4+ Years of JLUR ownership - random thoughts

[Hellayella HB]

Evening all. Bought my JLUR in August of 2019, so pushing 4.5 years of ownership. For the most part it has been awesome - honestly in some ways life changing as it was the impetus for amazing family vacations (Moab, Telluride, Oregon...). That said, there have definitely been some hiccups. Just wanted to share my experiences, interested in other's thoughts on their's as well.

• Was pretty much trouble free for three years. Then I saw the bubbling. The dreaded bubbling. From the forum I knew the issue, and had been looking for it.
• Not long after I noticed the paint bubbles, engine started ticking. Yep, cams and lifters. My only towing had been a 16' Airstream Basecamp once, so it wasn't like the engine was pushed to its limits. Anyway, thought I was in the clear since I bought an extended warranty (first time doing so - it's a Jeep, so...), but no dice. I have 37s so it voids the warranty. I guess that's on me, but kinda funny when Jeep literally promotes adding big wheels and tires. But I digress.
• Got the engine work done at a local dealer and headed out west to run some trails in Oregon/Washington. Work was done incorrectly (I'll spare you all the details), ended up stranded on the side of the road in nowhere South Dakota. Good times. I could go on but great people helped me get it to a dealership in SD who moved me to the front of the repair line and fixed properly.
• After the trip, the local dealership who messed the work up owned it and paid in full - my tow costs, rental vehicle costs, the proper fix...$5K+ and they didn't flinch. What they should have done but nonetheless still appreciated. No resistance.
• A couple of months ago my place in line hit for the repaint. A local bodyshop handled (deanship doesn't have one, thankfully), and they knocked it out of the park. 4 new doors, hood, hinges, as well as a total repaint. It looks like a new vehicle.

From reading the forum religiously, I know many have had bumps in the road. When I was most angry about the paint or engine issues, I would start looking for other options if I sold it. But nothing really measured up to the Jeep (Broncos, Defenders, 4Runners...). So here I am at 67K miles, tons of great memories, and hopes that all the big bumps are behind me. And if not, just hope whatever happens doesn't leave me on the side of the road in South Dakota again...

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[cOtter]

Thanks for sharing. My wife and I took delivery of our ‘20 Sahara on Sept 5 2019. Setting at just over 86k miles. Doors and hood have been repainted. Those magic bubbles!!!! My wife and I took 2.5 week trip this summer from Southern Indiana to Utah. Took in the mighty 5 and spent 5 nights in Moab. Fantastic trip. Looking forward to another out there.

Thanks again for sharing!!!!!

 

[hoch]

My 18 is only at 41k, but lots of great memories for sure.
I’ve thought about potential replacements but nothing interests me. Besides, not many 4wd’s come with a stick shift any more.

Bronco would be the next closest choice but it’s a very distant 2nd.

I once read about this old couple who travelled the world in an old series Land Rover. They said some of the best memories was breaking down and getting to know the locals.
I’d just take those mishaps as part of the adventure.

 

[Cowboy from hell]

I actually just traded My jeep for the bubbling paint issues. My dealer trying to hose me. Said it might take weeks to fix due to strike and said no loaner to drive for free but can provide one at $50 per day!....yeah rite .....now I'm in a 23 trd o.r. taco! I'm done with jeep and likely never own again.....sad.

 

[PA JLUR]

Almost 50k on my 2020 JLUR MT V6. Waiting to get through the winter to get my paint bubbles addressed. Most annoying part of my ownership experience was dealing with Clutch Recall drama. Recently upgraded to aftermarket flywheel and clutch…. I feel like I now have peace of mind. That said, like others stated great family memories, no catastrophic failures (fingers crossed), and I feel like my current setup can be in service for many more years. Simple body on frame design, solid axles, endless aftermarket solutions, and mass produced Pentastar V6…. Gives me the confidence that I can get another 10years out of it… and hopefully more. No other manufacturer out there can give me what I have.

 

[hoch]

I actually just traded My jeep for the bubbling paint issues. My dealer trying to hose me. Said it might take weeks to fix due to strike and said no loaner to drive for free but can provide one at $50 per day!....yeah rite .....now I'm in a 23 trd o.r. taco! I'm done with jeep and likely never own again.....sad.

I actually had two 3rd Gen Taco’s (2017 and 2018, bought brand new). An auto and manual.
They’re not without issues. Auto transmission was the worst I’ve ever driven. Constant shifting when going up even a slight grade, super tall reverse gear. As well as engine smoke, bed splitting apart with any sort of load, random shut off (happened twice. That was scary). And the worst seat position ever.
They’re good trucks and as apparent by the robust sales and resale value, lots of folks love them. But they’re not without faults.

 

[rickinAZ]

Anyway, thought I was in the clear since I bought an extended warranty (first time doing so - it's a Jeep, so...), but no dice. I have 37s so it voids the warranty.

Hollis, is their stance that the 37s taxed the engine and thereby caused the cams/lifters issue? That is quite a stretch. This is a cautionary tale for those buying extended warranties.

