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Comments
I have zero reason to believe that Jeep has resolved the issue that has plagued how many gererations of Jeeps as I have see posters complain about their 2008 Jeeps with the same problem.
Just not a chance I was willing to take with my family. Thankfully I was the one who was driving when it happened and there was no incident to speak of.
So yes, the Jeep has a niche that is unmatced, but most of us do not fit the niche that requires the Jeep to enjoy the drive. I hope your Jeep is always safe for you.
Best regards
You are right, we did buy the Jeep for a reason. It was what the wife wanted...not because she needed an extreme off road vehicle, but becuase she wanted a Jeep. Truth be told it was a great learning experience for us. I know this, unless "Jeep" can build a higher quality vehicle I don't want another one as a primary driver! This is not an issue of a leaking seal above the drivers door...this is a safety issue.
One other note...you probabably did not know...the 2010 Subaru Outback was named the 2010 SUV of the year by Motor Trend. Something that Jeep did not even qualify for...why, because they fail to refine the Jeep to make it a more well rounded vehicle. Like I said...Jeep has the niche market tied up when one wants to go extreme. But again like I said before, probably 90 percent of Jeeps never come close to seeing the conditions where they actually do excel, which in turn means that they actually pail in comparison to the competition for the driving duties they actaully DO perform.
I am not saying that someone shouldn't own a Jeep by any means. That was our decision. If your Jeep does well for you then that is great. However, our Jeep did not and so it got traded in for something that I know would be a safer vehicle for my family and would still serve the purpose of a 4x4/awd for the conditions that we DO see.
And with a very similar HP/Torque number the Subaru will actually eat the Jeep for lunch! Another thing I find baffling. The new V6 that Jeep went with was "supposed" to be a better choice for optimum power and torque. Again...glad you like your Jeep. Maybe you don't know have the experience with something else so you are not disappointed...or maybe you are one of the very few out there that acatually DO use the Jeep for the extremely narrow niche market it was desined for. In either case, again, good for you. You are happy with your Jeep and that is all that matters.
Ah, it was never that. The 3.7 V6 is poor substitute for the original 4.0 I6. The problem was that the manufacturing facility was at the end of it's life, plus the 4.0 wasn't going to meet future emission and fuel consumption criteria.
A much better choice would have been the Hemi, which as demonstrated by several aftermarket companies can be made to fit quite easily, but that was too much of a leap for the Chrysler execs.
But consumers' off-road-use data can be skewed somewhat, depending on the definition of "off-road." Auto industry researcher AutoPacific Inc. of Santa Ana, Calif., found 13.4% of sport-utility drivers said they "go off-roading for recreation" and another 21.7% use their vehicle "to get to off-road camping, fishing and hiking sites."
"Where 15% of men SUV drivers said they go off-roading for recreation, 10.8% of women said they do, too. And while 24.1% of men said they use their SUV to get to off-road camping, hiking and fishing sites, 17.9% of women do the same."
•"In a world where only 15% of SUV owners ever go off road, Jeep says 60% of Wrangler owners do; for Rubicon models, its 80%. Those percentages are the industry's highest, says Kevin Metz, Wrangler brand manager. (Next highest, he says, is the Hummer H3, at 30%.)"
Like anything, it is a matter of choice. Put a Subaru and a Jeep side by side and most people that walked by would be checking out the Jeep. That does not make the Subaru a bad vehicle...it just does not have the wow factor that the Jeep does. I am on your side here. The Subaru is a great car. my Jeep was 4 yrs old in March and I only have 24,000 mi. on it. I like to do number 2 trails but avoid rock crawling. That type of activity is for folks that do their own work in the Jeep or have lots of cash. I do not.
My 97 has served me well, both in stock form and as I've built it for moderately advanced trails. It sees daily drive action in town and on the highway. NEVER had death wobble. But I also made sure as I built it up, I replaced those weaker links with stronger alternatives. I have no clue what is causing the DW in the JK's, but there ARE aftermarket solutions for stabilizers, steering, etc that will be a better solution than the factory swap of a steering stabilizer (which only MASKS the issue, not resolving it).
