6 years and 132,000 miles later ...

Based on another thread of 5 years and 100,000 miles later..., I wanted to celebrate just how great our Jeeps are. I picked up my Jeep on July 15, 2019 from Peterson CDJR in Nampa, ID after using this forums Wrangler Deals to get 8% below invoice on my Rubicon. I live in Southern Arizona so I of course got the engine block heater option. We drove 1,500 miles to get it home including spending the night near Area 51 two weeks before the big public march was to take place. My wife and two daughters went on the adventure with the girls sharing the two rear seats in the 60 part and the soft top enjoying the 40 rear seat folded down. I have worked from home except the first 8 months of ownership.

The Jeep is always the vehicle we take to go anywhere and the soft top has relegated the hard top to permanently hanging out in the garage. I have done plenty of upgrades with many aimed at improving the cooling when towing our trailer in Arizona summers (109˚ is the highest yet towing up a 6% grade). The combination of Cold Case all-aluminum radiator, 850W fan, RPM Extreme fan controller, and gladiator grill inserts has dropped the coolant temp 20˚ in 100˚ heat. I do all my own maintenance and the Jeep is so easy to work on and beneficial to understand while off-roading in case there is an issue.

We have been camping, off-roading, and overhanded with the Jeep and it has been amazing. The memories we have made as a family with my wife, two sons and two daughters have been fantastic. It is a blast to get out to places that most will never experience. We did the Jeep Jamboree Emigrant Trail an it is one of the most memorable trips in the Jeep. Pulling our trailer 200-miles completely remote from any services showed the incredible capabilities of the Jeep. Jeep Jamborees have been a great way to meet others and local Jeep groups have been a fantastic way to build my off-roading skills.

Note: I did not visit the professionals of the Alien Cathouse Brothel, but I envision Captain James T Kirk probably did! The sign is so funny I had to capture it.

Great story and cool pics. Thanks for sharing

Who’s going to post the 7 year 150,000 mile jeep

Once again Moderator warning, thread is too happy for jeep owners. No mention of ducks, oil, or rust.

Seriously, ill look for you out there, i know it cant be missed. I'm up North of Payson.

Great write-up of your adventures so far with your Wrangler. Thanks for sharing!

Very cool writeup. Love your Jeep and camper setup!

Great story, @_olllllllo_ . You certainly enjoyed your Jeep to the max. Thanks for posting.

After having a 2016JRUR and now a 2021 JLUR, I'm itching to move to a new vehicle. I keep on looking at Broncos, 4Runners, GX550, Defender, but everything will somehow feel like a loss of capability, particularly since I wheel primarily in New England and Northeast where the trails are rocky, tight and full of trees.

I'm now debating keeping my current Jeep or getting a 2026 JLUR and build it up again from scratch.

I'm not sure if I feel lucky that I already have the best vehicle for my mission or disappointed that there is nothing better out there to try. I think your story brought me closer to enjoying the Jeep I have - may save me money thanks.

First world problems, I guess.

Great story, thanks for sharing!

gato said:

Great story, @_olllllllo_ . You certainly enjoyed your Jeep to the max. Thanks for posting.

After having a 2016JRUR and now a 2021 JLUR, I'm itching to move to a new vehicle. I keep on looking at Broncos, 4Runners, GX550, Defender, but everything will somehow feel like a loss of capability, particularly since I wheel primarily in New England and Northeast where the trails are rocky, tight and full of trees.

I'm now debating keeping my current Jeep or getting a 2026 JLUR and build it up again from scratch.

I'm not sure if I feel lucky that I already have the best vehicle for my mission or disappointed that there is nothing better out there to try. I think your story brought me closer to enjoying the Jeep I have - may save me money thanks.

First world problems, I guess.

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I rented a Jeep Wrangler in Hawaii in my early 30’s and I dismissed them due to gas mileage. I didn’t allow myself to experience the vehicle for the fun it was. I ordered my Jeep as my 50th birthday present to myself. Older and a lot wiser I rented a few to make sure it was for me. I had a blast in them, took the freedom panels off and gave them a chance.

