re: SKREEM Repair Infomation
Gentlemen - found this online:
"There is no law requiring parts to be available for 7 years, 10 years, whatever. Depending on the restrictions the car maker places on any of its intellectual property rights, that supplier [who may have designed that part itself] may choose to continue making that part for sale through independent retailers." I also saw something about being required to keep them available for the expected life of the vehicle. I always thought this "10 year sunset provision" was an urban legend. Anyone know if this purported law is supposed to be Federal, state, local. Anybody seen it, or know where to look?
Anyway, the issue with the SKREEM units is "special" because since Chrysler controls the codes for individual vehicles, if aftermarket manufacturers of MB dealers or even owners can't get them, they are restricting trade in these parts. And besides, these parts must be being produced as MB dealers have them.
Now Needswings had them early last year. They were getting them from Chrysler and shipping them to customers in "plug and play" condition. Customer comments show they worked, and the customers were satisfied. I ordered and paid for the SKREEM module and antenna ring, $710. Maybe Chrysler should get some more and use Needswings as the supplier to those who need them direct. But of course Chrysler probably won't want to supply 75,000 codes to Needswings. Lawyers would probably nix that.
Personally, I don't care to engage or deal with lawyers. But I want my car in operable, salable condition. I have not been able to use it since last November, so Chrysler, by not providing the part/code for my car, is causing me the loss of my vehicle and essentially rendered it worthless. They did this to me, I didn't do anything except buy and pay for a car sold by them. If you guys won't challenge this, that's your business. In that case I'll just make this "me vs. them" and just try to get one for my own use. If I get it, I'll install and get it running and try and sell it, because I now know that I will be in constant jeopardy of this happening again and finding myself with a car that FCA is just abandoning. They are making this choice - not me.
Personally, I will never stop trying to solve this. Never. One more time. Never.
When I ordered and paid Needswings for the set of parts their web page said something like October 15th for the ready date. Now it says "No ETA", last time I looked. I know this is not their fault, but I want someone in authority at FCA to understand what they are doing to all Crossfire owners and how they intend to remedy this situation. This secret code - who does that belong to - FCA or the person that owns the Crossfire it is intended for? That's a legal question that needs to be resolved. Can FCA simply say that the expectant life of my car, or yours, or all Crossfires is over? I don't think so. I want the part coded as only Chrysler can deliver it, and now I'm starting to think that I should be compensated for the time my car is rendered useless and worthless bu their negligent action. Maybe all Crossfire owners are entitled to similar compensation. Chrysler's precipitant action is simply letting our cars become useless because they won't supply the coded parts is doing an injury, or a potential injury, to us all.
You can give up if you want to. I'm not like that. I want FCA to stand behind their products and correct this problem ASAP