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A few months ago my friend had to take his wrangler to get it's exhaust system repaired (a little too much off-roading) and got stuck in some sedan for a few days. But he survived long enough to get his jeep back. So when the time comes, just hang in there, you'll get your Thelma Jane back soon enough!
-pretzeldude66
Right now, I think Ford is setting the best example in this regard. The 2000 Mustang has a wonderful blend of their "new edge" design, but also mixed in well with some unmistakable styling touches dating all the way back to the '65. The new Thunderbird takes this a big step further. It is significant to note that by the late '80's both of these American icons had been nearly "ruined" by horrible design.
Chrysler pre-Germans did a good job of this too, going first gently with some grille touches and by the end going full-bore with the PT Cruiser. The important lesson from these is that it is possible to remake the classics for modern markets, but you must pay the classics their proper respect, and know when to leave well enough alone. Also, you need a good reason.
The Wrangler is what it is, the original utility vehicle. It is quirky: it handles like a tractor or go-cart, bounces like a horse, leaks, squeaks, groans, and guzzles gas. The 4.0 engine is solid but long in the tooth; an update could be very positive. The handling is an asset to most of its current customers, and not necessarily bad, just something to get used to. The ride could be less bouncy, but that would hurt off-road handling. Still, I'll bet most Jeeps are road cars, and it's easier to make a road-worthy Jeep off-roadable in the aftermarket, than to go the other way around. Squeaks, leaks, and groans can be addressed by better build quality, something that simply should be done.
Many of us like the Jeep because it is almost an anachronism on wheels. Unlike, say, the Mustang, you cannot make the Jeep smoother, quieter, and more practical for the bobos without making it less like a Jeep.
My cynical suspicion is that a bunch of marketing geniuses are looking at the CR-V, Vitara, Rav4 and Sportage and seeing a much bigger market than they have right now. So they will take everything that is distinctive, everything that is Jeep, and remove it. Then when the public gets over these "cute-utes" as it no doubt will sooner or later, Jeep will be left with nothing, because it threw its uniqueness away for a quick buck.
So yes, if these rumors are true, I will certainly be glad to have my TJ. I bought a Wrangler because it wasn't like anything else. It never should be, either.
-cwk.
Here is the information on production at the factory:
Wrangler is running two shifts this week (2/12-2/16).
Wrangler is down the next two weeks (2/19-3/2).
Wrangler is up one week (3/5-3/9).
Wrangler is down two weeks (3/12-3/23).
That's as far as I know for now.
Except
Wrangler is down all of July.
Wrangler comes back on line in August as one shift (to start production of 2002 TJ's).
I ordered my new 2001 TJ on 2/7. Due to all the idle time DC is implementing at the Wrangler factory as a result of slow sales, my TJ isn't scheduled to be built until the week of 3/5. It will go down the line sometime that week, be inspected the next day and then shipped out soon after. With any luck, I'll have it by mid to late March. Depending on when you ordered, you could be in for a long wait.......and the way things are going, if you're order isn't in by the end of April, you may miss out on the 2001's and be waiting until fall for delivery of a 2002.....
In the meantime, I agree with "tonkadave" and "ckingsbury"....the writing's on the wall...those morons at Benz are going to kill the Jeep and in doing so, another American Icon bites the dust at the hand of another foriegn company that is all to happy to do it!!!!
-twylie
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3117
I have been one of the defenders of DC on this board (when I was posting, which I haven't done much recently) but after reading today on auto.com that $10 billion of Chrysler cash has "vanished" I am starting to wonder myself. I don't care that they canceled plans for a giant Jeep (a stupid and boring concept), but the death of the Chrysler Hemi C is unforgivable and a sign that the company's design team is being killed off, and that is a tragedy. The reason the new Wrangler is being postponed is that they are cutting off $$ to go into new designs. You may think that the current TJ is perfect, but there is room for improvement and they should not let the model run as long as they did the YJ. Sales are slowing down, and I'd rather see a new Wrangler than see it get killed off altogether by neglect (like the Camaro/Firebird will be soon). I also doubt the new Wrangler will look all that much like the concepts you see on the web. Chrysler, at least, always had a knack for surprising you when they unveiled the vehicle.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3117
I have been one of the defenders of DC on this board (when I was posting, which I haven't done much recently) but after reading today on auto.com that $10 billion of Chrysler cash has "vanished" I am starting to wonder myself. I don't care that they canceled plans for a giant Jeep (a stupid and boring concept), but the death of the Chrysler Hemi C is unforgivable and a sign that the company's design team is being killed off, and that is a tragedy. The reason the new Wrangler is being postponed is that they are cutting off $$ to go into new designs. You may think that the current TJ is perfect, but there is room for improvement and they should not let the model run as long as they did the YJ. Sales are slowing down, and I'd rather see a new Wrangler than see it get killed off altogether by neglect (like the Camaro/Firebird will be soon). I also doubt the new Wrangler will look all that much like the concepts you see on the web. Chrysler, at least, always had a knack for surprising you when they unveiled the vehicle.
