[Doug D]

nd with our Chrysler 200 cars, my wife's battery was still good at 7 1/2 years.

The original MoPar battery in my '06 Ram 1500 was 7+ years old when I preemptively replaced it. The next two batteries were replaced at around the 4-5-year mark - neither failed though the last one tested weak and I had the shop replace it. The battery is in the engine compartment but is up and away from the engine, so engine heat is minimized. At least that's my theory why the original last as long as it did. Who knows?

 

[d150le]

Let's not pretend that they are - because they're not. That's not how engineers operate. We are mandated to do cost reductions continually, but they don't involve making things less rugged or harder to service. No one has, or is allowed time, to reduce quality and test to see if it met a reduced life goal. Doesn't happen. I speak from over 40 years in engineering at large international companies.

I get told to do things that I believe are terrible too. Doesn't mean it isn't happening.

You'd probably be shocked and disgusted at how poorly built some heavy equipment is. I didn't choose to do it, the engineers didn't choose it. Someone who has nothing but profits in mind did.

 

[redwheelwells]

As an engineer, I can tell you - management. Engineers know what to do, how to make things serviceable and simpler. Management gives the orders, however. And you either comply or are replaced. It takes a LOT to make a case to overturn some of these decisions.

I would think that the "external factors" I was asking about could well be even "external" to management. Again, to me, chasing fuel economy and crash-worthiness/rollover resistance are at least partly external to the corporation/company. Competition is a partial "push factor", and government/insurance industry are other "push factors" for such "chasing". Sadly, these external factors can push management into pushing engineers to twist designs into veritable pretzels....

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

Something else to consider when it comes to cleaning the cabin filter.

If you open the hood and look on the passenger side of the Jeep, right in front of the cowl, with the recirculation blend door open, you can see the top of the Cabin Filter. Vacuum it out from here before removing the filter for replacement. Any rubbish that falls past the Cabin Filter is going to fall into the HVAC fan, and you won’t be able to vacuum it out of there anyways, from inside of the vehicle.

I have changed the Cabin Filter on many occasions on many Chrysler vehicles. I have never disconnected the battery to do it, and have never set off an airbag in the process.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Keep the cowl screen clear. A common cause of under-dash water leaks and HVAC odors are from blocked drains and decomposing leaf debris.
I lay down newspaper or a floormat under the CAF when I pull it out. You can never be sure what is sitting on top of it. Sometimes they are spotless, sometimes they are loaded.

Maybe the battery disconnect is an over-abundance of caution, maybe not. The Stellantis legal dept has thought it necessary to include the warning. All auto manufacturers include this Airbag warning.

Some automakers state: 'See your dealer' when it comes to CAF service. Any DIY services not done by an authorized dealer is out of the manufacturers control.

In this highly litigieous society we live in, you can't be too careful or assume that people have common-sense or are mechanically-inclined. People get hurt, sometimes badly through no fault of their own. We want to avoid that.
Working on our pride & joy should be a fun and fulfilling experience.
Let's be careful out there.

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

Something else to consider when it comes to cleaning the cabin filter.

If you open the hood and look on the passenger side of the Jeep, right in front of the cowl, with the recirculation blend door open, you can see the top of the Cabin Filter. Vacuum it out from here before removing the filter for replacement. Any rubbish that falls past the Cabin Filter is going to fall into the HVAC fan, and you won’t be able to vacuum it out of there anyways, from inside of the vehicle.

To reference the area that I am referring to when checking the cabin filter from the engine compartment.

 

[redwheelwells]

To reference the area that I am referring to when checking the cabin filter from the engine compartment.

View attachment 85786

Thanks, IDMOR, but my rig doesn't seem to be laid out like what you pictured, What vehicle/year is that in your photo? EDIT: my filter does appear to be mounted somewhat horizontally as pictured in your photo, but the cowl/engine compartment area you show appears to have more limited access in my vehicle.

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

Thanks, IDMOR, but my rig doesn't seem to be laid out like what you pictured, What vehicle/year is that in your photo?

Mine is a 2020 GC Trailhawk, 5.7 Hemi.

I thought that they would have been the same for the WK2 platform.