I'd give the dealer A chance, then go aftermarket and get stronger parts at likely a lower price. JK aftermarket parts are still rather high - TJ aftermarket parts are much more reasonable on average.
Too many people are afraid to do mods to a Jeep under warranty, but if the dealer cannot fix it - replace the suspect parts with something BETTER. Those parts may not be covered by warranty, but the rest of the Jeep will be. Don't let dealer ineptness stop you from owning a Jeep. If I did that, I wouldn't own most of the cars I've owned thus far in my life. Just find a way to make it work.
I say this and I'm sure you're thinking "Well, I don't have the $$ for it." True, SOME mods can be pricey, but Currie's heavy duty steering upgrade is $800.00 for the JK, but when you consider the size and strength and the problems it'll address, it becomes a bargain. The TJ version is 400.00 - further showing the TJ's value in aftermarket parts.
Some mods I did for body integrity - armor, etc. Those were wants. But my suspension system and steering are safety items for me and that is where I spent my money first. My aftermarket suspension rides better than stock and gives me great predictable control on the highway. It also handles incredibly offroad. I just researched until I found what would work best for me in terms of safety, performance, and price.
I too like the Subaru's, but the Jeep does more of what I want and how I want to do it. The Subaru's won't handle the stuff I do. But I'd sure love one for winter use and for hauling on the highway - I'd love a WRX (w/o the pushbar on the back) or a nice Legacy GT. They can keep the Forester. It's boxier than my Wrangler!
-Paul
Why? At least if it does overheat now you'll have a warning so that you can either back off or pull over.
Any vehicle that's used for anything more than light occasional towing should have a transmission cooler installed, and a Wrangler is no exception.
It's a common and inexpensive upgrade that you can either fit yourself or have an independent shop install for you.
Kits are available at any auto accessory store like AutoZone or Advance Auto Parts.
Brake line rubbing is because the plastic push pins at twelve o'clock high on the inner fender liner drop down a little and let that liner rub on the brake line.
Stopped by a dealer to get a $2.00 part plus sales tax. Was told told the closest one was out of state. Asked where. He said a dealer in Ft Worth TX. Dang. Front dif was a little greasy. Thought about deja vue when the front dif blew out the factory overfill. Following the tube down to the dif, not only did the tube fall out of the dif but the vent tube ($2.00 part) came with it. While Adam had seen problems there before, think he was a little amazed at just how bad it really was. Almost could've fooled a non wrencher into thinking it was a grease seal.
even when the Jeep was in MA with pothole laden highways/roads, it never behaved erratically in the steering department.
i wonder if it's because it's the X model with the skinny 225/75/16 tires? i wish it had more directional stability though, but i suppose skinny tires, short wheelbase and slab sides dont help
in fact other than the apparently normal steering box' play, nothing has become an issue in 15k mi.
Check out the deal by all means but be prepared foe the dealer to have a different interpretation of 'top dollar' to yours.
Seriously, it's just one of the many ploys car dealerships use to drum up business.
Even Aztec owners get the 'high demand' letter occasionally. :P
2011's haven't been around long enough to establish a reputation yet, but any new model will have teething troubles in the first year, if not longer.
TJs came out in '97 and it took until '98.5 and some major changes before they became acceptable (sorry Paul ), and it looks like JKs have yet to make the grade after four years in production.
On the check light issue, why not take it to Autozone where they'll check the code, and reset it if appropriate, for free. Beats spending all day at the dealers unless there really is an issue.
The rattle started to show itself again. The bolts on the drivers' side flange between the manifold and exhaust pipe/cat were loose. Tightened one from below and one from above. Upside down bolts - wasn't that they way american motors' kingpins were installed or is my brain cell dead.
Are jk's perfected yet, probably not. But remember that some engineers left when daimler got involved and the lack of cash, may be to blame and that doesn't include all the cheap parts all vehicles are/were made from as American workers (who some misguided people blame for high wages) lost their jobs to "competition". We asked for cheap and we got it. Pick up your new vehicle from walmart yet. Don't tell me about hyundai's - years ago here it was stated they would replace Japan's products. Any labor unrest there. Haven't heard of their US operations but assume the South is happy to have any job.
