JL welding Issues

[Elganja]

At the end of the day-- there are some crappy welds, but I do agree that the likelihood of an actual problem from the crappy welds is low. To expect military grade welds everywhere is not realistic, we're paying for a Chrysler not a Bentley.

As one other welder put it (in this thread or another), this Jeep is way over welded-- as in it has more welds then it needs to avoid a single point of failure. Irregardless, it would be wise to inspect the car once a year for ANY issues, not just welds, but overall (that goes true for any vehicle)

At some point in time, you need to make a decision-- if you are going to let these welds bother you to the point where you hate the car, get rid of it and move on

Sponsored

 

[BradyAntebellum]

Thanks for informative reply .

However , all welds on a Jeep truck ought to be military spec , and I don't see how any robot could do that ? By their nature , robots are not intelligent or skilled . We will want skilled UAW human welder workers , in my opinion . No short cuts .

You would not want a robot to do your dental work ? You would not want a robot to remove your gall bladder ? I would not want a robot to take my blood test sample , or to take my blood pressure .

Believe me, you don't want "military spec" or "military grade" contrary to popular belief, all of the military's equipment is purchased from the lowest bidder. I'm sure the other vets on here can attest our military's vehicles are huge POS lol

 

[bilash31]

You have NO right to use this man's real name

I touched on such on my deleted post as I went too far.
To make it worse this member has a profile name of MI_JEEP. Been watching the thread since the beginning. Somehow knows NCJeepn’s real name. And just joined with only 2 new posts defending FCA.
I will let everyone connect those obvious dots.

 

[NCJeepn73]

Let me get this straight, you complained about some porosity in a few welds, outlined the welds you were concerned about. Presented them to your dealer who sent them to FCA who sent someone to fix what the complaint was about. Correct?

The issues were addressed, resolved, and presented to your dealer service manager (Jerry) and service writer (Ryan) who confirmed the worked was performed that was outlined by the customer you Brian.
Correct?

And you have previously mentioned you have ZERO knowledge in welding and are unsure what you are looking at.
Correct?

Now because you failed to outline ALL issues or concerns you were experiencing with your JL to your dealer. You feel the need to put Jeep on blast for not addressing everything that you are now seeing after the inspection.
Correct?

Guess you can't make some people happy.

Wow! I can't believe this really. This is over the top. You don't know me or anything about me.

First, I have cancer -- stage IV melanoma. It has spread to 23 different locations of my body -- brain, pancreas, intestines, etc. This $52k Wrangler I purchased was supposed to be a gift to my son, paid for with a portion of my life insurance, if the unfortunate happens to me. We tinker on Jeeps together and this would be (or would have been) something special for him to remember me by, especially since we were going to add some things to it together, hopefully bonding a little more as father and son.

I didn't just complain about a few welds. I asked the dealership and my FCA rep to kindly have someone review all welds, as many were defective looking. I did have the vehicle inspected by two welding professionals in the auto and steel fabrication industry. They had a combined 43 years experience and nearly 20 certificates between the two.

I picked up the vehicle yesterday around noon and the Jeep was sitting out in the direct sun on direct pavement. I wasn't going to crawl under it there, as it was extremely hot and I told the service advisor I would check it as home and give him a call or send an email with my findings.

Because I have cancer, we have been very blessed to have many people, friends, even people we don't know step in and help us in varying ways. This is the case with the two welders. I sent one of the welders a link to a Dropbox folder where I uploaded about 25 pictures from yesterday's work. He called me to go over what he saw. I've told the service advisor, his manager, and the FCA rep. that I'm not a welder and cannot provide input for what has been done or what was originally on the vehicle. That's where both of these kind gentlemen that are welders have stepped in. They also provided written documentation and one of them used a fancy x ray machine to x ray a few welds, like from the track bar. Everything I've mentioned here about any weld on the Jeep I have is taken from or paraphrased from their notes on the welds. I'm definitely no expert.

I'm not putting Jeep on blast. I'm showing poor welding done on a very expensive vehicle. We actually love Jeep. We have owned 10 in the last 13-14 years. I told the FCA rep that all this didn't sway my love for the brand, and if I live long enough to buy another one I most certainly will. I simply want a Jeep that, in 5 years, won't be rusting out because of tons of slag, porosity, etc. My son should have something better to remember me by.

By the way, other welders have looked at the reweld too. Not one said they looked OK or properly done. And they questioned why so may other welds were left alone that are clearly defective.

I told the service advisor and my FCA rep yesterday that I was really blessed to have someone come out to try and fix these welds. But even the FCA rep said they looked poorly done and they are being forwarded to other, internal people for evaluation... actually about 100 images are being evaluated so that FCA can evaluate and hopefully make sure they create a better process overall.

So, just to say again, I asked for the entire frame to be looked at and whatever weld issues fixed. I don't know if that was translated to the welder or not. I feel like a lot of things like that aren't fully translated. But I did ask at least 4 times or more.

It's really unfortunate that you call out everyone's name in your post, as if you feel scorned by something and have to retaliate by posting public names. To be honest, I don't care that everyone know my name. When you've looked death in the face often, live in MRI. PET, or CT machines, get infusions, poked, etc., and all you care about is spending a little more time with your wife and kids, someone spitefully calling out your name on a random Jeep forum is really nothing to me.

I wish you the very best and hope my comments above have shed a little more light on facts versus what you think you might know about the situation or me.

God bless.

 

[old8tora]

I wish you the very best and hope my comments above have shed a little more light on facts versus what you think you might know about the situation or me.
God bless.

