Wrangler JL weld recalls and mini vans

"Zerofret" (zerofret)
11/01/2018 at 20:37 • Filed to: None

Well, I was one of those suckers who got the recall notification from Chrysler this week because of the faulty track bar welds found on the JLs. I already had an oil change and tire rotation scheduled so I decided to go ahead and get it checked out while I was there. I read David Tracey’s write up the other week on the process of fixing if they were found faulty so I was kind of dreading heading to the dealer already. I knew it wasn’t going to be a same day thing so the dealership got me a rental. Oh what was I gonna get? A loaner rubicon? A grand Cherokee? Heck, I’d even take a renegade as a temporary loaner I guess. But no. My dreams were quickly crushed when they told me they couldn’t get me into anything else besides the tampon on wheels known as the Dodge Grand Caravan. I’ll keep it short and just call the driving experience atrocious. I felt like I was back in the interior of my 02 mustang with all the plastic surrounding me. 2 days, and no word. 2 days of constantly refreshing my email hoping to get word of what was going on. I passed the time by pouring over Jeep forums with pictures of the awful welds. It didn’t help.

FINALLY. I get the email from the service advisor- “Just got word. Your car is good to go!”

Upon reading this I forgot I was in a work meeting, stood up out of my chair and put both my fists in the air. Thankfully my coworkers felt my pain of the van and cheered with me.

So all that, for one big sigh of relief. Excited to keep prepping for my Big Bend trip in a week. Has anyone else been before?

DISCUSSION (14)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Zerofret
11/01/2018 at 21:04

... Did I completely miss the announcement post where you bought a new Wrangler?

Zerofret > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
11/01/2018 at 21:07

It was buried in my Austria Trip recap as a side note

HammerheadFistpunch > Zerofret
11/01/2018 at 21:44

Bummer. Do we get to see before and after pics? As for big bend

https://overland.kinja.com/search?q=Big+bend

Nothing > Zerofret
11/01/2018 at 21:48

How are you liking the JL? I test drove one about a month ago and I’m still seriously tempted.

DipodomysDeserti > Zerofret
11/01/2018 at 22:24

Bro, your Joop isn’t yellow. What gives?

Zerofret > Nothing
11/02/2018 at 00:05

Personally, I love mine. The ride quality has improved a ton, and I’m on the BFG all-terrains. I’d expect the ride to probably be even better on road tires on say a Sahara model. The only issue with buying one right now is that from what I’ve heard the wranglers are on a Stop-Sale order until they get this track bar situation under control.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Zerofret
11/02/2018 at 02:18

The JL feels like they couldn’t possibly refine or feature-lade the car any further without diluting the brand.*

Great car, hope to see more of it.

* likely said about every generation of Wrangler since the CJ

Ash78, voting early and often > Zerofret
11/02/2018 at 09:16

The Grand Caravan is pretty bad, but OTOH for a working family with ~$22k to spend on something new, it’s one of the best out there. Personally, for similar money I’d take the Kia Sedona.

Great power...too bad it feels like it’s only going through one front wheel!

arl > Zerofret
11/02/2018 at 11:57

Are you going to crawl under it when you get it back and put some POR15 ( or some other covering) on the new welds?

Nothing > Zerofret
11/02/2018 at 14:26

Thanks! The dealer is offering an “extended test drive”, so I’m not sure if they mean keep it a few hours, or overnight. I plan on going in tomorrow to find out! If I decide to grab one, I’m guessing I might have to order to get the configuration I want. I friend of mine sold me on the dual tops, and the quick order packages are mostly a soft top delete when the hard top is added.

Just Jeepin' > Nothing
11/02/2018 at 14:56

Where do you live? There are a few dealerships scattered around that offer 5% off invoice for custom orders, sometimes 6% if you are a Tread Lightly member.

Nothing > Just Jeepin'
11/02/2018 at 15:10

I’m in Colorado. Best I’ve gotten so far is 2% under invoice. I’ve seen on the JL forums some places offering 6% (7% with a Tread Lightly membership). That’s about a difference of $2300 or so. I’m not sure if the travel and time expense makes up for it.

Nothing > Just Jeepin'
11/02/2018 at 15:19

I’m in Colorado. So far, these best I’ve gotten to is 2% under invoice. The different between that and 7% that a dealer in MD offers is about $2300. So now I have to determine, is $2300 worth the travel and time it’d take? If I can get the dealer down another little bit here, then it becomes a non issue.

Just Jeepin' > Nothing
11/02/2018 at 15:21

Dillon’s in Idaho offers 5%, I believe, but that’d be quite a haul.

In my case, there’s one about 2 hours away that offers it, and Koon’s in Virginia is an Amtrak ride away, so either way I suspect I’ll take advantage of those discounts eventually... when I can figure out how to justify owning two Wranglers.