[Hearthing]

Hey all! I'm a new Jeep owner. I've just purchased a 2015 Latitude 4x4 Renegade with 63k miles on it. I was informed by Carvana that it's had an oil change within the last few months (didn't show up on the Carfax, but they said it probably got done during their reconditioning.). I am not trusting a "maybe", so I'm getting its oil changed this weekend. Other than that, what should I be doing with the Jeep to make sure it's road-ready?

On another note, what maintenance do you recommend for making this Jeep last many, many more miles? I plan on changing oil every 5k miles, but other than that I'm not sure what I should be doing besides keeping it clean and looking pretty. Do you use any special engine fluids? Should I use Premium gas? Run it for 10 minutes before I go for a drive?

I'd love to hear suggestions and feedback!

 

[Marek K]

Welcome!

I'd say you're off to a good start with changing the oil and filter right off. Make sure the oil meets the Mopar specification for your particular engine.

The Renegade should give you a message when the oil needs to be replaced, depending on usage. Every 5K miles is on the too-frequent side.

And replace the engine air filter. Cabin air filter too.

I'd definitely replace the brake fluid. The requirement is every two years, no matter how many miles. If you don't know whether it's been replaced, replace it.

Beyond that, did you get an Owner's Manual with the Renegade? If not, manuals can be downloaded. There's an awful lot of good information in there. To include the maintenance schedule.

Replacing spark plugs may be in order, depending on your engine type. And I'd replace ignition coils at the same time.

Other than that, I'd get a good shop to do a thorough inspection of everything... Underbody, suspension, etc. They'll know what to do.

Special engine fluids? Like I said, Jeep recommends a specific oil specification, depending on engine type. Also coolant specification -- don't just blindly use generic green Prestone stuff.

What grade of gasoline to use depends on the engine. The Owner's Manual should tell you; I suspect Regular should be fine.

You mean idle for 10 minutes before driving? No.

 

[Mrsig]

and enjoy the forum!

 

[rsanges]

I'd also try to figure out if the radiator fan has been updated. The original fans would fail pretty regularly due to bearing failure. As I understand it (I may be wrong), the updated fans have a metal rear cover that helps protect from and dissipate heat. It sits about an inch away from the exhaust heat shield.
My 2015 is still running the original fan and it has a plastic-ish rear housing on the motor area. I check it every couple of days along with oil and coolant level.
On the subject of oil... some of the 2.4l engines have high oil consumption. Let's hope yours is not one of them, but until you find out, I recommend frequent (as in every 200 miles) checking of the oil level. Do not let it get below the hash marks.
And another thing... try to determine how old the battery is. If it is more than 3 or 4 years old, just replace it. And never ever jump-start your Renegade from another vehicle (running vehicle anyway).

 

[Hearthing]

Welcome!

I'd say you're off to a good start with changing the oil and filter right off. Make sure the oil meets the Mopar specification for your particular engine.

The Renegade should give you a message when the oil needs to be replaced, depending on usage. Every 5K miles is on the too-frequent side.

And replace the engine air filter. Cabin air filter too.

I'd definitely replace the brake fluid. The requirement is every two years, no matter how many miles. If you don't know whether it's been replaced, replace it.

Beyond that, did you get an Owner's Manual with the Renegade? If not, manuals can be downloaded. There's an awful lot of good information in there. To include the maintenance schedule.

Replacing spark plugs may be in order, depending on your engine type. And I'd replace ignition coils at the same time.

Other than that, I'd get a good shop to do a thorough inspection of everything... Underbody, suspension, etc. They'll know what to do.

Special engine fluids? Like I said, Jeep recommends a specific oil specification, depending on engine type. Also coolant specification -- don't just blindly use generic green Prestone stuff.

What grade of gasoline to use depends on the engine. The Owner's Manual should tell you; I suspect Regular should be fine.

You mean idle for 10 minutes before driving? No.

Thanks for the advice! I had read on another forum that oil needs 10 minutes to heat up from a cold start, so it was recommended to let it idle before driving. Does that only apply in the winter, or not at all ever? Is synth oil recommended, or should I give it whatever the owner's manual suggests? I want to make this vehicle last for as many years as I can.