scheduled build wk of 3/5 as well. Fingers crossed. Feel free to email me at treywylieatyahoodotcom (antispam mode) if you want to trade info off the board. Any other posters are welcome to contact me using the same email.
pretzeldude,
I think you said you're in ATL as well. If I get some good info on beginner trails in N. GA, I'll let you know.
tsjay,
Good luck on the HT repaint. I know it will be tough without Thelma Jane (now I get it... T.J.!), but your baby will be perfect again after some (minor) cosmetic surgery.
-twylie
http://www.petitiononline.com/hds2/petition.html
http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/b021301.htm
Here is the clip from this link.
Speaking if independent front suspension, I've received tons of letters regarding a recent item in the British car magazine Auto Express. The piece detailed how the next generation Wrangler would be introduced for model year 2002 and that it will have independent suspension and bare a strong resemblance to the Icon concept.
While Auto Express generally does a good job, they're completely off-base on this one.I blame myself. Wether first hand or not, all the information in the story is cribbed from old reports originally published in Buzz Watch. I know because the author repeatedly refers to the truck as the VJ and discusses the fact that it's based on the same platform as the KJ. Neither is true. I had originally heard Buzz that Jeep® planed to base the next Wrangler on the KJ platform I also reported that the new Wrangler platform was designated "VJ."
I did a few columns that mentioned this erroneous information (some of which are still lingering around on the site). I was also under the misguided impression that the Wrangler would debut in 2002. As I always point out (whenever I'm wrong) Buzz is an evolving thing. I'd recommend to any would be authors doing "research" on this site that they check the freshness date of a column before borrowing information.
Daily readers of this column know that the next Wrangler is in-fact called TK. While there had been discussion of putting an IFS on the TK, the brass at DC saw the light and decided that the new truck will NOT have independent front suspension. Instead, It will feature an evolution of the current quadra coil solid axle suspension.
The new Wrangler also won't be out for several years. For 2002 the current Wrangler will get a refresh featuring new bumpers and a new modular top. In 2003 we'll be seeing the new off-road edition. The next Wrangler will be showing up in 2005 as a 2006 model.
pretzeldude66
What did your friend do to the exhaust system? How did it get damaged and what part of the exhaust system was damaged?
hosstj
I am in Houston. Sounds like you have a nice bass boat. I saltwater more than fresh. I went to a company resort place that had a few lakes with bass. You throw a line in and catch one right when hits the water. Nice size fish 3-8pds.
Lots of bigger ones but takes sometime to get them. I caught a ton of fish. It got old and really took the sport out of it. If you took a boat out you wouldn't catch anything. They would hit anything at the doc where I guess they feed the fish.
I hope eveyone that has ordered a Jeep gets them soon. I know how tough it is to wait. Dealer called today left message hoss got on the train yesterday. He said should be about 2 weeks (long pause) "I hope" then hung up. Now after reading they are closing down line on and off, makes me wonder.
Man, you guys that are waiting for your Jeeps certainly have my sympathy. I know how tough it was on me, and my wait was only three weeks and two days. Now, with the plant shutting down off and on so frequently, you just don't know what to expect.
Tonkadave, I read that article of texasjeep's the same way hosstj does. Those were not the words of texasjeep, but were the words in an article he was quoting. He wasn't refering to anyone in the group, and they weren't even his words.