I have never owned a vehicle that brought more joy and the ability to just take an adventure on a whim. I have gone places and had experiences I would never have had otherwise. Is it a perfect vehicle, no but nothing is. Have I met a ton of people I wouldn’t have otherwise? Hell yes!! I drive it to simply drive it and enjoy what it offers that almost nothing else does. I bought a manual 6-speed and it gives an extra interaction, especially when rock crawling.

I am in mechanical engineering and a Wrangler is a Lego vehicle that anyone can modify to suit there wants, desires and dreams. I don’t want another one because this one is almost perfect. I look forward to 132,000 more miles, while it takes me to the Arctic circle, all 50 states and who knows where else.

I agree I’ve never owned another car/truck (motorcycles are a different story) that has brought more joy and adventure! Great write up! Mind listing anything that has needed to be done in the 130,000+ miles you e owned it? Besides oil changes and diff fluid and your cooling system upgrades…what else have you done or needed to do to keep it on the road?

Such a great story against the backdrop of so much negativity in the world today. Thank you.

I just purchased my new 2025 Jeep a little less than a month ago...second Jeep for me. So neat to hear how it's performing at 100,000 miles. I plan on keeping this one for 7 years, I love hearing these stories! And very impressive that you've done all your own maintenance. I still have lots to learn...

Very nice setup; end-to-end!

stretch-bsn said:

I agree I’ve never owned another car/truck (motorcycles are a different story) that has brought more joy and adventure! Great write up! Mind listing anything that has needed to be done in the 130,000+ miles you e owned it? Besides oil changes and diff fluid and your cooling system upgrades…what else have you done or needed to do to keep it on the road?

Click to expand...

These are items I had to replace or repair due to actual issues, although the Jeep never left me stranded or failed to operate:

1. I replaced both sun visors due to the plastic collar breaking. Resolved with the Taccom single screw plates.
2. I replaced both wheel speed sensors. I had a short somewhere in the passenger side as I would hit a decent bump in the road and the speedometer would go to zero and then come back.
3. I replaced the canbus connector (left one) behind the dash due to dash lights (traction control, sway bar, etc.). I found that I could have probably just moved jacks to other ports as one solder joint to the board failed. Now I have a backup.
4. Had to replace the Z fuse when the alternator cable (300A fuse) shorted against my Genesis dual battery metal housing. I repaired the cable with double shrink wrap pieces, automotive harness tape, and covering the entire cable with ribbed plastic conduit. That cable will never short again. I got the warning light to pull over immediately since the alternator wasn't charging the batteries, but I was able to drive 42 miles home and still had 12.9V in the batteries.

These are the items I replaced prior to any issues occurring:

1. Replaced the OEM oil cooler housing with the Dorman aluminum version prior to the OEM housing failing (since it seems to be a 100% certainty) when I replaced the spark plugs at 75,000 miles.
2. I replaced the OEM radiator with the Cold Case aluminum radiator prior to the plastic seems failing, but more importantly to increase cooling capability to support towing our off-road trailer in the Arizona heat and elevation gain going through Flagstaff (7000'). I replaced the two radiator hoses, water pump, and thermostat since I had drained the coolant and I used to own Honda's (they replace the water pump at 105,000 miles).
3. Replaced the cartridge oil filter with the Baxter Performance remote oil cooler adapter and installed a remote oil cooler, oil spin on oil filter, and oil thermostat to reduce oil temps during towing and climbing elevation especially in the summer.
4. I replaced the OEM grill inserts with the Gladiator inserts, which allow less restrictive airflow to the condenser and radiator. This was simply to assist in improving cooling performance.
5. Installed the RPM Extreme fan controller and this has made a massive benefit in reducing coolant temps (and oil temps to some degree) during just overall driving and especially while towing in 100˚+ heat.
6. Replaced the OEM 600W radiator with the 850W radiator during to greater airflow capabilities. A huge side benefit is that the fan produces far less noise than the 600W fan. The combination of the RPM Extreme and the 850W fan have dropped everyday coolant temp 17˚ in 100˚+ heat. I run at between 199˚-204˚ instead of hitting 221˚ and at times on mild climbs hitting 226˚-228˚.

