F U Jeep

"505Turbeaux" (505turbeaux) 05/19/2015 at 09:41 • Filed to: None

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I love Jeeps, don’t get me wrong, but the WK proves yet again to be a steaming pile of crap. My girls is particularly bad. I have to take an unintended day off today (I know, I know, haven’t been around much in a week and I come back to bitch), because the 05 3.7 she has is dead on the side of the road. Started running rough on the way in to work and it died. No restart - let me find out that POS V6 blew - she said it was smoking like a bitch when it shut down. She is still driving this one until I have her 50K mile 4.0l WJ fixed from early onset death wobble. Then we had hoped to park it and prep it for sale, since she still owes $4500 on it, then rock out in the WJ that I think is much superior and more reliable. Well, it’s raining, I will be outside sussing this thing. You reached such a high point in reliability with the XJ and ZJ’s, how far you have fallen. If we have to eat the $4500 she still owes on it I am going to go through the roof.

Sooooooon, maybe nooooooooow

CalzoneGolem > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 09:45

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I was once told that there is no such thing as a cheap jeep.

MrBlah > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 09:46

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yep, wranglers are great but it’s a jeep thing and comes with all that baggage, not sure why the others models sell so well with the competition so much better

505Turbeaux > MrBlah 05/19/2015 at 09:47

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yeah starting in 05 the GC quality just took a nosedive. Build quality, engineering. All junk.

Milky > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 09:48

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If its any consolation my ZJ while an unreliable pile too.

So just XJs and TJs are reliable then.

505Turbeaux > CalzoneGolem 05/19/2015 at 09:49

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yeah, I wish this was a cheap jeep and not a liability

djmt1 > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 09:50

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Still baffles me that Land Rover and Jeep (the two most iconic off road brands) are still by far and away the least reliable vehicles you can buy. You would think reliability would be the priority.

Money Hustard > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 09:52

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Chrysler products, smdh. I love driving them, I hate owning them.

505Turbeaux > Milky 05/19/2015 at 09:52

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I have seen those be ultra reliable even after a life of 20K mile oil changes, you must have had a dud or one that was treated even worse than that. Though the wires to the doors do always go on these inside the accordion...

Sn210 > CalzoneGolem 05/19/2015 at 09:58

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I believe the ancient proverb is “Just Empty Every Pocket”

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:00

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Man I just don’t get it. We’ve had barely any issues *knocks on wood vigorously* with out Commander which rolled to 70k this week.

And by barely any issues, I mean outside of maintenance I’ve replaced a drain plug, a belt, and the side view mirrors (which notoriously suck and start shaking inside their housing). But that’s it.

It’s the same platform (stretched a smidge I believe) and same engine, 3.7L.

CalzoneGolem > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:00

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You should get her a 404 wagon.

505Turbeaux > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 05/19/2015 at 10:01

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I think you got a good one - tuesday morning assembly. We got the 5 o’clock on a Friday overtime special

MLGCarGuy > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:03

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If you need something reliable but still off roads try a GX470.

Unfortunately because these are luxury cars you need monies. A lot of them.

505Turbeaux > CalzoneGolem 05/19/2015 at 10:04

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yeah there needs to be something simpler for her. I had grand ambitions until her mom gifted her the 04. We were just hoping to get what she owes out of this pile first

Nobi > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:05

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What have you done to remedy the death wobble on the WJ so far? On my fiancee’s ‘00 WJ, I replaced the steering stabilizer, track bar bushings, and all 4 ball joints before it finally disappeared.

Slant6 > djmt1 05/19/2015 at 10:06

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505Turbeaux > Nobi 05/19/2015 at 10:07

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I ordered every joint, bushing an the stabilizer for it just to get it done. I was hoping to crack it out this weekend but now who knows. I just cant believe at 49K miles it shakes so bad. I just want to have everything fresh while I have it apart

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:08

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Wifes 09 WK w/ the 4.7 has been great so far, just over 85k miles on it too. Knock on wood. Good luck with yours. I have a 95 XJ w/ 177k miles and thats great too, aside from rust, DW (fixed for now) and dents....

