Reaching my breaking point... may consider trading my JLUR

[aldo98229]

Haha. So funny, because that is totally in the running too. We just bought a 2020 grand Cherokee limited X for the wife to drive. Not ruling out a HEMI version for me and being complete nerds with matching vehicles. Haha.

I’d miss off-road ability though. We aren’t doing super extreme Stuff like some but we were talking that the wife’s GC wouldn’t be ideal on the Colorado trails we just got back from. Would be a fun daily driver though.

Yeah, I saw a fellow destroy his pristine Grand Cherokee Trailhawk trying to get through some tough obstacles on a local trail.

My lifted JKUR got some minor damage; mostly scuffed wheels, dented skid plates and scratched rock rails. He had the trim piece around the front bumper hanging loose, and left the forward sensor on the trail. Those bits are EXPENSIVE!

Sponsored

 

[Whaler27]

I think you have to look at Jeep ownership differently than other vehicles based on their frankly shitty reliability record; especially if you wheel it hard. It will constantly need upgrades and maintenance if you're going to use it hard. It's a toy, not a reliable DD...but, in fairness, that goes for any brand you wheel really hard.

Between my wife and I we have had seven CJs/Wranglers and three Cherokees since 1977. With the exception of the 2012 JK, which sucked, they have been durable, mostly trouble free vehicles until/unless I broke something through abuse (wheeling). They have had occasional recalls and failures, but so did our Toyota Tundras, which were generally very good trucks. My wife’s Camry and Accord had occasional problems too. Statistically, Jeeps don’t have traditional Japanese quality control and reliability, but they are generally very good, even though a large percentage of them are abused in hostile environments.

Speaking for myself, I’ve also created problems by making incremental adjustments in my builds which have put too much stress on remaining factory parts (because I couldn’t afford to do the whole job right at the outset). I don’t think I’m alone in that.

 

[NoahVD]

BRONCO! BRONCO! BRONCO!

 

[Whaler27]

My wife has a 2016 Grand Cherokee Altitude ecodiesel. It’s been a trouble-free performer for just under 50,000 miles. It used to get 31 mpg on the highway until FCA was forced to reflash it. Now it has less grunt and fuel economy has dropped to about 28 on the highway, 24 mpg overall, but she still loves it.

 

[Roadkill]

Not to sound like a broken record, but to me it seems quite obvious if you've replaced just about every other component - numerous times - the ball joints, and potentially the knuckles, appear to be the culprits.

I've replaced ball joints in our 63 c10 and although it was messy and a project, it wasn't difficult. Considering the cost of installation at shops, I'd do it again if I had to; it wasn't so terrible that I'd contemplate paying someone.

To boot, pun intended, you'll then have the confidence/knowledge to do it again in the future. When owning a lifted wrangler with larger tires, eventually ball joints will need replacing again.

Really cheering for you to not give up!

 

[Obispo325]

Sorry to hear, man. I know how discouraging it can be to spend so much money only to be so disappointed, and to own a vehicle that spends so much time in the shop.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have a JLU that hasn’t given me any issues in the first year. Knock on wood. But I have no illusions: it is not a matter of if, but when. So I enjoy my Jeep and take it one day at a time.

Good luck in your search!

PS - I dumped my last JKUR with only 8,000 miles and went to Toyota for a short stint. There was nothing really wrong with that Tacoma —well, the transmission SUCKED, but it didn’t do anything for me. So I came crawling back to Jeep. There’s no shame if you end up doing the same. Thankfully, those Toyotas hold their value like champs.

I’m a lurker here and have been hoping to get a JLUR soon to tow behind our RV. But, I also owned a 4Runner for 11 years.

I literally had two problems with it: the sunroof drains got clogged and leaked down the a-pillar. Once I cleared them with my fingers, the water went right out.
Couple years later the dashboard was cracking, but a little while after that Toyota issued an extended warranty to replace them. It was 10 years old at that point.

I really love the look and idea of Jeeps and how fun they are, but posts like this really make me appreciate how reliable my 4Runners were.

 

[LostWoods]

Is it just Jeeps though? How do you know you won't have issues with another vehicle?

I just think overall, quality has slipped on everything these days. Manufacturers keep adding all these jazzy technological upgrades that do nothing but cause headaches. And they continue to skimp on quality with parts and other areas. It's a downright shame.

I've had problems with many vehicles the last few years. My most recent vehicle was an Acadia I bought brand new in 2017. After one year and 10K miles, the car didn't pass inspection as the brakes were shot and of course brakes aren't under warranty. I also needed tires at around 20K miles which to me is a joke. And there was something else going on at one point where something was wrong with the engine that needed to be replaced in my first year of owning it.