 

[rsanges]

I never worry about oil warmup on my 2.4l. Just don't hammer the RPM until you see some temperature - good practice on any engine. Only synthetic oil will meet the manufacturer's specifications.

 

[Trailhawk15]

Welcome to the forum i too purchased a 2015 renegade with 63898 on the odometer i am the second owner.

i am in the process of chaging the air filter and cabin filter. the cabin filter looks tricky to do but a dealership charges an arm and a leg to replace it

 

[shells2skis]

Welcome to the forum i too purchased a 2015 renegade with 63898 on the odometer i am the second owner.

i am in the process of chaging the air filter and cabin filter. the cabin filter looks tricky to do but a dealership charges an arm and a leg to replace it

I paid $70. Labor for the cabin filter to be changed + the cost of the filter at the dealer.

 

[Usafle]

Is that applicable to all years and models? Because my 17 T.H. doesn't have that at all in the OSD/Menu.

The Renegade should give you a message when the oil needs to be replaced,

 

[rsanges]

Is that applicable to all years and models? Because my 17 T.H. doesn't have that at all in the OSD/Menu.

It's not a menu item. A message will pop up to tell you at the time a change is required.

 

[Usafle]

The Wife's 2021 Jeep has an “oil life remaining” on her dash/menu (whatever you want to call it). I don't have that screen, so I just assumed I wouldn't have the oil change reminder. I've gone like 5k miles and no chime has popped up. I wish there was a way to verify that you are correct in your assumption that all makes/models/years have that.

 

[rsanges]

Mine has always taken over 7,000 miles before it came up.

 

[Marek K]

The oil change warning is supposed to come up based on varying factors in addition to time and mileage -- like how many start/stop cycles the engine has, how it's run, etc. The current not-to-exceed intervals are one year or 10,000 miles.

 

[Marek K]

i am in the process of chaging the air filter and cabin filter. the cabin filter looks tricky to do but a dealership charges an arm and a leg to replace it

I'm starting to think about the cabin filter too, since I drive some dusty offroad trails here in the Rockies.

It looks to be a bit tougher than on our VWs; but not too bad. You have to remover the glove box... Let me know how it goes.

Engine air filter is only supposed to be changed every two years or 20,000 miles. I do mine every year.

 

[Hearthing]

When do you recommend putting in fuel injector cleaner? Am I kinda of far off from that with only 63k miles?

 

[Usafle]

I put in SeaFoam every oil change into the gas tank. I've been using that product for years on everything that's got an engine. Never once caused any problems or, let me down in any way. I leave my little snowblower sitting in the garage all season long with some SeaFoam in the tank from the previous winter, pull her out for the first winter fire-up and she fires right up. (that's just an example as to why I use it)

 

[rsanges]

I keep an open box of baking soda in my refrigerator to keep the giraffes away. So far, it's been working for me. Fingers crossed, knock on wood!

 

[Marek K]

I put in SeaFoam every oil change into the gas tank.

How much of a potential issue are fuel injectors on these engines?

As far as I know, these engines (at least with the turbos) are direct-injection (yes?). For those that might not know, that means the fuel is injected directly into the cylinders, past the intake valves. As opposed to the older common-rail injection systems, where the fuel is injected prior to the valves.

And because fuel in direct-injection engines doesn't "wash" over the intake valves, those valves are particularly susceptible to getting crusted-over with carbon deposits. And nothing in the fuel (detergent additives, SeaFoam) will help with carbon build-up on the valves.

So SeaFoam might help with fuel injectors -- couldn't hurt. But not at all with intake valves.

 

[Trailhawk15]

If you have a mysky i may suggest removing both panels and cleaning out the tracks with air or a cloth and then lubing them with some white lithium grease.

 

[Trailhawk15]

I'm starting to think about the cabin filter too, since I drive some dusty offroad trails here in the Rockies.

It looks to be a bit tougher than on our VWs; but not too bad. You have to remover the glove box... Let me know how it goes.

Engine air filter is only supposed to be changed every two years or 20,000 miles. I do mine every year.

Its actually pretty simple once you remove the right hand side dash cover, there are 7 t-25 screws that hold the glovebox on and one 7/32nds screw that hold the cabin air filter in the housing. I removced mine and it looked like it hadnt been changed since brand new it had leaves in it and was very black.