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One Year and 15,500 Miles with my Rubi

DanW

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Well, we've reached the 1 year anniversary of taking delivery of the JLUR. It doesn't seem that long, but we've had some real adventures with her. Here are some thoughts after living with her for awhile.

  • Fit and finish upon delivery were impeccible. The only flaw I found on the whole thing, after hand waxing and going over it with a fine tooth comb, was a drip of window adhesive that had gotten onto the side of the hard top under the rear quarter panel. That's it. After a year of handwashing and admittedly OCD hand waxing, I still haven't found another flaw, even underneath on/around the frame or in/under the engine compartment. I avoided fuses not seated, bad welds, etc. Mine was perfect. That's pretty darned good for a December 2017 build that was in the first month or two of production.
  • Not only do I have no regrets on the manual transmission, I'm 100% thrilled with it. It is better in every way than I'd imagined, which isn't surprising, considering I spent the previous 10 years driving a JK with an NSG 370 which puts the "uck" in "truck transmission." My manual was apparently (according to my dealership's manager), the first one delivered in Indiana. It was likely in the first major production batch for the JL. It has had zero problems and survived my brother in law and wife absolutely smoking the clutch as they mistakenly tried to launch in 5th gear. (I still cringe at the thought of it). I've towed my fishing boat quite a bit with it, too.
  • I feel the same way about the 3.6 as the transmission. (Not a knock on the 2.0. It is sounding like it is off to a great start and is a little powerhouse. I'd have considered it if available with a manual.) It has been great and has pepped up a bit since new, seeming a bit more free-revving and having some of the low rpm jerkyness (typical of manual transmissions). It is really smooth, quiet, and sounds GREAT going through the gears with the Magnaflow axle-back exhaust. Gas mileage has consistently been better than my JK, even with 35's (vs. 33's). I know, it is a lopsided comparison in every way with the old 3.8 in that JK.) I've done a used oil analysis after each oil change and they look great for the context they were in, from break-in to the last one at 9,xxx miles. The next oil change is still a little ways off, but we'll do another then. The engine seems to like Mobil 1 Ep and AP 0w20.
  • Interior. Love it. My kids love the back seat, as it has more room and is more comfortable than the JK, plus it has power outlets. They also love the wifi. I'm 6'5" tall, and have not had an issue. I've got the seat and wheel adjusted just right. After 22 hours each way to and from Moab, and really spending an entire week behind the wheel, I had no cramps, soreness, or body fatigue from being in this Jeep. I've done the same trip in the JK and while I find it comfortable, it doesn't compare. After about 5 hours in the JK, I need to stretch to get rid of muscle fatigue in my hamstrings and lower back.Honestly, the JL is more comfortable on the long haul than any of my vehicles, including a Mercedes E 430.
  • Steering. Mine was right from the start. I did have to get a new steering stabilizer. Mine developed a slight wobble when hitting bumps at 55mph. The dealership replaced it and it seems fine, for now. If it returns, i'll try the Fox 2.0 or the Teraflex. Otherwise, my steering feels fine. Best of the 3 Jeeps I've owned.
  • Off-road. She is a BEAST! The Mopar lift is awesome. I love the ride on road, but off road, it is in its element. We ran it hard for 5 days straight, from the highway, to the Rimrocker (160 miles) to Moab, then another 22 hour drive home, the Fox shocks were simply outstanding. My buddy blew out a brand new Pro-Comp monotube shock in the middle of the trip. His shocks were very warm to the touch after each workout. The Fox aluminum bodies were cool to the touch. The ride and flex are perfect. Any more flex and tires would be rubbing in a couple places.
  • KO2 tires. Love them. They are wearing perfectly. They've been outstanding on-road and off. They surprised me in the mud, too. They weren't nearly as disadvantaged to the KM2's I ran on the JK as I thought they'd be. They didn't chunk any worse than the KM2's after all those miles on rocks, either. The other Jeeps with me had much more aggressive mud tires and I never felt disadvantaged on any terrain. In sand, I felt they had a significant advantage over them. The C-load rating really rides nice, too, and I haven't found the sidewalls to be weak, at all. I doubt it was just luck, because we really gave them a workout and they have the scuffs and scratches on the sidewall to show they weren't babied.
  • Uconnect. Love it. The user interface is outstanding and the Alpine sounds awesome, even with doors off and top down at 70mph. I don't have the off-road pages yet, but should get them Wednesday. No biggie.
  • Other things that have impressed: The soft top is amazing. From the material to the zipperless windows to the way it folds, it is easily the best factory Jeep top yet. It also doesn't have any leaks. Yes, it does have the dreaded gutter pour at the front doors in rain, but who cares? It is a Jeep and it has drain holes in the floor liners, which my other Jeeps, which all did this, did not. You had to take out the floor mats and carpets to get the drains open. Love it! The auxillary buttons are great. This thing is just so easy to wire up with lights, thanks to this option. I've got two sets of auxillary lights using two buttons. Next up will be Rigid Industries floods for the rear bumper. The Molle webbing on the seatbacks is a cool feature. I've got my tool kit and a trauma kit on there. LED headlights. Wow, they are bright! I had a 14" light bar (spot) on the front bumper. They added so little to the brights that I took it off and replaced it with incandescent driving lights as a backup, in case the LED's ice over. (Hasn't happened yet.) Vastly improved rear visibility is great, with easy flip down headrests and the wiper mechanism being placed on the bottom. Even with a 35" tire on the rear, it has MUCH better visibility than my JK. The rear camera and parking assist is just gravy.
Things I don't like? Not having Off road pages has been an irritant. I also wish proximity keyless entry had been available when I ordered it. That's probably the only option I wish I had. I also had the bowing spring with the Mopar lift, but that's a mod, so it doesn't count against the JL's score. Besides, mine never rubbed and was quickly fixed with the revised spring pad. It has been no issue.

