Artemis, the 2022 JLU Sahara Altitude Build Journal

[DB2]

It’s a long story so let’s start at the beginning…

July 2021
Summer vacation 2021. We flew to Florida & rented a car for the week. Thanks to being a Hertz Gold member, we were able to select any vehicle off the gold row. It was a pretty easy decision as there about half way down the row sat a 2020 JLU Sport. We all looked at each other and said “we‘ll take the Jeep”!

This was the first Wrangler we had ever rented or driven. To be continued…

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[rcadden]

So....our stories are roughly the same, and are going to end pretty close to each other, as well.

Sept 2019 - fall trip to Colorado, I made the typical dad joke to the rental car lady "Oh, you could just give me that Jeep right there if it's easier for you" (knowing full well I hadn't paid for that tier) and she surprisingly said, "If you want it, go ahead - saves me the hassle of finding your car". Done. It was a Sahara, spent 4 days in the mountains with it and was like "You know, this Jeep is actually pretty nice. I could see driving one of these " (I've been a pickup man since 2007)

March 2021 - Spring Break in Hawaii, obviously you need a Jeep for Hawaii, so this time I made sure. I also knew it was a test to see how I liked it longer term and while actually "reviewing" it.

June 2021 - After basically 4 months of research and hemming and hawing over trim levels, placed an order for my 2021 Sahara Altitude from Gupton. For my build, the Sahara Altitude was only $400 more than a regular Sahara. Very nearly went Rubicon, but am glad that I went Sahara instead. It's very nice and left me some budget to play.

July 2021 - took delivery of Joyride, build thread is in my sig.

Long story = you're gonna love it, man.

 

[DB2]

@rcadden thanks for reading and sharing your story. Our story takes a crazy turn in mid October, more on that later. Thanks for the reminder that this will all be worth it in the end.

Looking forward to reading your build thread!

 

[DB2]

July 2021 continued…

After the initial road trip NE out of Orlando to Flagler Beach mostly via interstate I began to notice how nice the rental JLU drove/rode. Much different than my previous experience riding in a few earlier generation Wrangler.

Early in the trip we enjoyed the ease of removing the freedom panels but we all quickly decided that we needed to get the JLU rental more naked later in the week. We decided once our road trip to/from Universal Studios on Tuesday was over that we would remove the doors. We had access to a small garage at the VRBO house with room enough to park the JLU & store the doors but not enough room to probably store the top.

Being a rental the tool kit was missing so we hit up a local AutoZone and picked up a torx tool kit. We couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was to remove the doors. We spent the rest of the trip running around the A1A the rest of the week in this configuration.

The highlight of the week Jeep-wise was all of us getting to drive up/down the beach and getting invited to BeachJeep2021. We were only in FL for the week so we couldn’t attend but looking forward to attending one day as a proper Jeep owner. Trips up/down the A1A after dark was a close second.

What a great way to test drive a vehicle than renting it a whole week. Gave us lots of ideas for mods for our own build. We were sad on Friday night that we had to put the doors back on in preparation to head back to the airport on Saturday but this experience convinced ourselves that we would be ordering a JLU when we got back home!

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = -2weeks to place the deposit.]

Highly recommend the Volusia Beaches App. It has great information on beach. conditions, maps, access ramps info, restrooms, etc.

 

[DB2]

August 2021

After returning from Florida and spending a few weeks deciding what we wanted to order and which dealer we wanted to order through, we put a deposit down and ordered a white MY21 JLU Sahara Altitude on 8/2. We wanted silver but that color wasn’t available in August. Received the VON on 8/9. I wondered why it took a week to get the order placed and confirmed by the deliver. but didn’t think much about it. [1st red flag] Would decide at this to point in time to reach out to the dealership once per month while being able to monitor the build via the amazing tools created by @Yakpimp .