Good luck to all of you "expectant fathers."
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/freewaychat.html
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
The response has been underwhelming! Isn't anyone other than spyrodragon, dragonfly, and yours truly interested in a chat session?
I hope that chat gets off the ground. I think it would be lots of fun.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
josh
-twylie
On the other hand, driving a regular car might cause you to not be as careful and give you a false sense of security.
Don't tell them this unless you mean it! I hope you WILL drive your Jeep sensibly and won't get hurt.
I know that I am driving my new Jeep much slower than I used to drive my Grand Prix, and I actually feel that I have less chance of an accident now than I had with the car. I know a Jeep cannot be driven like it was just a regular car, so I adjust my driving accordingly.
BE CAREFUL, WHATEVER YOU DRIVE!
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I have a new 2001 wrangler sahara with the automatic trans. So far I really like it a lot, but I have a question. I have noticed that when I take off from a stop light that I seem to feel a vibration from the engine as it passes through the 1200rpm range, and then after that it is gone. It's not a real bad vibration but it's noticeable to me. I was wondering if this is normal for the wrangler or if I have a potential problem.
I wasn't an Earnhardt fan, but I liked him and respected him for all that he has accomplished.
My condolences to his family and friends, and to all of you who rooted for him. My daughter was a big Earnhardt fan.
I still can't believe that this has happened!
tsjay
The leak hasn't been solved yet. It's been in the shop 2 times, and I haven't made the 1st payment yet. The first time, they replaced the driver's door seal, which is what I suspected the problem was. That didn't do it. The next time I drove it in the rain, not only were the left side foot wells wet, but so was the cargo area. Of course when I brought it back to the shop, they couldn't duplicate the problem. This only happens when driving on wet roads - the car can sit in a downpour all day and not get wet inside.
The transmission is noisy, as we all know. There's no problem with 1st thru 3rd gear or reverse. I've gotten used to the noise when in neutral with the clutch out, even though there shouldn't be any noise. When upshifting to 4th, if going faster than 30 mph, e.g. when getting on the highway, the transmission 'clunks' when the clutch is let back out. Same thing when going from 4th to 5th above 40 mph. I know there's supposed to be a TSB out for the 2000 5 speed transmission, but haven't seen anything on it yet or heard about a TSB for the 2001 model. I'm going to ask about it when it goes in for the 3000 mile oil change.
The road noise, wind noise, rough ride, and marginal gas mileage are all to be expected with this kind of vehicle. None of that bothers me - I knew I'd be getting all of that with this car. On the good side, it's fun to drive, and it's great in the snow. And I bet I could climb a vertical wall in 1st/4lo.
But I didn't buy a 1945 Willys. For 22 grand, I don't expect my feet to get wet unless I'm driving without the top in the rain, and the transmission shouldn't sound like it's going to fall out.
As Hosstj and tsjay said those are not my words. I just posted the article on here so you don't have to follow the link.
airborne123
Here is a good article. There were a couple SUVs that scored worse than the wrangler. Others that scored the same that some people consider to be safer. Just remeber all SUVs have a greater risk but that does not mean it will happen. Use common sense and drive safe.
http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/insure/basics/6291.asp?special=msn
rb123
It is under warranty so it would not hurt to take it in and have them check it.
I'll call my agent on Tuesday to see if my coverage will give me anything, otherwise I'm going to leave it until April when they've stopped putting sand on the roads. It's not too bad to look through, and really only notice when the sun is shining right at you. Man! Pisses me off though, I'd much rather be spending $300+ on a nice bumper instead of a windshield.
-cwk.
Unzip the windows and store, you can just roll up the rear window and attatch it up with the snap straps. Next unsnap the windshield lashes, you might not be able to get them all the way out yet. Undo the gutter rails above the doors (pull down then out). Undo the sail flaps on the rear quaterpanels and fold top back... it's that simple! Hope this Helps!
I touched up Thelma's white spot on her hard top with a magic marker, and it looks a lot better. It will do the job until she goes into the shop two weeks from today.
Sorry about your windshield.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Hopefully it will all be taken care of and you can start really enjoying that baby. Keep us up to date, OK?
Thelma got 17.9 MPG when I checked her mileage after filling her up tonight. The previous tank was 19.0 MPG, so I'm a prety happy camper.
