Help Airman Recover From Predatory Car Sale: Escape AZ HEAT!

While on leave in Chicago following my completion of tech school, I took the opportunity to finance a car so I could drive here to report for duty in June. I had found a used 2014 Jeep Patriot Sport at a nearby Lincoln dealership and was pre-approved. Alone, I took my information to the dealership and test drove the car. During the test drive, I noticed that the AC was not working (I made the mistake of not realizing the car came without any AC at all) and there was an issue with the battery that needed replacing by the dealership. The dealer told me that when they replaced the battery, they could also fix the AC. I didn’t forget to mention to them how I planned to take the car to Arizona; nevertheless, they reassured me they could help me out. When all was said and done, they replaced the battery and told me to bring it in later for the AC.

During this time, my mother’s birthday was being celebrated in Wisconsin, and I used the car to attend it. The manager at the dealership gave me a call and informed me that they couldn’t work on the car because they didn’t have the parts yet from Jeep. I told him that I couldn’t wait for the parts to come in, and he said to enjoy my time with my family, drive down to Tucson, turn the car into a Jeep dealership, and get them in contact with him via his phone number, and all would be taken care of from there. When I arrived in Tucson, within the first few weeks, I turned the car into the Jeep dealership, and they messaged me saying they had gotten in contact with the dealership in Illinois. A few more weeks went by, and suddenly, the Jeep dealership here lost contact completely. My leadership was supportive during this time, allowing me to utilize a spare vehicle, and I am very grateful. I made numerous calls to the dealership in Illinois to attempt to get an answer for the silence.

As it turned out, the manager was no longer working there, and the new manager essentially told me off. I spoke with my mother about it, and she got a hold of the branch manager who told her that I was negligent to not have realized that the car came without AC, disregarding the fact that I was explicitly told they could help me and to turn it into the Jeep dealership, but I had nothing in writing. I ended up paying the Jeep dealership here $130 to retrieve my car from them, with nothing having been done on it but an inspection.

I toughed out the rest of the summer, thinking during the winter I could comfortably turn my car in to get an AC installed. However, because the car’s model doesn’t come with any AC system, mechanics here say they can’t do it, and one informed me that it would be around $4000 for the labor alone.

There is one solution I am currently looking at, which is a 3rd party AC system installation. I am fundraising to cover the cost of this installation, which is essential for me to have a functional and comfortable vehicle.