This rubicon is my fourth chrysler product since nineteen sixty-seven and my best. Do I look back at it, even now, after I park it even though it has not seen the the trail yet. You bet. Will something get loose or a bolt hole rounded and a wiggle wobble start. Probably. Hopefully, a dealer will help, but there are good people with their own businesses here in the metroplex. And I do carry a spare cheap little plastic clip in the console for the transfer case.
As for the uneven wear in the back, if you did a lift, the trackbar would need to be lengthened and probably the item your husband needed to do. Having the axle shifted over to one side SHOULDN'T cause abnormal wear. If he installed adjustable control arms (or whoever did them), may not have made them the same length. THAT would have the axle 'turned' one way or the other and that COULD cause problems.
As for death wobble, I've heard more stories about it on JK's than I have on TJ's. Not sure if all of them are indeed death wobble or more just a bad vibe. I am not there and do not know. But I've beat the snot out of my TJ (with larger tires, running the stock stabilizer after 13 years!) and it tracks straight and true with no vibes. Either I got real lucky or I'm just particular on checking my steering frequently.
-Paul
Another forum has a post with an owner with 60k km's disgusted by the dirty intake. But he also is using oil. The synthetic is staying in my block except for the crap from the functioning as designed pcv. Why doesn't the the pcv route to a small prefilter in the airbox before going thru the air filter. Changed the factory air filter at 12k miles. Shook and vacuumed the replacement factory filter again this weekend at 22k+ miles. No oil but imbedded fine dirt particles. Seems that for now only purolater from thailand is available. Never bought a wix product but expect to be ordering some on monday.
Maybe a smarter person than me can explain why a dirty oil intake manifold is ok or explain this design.
Jeep isn't the only one sending clean air in one valve cover and putting dirty vapors/oil/stuff from the other valve cover into the intake manifold. Various search hits included a 2008 magazine test of a catch can versus no catch can, homemade dubious catch cans, coalescent discussions, and specific built cans for forced induction motors. Vehicle specific models from corvette to toyota.
The wix air filter in the jeep feels like it breathes better and the perimeter sealing ring is glued on unlike the purolator. Checked on the wix filter for the h3, doesn't need one at 2yrs and 20k miles, and didn't need one at 20k miles when factory was replaced with a new factory filter. The wix for the h3 the store showed me was a piece of crap. Plastic inner guard rotated and the sealing ring for the intake tube was broken at where the seam was supposed to be glued/plastic welded together. Sticking with gm for the h3. But this causes me to question the wix in the jeep.
US has adjusting drivers seat and UK version does too. But one drivers seat is the others passenger seat. Jeep UK got me to mopar.biz and the retail price for the the UK seat bases are $357 and $627 Retail (add'l $12 for the handle). Reminded me of walking away from the H3 the first time because the dealer had a non power seat on the showroom floor. Why doesn't Jeep just spend their small difference and put adjusting front seats on all wranglers. Save power seats for the Sahara.
Readjusted the ebrake again. Looking at the rear pads (24K miles) only one third of total original pad material is gone. Some posts talk about 20-30K mile life on their pads. Do they cook their pads, drive in the mountains, or did the late 09's get better pads.
Changed out the good factory rubicon monotube shocks for hd yellow and blue nonlifted bill stines. Better_half says it is softer and coupled to the duratracs can sleep now on the bumpy interstate. Some dealer advertised the 5100's for 0-2" lift. Bill stine said the 5100 was for different lifts. (the small price difference was for the outer shell and longer rod?) Rubicon springs seemed to soften up after a few months and almost bottomed on a local whoop de doo. Now with the softer shocks and softening springs can bottom out the front end at that location. Got new springs on the crd when ball joints were replaced.
Sometimes I am stupid and sometimes well.. Installed the mopar mic along side the screen. Did the menu+seek+scan trick and nada. Downloaded zipped releases post my 1.220 but didn't unzip or install. Kept reading the 2009 rer mygig just needed a mic and the enabling button pushing.