I'm hoping for a few hundred thousand miles and probably at least two decades with this thing. It is off to a great start, so the odds are ever increasing that she'll go the distance. Can't wait to see what adventures it takes us on in 2019! I couldn't be more thrilled with year 1.

This is a pic from just after delivery, before any lift or mods. The next is a recent pic.
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chcg12

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I always like your contributions ,Dan. Still waiting to pull the trigger on a ruby, cant decide on 2dr or 4 and kinda waiting for release of the 3.6 bsg (this summer?) I only liked the red in 2dr for some reason, but your's looks great.
 

Rubi

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Excellent review. Have you noticed any rock/debris rash on your painted rear fenders? I have Mammoth wheels which pull the tires about 2ā€ beyond the edge of the fenders. I took delivery of mine the third week of July with currently 5300 miles. I havenā€™t driven it in any road salt plastered winter conditions, but I still have some light paint scuffs on my rear painted fenders.
 
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DanW

DanW

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Excellent review. Have you noticed any rock/debris rash on your painted rear fenders? I have Mammoth wheels which pull the tires about 2ā€ beyond the edge of the fenders. I took delivery of mine the third week of July with currently 5300 miles. I havenā€™t driven it in any road salt plastered winter conditions, but I still have some light paint scuffs on my rear painted fenders.
Thanks! The rear fenders collect tons of crap. I'm going to put splash guards on this thing when the weather warms up. It isn't hurting them because of the 3m tape and frequent coats of Turtle Wax Ice (I love that stuff). I also put some rubber tubing between the fenders and body so that sand and pebbles don't get trapped in there. I'm sure that over time those fenders will get pock marked, but I might pull the 3m tape at some point and double up on it. Time will tell. I think, though, they look better than I would have expected. I'm running the 35s on stock rims with no spacers, so they don't stick out much, but they still cover those fenders, the sides, and rear door handles. I just look in the rearview and watch the crap flying, Lol!
 

55WillysWagon

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Watching your threads Dan to see what you do for front splash guards. Bugs me too that nothing is available. My Rubi probably wont rock crawl (beach, dunes and trails) so I'm considering the OEM Sahara running boards unless something better comes along. Nice read. Thx!
 

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DanW

DanW

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Watching your threads Dan to see what you do for front splash guards. Bugs me too that nothing is available. My Rubi probably wont rock crawl (beach, dunes and trails) so I'm considering the OEM Sahara running boards unless something better comes along. Nice read. Thx!
I've got Mopar front splash guards on my JK Rubi and it did Moab with no problem. They just twist and contort when rubbing the rocks, which they did far less often than I thought they would, and they look no worse for the wear, surprisingly. I just wish Mopar would make a Rubi specific set like that. I've got a set of universal rubber splash guards from Amazon sitting in the garage. I may try something with those. Stay tuned! It won't be until warm weather, though.
 
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DanW

DanW

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Your Ruby looks really sharp! Showroom sharp! What kind of wax are you using?
Turle Wax Ice and never a carwash with brushes. I've used Ice since my 2006 Pontiac Solstice. GREAT stuff. No residue. It can be applied in direct sunlight. In fact, the hotter the better. It protects plastic and rubber trim as well as decals. If you could see the paint on my 11 year old JK, it would speak for itself. It looks like new. I even do the headlights.
 

TrailTorque

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So I love the write-up and I am very glad youā€™ve had a great experience!

But, I canā€™t help to think that I could shoot a basketball right there and land it right into your Jeep.
 

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DanW

DanW

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So I love the write-up and I am very glad youā€™ve had a great experience!

But, I canā€™t help to think that I could shoot a basketball right there and land it right into your Jeep.
Lol! I think you'd get extra points for style shooting from the second story window where the photo was shot!
 

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@DanW Happy 1 Year Anniversary! Seriously hard to believe that it's been a year already. I have appreciated learning from your posts / experiences. You've been super positive and have contributed to my assimilation into Jeep Culture! Happy Trails to you.
 
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DanW

DanW

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@DanW Happy 1 Year Anniversary! Seriously hard to believe that it's been a year already. I have appreciated learning from your posts / experiences. You've been super positive and have contributed to my assimilation into Jeep Culture! Happy Trails to you.
Thanks for the kind words! The group of folks on this forum are some of the finest people I've found. Heck, the whole Jeep community is that way. It makes it all about a lot more than just a vehicle, for sure!
 

kculp

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Good review! I am at the one year mark in about 6 weeks on our Sahara. A few areas I can add are below, but I'll be slightly more critical (love my jeep tho).

No issues except for a dislodged rear window defroster. Parts are ordered.

Wields were good. Mine had a couple loose fuses but pressed them in before it was a problem.

Uconnect. Off road pages work great, but I am disappointed in how long it takes to load that particular screen. Seems like it triple checks something and send a signs back to Mopar first! Really. That long. I noticed early on you can't adjust volume on boot up. The dial and steering volume take a minute to surrender.

My Mopar trunk area mat never stays snapped into the holes in the back of the seat. I've taken a rubber mallet to pound them in and a few days later the grommet comes loose again. The dealer didn't install it right.

Otherwise all is good. I personally love my 8 speed auto with 3.6l engine. There are times I slip below the 20 mpg mark that disappoint, but in general our overall mpg is as stated below. The anti-spin rear axle works as advertised so not a hard core off-rider. We tore through slippery ice and snow up our rural road today and worked great. Heated leather and steering wheel were fantastic, I am addicted.

No issues with the safety group. Cross traffic and rear camera are great.
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