Hands-free door retrofit?
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Per my dealer yesterday, they are coming out with a part in late August that will allow it to be retrofitted. I didn't get any details on price since my dealer is going to eat the cost otherwise I won't be picking up the car I ordered from them. So far I haven't been able to confirm this with Chrysler or any other dealers though so I can't be sure if it's completely accurate. Please reply if you find out any additional info.
So I wonder if this "retrofit" can be used on ALL Limited van's that didn't ship with Hand-free? That would be GREAT! Our am I just wishful thinking.
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Hey.. don't leave out those of us with Touring-L Plus that would probably have ordered it if it were available. :grin2:So I wonder if this "retrofit" can be used on ALL Limited van's that didn't ship with Hand-free? That would be GREAT! Our am I just wishful thinking.
I wouldn't "dream" of it! :wink2:
You will probably have to pay for 2-3 hours of labor plus the cost of the parts etc. I would be surprised if the price was less than $500. It would be great for those out there that want it if it was less than $500 but I am thinking the dealer is going to charge $500+ to retrofit.
First, let me start off by saying that I like my Pacifica Limited very much (in the few days I've driven it), and this is not a complaint about the vehicle, but rather the ambigous/misleading language on the window sticker, which has a very long list of features and options -- difficult for anyone to memorize and fully understand the detailed workings of each feature.
Prior to purchasing my Pacifica Limited and was told by my salesman that the hands free function is included as standard on the Limited and he pointed me to the window sticker which shows this, but that it happened to not work at the moment because it was likely within the vehicle settings to turn on this feature. This seemed to make sense to me as my salesman continued to show me many other neat features the Limited offered including all the seat buttons, stow n go, Uconnect menus/options, etc. I purchased the vehicle and took it home, but a few days later could not find the settings feature that allowed for hands free to work. I figured I'd ask about it the next time I brought it to the dealer for a free cleaning they offered. I was unaware that some Pacifica Limited vehicles do not have the hands free feature until reading this forum (I found this forum after I had purchased my vehicle).
This is not clearly stated in the window sticker specifications. In fact, in the main specifications section it describes in the "STANDARD EQUIPMENT (unless replaced by optional equipment - [in fine print])" "FUNCTIONAL/SAFETY FEATURES" section that the vehicle is equipped with "Hands-Free Sliding Doors and Liftgate", which is why my salesman and I both believed it was included. However, under the optional equipment section (which implies that these are a list of add-on features), it conspicuously states that "Hands Free Doors & Liftgate Credit $-195".
This does not state that it was DELETED or removed. It's not even the exact same title description since it's missing the term "Sliding" when referring to the doors (e.g. sliding vs front doors). I did not know from this description that something that is normally included as standard equipment in the Pacifica Limited was deleted or removed. And though the "unless replaced by optional equipment" language is in fine print, there was no replacement to the standard feature titled "Hands-Free Sliding Doors and Liftgate". (1) the optional equipment section uses a different title, and (2) even if one infers it's the same feature, it does not say it is being deleted or removed, just that the feature is assigned a -$195 credit. How does a customer know that this is not a credit toward the actual cost of the feature that was built into the total vehicle price -- e.g., if the feature originally accounted for $1000 of the MSRP and Chrysler later determined they wanted to charge the customer $195 less. There is simply no clear indication that the item was deleted or removed.
Note that the specs of some Pacifica Limited vehicles say "Delete Vaccuum / Add Spare Tire 17-inch Inflatable Tire Kit with Sealant". In this case, it's pretty clear that the vacuum is deleted or removed and replaced with a spare tire.
But the "Hands Free Doors & Liftgate Credit $-195" does not similarly mention the word "Delete". Chrysler may have given me a credit, but they did not say they were deleting or removing this feature in exchange for the credit. I think this is misleading or at a minimum ambiguous.
If there is a way to add this feature later, I would hope Chrysler would offer to do this at no cost as it was never expressed to the customer that it was deleted or removed. At a minimum, they should add the feature for the same cost they credited the customer. Just my two cents. This was one of the major selling points of this vehicle, it was advertised on the Pacifica website and commercials I saw. I'm bummed not to have it on my brand new Pacifica Limited.
Prior to purchasing my Pacifica Limited and was told by my salesman that the hands free function is included as standard on the Limited and he pointed me to the window sticker which shows this, but that it happened to not work at the moment because it was likely within the vehicle settings to turn on this feature. This seemed to make sense to me as my salesman continued to show me many other neat features the Limited offered including all the seat buttons, stow n go, Uconnect menus/options, etc. I purchased the vehicle and took it home, but a few days later could not find the settings feature that allowed for hands free to work. I figured I'd ask about it the next time I brought it to the dealer for a free cleaning they offered. I was unaware that some Pacifica Limited vehicles do not have the hands free feature until reading this forum (I found this forum after I had purchased my vehicle).
This is not clearly stated in the window sticker specifications. In fact, in the main specifications section it describes in the "STANDARD EQUIPMENT (unless replaced by optional equipment - [in fine print])" "FUNCTIONAL/SAFETY FEATURES" section that the vehicle is equipped with "Hands-Free Sliding Doors and Liftgate", which is why my salesman and I both believed it was included. However, under the optional equipment section (which implies that these are a list of add-on features), it conspicuously states that "Hands Free Doors & Liftgate Credit $-195".