My wife had an Equinox with all kinds of issues from the day we got it. There was some kind of issue with burning oil that caused us to spend a couple thousand dollars on it before a recall issue came out and GM had to essentially rebuild the engine. Of course they didn't refund or money from the same problem we'd been trying to have fixed.

Basically, I could go on an on with essentially every vehicle I've owned over the past 10-15 years. I'm not sure I can remember a good one. Honestly, I think the best one we had was a Jeep Cherokee about 15 years ago as I don't remember a whole lot of issues with that one. Maybe it's so long ago I just forgot lol.

I have a JULR on order and really looking forward to it. I'm hoping they've ironed out some issues with previous build years but I'm expecting issues at some point just like with every other vehicle these days.

I honestly think these auto makers do it on purpose. They know they can't make fantastic cars or people won't have to buy as many and it'll put them out of business. Parts and repairs are big business so they can't make them "too good". There's just no way they shouldn't be doing a better job today with all the past knowledge and technology they have at their disposal. I think part of it too is probably all this great technology their using during builds and probably trying to crank out cars quickly and cheaply and they're sacrificing quality as a result.

I'm in a JT now because I had issues with a Tacoma of all things. I figure if I'm going to suffer with issues that dealerships won't fix, I might as well do it in a truck that is more capable.

Everyone is having issues somewhere, even the legends of reliability the industry like Toyota and Honda.

 

[D60]

Soooo...a few musings from reading the thread:
1) caster has been mentioned but where is it being checked? Has anyone thought to make sure both inner C's are at the same angle? Seemingly the entire thread is focusing on the outer knuckles (which confuses me a bit) -- why is no one talking about inner C's?

2) there's an "upgraded" steel-sleeved BJ from Spicer, yes? IIRC the factory ones are a plastic/nylon/derin/something ball seat? The goofy guy from JL Life (I think?) in NM had a vid on his swap. This seems like a mid-point great for an experiment before going full Dynarape

3) I'd be real careful applying heat to the Al knuckles - Al gets weird and "chunky" at surprisingly low temps. Learned this in school pre-heating a model engine cylinder block -- after heating and cooling it machined more like cast iron than the stringy chips it produced before

4) I'm running 38" Pats with 1.5" spacers and stock steering linkages. Steering stab is a cheap Monroe from O'Reilly for a '94-02 Ram. Track bar upgraded only 'cause it came with the MC kit. I'm not bragging and I'm not rubbing it in, I'm just saying the problem shouldn't be there and CAN be fixed.

5) if you find yourself in SW Colo bring the parts and we'll swap your ball joints. You do the work, I'll hand you the tools. On my 2-post lift. For a bottle of whiskey.

Good luck!

 

[aldo98229]

I’m a lurker here and have been hoping to get a JLUR soon to tow behind our RV. But, I also owned a 4Runner for 11 years.

I literally had two problems with it: the sunroof drains got clogged and leaked down the a-pillar. Once I cleared them with my fingers, the water went right out.
Couple years later the dashboard was cracking, but a little while after that Toyota issued an extended warranty to replace them. It was 10 years old at that point.

I really love the look and idea of Jeeps and how fun they are, but posts like this really make me appreciate how reliable my 4Runners were.

Indeed.

Ideally, we shouldn’t have to choose between fun and reliable.

 

[BlackGenesis]

Well, there is the Bronco coming up if you can stick it for another year, and maybe in that year you'll figure out the issues with your JL?

At this point you will have to wait 2 years of looking to order one, maybe 1.5 years to pick up whatever you can on the lot.

 

[Solidaxle]

Your Jeep resale is fantastic. Trade in values are high. Buy something you think will be problem free and enjoy. Jeeps are not for everyone.

 

[sourdough]

If this JLUR ran fine for 12,000 miles the problem is a wear item. what happened to the warranty? Ball joint issue can be diagnosed and should be repaired under warranty

 

[entropy]

Did you have the issue when stock?. I would get the Jeep back to oem suspension and tires. If you have the death wobble then the dealer has to fix it. If not, then something went wrong with upgrades and cant really complain about the manufacturer.

 

[entropy]

Yes, he did.

thats complete B.S. then. that sucks, they should fix it or buy it back.

 

[entropy]

Your Jeep resale is fantastic. Trade in values are high. Buy something you think will be problem free and enjoy. Jeeps are not for everyone.

Ive not experienced death wobble on my JL once.

Sponsored