505Turbeaux > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 05/19/2015 at 10:10

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yeah I think the 05 she has is particularly sucky. First production year of a cost saving chassis...

Nobi > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:19

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Yeah, I don’t blame you there. Unless you’re going with a lift and you’re replacing links and arms anyway, I highly recommend going poly for every bushing under it. Really tightens up the steering and while it obviously won’t be an autocross bandit, it’ll handle much better than stock. I’ve had poly bushings in ours for a good year now, taken it on several long distance trips, towed with it, and so far, it’s been great.

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:20

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My ZJ has been by far the most reliable car our family has ever owned.

505Turbeaux > Nobi 05/19/2015 at 10:22

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oh yeah poly for days! Neither of us drive aggressively, but I figured the poly would probably last longer too and give better feel. Since we got it with such little mileage I want her to be able to put 200K on it

nermal > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:22

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I’m going on 6 months Jeep-less, after dumping my POS KK for a new pickup.

Pros: Truck tows my trailer a bazillion times better. Gets better MPGs. Comparing the power output of the truck to the Jeep is like comparing the light output of the sun to an ultra-high efficiency energy saving light bulb. Payment on the truck is less than average repair costs were on the Jeep when stupid stuff broke.

Cons: Truck has no character, and is kinda boring to drive. Also difficult to drive in the city as well as park. Call it a case of Stockholm Syndrome, but despite how much I hated the Jeep, I kinda miss it.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:24

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From people I know that’ve worked on an automotive assembly line, their recommendation is to try and find a car that is date coded tuesday-thursday.

Just cross mondays and fridays off.

We really must have gotten lucky. I wonder if they shared an assembly line too? I mean, ours is 3 years newer, but still, it’s basically the same parts bin they’re built out of.

Agrajag > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:26

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I had a conversation with some friends who work for AAA. I asked what the manufacturer they get the most calls on.

in unison: “JEEP!”

I was expecting VW.

Milky > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:36

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Bought it from someone in my extended family who got it from an auction …. I’m 99% sure it was a dud because everything broke. Engine blew, trans never worked right when it was cold, transfer case needed repair, and when the front axle went I just sold it. Not to mention countless sensors ….. it was a rough 3 years.

505Turbeaux > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 05/19/2015 at 10:37

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haha so I add one more to the list of backup that tues-thurs is the best days to buy

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:39

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Yea maybe. My mom has an 06 w/ the 5.7, maybe 40-50k miles, and it has been good. But good god, going from the WK interior to the new Grands interior is a huge step up.

505Turbeaux > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 05/19/2015 at 10:46

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oh yeah WK was cheap as anything on the interior. I took an Overland diesel out from one of my old client dealers. Good lord was that thing nice on the inside

Nobi > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:51

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We’re up to 136k, and so far so good.

M54B30 > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 10:51

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My wife and I had a 2001 Grand Cherokee until she drove it for 3 weeks with no oil in it. She thought the knocking was normal cold-weather noise (it had a tick in the cold). Still drove fine but didn’t wabt to get surprised by the engine dying on us so we sold it quick for $900. I still check CL for another one. We miss it.

WKs are shit though. Everyone i know who has one complains about them.

JEEP - Just Empty Every Pocket

BigBlock440 > Agrajag 05/19/2015 at 10:53

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There are many more Jeeps on the road than VWs, so unless you’re in an area of unusually high concentration, it would make sense that VW’s weren’t the bulk of their calls.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 11:05

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Yep. Monday - hungover/don’t want to start working, friday - hungover/don’t want to finish working.

Agrajag > BigBlock440 05/19/2015 at 11:06

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Volkswagen’s are pretty popular in my area. It would be interesting to see sales broken down by manufacturer per state or county.