The weeks in August would go by slow but we tried to fill the time reading all the great content on this forum and searching for ideas for accessories and mods. The first purchase ended up being the middle console organizer and a my first Jeep hat for my birthday. The quality of the hat is so much better than the picture shows.

1) Console Organizer

2) Jeep Hat

We are DIY-ers so the first project related to the JLU was custom wall mounts to hang the doors when we have the off. We used the great information from [Banned Site] YT channel & website. They turned out great and easy to make. Here is the pair we built.

We would end the month wondering what the status was and what the VIN was.

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +4weeks since placing the deposit.]

 

[DB2]

September 2021

We finally received the VIN on 9/7 after having to reach out to the dealership. The last six digits being 829764. We decided back in August that we would text/call them every two weeks until we got the VIN. Funny how excited we were to get the VIN and consider it progress. I assume it was probably available sooner but this will turn out to be the least of our worries. This would also start my weekly chats with JC getting the same standard response of “still gather parts for the build”. . We would get our hopes up just to have them crushed each week. The dealership estimated 5-8 weeks for delivery when we ordered. We were hoping to take delivery on the 25th (our wedding anniversary) but that would not happen.

We would begin readying the garage for the new Jeep with a little wall decor along with a small DIY project building a custom wall hanger for the grill.

The entire month of September would creep by at a snails pace. I passed the time reading the forum threads and wondering if JC have real people on the other end or are they chat bots? Still not certain?

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +9weeks since placing the deposit.]

 

[DB2]

October 2021

The month of October would start out really slow followed by excitement thanks to a fellow Jeeper from the forum followed by the worst news a new Jeep person doesn’t want to here.

We had beautiful fall weather in Indiana which just made it suck that much more knowing that we started the month beyond the original estimated delivery time and still have no Jeep!

Then something really cool happened…on 10/4 out of the blue and never interacting with him before @Eandras would send me a direct message after reading one of my thread posts offering to help with the escalation progress.

After escalating the build and getting an escalation advisor involved, our JLU would move to G status and officially begin the build process. Our Jeep would end up spending a few extra days in the infamous JB status and getting delivered to the dealership on 10/19. All. Of this via my assigned escalation advisor.

Two interesting but really important things are happening while all this transpires.

1) I would hear nothing from the dealership.
2) We left for Florida for fall break on 10/16.

With news from our escalation advisor that our Jeep was delivered and the dealership would being reach out to me after inspection and prepping it for pickup. A friend of ours was actually at the dealership the day before (10/18) and text us saying it looks like our white JLU was delivered. Being out of town, my father-in-law offered to go over to the dealership after hours and check out our Jeep for us. Below are a few pics from the lot early morning on 10/19.

Tuesday the 19th would come and go and I would not hear from the dealership. I didn’t think anything of if knowing I’d heard from our escalation advisor and knowing they would need a little time to prep. So on Wednesday morning the 20th I would text my sales guy letting him know that I would like to make plans to take delivery of our Jeep on Monday the 25th when we return from vacation!

I would get my first text reply four hours later (mid-day) saying he needed to locate our Jeep. I would respond with one of the above pictures saying I know exactly where my Jeep was (sitting on your lot on the northwest corner)! . I would hear nothing for five more hours (5pm) when I decided to call the dealership…

to be continued…

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +12 weeks since placing the deposit.]

 

[Eandras]

October 2021

The month of October would start out really slow followed by excitement thanks to a fellow Jeeper from the forum followed by the worst news a new Jeep person doesn’t want to here.

We had beautiful fall weather in Indiana which just made it suck that much more knowing that we started the month beyond the original estimated delivery time and still have no Jeep!

Then something really cool happened…on 10/4 out of the blue and never interacting with him before @Eandras would send me a direct message after reading one of my thread posts offering to help with the escalation progress.

After escalating the build and getting an escalation advisor involved, our JLU would move to G status and officially begin the build process. Our Jeep would end up spending a few extra days in the infamous JB status and getting delivered to the dealership on 10/19. All. Of this via my assigned escalation advisor.

