Just wanted to say goodbye and thanks for everyone's assistance and guidance over the years, especially dcotter0579 who always responded promptly with accurate advice.

The ol' 2004 SEBRING LX was becoming a prolific money pit and, when my mechanic quoted me almost $600 to replace the water pump and timing belt, I knew it was time to trade her in. A brand new JEEP COMPASS sits in our driveway, so I figure that I'm still part of the Chrysler family. Here's hoping she provides us with 8+ years of faithful service just like the SEBRING.

Thanks again, y'all ... good luck and Godspeed!

 

I am a jeep tech as well =)

 

Thanks for the info, CT! And I also appreciate the answers that you provided over the years. Here's a quick JEEP question for you: Why is my 2012 COMPASS (2.0 engine, 4X2 CVT) gas mileage significantly less than stated on the window sticker? I have been averaging around 17 MPG in mixed city/highway driving - the EPA rating is 23/27. False advertising by the federal government and Jeep or am I a lousy driver? My 2004 2.4 SEBRING LX was consistently averaging 20+ MPG. Any advice you can offer about improving my fuel ecomony would be greatly appreciated!

 

Driving habits plus if its a used car the computer will need to get use to how u drive to make it most efficient. Plus if u have noticed the CVT your always into the gas.

 

I actually purchased her NEW back in November (32 miles on the odometer) ... she was a leftover 2012 loaded with discounts and incentives. Current mileage is 4200 and I noticed that my MPG has increased slightly now that the weather is warming up here in Indiana. Can the "computer" be tweaked to help improve fuel economy? I read something about turning the key to "on" then gradually depressing the accelerator for 15 seconds and releasing it for the same amount of time? Thanks, CT!

http://www.tampacarblog.com/wp-conte...ep-compass.jpg

 

Ironic. Just traded in our 04 Sebring LX. Wish I did before the timing belt broke... but we learned from mistakes though, plus it got us a good $600 over normal trade-in.. got a Toyota. That 55 MPG is nice.

 

My bet is that now that warmer weather is here, your gas mileage will improve noticeably. If you have a remote start and let the car warm up in the driveway, that's a whole lot of "0.0" mpg right there. Even if you don't do that, short trips in cold weather are murder on gas mileage as most of the energy of the gasoline winds up heating up the metal and fluids in the engine, transmission, cooling and exhaust systems. The combined weight of those items might be approaching a half a ton. That's a lot of cold stuff to warm up a couple of hundred degrees.