2 DOOR JL build/order discussions master thread

[Affliction-101]

Congrats buddy!!
Ive been away for a few days putting miles on my jeep so I'm trying to catch up on the reading now lol

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[alltimesaresoon]

Woo hoo!!!!

Good luck, mine has been in abq 11 days now, on truck but hasn't left. Headed in to my 5th month today

 

[Affliction-101]

First off, let me say thank you to you all. It was so helpful to me to be part of such a positive, encouraging community. We have built something special here in our little 2-door Unicorn space. I have noticed over and over that when one of us has become frustrated or despondent, the rest have been there to lift them up. And the exchange of information has been so beneficial to us all. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to go this alone. Thank you all! I am forever grateful.

Now, for my impressions/reflections on today.

FINANCING:

I was originally planning on leasing to keep payments low, but the current rate with Chrysler Financing was a money factor of .00281 (effective interest rate of 6.74%) for 48 months with a residual of 62% which all sounded ridiculous to me. I was able to finance through a local credit union at 3.49% for 7 years and the payment was only $50 more than the lease payment would have been.

FIRST MODS (Low-hanging Fruit):

Mods before driving off the lot (I think the salespeople thought I was a maniac…just couldn’t wait. I had been shopping for nearly seven months):

-Mopar Grill/Winch Guard

-GPCA Grab Handles

-Red “JEEP” all-season floormats swapped out/installed mats correctly with drain holes

-replaced dealer license plate frames

-Steering Wheel Cover

-Rubber mats in cupholders and dash tray

-13” Antennax off-road antennas

-had to put the top down before driving off as well-super easy and quick

DRIVING:

Hell to the yeah…..LOVE this Jeep! I am actually going to enjoy driving again. I do totally get what folks have been saying about the steering drift when I first got behind the wheel-thought I was going to hit something. I had asked them to air down the tires to 37 PSI which they said they did, but the TPMS registered around 39 so I let out some more air myself and got it to about 36-37 all around. After driving for a bit I no longer noticed any real issue. It definitely drives differently than my 2015 JKUR…feel like I’m floating is the only way I can describe it (iIt handles like butter.) After driving about 50 miles today, I have become one with “Merc” (short for Mercury/Mercurius):

-Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and is named after the Roman god Mercurius.

-It is the fastest moving planet in our solar system.

-Mercury looks pretty, in its shiny, fast-moving liquid form

-The symbol Hg that mercury is known by comes from its Greek name, hydrargyrum, which means "liquid silver" to reflect its shiny surface. The element is also known as quicksilver for its mobility.

-Mercury can be dangerous

Took city streets and backroads home, the again for a late night drive. I’m following the recommend break-in procedures on this Jeep…don’t want to start a debate on that here, but this is finally the vehicle with everything I could want and plan on keeping it for a long time so not going to take any chances. I’ve never had one vehicle for longer than three years-this will be my first.

8-speed tranny is smoooooth-don't even notice when it's shifting. Huge improvement over the 5-speed in the JKs.

The turning radius is awesome-seems almost unreal.

LED headlights are a major improvement.

INTERIOR:

Seats are way comfortable. I am 6’2 and have plenty of headroom and legroom. No issue whatsoever.

Finishes throughout are SO nice. Designers did a tremendous job. I love the “Redical” dash and have chosen to totally embrace the color with the accessories I have chosen (as you probably noticed from my pics.) I’m not 100% sure about the steering wheel cover-could use some perspective from you all: cool or ridiculous looking? I trust your judgement and you won’t hurt my feelings LOL!

INFOTAINMENT:

The Alpine is amazeballs! The one in my JKUR was great but this blows it away. The only difference between the two that I’ve been able to research to be the upgrade of the 3.5” speakers from 2.5” speakers, but it is a significant improvement.

Touchscreen is super responsive and intuitive, not to mention beautiful.

The entire dash looks AWESOME at night.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

No complaints....not one. Totally worth the wait. Completely at peace this evening.

I’m probably leaving out a lot. I’m pretty burnt tonight, But I’m available to you all with any questions or requests for specific pictures, measurements, whatever. Just ask!

For my friends out there still waiting, especially @alltimesaresoon-HANG IN THERE! You are almost there, At the end of the road, you will not be disappointed.

Steering wheel cover looks pretty nice and comfortable

 

[talker1]

Honestly, most any 4x4 truck with solid axles is a bit of a handful to drive at first. Even the big ones. You will get used to it to the point of no longer noticing, untill you get into a car again lol hopefully that's all it is.