HammerheadFistpunch > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 11:35

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Thats a bummer. I really want to like new Jeep products...but deep down I know that aren’t meant to last. I talked to an Engineer friend that does QA engineering for a Japanese company and we talked about the new Jeeps and Chrysler’s and he mentioned “Chrysler makes some great product, but it all falls apart before 90,000”. Its not just hearsay either his teams job is to benchmark the competition and their own products to destruction. Its a bummer, because they are very interesting products.

505Turbeaux > HammerheadFistpunch 05/19/2015 at 11:42

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it is sadly the truth on all points

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 12:59

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XJ= the only Jeep I’m even willing to consider. Every time I see one for sale I have to pull over & look at it. I love those, but I’ve heard nothing but horror stories from owners of newer GCs. Like you, one of my guys’ gals had a WK that he just got rid of after struggling to get it ready for sale without more failures. He fucking hated that truck. Even Wrangler owners seem to constantly complain, like most Land Rover owners, but accept the faults as “character”. Like it’s a joke that your trail rig will strand you.

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench 05/19/2015 at 13:02

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yeah, for a company whose owners probably have a higher percentage of actually using it off road, they sure dont care if you make it back out. Also, I think the motor is smoked. She just started it and called me after limping it to work and it sounded like a rod knock

Textured Soy Protein > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 13:04

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Oh did I mention this weekend I took my WK out this weekend for the first time in a few weeks and the airbag light came on?

I’m going to disconnect the battery and see if that gets rid of the problem. Really that’s the standard troubleshooting procedure with random mid-’00s Chrysler electrical gremlins.

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 13:05

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Shit, sorry to hear that. Wonder what salvage engines go for?

505Turbeaux > Textured Soy Protein 05/19/2015 at 13:06

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I would give that a shot before you realize you have to replace the clockspring...my girls needs it done for the horn to work, usual failure mode is airbag light. Something between 800-1000 to have a shop do it supposedly

Textured Soy Protein > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 13:13

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This is the second issue I’ve had that maybe pointed to the clockspring.

The first was a SERVICE ELEC BRAKE SYSTEM warning message that threw a C2205 code for the steering angle sensor. It happened twice this past winter, both times I did the steering angle sensor reset procedure and cleared the code with a scanner. It hasn’t come back since then.

But, just like that goofy steering angle sensor reset procedure, there are a couple goofy minor things to try like making sure there aren’t any random objects stuck under the seat that might mess with the sensor, and checking for a couple blown fuses, and some other stuff.

So, fingers crossed that this will just be yet another relatively minor electrical gremlin.

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench 05/19/2015 at 13:13

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I know they are a bitch to do, I did 2 05 3.7’s in one week once though. 1000-1500 for one with 100K on it or so, plus the work. Fuck. From my week of hell I never wanted to revisit...

505Turbeaux > Textured Soy Protein 05/19/2015 at 13:14

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I do remember that and couldnt remember if I was being redundant. Good luck - fuck WK’s

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 13:22

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Damn, that’s a lot of money for such a pile. That sucks!

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench 05/19/2015 at 13:26

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yeah the 3.7 is a total piece of shit. Oil return galleries were too small. A little sludge and the thing is cooked. Both those 05’s were sub-50K miles, and both the same color too

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 13:36

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1.8T syndrome.

505Turbeaux > RallyWrench 05/19/2015 at 13:37

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yup, exactly

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > 505Turbeaux 05/19/2015 at 14:25

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Any Chrysler product from 2000-2010 is going to be a constant headache. Either because it’s just boring, and uncomfortable to drive, or because it will basically fall apart.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Agrajag 05/19/2015 at 14:27

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Do you live in a more Jeep friendly area tho. around here they’d probly say Ford just because 40% of the vehicles in the county are Fords.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > MLGCarGuy 05/19/2015 at 14:32

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It’s shocking how these, and Lad Cruisers retain their value. I mean time a car can still fetch 9-12,000 bucks when it’d 10-15 years old with 150-200,000 miles, that says a lot about their reliability.

for example http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/ctd/500652…