Factory Hood Lock

[MotoOverland]

Is there a reason why Jeep does not offer a factory hood lock for the Wrangler? Seems like an obvious thing to do.

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[Covfefe]

I don't get it either. You still have wiggle your way in and press the hood release. I think this is all a gimmick, because on real humvees, you undo the latches and that's it.

 

[KaDeTime]

i would also like to see that option from factory

 

[COBill]

I think they used to offer one as a MOPAR option but that was well over a decade ago.

 

[COBill]

No but on the JL they have added the hood to the alarm system.

Which, as one might guess, is rather silly simply because the reaction in most any neighborhood to an alarm going off is to ignore it and think "some idiot's alarm is going off."

By the time it's going off, your underhood whatever is gone.

On a related note, I didn't see a keyed fuel cap in the MOPAR catalog either, and I know I had one of those on my TJ.

 

[Revelation17]

Yeah, I'm going to try to add a key lock to the fuel door and a Bolt lock to the hood. It is a little weird that those features haven't made it to the production vehicles yet.

 

[JHJLUR]

I this really a huge problem,? think of how many wranglers are out there, I don't blame someone for perhaps wanting to add it, but Im happy not to have to use/keep a key around for it....granted I live in an area where it really isn't an issue, I am happy that they've added the alarm feature for what it is worth, although if they hadn't I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

 

[KaDeTime]

I this really a huge problem,? think of how many wranglers are out there, I don't blame someone for perhaps wanting to add it, but Im happy not to have to use/keep a key around for it....granted I live in an area where it really isn't an issue, I am happy that they've added the alarm feature for what it is worth, although if they hadn't I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

What “key” would you have to keep? It uses the ignition key. The alarm is a minimum what should be included as any car from the 90s had that. And trust me it’s all fun and games until you get back to your Jeep and the battery is gone

 

[JHJLUR]

What “key” would you have to keep? It uses the ignition key. The alarm is a minimum what should be included as any car from the 90s had that. And trust me it’s all fun and games until you get back to your Jeep and the battery is gone

I was talking about a separate key I’ve seen with aftermarket options.... I guess I never really worried about my battery being stolen because in over 20 years of wrangler ownership I’ve never had an issue or know anyone who has.... it would suck, quite honestly though, I have a soft top and I’m much more concerned with the havoc that could happen inside and the new LEDs being stolen which I promise will be an issue in some areas.

 

[KaDeTime]

I was talking about a separate key I’ve seen with aftermarket options.... I guess I never really worried about my battery being stolen because in over 20 years of wrangler ownership I’ve never had an issue or know anyone who has.... it would suck, quite honestly though, I have a soft top and I’m much more concerned with the havoc that could happen inside and the new LEDs being stolen which I promise will be an issue in some areas.

I would not worry at all about lcd being stolen. As for the battery all depends where you live. In Chicago when I had my JK spare tire, battery, anything that is not locked is a free for all

 

[Andy2434]

Definitely installing a hood lock prior to installing an air compressor and other under the hood items.

 

[JHJLUR]

I would not worry at all about lcd being stolen. As for the battery all depends where you live. In Chicago when I had my JK spare tire, battery, anything that is not locked is a free for all

I can imagine, Im not worried about the LCD, Im worried about the LED headlights, those are stolen in many areas..

 

[RussJeep1]

There are many factors that go into why FCA chooses (or doesn't) to provide something as a Jeep blessed (i.e MOPAR) part, or leave its creation to the aftermarket.

Before delving into this, it's important to understand that the historical nature of FCA's relationship with the aftermarket has been described as "love/hate." On the love side is how Wrangler sales are enhanced in part because customers are provided a plethora of options in the independent and competitive aftermarket, often at lower prices and better quality to FCAs wares, to customize their rigs.

But that's millions of dollars FCA is losing out on: the hate side.

With the release of the JL FCA sought to tip that balance somewhat in their favor, at least temporarily, by introducing a series of accessories at launch, before many in the aftermarket had access to JL product to reengineer their wares from those that fit the JK. This move tapped in on those who need/want the feature now, or who might not want to take the leap to the JL knowing a decade of aftermarket innovation already exists for the JK. Eventually the aftermarket will catch up, but in the interim FCA can profit in the accessory market.

FCA smartly tapped into a play from the airline industry. It's selling convenience. To point, if you want the accessory on day 1, buy FCAs top dollar version. And if you want a seat on the flight a day before departure, be prepared to pay. But if you're flexible, more value is to be found.

(I'm not taking issue with the quality of the FCA JL accessory lineup. I just expect that for the money, higher quality will eventually be found when the aftermarket catches up.)

With this relationship understood one can now begin to appreciate the factors that FCA considers when introducing an accessory. Such factors include:

1) What are my expected sales?
2) What are my expected margins?
3) What liability does selling this product create for me?
4) By selling this product am I tacitly acknowledging deficiencies in the JL design?
5) What has the aftermarket already produced, better and cheaper to solve this, that in a matter of days they will have reengineered for the JL and within a few months brought to market that will affect my sales?

Hood lock accessories produced by the very automobile maker that choose to not provide them standard sends mixed and potentially negative public relations messages. It says that FCA recognizes under hood theft as enough of an issue to produce accessory solutions to it, but that it doesn't care to make such locks standard equipment all while almost all less valuable under the hood vehicles have, if nothing else, hood locks actuated from the vehicle's interior, which don't prevent such theft, but mildly deter it. And that such interior locks find the opportunistic thief seeking JK's as a target instead, given the reduced risk and difficulty of getting under the hood, and the more lucrative booty that they find there.

Fine lines exist in any product between what is an accessory and what is a fix to a problem that should have been addressed before the initial product was lauched.

The easy access hood latches tie into a mindset and throwback to the days where vehicles were more likely to suffer failures, the driver would pop the hood and wiggle this, adjust that, and ask their better half's to "try it now,"--and said fix would, as the story line goes, always seem to work.

 

[RonH]

Yeah, I'm going to try to add a key lock to the fuel door and a Bolt lock to the hood. It is a little weird that those features haven't made it to the production vehicles yet.

And, I had an e-mail discussion with Bolt about the JL. Long story short, he indicated that the receiver lock should be available within a month or two and the hood lock won't be available until the summer or fall of 2018. They want to see what, if anything, has changed with the mounting location on the JL. Guess I'll have to go without for a few months until they come out with it.

 

[KaDeTime]

And, I had an e-mail discussion with Bolt about the JL. Long story short, he indicated that the receiver lock should be available within a month or two and the hood lock won't be available until the summer or fall of 2018. They want to see what, if anything, has changed with the mounting location on the JL. Guess I'll have to go without for a few months until they come out with it.

so you did email them, i think we were talking about this in another post

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