Jeep Apologists

[Kansas JL]

I agree with most all of the statements on this thread including the OP. We like our Jeep. Man the Uconnect sucks. I understand It is a outsourced product. And the phone app is pathetic. The sound is awesome, but it is glitchy.
I have not had any death wobble, but my driving experience is drifty/ping pong driving inbetween the lines is crazy. In bad weather like we had in the Midwest this week, it has been stressful driving it. Not impossible, just constantly doing these little 1 inch steering wheel corrections just to drive in a straight line. It’s Exhausting and in crapppy weather really BS. I can’t believe Jeep/Fca couldn’t get this steering better than this. (and I have driven other solid axle vehicles, they take bumps hard, but should drive straight otherwise)

Dry weather with normal street conditions it’s only moderately onying/ in bad weather driving conditions it’s nerve racking.

I still like our Jeep, I understand what it is and what it is not. I just feel like the OP said, it could have been and should have been just slightly better.

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[stewartld]

Stinky cheese?

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[stewartld]

Infotainment system bug: this is pretty much across board for every FCA products using uConnect, a simple reset will fix 99.99% issues.
Cracked windshield: it is part of the design to have nearly 0 rake windshield. FCA can't fix physics.
Death wobble: bump steer shimmy was exaggerated by many people who never drive solid axle.
Leaky panels: the JL water managements are much better than JK and other convertibles, that is the tradeoff to have removable roofs.
Poor weld: it was a small batch during a specific range of date.

It's true that the infotainment system can be reset BUT it shouldn't need to be. It may well be the same for other FCA products but that's hardly a justification, more a very good reason why it should have been fixed.

Cracked windscreen - same geometry on LR Defender and Merc G Class but they don't have the same windscreen issues.

 

[Poromenos]

I dont know if I am an apologist, but def a happiness exaggerator. When people ask me about my JLUR I sing its praises, but deep down I know im not as happy with it as I pretend to be. I bought my JLUR before finding this forum so was oblivious to most issues. So much great info on this forum Rear defrost came completely disconnected, rear seat vents are useles even with blower turned to max 7 setting, front defrost only works in the center, anything over 60 mph and Im battling to keep it straight. Ive driven all types of vehicles before, including solid axle vehicles, so no its not a solid axle issue or a “jeep thing”. Just poor construction/execution.
That being said I still smile everytime I walk up to it when parked next to other “boring” vehicles. Im looking forward to warmer days and top off driving. I have a service appt next week to see if they can address any of those issues, so fingers crossed. Still more happy than non-happy with the Jeep.

 

[Thermodynamicles]

I have a 2018 JLU Sahara soft top manual 6 speed with about 20,500 miles on it. Just hit my one year anniversary. No issues - it's only been to the dealership for oil changes, tire rotations, and inspection. It's a blast on the mild off-roading I've done and through the snow and mud. This is my first Jeep and it is a lot of fun!

My biggest complaint is the stupid front door rain gutters. Every time it rains it drains straight into the cabin when you open the doors to get in. I recently saw a post where someone used something to block the front gutter point - I'm going to have to do something similar.

 

[VolCntry73]

I agree with most all of the statements on this thread including the OP. We like our Jeep. Man the Uconnect sucks. I understand It is a outsourced product. And the phone app is pathetic. The sound is awesome, but it is glitchy.
I have not had any death wobble, but my driving experience is drifty/ping pong driving inbetween the lines is crazy. In bad weather like we had in the Midwest this week, it has been stressful driving it. Not impossible, just constantly doing these little 1 inch steering wheel corrections just to drive in a straight line. It’s Exhausting and in crapppy weather really BS. I can’t believe Jeep/Fca couldn’t get this steering better than this. (and I have driven other solid axle vehicles, they take bumps hard, but should drive straight otherwise)

Dry weather with normal street conditions it’s only moderately onying/ in bad weather driving conditions it’s nerve racking.

I still like our Jeep, I understand what it is and what it is not. I just feel like the OP said, it could have been and should have been just slightly better.

Just a recommendation...but you might want to get the steering looked at. I know there are several threads on this forum with folks having that issue, and the constant correction is not normal. Just my opinion.

 

[VolCntry73]

I feel for the ones who are having to "fake" their enthusiasm for their Jeep. I may be in the minority, but when folks ask me how I like mine, and I say, "I love it! It's the funnest vehicle I have ever owned. Don't regret trading in my Silverado for it at all," I truly mean it. I'm not having the issues the OP mentions, and I have around 8,400 miles on it. I look forward to driving it to work every day (never really said that about any other vehicle), and can't wait until warmer weather. The only complaint i have is the time I have to save money to keep up with my mod wish list.

 

[Ntegtmeyer]

My JL is quite an improvement over my 2012 JK!

Infotainment software bugs? Nope
Death wobble: None
Cracking "windscreens"? Huh?
Leaky roof panels? Not on my JL
Poor chassis welds? Nada...

You're experiencing all of these issues with yours, or just spouting off issues that others have had? If so, sounds like you have yourself a lemon.

Same thing for me, bought mine second week of January of 2018 and nearing 20k on the odometer. Only issue I have had is the rear defroster tab popping off. Other than that, no other issues and I drive my Jeep a lot. I have absolutely no regret and would buy another one if given the chance.

