Car's at a dealership service department in LA, and they're "finding things"... like apparently the license plate bulb is out. They claim it's not the bulb, but "we've seen this before, it's a memory problem - we can reflash is for $172."

This seems insane to me. Am I wrong?

 

Why not buy the bulb for all of maybe $3 and try it yourself?

 

Was gonna do that - but I asked and they said it wasn't the bulb. I just can't imagine this is a "computer memory" issue. Curious as to A) whether that's possible, and B) whether that's a reasonable fee for that service.

 

I'm not an authority on late model Jags by any means but, broadly speaking, it isn't unusual to have lighting systems run thru a "Body Control Computer" or some such. And it isn't unusual for such computers/modules to be "re-flashable".

As for the charges, well.....that's how they pay for those mahogany desks and glittery chandeliers

Heck, the local Jeep dealer is at $138/hour with a minimum $138 service charge...so anything seems possible to me.

Cheers
DD

 

Do the "Reflash Memory" DIY step yourself first. Disconnect a battery lead and touch it to the other battery lead for a few seconds then reattach it. That dumps all the volatile memory.

 

Again I'd buy the bulb for $3 it takes all of maybe 3 minutes to check yourself rather than pay $130+ on blind faith (not to be confused with the excellent band Blind Faith). It's a possibility they know something I don't but with only a buyer knife or flat blade screw driver you can know for certain.

 

pk4144 - it looks to me that you're on the receiving end of the dealer's screw driver.

What do you have to lose? Maybe you'll get lucky. Try Cee Jay's easy DIY reflash first, without buying a new bulb. If that doesn't work, put in a new bulb and do that DIY reflash again. Dealer is the last resort. Good luck!

 

I replaced my incodescent bulbs with LED bulbs sources in eBay with a mild blue tint, I think they cost me maybe $2 each shipped took @ 7 days to get here (actually I replaced most at the interior bulbs too and am very happy makes the car look much more updates and lower power draw). To swap them you just pop off the semi clear plastic cover they just pull out. Even if they are good why not swap them out they are 10 years old LEDs look way better and are super cheap... if you're near San Diego I'll show you my lights and do the labor on your car it's so simple... in the meantime give the recycle a shot. It's also easy enough to check the socket with a voltmeter to see if it's getting power but there is likely no need to throw cash at a dealer unless you hate money that much

 

Thanks, all.
I definitely took a pass on the $172 reflash.
I have to confess I'd not heard of the "DIY reflash" (and wasn't sure that it wasn't a joke) - disconnect a battery lead and touch it to the other one? Like, pull the battery cable off the negative post, and touch it to the connected cable on the positive post? Am I understanding that correctly?
Anyway, yes, Leeper, I'm gonna swap out the bulbs when I get the car back (going to NYC for a few days). I'll message you when I'm next headed down to SD. Would love to see that setup.

 

definitely message me, I have a bunch of various bulbs here, from the originals to a bunch of other colors and wattages happy to give you what I have as I'm all set up. I did a whole bunch of testing to find the exact ones I wanted, ordered a lot of various ones so they're just sitting in a box here.

As for resetting - yes just disconnect either terminal and touch it to the other one, that releases the voltage stored in the various capacitors thus wiping out the memories... in most cases it will also wipe out your stereo presets, may require you to perform a top reset if you have a convertible, likely need to reset the windows to, and lastly you'll lose any trip odometer info such as current MPG, miles on this tank, etc.

 

This thread need a resolution.

 

Sorry - finished the thought on another thread (about aftermarket warranties).
Played "let's make a deal" with the dealership, they did it for $90. Problem solved.