 

[Dirtflirt]

I thought the reason they put 4/11 screws in the diffs is because they are expecting owners to put bigger tires on. Voiding the warranty ? what a load of manure!

 

[av8or]

I was at Jeep jamboree rubicon in 2021 and a Jeep exec on the trip told me going to 37s is when warranty comes into question. I find it interesting how 37s were required for some jamborees, and you must self report that you have them, but if you do you’re probably screwing your warranty.
It seems like such a scam.

 

[Rick4570]

To the original poster, which engine do you have?

 

[aldo98229]

Thank you for sharing your story, OP.

I moved on as well.

My 2018 Sahara served me well. It was —mostly— trouble free over the four years I owned it, it was fairly comfortable, and it was beautifully put together inside and out —especially compared to prior Jeeps I owned.

My issues started after the dealer installed the Mopar lift. The Jeep was a champ on the trails, but it became increasingly difficult to drive on road, especially on the freeway. It became a chore to drive on long trips. And the dealer was simply useless.

The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was a series of unbelievably TERRIBLE dealer run-ins. I never encountered such incompetent, unprofessional, shameless dealers in 35+ years owning CDJR vehicles. Add to that prices that are out of touch with reality, Stellantis’s utter indifference towards customers, and the writing was on the wall.

I fully enjoyed my time with Jeeps: I have some amazing memories, saw some unique places and have the photos to prove it. But nothing lasts forever. It was time to move on.

 

[Hellayella HB]

Hollis, is their stance that the 37 taxed the engine and thereby caused the cams/lifters issue? That is quite a stretch. This is a cautionary tale for those buying extended warranties.

yep exactly right. Unfortunately that was kind of on me. It was in the details of the warranty, pages deep, and I didn’t even consider it. When I bought the Jeep was new to mods, and never thought about 37s being an issue. Come to find out putting anything larger than 35s automatically voided the warranty. So definitely something for people to watch out for.

 

[Hellayella HB]

I actually just traded My jeep for the bubbling paint issues. My dealer trying to hose me. Said it might take weeks to fix due to strike and said no loaner to drive for free but can provide one at $50 per day!....yeah rite .....now I'm in a 23 trd o.r. taco! I'm done with jeep and likely never own again.....sad.

That is sad for sure, but totally get it.

 

[Hellayella HB]

To the original poster, which engine do you have?

The 3.6...

 

[BobW]

Evening all. Bought my JLUR in August of 2019, so pushing 4.5 years of ownership. For the most part it has been awesome - honestly in some ways life changing as it was the impetus for amazing family vacations (Moab, Telluride, Oregon...). That said, there have definitely been some hiccups. Just wanted to share my experiences, interested in other's thoughts on their's as well.

• Was pretty much trouble free for three years. Then I saw the bubbling. The dreaded bubbling. From the forum I knew the issue, and had been looking for it.
• Not long after I noticed the paint bubbles, engine started ticking. Yep, cams and lifters. My only towing had been a 16' Airstream Basecamp once, so it wasn't like the engine was pushed to its limits. Anyway, thought I was in the clear since I bought an extended warranty (first time doing so - it's a Jeep, so...), but no dice. I have 37s so it voids the warranty. I guess that's on me, but kinda funny when Jeep literally promotes adding big wheels and tires. But I digress.
• Got the engine work done at a local dealer and headed out west to run some trails in Oregon/Washington. Work was done incorrectly (I'll spare you all the details), ended up stranded on the side of the road in nowhere South Dakota. Good times. I could go on but great people helped me get it to a dealership in SD who moved me to the front of the repair line and fixed properly.
• After the trip, the local dealership who messed the work up owned it and paid in full - my tow costs, rental vehicle costs, the proper fix...$5K+ and they didn't flinch. What they should have done but nonetheless still appreciated. No resistance.
• A couple of months ago my place in line hit for the repaint. A local bodyshop handled (deanship doesn't have one, thankfully), and they knocked it out of the park. 4 new doors, hood, hinges, as well as a total repaint. It looks like a new vehicle.

From reading the forum religiously, I know many have had bumps in the road. When I was most angry about the paint or engine issues, I would start looking for other options if I sold it. But nothing really measured up to the Jeep (Broncos, Defenders, 4Runners...). So here I am at 67K miles, tons of great memories, and hopes that all the big bumps are behind me. And if not, just hope whatever happens doesn't leave me on the side of the road in South Dakota again...

I appreciate you taking time to describe problems you've encountered. It's a good "heads up". I've had no problems (so far) with my 2018, tho it's still just under 30K (after first year I got a used dinky car for town use).
My wife's 2014 GC developed the ticking (lifters?) around 200K. An oil treatment cleared it for a short while before I finally gave up at 220K.

PS Great looking jeep and great color!
PPS Well, I did have the coolant tank cap blow off about 1 mile down dirt road from pavement... just after dealer added coolant.....

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