We bought a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited 12/15/2018. When we first saw pictures of it online it was in stock condition and looked very nice. We called on a Tuesday to inquire about it and were informed it had been sent to "their" mechanic (Elite Tire) to have a 4" lift kit and 35" tires installed on it, because thats just what they do with their Jeeps when they get one in from auction. We arranged to buy the Jeep that Saturday and drove from Kirkland. The Jeep looked great and drove it back home. We noticed the steering/handling had a flighty feel to it at highway speeds and felt like it was a safety issue. We scheduled an appointment with a reputable shop to do a complete inspection of the suspension and steering systems.
They found that the factory track bar was not sufficient for the lift and larger tires and needed to be replaced. The dropped pitman arm was not needed and the original needed to be put back on. With big lift kits a dropped pitman arm is sometimes needed, but not in this case. Also they raised the track bar, which also was not needed (It seems to me that someone didn't know what they were doing). The drivers side axle seal was leaking and a new gasket needs to be installed. The drivers side upper and lower ball joints were bad and need to be replaced.
We told by our mechanic this vehicle should be driven as little as possible until these things get fixed and it is not safe to drive it over the mountain pass back to Yakima. If those ball joints were to fail while driving, it could cause a major accident. Also they confirmed the steering/handling should not be like that at all and is a big safety concern as well.
We contacted Prestige Motors the same day we had the inspection done and sent them a copy of the report. Their response was that mechanic shops try to upsell you products and they wanted us to drive the Jeep back to Yakima so "their" mechanic can verify everything (because they didn't believe our mechanic), even though I told them it is not safe to do so. After a few days they agreed that it does need a heavier duty track bar.
If you are considering buy a vehicle from this place and they tell you they had a lift kit and bigger tires put on it, consider the following: 1. "Their" mechanic may not have installed it correctly. 2. Stock upper and lower ball joints will fail with bigger tires and a lift kit. 3. A more heavy duty track bar needs to be installed.
We have a 90-day warranty and it hasn't even been 30 days since we bought it. Prestige Motors offer was to pay us $140 for the cost of parts which breaks down like this: $100 for the track bar (even though it costs $204.99) and $40 for the axle seal gaskets. They are not willing to pay for ANY labor costs. I did not accept their offer. To have everything fixed just to have a SAFE vehicle to drive is costing me $1,342.81 (parts, labor and tax). To save on labor costs I am installing the track bar and pitman arm. I filed a complaint with the Attorney General and also the Better Business Bureau and you should look there to see a more detailed breakdown of my repair prices and other complaints before you decide to buy anything from Prestige Motors. I also encourage all the other people who have had a bad experience like mine to file a complaint with those two agencies as well. I am only writing this review so you can make a well informed decision and ask all the right questions if "their" mechanic installed a lift kit and bigger tires. Also ask to see the Vehicle History Report they got to see when they were buying it at auction, its more detailed and informative than the cheap Carfax report and costs more. If they refuse to so this, there is a reason and you should walk away. read more