Back gate squeaking and pulled up

[Crownline]

Bought a '20 Rubicon in January from a dealer three hours away bc they were a little cheaper. It came with 35x12.5R20 tires that the dealer had a local tire shop put on before we even looked at the Jeep (we never requested these tires). Supposedly this shop does some of their Wranglers.

Took possession of the Jeep and got home and realized the backup sensors were turned off bc the sensors would pick up the spare tire and would go off. Contacted the salesman a few weeks later and he said it was a known issue and to bring it back and they'd put the updated bracket on to raise the tire. (Known issue, yet they didn't do it from the get-go and the backup sensor was turned off purposefully, I believe). So hubby did the six-hour trip to get the new bracket installed. Get home and I notices the back gate is pushed up, see picture. In the next few days hubby gets a text from the dealership and he replies about the pushed up back gate but no response.

That was end of February. COVID has since happened and life has been busy. Contacted the salesman last week and they want me to bring the Jeep back so they can "assess" the back gate. It is also now squeaking pretty bad. Do you think a local dealership can do anything? I'd have to take a day off work, drive six-hour roundtrip just for them to "assess" it. Then maybe another trip if they have to order parts. Am I crazy to think how unreasonable that is??

Sponsored

 

[tonygiotta]

Less than an ideal carrier set-up for sure. Tire is higher up, cantilevered, and not resting on the rubber support bumpers. Probably contributing to the gap you're pointing out. That being said, it's sadly not uncommon for Jeeps that get outfitted at the dealership prior to delivery. They definitely focus more on form over funtion.

The squeaking could be caused by the carrier, or sometimes the gates squeak as the weatherstripping gets dirty. Mine was squeaking pretty bad after a trip to the desert. Cleaned up all the areas the weatherstripping contacts the gate and the noise was gone.

As for the unreasonable drive to the dealership, well, you saved a few bucks on the purchase... A local dealer could fix it, but I wouldn't expect them to fix it for free. I'm pretty sure they're not in the business of cleaning up after the cheaper dealer's mistakes. Sometimes it's just the price you pay for going out of town for that great deal.

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

I don’t know what type of tire relocation bracket they installed for your spare tire, but it looks like a problem. The spare is sticking out pretty far on the tailgate and the lack of an extended bump stop set against the tire allows more flexing on the tailgate. Get that thing looked at by someone who knows what their doing. That’s a fubar mess...

 

[Crownline]

I don’t know what type of tire relocation bracket they installed for your spare tire, but it looks like a problem. The spare is sticking out pretty far on the tailgate and the lack of an extended bump stop set against the tire allows more flexing on the tailgate. Get that thing looked at by someone who knows what their doing. That’s a fubar mess...

It's a Rough Country bracket. I agree that it's a mess!

Talked to the original dealer again yesterday. They suggested we take the tire off and take it to our local dealer to have them adjust the gate. I brought up the bump stop issue and he asked if this is something that can be bought, so I'm assuming he never heard of these. UGH! When the salesman talked to the service manager, he said he's never seen this happen before. So I agree we need someone who knows what they're doing...not sure if that's the original dealer at this point!

I think our plan at this time is to talk to our local dealer to see if they'll even get involved to adjust the gate. I'm fine with making bump stops, but I do think the gate will need to be adjusted (maybe replaced if creased??). Thoughts???

Sponsored