 

[Robieman]

I'm gonna throw in my 2 cents worth on this subject. I got my JL in Oct 18. Only have around 2500 miles so far. Not a daily driver, but do drive round trip of 100 miles to work. Half back roads, half interstate. No cracked windshield yet. I will say that we have had 3 windshields replaced on different brand vehicles, and one was able to be repaired. So I figure, that is luck of the draw, and not necessarily just a Jeep problem. I don't have the nice radio, since mine is a Sport. But the wife's Grand Cherokee does, and so far no problems with it. I will also tell you, that I work for a "competing brand' dealership's service department, and we get their radios in here all the time having issues. So I feel Jeeps are probably not that much more than other brands, or at least compared to the ones where I work. I haven't experienced this death wobble, but will not say it doesn't exist. However, I owned 3 JK's, and I think they all drove similarly to this JL. Bottom line is, there will always be the "Lemons" in all brands, and I can't help but think that is the case with these issues. And I feel for those who experience these problem's. Lastly, I will say, that I am extremely pleased with mine, and was well worth trading my 14 Mustang convertible for it!

 

[Fire Burns]

I'm with you OP. My climate control system is complete garbage. It simply cannot maintain a consistent temperature. I've had countless VEHICLES where that mundane task is not a problem. My Android Car Play is utter trash and inoperable when plugged in to a USB port. I have an undeniable scent of coolant when I turn on the heater.

All of that said, I love it, but these problems should not exist on a fully loaded Rubicon at nearly $60k. I don't give a crap how much of an improvement it is over a JK, TJ, CJ, or any other letters of the alphabet

 

[maguro]

I have mixed feelings about this. My JLUR has been quite buggy with its inaccurate speedometer, intermittent radio, intermittent backup cam, occasional ESS errors and a windshield which seems to crack if you sneeze facing forward.

However, if I had to do it all over again, I'd happily buy another JLUR without hesitation. I love the looks, I love being able to go topless and doorless and I love its capabilities out here in the mountains.

I think it's important to level set your expectations. FCA isn't exactly known for its reliability and it's also unfair to expect a vehicle like the Wrangler to be as reliable as a one dimensional Corolla or Civic. In a ideal world world, Lexus would take over the Wrangler but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

[Matthew/E36]

So, at the risk of upsetting...well pretty much everyone...who else will admit to being a Jeep apologist?

To explain, I do love my JL, I love how it handles the snow, I love how it looks, I like the utilitarian vibe, I tell people how good it is...but in my heart I also know that it really should be better. Sure there are compromises which are to be expected - it's not going to ride or steer as well as other cars because it has a ladder chassis and live axles, it's going to be noisier if it has a removable top etc...these are all fair compromises for a car which is so capable off road and that you can take the doors and roof off etc. Fuel consumption is going to be bad if it has the shape of a brick - fair enough.

But what really frustrates me are the things which really should be better. The software in the entertainment/navigation system is a joke, these things shouldn't crash and have bugs like this. The death wobble has no place on a modern car (don't tell me it's inevitable because it has live solid axles, the Mercedes G glass has these and no death wobble). Cracking windscreens, leaky roof panels, poor chassis welding etc...it's just plain wrong. It just gives off the feeling that the engineers, production and designers took the view that just about good enough was all they needed to do rather than actually put the effort, care, engineering and work in to make it a really good car, the car it should be.

So I'll hold my hand up - I'm a Jeep apologist, I say it's great but in my heart I know that really it should be better than it is.

I hope you took it back, or had all those things fixed...no reason to stand for that.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

My JL is quite an improvement over my 2012 JK!

Infotainment software bugs? Nope
Death wobble: None
Cracking "windscreens"? Huh?
Leaky roof panels? Not on my JL
Poor chassis welds? Nada...

You're experiencing all of these issues with yours, or just spouting off issues that others have had? If so, sounds like you have yourself a lemon.

^ This.

11,000 miles on mine and I have none of those issues. The worst problem I’ve had (and still have) is an annoying vibration sound in the dash that goes away when it rains (probably air coming under the windshield into the dash).

Don’t forget that a very small percentage of Jeep owners will join a forum. For those that do, you can categorize them: a) enthusiasts who love to talk shop, b) newbs who want to learn, c) people with issues who want help and or to vent their frustrations.

Category “c” is the vocal minority.

 

[Matthew/E36]

I think the point is at these price points - the quality SHOULD be better. BMW, Porsche etc all have their issues but with sticker on my JLUR being $52K - it's hard to not think about the fact that I could have gotten a used Cayenne GTS with less than 20K miles on it for same price or just slightly more...

...I may also be bias based on the fact I'm going into service for the 4th time in 6 weeks.

You should be annoyed with a 4th service in 6 weeks!

And buying anything used is (almost) always better value than new. I'd be leery of buying a 50k Cayenne, but that's just me.

 

[Capt-Zoom]

Can't say I am an apologist....I get right to the point...if something is f'd on any of my vehicles I raise hell about it until it is right. That said I didn't buy any of my jeeps for mileage or the ultimate in comfort. I bought them because I like working on them and I alter them to handle the worst that bad weather can throw at them be it a blizzard, 60 below temps, black ice, hurricanes, and floods. My 20 yr old soft top tj has handled them all with ease...damn thing is nearly indestructible and is still a daily driver. If the JLU can last me 20 years through that I will be more than happy.

When i sold my hard top TJ and bought soft top tj instead of a pickup, many thought I was crazy since it was in northern Minnesota. Most now think it was one of the best purchases we ever made. Never failed to get us home or where we needed to be no matter how bad the roads were. Plus there aren't a lot of vehicles that are reliable after 20 years...my TJ still is.

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