This is not something you just blow off and say, "Guess I'll just get used to it." There's something not right and it needs to be fixed! The Rubi that I drove before I placed my order did not drive like the one I ordered! I'm driving mine now with only 32 psi, so I can stay in one lane...

 

[Krondor]

Error 404: Steering issues not found.

Thankfully. Still, hoping those that do have issues find a resolution.

 

[jlopes68]

This is not something you just blow off and say, "Guess I'll just get used to it." There's something not right and it needs to be fixed! The Rubi that I drove before I placed my order did not drive like the one I ordered! I'm driving mine now with only 32 psi, so I can stay in one lane...

well i can say this. its a squirrely truck. very short wheel base, big tires and super un aerodynamic. it is a Jeep. i could understand the uninitiated might think there were problems with their vehicle, especially when there are already real steering issues. it is sporty, but it is definitely not a sports car. a lot of the descriptions are things i also feel in my new JL, it really does drive like a jeep. of course if i feel or experience something different i will chime in asap

 

[PavementWarrior]

There were some people who reported their steering completely locking up , which is a different issue. i have owned two jeeps before , i dont have my jl yet so i cant say for sure, but i remember how many people were complaining about the jk's manual shifter, and they were all people who came from nice sport car manuals , and never drove a truck shifter which is what the jk had , the same trans MB used in their small trucks. All the people who had jeeps before or drove a truck for a living had no problems. I'll say it again your driving a box down the road with virtual no aerodynamics , the faster you go the worse its going to handle.

No, a couple guys that had owned 2-3 JKs were saying their JL was way worse.

Iys not an imagination thing, there several issues floating around now with steering on the JL, not everyone is getting problem units, but manyare, and they have driven jeeps before.

Some people needed their steering boxes replaced, some are finding issues in steering components, some just have over inflated tires. A few theories floating on adjustments, but these damn things should not be on roads.

Its pretty clear the "jeep wave" was started buy Jeeps with steering issues motioning for others on the road to watch out as they lose control, and others simply waving back thinking they were friendly

 

[GRAK]

:cwl:

 

[keda69]

yes there w

No, a couple guys that had owned 2-3 JKs were saying their JL was way worse.

Iys not an imagination thing, there several issues floating around now with steering on the JL, not everyone is getting problem units, but manyare, and they have driven jeeps before.

Some people needed their steering boxes replaced, some are finding issues in steering components, some just have over inflated tires. A few theories floating on adjustments, but these damn things should not be on roads.

Its pretty clear the "jeep wave" was started buy Jeeps with steering issues motioning for others on the road to watch out as they lose control, and others simply waving back thinking they were friendly

yes there were people who had steering component failure , i said that , but thats just a few isolated cases, if many people were having total steering failure , we would have seen a recall by now.

 

[FireWire]

Can you remove the soft top without unbolting the entire thing?

You remove 2 Torx bolts. Also disengage the support arm from the top rail. Easy to remove . It is better with 2 people to lift it off.

 

[FireWire]

The camera does not stop it from coming off. Just a cheep plastic cover which
would do nothing if a slight pull was applied. Go look close at the spare because
3 lug nuts taken off and it's gone.

I noticed also that no locking nut on the spare. Fortunately I had a new surplus set from my Ram. When I got it there were locking nuts on the wheels and I also found a new set still in the bag in the glove box. I used one of them. Only thing is I need 2 " keys ". Not to big a deal.

 

[PhotoGuy]

My Jeep made it to the final stop in Dixiana SC per JG. Almost here! Truck is next!

Yay! You're almost there.
I'll be picking mine up Thursday or Friday. My dealer has her tucked away for me so that no one can drive her, touch her or even see her!

 

[Affliction-101]

I've been away for a few days working/pleasure driving the Jeep. I now have about 3300 miles on it, I have the 8.4 radio screen and two nights ago when I turned the Jeep on the unit was just black. I tried turning it on/off then pressing the black out screen button and nothing seemed to work. So finally decided to turn the vehicle off/on and it came on like usual. Thats when I started looking into that and noticed others having had the same issue after they hit 2k miles on their Jeep. I have no idea what it is/was just a heads up if it happens to one of you. Steering seems to be good considering its a short wheel base and not a sports car but definitely rides better than my previous Wranglers. Other than that no other issues and loving the Jeep.

 

[Bigpackdaddy75]

I thought I'd get 1 locking lug nut on each wheel with my Rubi. But none? None on the spare tire either?

 

[Affliction-101]

I thought I'd get 1 locking lug nut on each wheel with my Rubi. But none? None on the spare tire either?

Im probably gonna order a set of locking nuts, just so I can sleep better at night.

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