Two interesting but really important things are happening while all this transpires.

1) I would hear nothing from the dealership.
2) We left for Florida for fall break on 10/16.

With news from our escalation advisor that our Jeep was delivered and the dealership would being reach out to me after inspection and prepping it for pickup. A friend of ours was actually at the dealership the day before (10/18) and text us saying it looks like our white JLU was delivered. Being out of town, my father-in-law offered to go over to the dealership after hours and check out our Jeep for us. Below are a few pics from the lot early morning on 10/19.

Tuesday the 19th would come and go and I would not hear from the dealership. I didn’t think anything of if knowing I’d heard from our escalation advisor and knowing they would need a little time to prep. So on Wednesday morning the 20th I would text my sales guy letting him know that I would like to make plans to take delivery of our Jeep on Monday the 25th when we return from vacation!

I would get my first text reply four hours later (mid-day) saying he needed to locate our Jeep. I would respond with one of the above pictures saying I know exactly where my Jeep was (sitting on your lot on the northwest corner)! . I would hear nothing for five more hours (5pm) when I decided to call the dealership…

to be continued…

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +12 weeks since placing the deposit.]

Thanks for the acknowledgement it is my pleasure to help other forum members. I a happy that you got the escalation adviser that you go Mike is a really good guy who follows through. By the way he is not a bot. I am always willing to help anyone who asks for help,or who did not have a path to follow. Although I know what happens next. You can tell them what is to be continued. If you are ever in NJ. Please let’s meet up and have a few laughs.

 

[DB2]

October 2021 continued part 1…

To recap… its Wednesday the 20th of October around 5:00pm, one day after being notified by Mike our escalation advisor that our Jeep had arrived at the dealership. I make the call after an awkward text and a long delay from the sales person.

I knew something wasn’t right when the receptionist answered my call and immediately transferred me when she heard my name to the sale manager. He greets me and then says “We accidentally sold your Jeep yesterday (Tuesday).” I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He goes on to say that they have attempted to have the new owners return the Jeep but they were reluctant to. You think!!! I would be too. Do you know how hard it is to find a Wrangler just sitting on a lot!!! I told them I didn’t buy a used Jeep and that I wouldn’t accept it even if they returned it! I was pissed off! This is where I’m not certain what all I said. All I know is he knew exactly how I felt = @#$%^. I immediately called and left a voicemail with Mike my escalation advisor while the dealership would continue to try and resolve the issue by locating another Jeep.

A few side bars /additional context.

1) This call is happening from the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World. My wife would later tell me that nearby children heard language not so Disney .

2) Turns out this would be the first interaction with this sales manager as he just started working at the dealership two week prior. Definitely the worst way to meet someone for the first time.

I would get a phone call and email back from Mike first thing Thursday (the next day). He is as confused as I am and doesn’t understand how this could happen. He said “Your name is on the sticker and on other paperwork! Mike would end up calling the dealership and talking with the sales manager and inventory/order manager multiple times asking what they were going to do to make this right! Mike had been awesome up to this point and continues to be.

Later in the day, the dealership would call to say they were not able to locate another Jeep. They actually say to me “dealerships just don’t have any Jeeps, they are all customer orders.” No kidding, how do you think you got one you sold out from under me!!!! We are fed up by this point an just tying to enjoy the remainder of our vacation.

We would decide to finish our vacation while letting the dealership know they would be hearing from our attorney next week…

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +13 weeks since placing the deposit.]

 

[DB2]

October 2021 continued… part 2

It’s now Monday the 25th of October. I’d spoken to my attorney over the weekend confirming that because their was a deposit paid for the order that we were definitely talking about a breach of contract. I also placed a call in to the owner of the dealership.