I handle all maintenance and these are the intervals I follow:

• Oil and filter changes every 5,000 miles
• Air filter and cabin filter every 5,000 miles
• Differential fluid every 15,000 miles
• Manual transmission and transfer case every 25,000 miles
• Spark plugs, water pump, thermostat, radiator hoses, and serpentine belt every 75,000 miles
• Rotate and balance the tires every 5,000 miles (Discount tire)
• Wheel alignment every 5,000 miles
• Brake fluid flush every 25,000 miles

_olllllllo_ said:

These are items I had to replace or repair due to actual issues, although the Jeep never left me stranded or failed to operate:

1. I replaced both sun visors due to the plastic collar breaking. Resolved with the Taccom single screw plates.
2. I replaced both wheel speed sensors. I had a short somewhere in the passenger side as I would hit a decent bump in the road and the speedometer would go to zero and then come back.
3. I replaced the canbus connector (left one) behind the dash due to dash lights (traction control, sway bar, etc.). I found that I could have probably just moved jacks to other ports as one solder joint to the board failed. Now I have a backup.
4. Had to replace the Z fuse when the alternator cable (300A fuse) shorted against my Genesis dual battery metal housing. I repaired the cable with double shrink wrap pieces, automotive harness tape, and covering the entire cable with ribbed plastic conduit. That cable will never short again. I got the warning light to pull over immediately since the alternator wasn't charging the batteries, but I was able to drive 42 miles home and still had 12.9V in the batteries.

These are the items I replaced prior to any issues occurring:

1. Replaced the OEM oil cooler housing with the Dorman aluminum version prior to the OEM housing failing (since it seems to be a 100% certainty) when I replaced the spark plugs at 75,000 miles.
2. I replaced the OEM radiator with the Cold Case aluminum radiator prior to the plastic seems failing, but more importantly to increase cooling capability to support towing our off-road trailer in the Arizona heat and elevation gain going through Flagstaff (7000'). I replaced the two radiator hoses, water pump, and thermostat since I had drained the coolant and I used to own Honda's (they replace the water pump at 105,000 miles).
3. Replaced the cartridge oil filter with the Baxter Performance remote oil cooler adapter and installed a remote oil cooler, oil spin on oil filter, and oil thermostat to reduce oil temps during towing and climbing elevation especially in the summer.
4. I replaced the OEM grill inserts with the Gladiator inserts, which allow less restrictive airflow to the condenser and radiator. This was simply to assist in improving cooling performance.
5. Installed the RPM Extreme fan controller and this has made a massive benefit in reducing coolant temps (and oil temps to some degree) during just overall driving and especially while towing in 100˚+ heat.
6. Replaced the OEM 600W radiator with the 850W radiator during to greater airflow capabilities. A huge side benefit is that the fan produces far less noise than the 600W fan. The combination of the RPM Extreme and the 850W fan have dropped everyday coolant temp 17˚ in 100˚+ heat. I run at between 199˚-204˚ instead of hitting 221˚ and at times on mild climbs hitting 226˚-228˚.

I handle all maintenance and these are the intervals I follow:

• Oil and filter changes every 5,000 miles
• Air filter and cabin filter every 5,000 miles
• Differential fluid every 15,000 miles
• Manual transmission and transfer case every 25,000 miles
• Spark plugs, water pump, thermostat, radiator hoses, and serpentine belt every 75,000 miles
• Rotate and balance the tires every 5,000 miles (Discount tire)
• Wheel alignment every 5,000 miles

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Awesome!

I’m getting close to that 75k mark. I’m thinking I should start saving for plugs and the oil cooler housing. I also will need new tires.

I too rotate tires and change oil every 5k. Normally will do cabin and air filter every 10k.
I did the transmission fluid at 50k and will do again at 100k (automatic transmission).
I’m thinking I will do my diff and transfer case at the end of every summer. That should be about 15-20k on those.

I dig hearing about how people keep their jeeps running well. So many horror stories but that’s because people come on here for help…not normally just to say…”everything is great see ya!” lol. To date I’ve had no real issues either and I daily mine and love to wheel it! This is the first vehicle (besides motorcycles) I genuinely care about, clean regularly, and try to be a stickler for maintenance. I’ll be satisfied if I can get about 150k trouble free (relatively speaking) miles. I think it’s possible with care and prevention maintenance. Thanks again!!