Back in my crd days kept hearing about the CAN Bus and what a pain, crd piggybacked computers against VM instructions. Grew up around people with the running joke Lucas, in bikes and sportscars. Going nuts so easy why wasn't uconnect working. A small spark of enlightenment after stepping back, with Mopar and electronics, check the battery voltage and if good just disconnect the negative terminal get a fresh cup of coffee. Wait. Connect the negative terminal.
Installed mopar mic (side of screen all that extra wire behind radio).
Entered engineering mode and enabled vr on page 4. False success then failure.
Mistakenly? also selected return to factory settings as only one post suggested.
Downloaded 2.302 from the net and installed. Screen shows it as v3.010.
Nothing.
Again why did I return to factory settings again.
Entered engineering mode and disabled vr.
Reinstalled 2.302 and uconnect is working.
On reflection, guess if I had just downloaded and installed the software after the mic was connected it would've been over. But that download was after a lot of forums discussions and learning curve. Don't want all the stuff working just the hands free phone. If one gets a new phone will it require a new download, don't know and for now don't care.
Add lost hours on the net etc to all those other hours lost to mtgs, forms, on hold, press 5, etc.
I got an 09 Wrangler Unlimited and i have the same problem.
Went back to Safelite to get it fix and its still whistling..
Any idea?>
Was looking a pullpal's and the like. Read about burying the spare or pounding an old axle into the ground. One web site tested the WASP and panned it. 4wp clerk got positive feedback from a customer about the wasp. Yeah, when you start buying when you are alone sometines you just keep buying. On order can't wait to test the new toys.
Read a lot about that crappy Saginaw steering box. Of course, know about PSC. Brought this up because I thought one of Ed's links was to a story about the selling of the plant finally now to the Chinese.
Years ago, car ads touted we now have precise rack & pinion steering like expensive sports cars or something like that. I have no problem with the box or linkage yet. Still stock with slightly lighter and smaller duratracs vs the bfg mt's. I would bet that people who don't know all this would not know that the wrangler is not rack and pinion. It is precise for me and a lot less complicated.
Last night, had to get out and slightly adjust the head lights and fog lights to adjust for a little drop in the front bumper. But adjusted the fogs more to compensate for the weak headlights.
Got a discount on the wasp from the local store, a Christmas gift?, after I showed printouts of the cheap free shipping smittybilt winches from amazon. Guess I am bringing this up since I have been asked and saw a post elsewhere about the wasp. Yes, I too saw that video of the wasp in vermiculite or some such medium. One of the counter clerks at the local store received a customer positive comment about the wasp. Snatch block still needed for the wasp case.
Think the rubi rides better with the extra weight taking up the front spring slop and the extra weight of the wasp and contents over the rear axle behind the rear seat does its' share also.
Guess my continuing softening front springs will be the next object of attention.
Huber optics on front door windows, drilled the mirrors, charcoal canister cover, rubi rails replaced with real rock sliders(some side steel), hood spring removed, custom bracket and aux. tranny cooler, time and material to fix squeak from cowling, squeak still exists in drivers side dash during cold weather, indicated and not actual mpg's in dash display was as low as 15.+ and as high as 21.+. Front end not as tight as it was brand new.
Winch, wasp, snatch block, strap, military folding shovel.
A few extra dollars by the manufacturer to upgrade the vehicle, a lot less than the stupid advertising budget, warranty work (if not voided and), customer aggravation, and internet blasting, would've made it a definitive 4x4 vehicle.
Is it a keeper. Yes. If nothing else, there is the aftermarket and those who love jeeps.
I live in Michigan on the western end of Oakland County. I have an inverter I'd like to put under the front passenger seat so my kids don't blow out the fuses on my 12V outlets with their laptops and other electronics. I have heavy-duty cables (heavier than what I really need) to connect to the battery but don't have the expertise or physical ability/strength to run them from the battery into the passenger compartment.
The dealership and other places want two hours of labor, which is beyond my budget. I live off of disability checks but would gladly pay someone something reasonable to help me out. I hate to sound rude by being picky but I'd obviously prefer help from someone who has done this before.
If so they may be prepared to take it on as an educational project for a small donation or for free.
Wisconsin +1 Texas-1. Good Luck and Best Wishes Tami.