This does not state that it was DELETED or removed. It's not even the exact same title description since it's missing the term "Sliding" when referring to the doors (e.g. sliding vs front doors). I did not know from this description that something that is normally included as standard equipment in the Pacifica Limited was deleted or removed. And though the "unless replaced by optional equipment" language is in fine print, there was no replacement to the standard feature titled "Hands-Free Sliding Doors and Liftgate". (1) the optional equipment section uses a different title, and (2) even if one infers it's the same feature, it does not say it is being deleted or removed, just that the feature is assigned a -$195 credit. How does a customer know that this is not a credit toward the actual cost of the feature that was built into the total vehicle price -- e.g., if the feature originally accounted for $1000 of the MSRP and Chrysler later determined they wanted to charge the customer $195 less. There is simply no clear indication that the item was deleted or removed.
Note that the specs of some Pacifica Limited vehicles say "Delete Vaccuum / Add Spare Tire 17-inch Inflatable Tire Kit with Sealant". In this case, it's pretty clear that the vacuum is deleted or removed and replaced with a spare tire.
But the "Hands Free Doors & Liftgate Credit $-195" does not similarly mention the word "Delete". Chrysler may have given me a credit, but they did not say they were deleting or removing this feature in exchange for the credit. I think this is misleading or at a minimum ambiguous.
If there is a way to add this feature later, I would hope Chrysler would offer to do this at no cost as it was never expressed to the customer that it was deleted or removed. At a minimum, they should add the feature for the same cost they credited the customer. Just my two cents. This was one of the major selling points of this vehicle, it was advertised on the Pacifica website and commercials I saw. I'm bummed not to have it on my brand new Pacifica Limited.
In my case, I bought the vehicle off the lot and relied on the salesperson and him pointing to the feature being listed on the window sticker. I think the salesperson thought the feature was included and just made an honest mistake, but if the salesperson thought the feature was included by the plain language on the window sticker, then a customer may likewise assume the same. I think mine was the first Pacifica sold from the lot, so it was essentially a new product for the dealership.
Perhaps if I pre-ordered it on the computer and the dealership, the build options would not allow for such a selection, but for a customer who stops by the dealership and sees the vehicle on the lot, all a customer can go by is what's stated on the window sticker. Throughout the entire purchase process, which took several hours to draw up the paperwork and deal with financing, I was not given any more documentation that clarified that the Hands-Free feature had been deleted or removed.
It just seems that if a specific standard feature (shown in advertisements, brochures, commercials, etc -- for the Limited model) is going to be deleted or removed by the manufacturer during production, there should be clear and bold language stating that such feature is deleted or removed.
For example, what if another prominent feature on the Limited such as the power 3rd row folding seats was deleted or removed during production, and the buttons end up not working and you cannot fold the 3rd row seats at all -- this would be a big deal and it should clearly state so using the words "deleted" or "removed" on the window sticker instead of merely saying "credit". A customer who purchases a Limited would naturally assume that the power seats fold down as shown in the brochure. Same goes for the hands-free foot kick feature. Disappointed by the omission of the feature, but otherwise enjoy the vehicle and applaud Chrysler for engineering such a nice product overall. Hoping for a fix.
Perhaps if I pre-ordered it on the computer and the dealership, the build options would not allow for such a selection, but for a customer who stops by the dealership and sees the vehicle on the lot, all a customer can go by is what's stated on the window sticker. Throughout the entire purchase process, which took several hours to draw up the paperwork and deal with financing, I was not given any more documentation that clarified that the Hands-Free feature had been deleted or removed.
It just seems that if a specific standard feature (shown in advertisements, brochures, commercials, etc -- for the Limited model) is going to be deleted or removed by the manufacturer during production, there should be clear and bold language stating that such feature is deleted or removed.
For example, what if another prominent feature on the Limited such as the power 3rd row folding seats was deleted or removed during production, and the buttons end up not working and you cannot fold the 3rd row seats at all -- this would be a big deal and it should clearly state so using the words "deleted" or "removed" on the window sticker instead of merely saying "credit". A customer who purchases a Limited would naturally assume that the power seats fold down as shown in the brochure. Same goes for the hands-free foot kick feature. Disappointed by the omission of the feature, but otherwise enjoy the vehicle and applaud Chrysler for engineering such a nice product overall. Hoping for a fix.
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It seems like a mistake made by the dealership but they may not be able to add it outside of the factory. I'd imagine they would need to install new wiring and sensor which your dealership probably shouldn't mess with.
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Well - either way, if they ever *DO* offer the feature as an "upgrade" for the Limited owners whom could technically get it... having it IN WRITING as a mere $195 Credit is leverage to get the feature completed/added for an amount not too dissimilar. At least in-theory, that is.
(worth a try, right?)
(worth a try, right?)What...!!! ... that is a real bummer. Did you even check the car prior to buying? A simple courtesy check whether these options are present or not would be part of the basic pre delivery inspection. I don't know where to feel sorry for you or not, but I do understand that buying is a stressful part and you cannot check or remember each and everything during the whole process when multiple cars are involved. It's much better to zero - in on a single car and know everything about it rather than a general idea about multiple cars you are considering.
Now if I were buying one from the lot, I would ask the salesman to demonstrate each and every feature which I care about, if it's not working at that time, then get it in writing that they would fix it for free. Never assume anything. It's so difficult and financially unviable to add features afterwards. Buyer beware.
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