‘Don’t want the owners to do basic maintenance.’
A 2020 Jeep Compass needs a replacement starter on the car, and the mechanic quickly realized that this isn’t going to be a straightforward job.
In a TikTok with over 6,500 views as of this writing, Edgar Vargas (@gtm_auto) reveals the amount of work needed to be done just to access the starter on the Jeep. One viewer wrote, “They engineered it that way. Don’t want the owners to do basic maintenance. I won’t buy their junk.”
“Talk about junk cars. Look at this piece of crap that we have here,” Vargas begins.
The mechanic from GTM Auto Repair in Ann Arbor, Michigan, showcases a Jeep Compass on the lift. With multiple mechanics hovering underneath the Jeep, they all can’t believe the amount of parts needing to be removed to access the starter.
“No disrespect for the customer for their car, but we’re doing a starter on this [expletive] thing. Look at all the [expletive] that has to come out just to be able to see the starter,” Vargas shares.
The mechanic reveals that they have taken out the transfer case, full exhaust, and K-frame and still struggle to see the starter. All the parts are neatly laid out on the shop floor, and Vargas and the crew still struggle to see the starter.
“We still can’t really see it,” he says.
A deep exhale is released as more work still needs to be done. Vargas mentions that the job could’ve been done from the top, but he didn’t want to deal with removing the powertrain control module.
“Nice job, huh?” Vargas concludes.
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Viewers in the comments section took the opportunity to throw jabs at Jeep’s engineering and confirmed how difficult they are to work on.
“I just did one of those they suck,” one TikTok commenter wrote.
Another joked, “Engineers: We have done it sir. 10 hours to replace the starter. CEO: excellent.”
One viewer was curious to know what the price of repair was.
“How much did you charge for labor?” one commenter asked.
“All together $950. We put a brand new starter on it from the dealer which cost for the customer was $350 and then $600 in labor,” Vargas replied.
Another viewer agreed that Jeeps are junk cars and will eventually just become scrap metal at a junkyard.
“[Scrap] metal,” they commented.
“And you know what the worst part is, I have seen them fail with as low as 60,000 miles,” Vargas responded.
This isn’t the first time a mechanic has questioned Jeep’s engineering design choices. One mechanic couldn’t believe it when he discovered the 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee car battery was underneath the front passenger seat. With engineering decisions like this, mechanics may not have nice things to say about Jeep, as Vargas called Jeeps “junk” cars.
However, the Jeep Vargas showed in the video is far from a junk car. To be considered a junk car, the vehicle needs to be damaged or wrecked in an accident and cannot be repaired to be in operating road conditions, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators reports. Additionally, any car that has been flooded or whose only value is its scrap metal.
While the Jeep may be challenging to work on, the vehicle wasn’t totaled, flooded, or completely undrivable.
According to RepairPal, Jeep’s average annual maintenance cost is $634. This number falls slightly under the overall average for annual car repair cost, which is $652. In terms of reliability, RepairPal ranked Jeep above average with 3.5 out of 5.0.
Over the span of 10 years of ownership, Jeep owners can expect to pay $11,604 for maintenance and repair costs, CarEdge shares. Jeeps cost less than the industry average by $2,634. During the 10-year window, there is a 33% chance of a major repair being needed, which is 7% better than other car manufacturers.
In June 2026, Jeep issued a recall for 1.1 million vehicles that may catch on fire. Jeep issued the warning for 2021–2025 Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators for having a bad electrical connection. The impacted electrical connection is within the electric-hydraulic power steering pump, and the recall suggested Jeep owners park the vehicle outside.
Jeep Guys reports that the most common problems that Jeeps have are issues with CVT transmission, electrical issues, cooling system failures, oil leaks, 4×4 system repairs, suspension, and steering problems.
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