Later, gcl98
tsjay
alee and sparx
http://sparx.muddyyellowjeep.com
Thanks!
I live in the country and drive 27 miles each way to work and back. Probably 22 or 23 of those 27 miles is on four lane divided highway (parkways).
Once I get to the city where I work, I have two or three miles of in-town driving, plus a few more in-town miles at lunch time to get to a restaurant.
So, my normal tank of gas is run out at almost pure highway driving conditions, but not as good as a long trip.
It really, really makes a difference when you drive slower (wind resistance is brutal on a Jeep). It has taken me a while to get used to driving in that 60 to 65 MPH range, but I'm comfortable doing so now.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
6:00-7:00 pt/9:00-10:00 et.
As soon as it is available, I will post a link!
KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs
When I was going to Illinois every week to work at our plant up there, there was a Jeep in the neighborhood where my apartment was located.
It was a YJ, and I don't know which model year. The guy that owned it left the top and doors off of it ALL SUMMER, rain or shine!!!!
Doesn't that mess up the interior or screw up any of the instruments and gauges or the radio?
I mean the guy would leave it out all night, even when it was pouring down rain!
Anyone know of someone who does this?
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
As for vibrations, the manual tranny should have a shorter drive shaft I think. I don't know I've got an auto and don't notice and vibes out of the normal. I know that the manual tranny with the D44 is the worst because it has the shortest driveshaft. I think that the vibes are just a part of the jeep thing.
2001wrangler:
Light mounts on windshield are one of the best ways to go. you might get a bit of glare off your hood though so be warned. My girlfriend got some KC 150watt daylighters for her jeep and I mounted them to the windshield. I recomend these lights for off-roading only because they are BRIGHT! The best way to do it is to get a Torx head bit and loosen all the windshield bolts, Even the roll bars that attach to the windshield on the inside. Mount the brackets but leave off the bottom (black) bolt that holds the windshield on. Mount the lights, fold the windshield forward and run the wire under the gap that is created then down behind the dash and out the fire wall.
TSJay:
YJ's are different beasts than TJ's. The interior dash is pretty much very water resistant. Not too many electronics on it, not close to the TJ's. So they can take the rain alot better. the stereo might get messed up but it depends on what you've got. and what's with this 17-19 miles per gallon!!!??? I get about 14 PHhhtt.. I guess that's what you get when you put on about 200 pounds of extra mods!
I don't have many short trips in Thelma, and when I am on the highway, I keep her speed down to 60 to 65 MPH.
ALso, the 5-speed gives me an advantage on mileage.
I'm sure you're right about the extra weight too.
tsjay
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Spryo, just wanted to comment on the roof rack now that I got some miles on it. The wind noise wasn't that bad this weekend on our 100 mile trip to my parents and I kept the speed down to 65 and my mileage was decent at 18. (i have the 4.0.) I'm loving it. Can't wait to buy some lights for it. I have checked out those KC 150watt jobs. They look pretty nice and for about 100 bucks a pair, you can't go wrong. I can't bring myself to buy PIAA's
Tsjay: As for the YJ left out in the rain, spryo's got it I think...the dashes were much better for that I think. My friend did the same thing with his and that is what turned me onto jeeps way back when... He would take the top off in the spring and put it back on in the fall when it would get too cold. He was a bit weird and rugged, but that was too cool. You'd see him in goggles and a rain poncho driving down the highway when weather was bad...funny guy.
Take it easy guys,
-pizzadude
I would love to take the top off a jeep and ride around soon!
I wish Jeep would come up with waterproof interior you could hose out. Seats, dash, and all.
(who needs a radio in a jeep? doesn't anybody sing or whistle any more?)
Jeeps come with a video. I think the little demo in it was good. I don't know if you have that video or not. spyrodragon gave good info. Just take your time and don't force anything. Once you know how, it is easy.
dragonfly03
What color are you painting the skid? Are you going to match your Jeep color?
tsjay
I let it rain in my YJ all the time. I usually had a bikini top on though. I will eventually do the same with my TJ. The bikini will keep the rain off the dash. I don't know what I am gonig to do about the cloth seats I have though.