Does your JL come pre-dented?

[Muzzle of Bees]

All three of my 4 doors (two JKUs and a JLU) were/are this way, and every one I've seen in parking lots is this way. It doesn't bother me one bit. It's a Jeep, not a show car. As long as everything is painted well to prevent corrosion, I'm good.

Now if I was one of the unlucky guys who doesn't have full paint coverage on those body panels in that same area, then I'd be upset.

In short: We need to stop making mountains out of mole hills, because the more we harass FCA over stupid things that are normal to production, the more the price will keep going up as they "fix" these things.

That is just dumb. They should be proud manufactures, not take it or leave crap.
They use any excuse they can to convince us that we should pay more. A 50k crappy built vehicle can sit on the lot and rot.

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[WXman]

That is just dumb. They should be proud manufactures, not take it or leave crap.
They use any excuse they can to convince us that we should pay more. A 50k crappy built vehicle can sit on the lot and rot.

Well I guess you have to define "crappy". Personally, my Jeep doors do exactly what they are supposed to do. They keep weather out. They offer occupants protection. They deter theft. And they are lightweight enough that I can remove them. So I don't have a single problem with the doors.

If you want a door that's as straight as a sheet of glass, then what you're asking for is a door that's MUCH heavier gauge material, and that reduces fuel economy and the ability to easily remove the doors, which is a Wrangler hallmark. Ain't happnin'.

P.S. I guess I should really be crying, because my UPPER hinge is also "dented" from the factory.

 

[mortuar]

Well I guess you have to define "crappy". Personally, my Jeep doors do exactly what they are supposed to do. They keep weather out. They offer occupants protection. They deter theft. And they are lightweight enough that I can remove them. So I don't have a single problem with the doors.

If you want a door that's as straight as a sheet of glass, then what you're asking for is a door that's MUCH heavier gauge material, and that reduces fuel economy and the ability to easily remove the doors, which is a Wrangler hallmark. Ain't happnin'.

P.S. I guess I should really be crying, because my UPPER hinge is also "dented" from the factory.

Actually, you don't need a door that is much heavier gauge material. There is another thread on this forum that states this can be fixed by loosening the two bolts on the hinge that contact the outside of the door and then retightening. The problem is it will expose primer under the hinge and will require the bolts to be repainted/resealed. Thread is here: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/where-art-thou-quality-control.9761/

In that post, they state the most prevalent area for the issue is the passenger lower hinge - which happens to be the hinge that looks the worst for me. The issue is not with the material, the issue is with the tolerance in the factory installing hinges onto the doors ever so slightly off which is causing tension and this warped look when the doors are installed on the Jeep. If the hinges were installed properly in the first place, the warp would not be visible. *This is a fixable problem at the factory.*

FCA needs better QC. End of story. They've needed better QC for as long as I can remember. Stop taking up for a company that makes a boat load of money off of people by masking this as "a Jeep thing" due to lower gauge materials. That's not the case at all. They bumped the pricing on these things, they should have bumped the quality control as well.

 

[WXman]

I think it does have everything to do with the gauge of material used. If you look over a JK or JL, you'll see waves in the light shining off the paint even in areas far away from door hinges. When you're using ultra thin aluminum and steel to keep body panels light, it's virtually impossible to make them look flawless.

Sure, you can loosen your hinges and help the issue while creating a new one. But it'll never be perfect. Then again, I don't expect a Jeep Wrangler to have a flawless body like I would a Porsche or BMW AMG.

Wait until the light is just right during the evening and go over the Jeep with a close eye. You'll find waves and orange peel all over it. That's what you get when you're shopping the $30,000+ price range.

 

[mortuar]

Sure, you can loosen your hinges and help the issue while creating a new one. But it'll never be perfect. Then again, I don't expect a Jeep Wrangler to have a flawless body like I would a Porsche or BMW AMG.

Wait until the light is just right during the evening and go over the Jeep with a close eye. You'll find waves and orange peel all over it. That's what you get when you're shopping the $30,000+ price range.

Wait... what!? You think this is just normal and acceptable in any vehicle above $30k? How about vehicles that are going for well into $50k? These panels are stamped and built by machines. We are talking about a tolerance problem in their manufacturing. The company producing these has the ability to course correct to fix it moving forward.... and you think that's just not worth it because these aren't $80k vehicles?

Jeep owners are the most loyal fanbase in the world. Even in the face of issues that are blatant and fixable like this, they'd rather it just stay status quo versus things getting any better. If you know better, you should do better. Jeep makes a killing off of these things. They are reporting record sales over and over and over. They can stop building the doors in such a way that causes tension at the hinges. I'm getting so tired of hearing, "it's a Jeep thing." It's not a valid excuse for a lack in quality control.

 

[JEEP-N-TEE]

easy fix. take the doors off

 

[WXman]

Wait... what!? You think this is just normal and acceptable in any vehicle above $30k? How about vehicles that are going for well into $50k? These panels are stamped and built by machines. We are talking about a tolerance problem in their manufacturing. The company producing these has the ability to course correct to fix it moving forward.... and you think that's just not worth it because these aren't $80k vehicles?

Yes that is exactly what I'm saying. Jeep purposefully made the JL doors lighter so they're easier to take off, which is a hallmark of the Wrangler. You cannot make doors lighter and make the material heavier at the same time. It doesn't work that way. With the gauge of material they are using, it's going to have some waves in it. That's just how it is. You're talking about fastening a heavy duty hinge to a light duty door. It's going to have waves in it. This is not a manufacturing problem. Any company on the planet could use these same hinges and same doors and end up with the same waves in the reflection. This isn't rocket science.

I can go to a Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, GM, or Kia dealership right now and walk around their SUVs and find waves and imperfections in stress areas of panels.

We're buying Jeeps, not Ferraris here.

 

[MDG]

The things we look past because its a Jeep! If this were on any other car we paid this much for we would have declined delivery. Heck, if the doors on my Mazda that I paid $20K less for was this way I would have declined it.

It was something that bothered me when I first my Rubicon but I don't even notice it anymore.

 

[NavyVet1959]

A gloss flat panel like that will show up the slightest imperfections. If you want to design a large flat area like that to be more ridged, you need to put some corrugations in it like you see with some of the HMMWV doors or even the sides of a jerry can. Or you can just go with a non-reflective paint so that it won't be noticed.

On the other hand, a liberal splattering of mud covers up many imperfections...

 

[WXman]

A gloss flat panel like that will show up the slightest imperfections. If you want to design a large flat area like that to be more ridged, you need to put some corrugations in it like you see with some of the HMMWV doors or even the sides of a jerry can. Or you can just go with a non-reflective paint so that it won't be noticed.

On the other hand, a liberal splattering of mud covers up many imperfections...

Yep, Jeep used to offer a covering of mud as a standard color.

 

[NavyVet1959]

Yep, Jeep used to offer a covering of mud as a standard color.

I guess not too many malls these days have dirt parking lots.

 

[JIMBOX]

The PRIUS HAS A "wrinkle free" body--

Quit your belly aching and refuse to buy a JEEP-

W.E.

JIMBO

 

[GARRIGA]

A gloss flat panel like that will show up the slightest imperfections. If you want to design a large flat area like that to be more ridged, you need to put some corrugations in it like you see with some of the HMMWV doors or even the sides of a jerry can. Or you can just go with a non-reflective paint so that it won't be noticed.

On the other hand, a liberal splattering of mud covers up many imperfections...

Why my copy will eventually be splattered with Lynex. Problem solved. Might have occasional mud.

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