any smoother I'm going to take it in for service and they'll probably throw new tires on it. This thing is awesome otherwise!

 

[Palmerm94]

Update: Was still riding very poorly so I took it back (as per their request, if the flat spots didn't correct themselves within ~30-50 miles) after 350 miles. They swapped the wheels with another Renegade on the lot and told me it was still shaking because "all of the vehicles on the lot have flat spots" and that if they didn't work themselves out in 1500 miles I would get 4 brand new tires from the manufacturer. So, the ride is still pretty bad.

 

[tazzel]

Would have, could have, will, might, your screwed now buddy. Should have walked away until they cold have delivered a running vehicle with no problems. Are you saying there was not one Renegade on the lot that you could not have test driven to know the difference of a flat spot on a tire vs. how the Renegade actually drives? Good Luck, your at the mercy of the Dealer now.

 

[Palmerm94]

Would have, could have, will, might, your screwed now buddy. Should have walked away until they cold have delivered a running vehicle with no problems. Are you saying there was not one Renegade on the lot that you could not have test driven to know the difference of a flat spot on a tire vs. how the Renegade actually drives? Good Luck, your at the mercy of the Dealer now.

I test drove another.. the other one rode like **** so I think they just have too many sitting around with under inflated tires. The rides actually improving as I drive it with this new set of tires.