It turns out taking a pause and adding a potential lawyer to the mix was exactly what we needed. I received a phone call from the owner, sale manager and escalation advisor all within a few hours of each other. Had a great conversation with the owner of the dealership and he said this is no longer about selling a vehicle but making it right! I shared my concerns and requirements to make this right. This was followed up with a call from the sale manager to confirm the new deal. We documented the deal and submitted an order for our second JLU in a three month time period.

We agreed to a combination of additional options, additional discounts, dealer credits and additional compensation from a corporate level via our escalation advisor. All this was accomplished without having to formally involve a lawyer and led to a significant discounted Jeep. The sales manager ended the last call by telling me I hold the title for the best deal ever at the dealership! It wasn’t a title I was looking to hold, I just wanted my JEEP!!! We agreed that the problems they created was worse the title.

The other interesting thing that happened during all this was the window to order a MY21’ closed so the same deal had to be accepted and agreed to on a MY22’!

We received the VON on 10/27/2021, the day we placed our second order.

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +14 weeks since placing the deposit. / 0 weeks since ordering the second JLU!]

 

[DB2]

November 2021

We would receive our new VIN on 11/10/2021 - ending in 1217. The excitement is just not there at this point as we are still really disappointed to have to start all over with the process. The GOOD NEWS is our escalation advisor Mike has committed to remain engaged until we take delivery of our MY22’ including working with the plant to expedite the build.

The most excitement for the month was finding out , thanks to @jeepDiRT & @scj64 via their awesome threads, Silver became available. Working through Mike we were able to submit a change request and switch the color from white to silver!!! Thanks again Mike!!! .

With this little change Artemis is born. We are really excited because at the beginning of all this we wanted Silver! December is here and the excitement is back, this time hoping for a much better outcome!

[OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +19 weeks since placing the deposit.]
(Artemis timeline = +6 weeks)

 

[DB2]

December 2021

Found the website /application GAIA GPS. I’ve found some great routes I’ve saved for future use as well as started adding my our routes and landmarks to the app. It’s a great app and an even better way to make the time go by faster! .

Reply with any recommendations on routes and/or must see places in the Indy-Louisville-Cincy triangle!

OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +20 weeks since placing the deposit.]
(Artemis timeline = +7 weeks)

 

[cornercanyon]

December 2021

Found the website /application GAIA GPS. I’ve found some great routes I’ve saved for future use as well as started adding my our routes and landmarks to the app. It’s a great app and an even better way to make the time go by faster! .

Reply with any recommendations on routes and/or must see places in the Indy-Louisville-Cincy triangle!

OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +20 weeks since placing the deposit.]
(Artemis timeline = +7 weeks)

Great story telling. Looking forward to hearing the rest. It surprises me how often this happens to folks on the forum. How do they sell someone's pre ordered Wrangler?

 

[Dyolfknip74]

December 2021

Found the website /application GAIA GPS. I’ve found some great routes I’ve saved for future use as well as started adding my our routes and landmarks to the app. It’s a great app and an even better way to make the time go by faster! .

Reply with any recommendations on routes and/or must see places in the Indy-Louisville-Cincy triangle!

OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +20 weeks since placing the deposit.]
(Artemis timeline = +7 weeks)

That app also works with Android Auto (and I'm sure Carplay)

 

[DB2]

It’s been almost a month since I’ve been on the forum. I‘ve missed the community and trying to get back in to it. Unfortunately all of these became a lot less important as the entire month and holiday has been overshadowed by the unexpected passing of my father on 12/13. RIP DB1

I got a lot of cool accessories and gear for the Jeep for Christmas. We will do some posts as we install each of the items in the new year.

We did get a little good Jeep news today from our escalation manager. Our JLU is scheduled to be built next week! Will keep you posted.

Tell those you love how much they mean to you, stop worrying about what other people think of you and enjoy life to the fullest! You never know when time expires. Happy New Year everyone!

OVERALL JOURNEY TIMELINE = +24 weeks since placing the deposit.]
(Artemis timeline = +11 weeks)

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