I received mine today. Will install tomorrow. It is not plastic. I'll post pics when I install. Got it for 29 with an eBay coupon so I figured I would give it a shot.
I bought it from the classifieds section here. I installed it myself, there is a great video on YouTube. It took 10 minutes. The 7 was around 260 shipped.
I ran into the same issue, the forum member I bought it from was nice enough to call the dealer he bought his JL from and got the code from the service department.
Did a few things! Installed 7" uconnect radio, upgraded from the 5. Installed iDrive throttle controller (works great) and tinted driver and passenger windows 30 percent.