God Bless You , Brother .

 

[Capt-Zoom]

Agree MI Jeep is likely from corp.

 

[NCJeepn73]

A welding robot , perhaps ?

Lol. Could be!

Seriously though, this is the welder who re-welded on my Jeep on Wednesday. I can tell from the username, IP address, and the fact that he knew the particular names involved (service manager, advisor, my name from the ticket).

Thing is, I know his name too. I asked and it's also written on my invoice/receipt. However, I don't care to stoop so low as to call out people's names in a form of public shaming though. Just not my style or personality.

My name is Brian Gilley. I live in Rolesville, NC. My professional is SEO (search engine optimization) and ORM (online reputation management) for the past 18 years. I also dabble in programming PHP, R, and some Python. I've worked in helping some of the largest companies in the world kill it in Google and I've worked on the flip side with negative reputation management. What more would that poster like to know?

 

[NCJeepn73]

@old8tora It's Ok. I'm getting things worked out as we speak. I should know more details pretty soon.

@MI Jeep I really do appreciate you coming down to NC and attempting to fix some of the welds on my Rubicon. I have come to really appreciate things more in life, especially people doing things for us or going out of their way to make something right. It's hard to say whether or not the front track bar bracket would have snapped at some point. We do a lot of driving in the NC mountains and of course I'm going to do some off roading in it. I don't think I would have wanted to find out the hard way with my kids and wife in the car. I'm sure that FCA, from their inspection of the high res pictures and my welder's detailed notes and x ray results, would have not wanted to take that chance either. And they knew/know many other welds don't meet FCA's on spec guidelines for porosity, etc.

Sometimes you (not you personally but speaking in general terms) cannot patch something up as critical as frame components and they hold, look or perform as good as original factory specs, or hold all the steel/weld integrity after being repaired. I know some about metals and structural physics from the few physics courses I took at NC State. It's no one's fault per say. It's just the nature of what is there to work with.

I know my case may be a bit unique with cancer and all. However, I didn't ask my FCA rep for any special favors or to feel sorry for me. But they were genuinely concerned and supportive. For that I am really appreciative. Please don't take my post or pictures with the weld results as a direct reflection of your work or skills. That may've just been the best that could have been done given the tools used, locations of welds, and so on. I realize that. And, in the end, I just want to provide other owners with some background/info. as to what they might expect if they have to possibly have the same re-welding performed. It's tough to repair over factory welding. I don't know this personally since I don't weld but it's what I've been told by my seasoned welder friends. Plus, these vehicles are super expensive. It's fair imo that others know about these issues as they can affect resale, safety, long-term wear, warranties, and so on.

Anyway, I hold no animosity. I just had another brain MRI this morning. So, the only thing I'm concerned with or worried about now is whether or not the tumors have shrunk, grown, or what our next steps will be.

Take care and thanks again

 

[TaiMc]

Wait...I'm sorry, but did you just reveal this man's REAL name to everyone in this thread??? You should be more careful about such things. There is a level of confidentiality involved, or maybe you are totally new to the internet and/or forums. You have NO right to use this man's real name. None.

I guarantee you, I'd have a MAJOR issue with you posting my real name in a thread when it is absolutely UNNECESSARY, in which you have no right to do so. This is a problem, since the poster did not reveal his own name on this forum...this is why his username is: NCJeepn73

I suggest you address him as such.

Thanks to the Forum Moderator for removing @NCJeepn73 's real name from @MI_JEEP 's post.

@MI_JEEP if you are from corporate or from the dealership that NCJeepn73 took his rig to, you need to be part of the solution, not the problem. Your post did nothing but prove why so many on this forum have sour feelings about many FCA dealerships and management and why so many are distrustful.

Be about reliable business, and not about dismissing these weld photos. Maybe you can give some clarification about those instead, that way your post can be a bit more constructive?

 

[NCJeepn73]

@TaiMc Thanks Tai. I appreciate your thoughtful input. I've moved past the poster's name call outs already. Lol. I will bring all of this up though when speaking with my rep. next week.

Your comments are spot on though and part of what I do for a living. If a business' employees or contractors go online, hide behind profiles, and begin calling extremely loyal customers out by name to somehow shame them in front of others -- all while only knowing 20% of the story -- then they hurt that company's reputation that much more. It's amazing how much revenue is lost via social media or negative reputation posts. I've seen it first hand while working with major power and telecom companies, among others. Tens of millions of $$ lost!

The user could have PM'd me and I would have gladly replied with more details to negate 85% of his original remarks. But that didn't happen.

Oh well, time to move on!

Thank you again

 

[TaiMc]

@TaiMc Thanks Tai. I appreciate your thoughtful input. I've moved past the poster's name call outs already. Lol. I will bring all of this up though when speaking with my rep. next week.

Your comments are spot on though and part of what I do for a living. If a business' employees or contractors go online, hide behind profiles, and begin calling extremely loyal customers out by name to somehow shame them in front of others -- all while only knowing 20% of the story -- then they hurt that company's reputation that much more. It's amazing how much revenue is lost via social media or negative reputation posts. I've seen it first hand while working with major power and telecom companies, among others. Tens of millions of $$ lost!

The user could have PM'd me and I would have gladly replied with more details to negate 85% of his original remarks. But that didn't happen.

Oh well, time to move on!

Thank you again

All G!

 

[LLRubylady]

@TaiMc Thanks Tai. I appreciate your thoughtful input. I've moved past the poster's name call outs already. Lol. I will bring all of this up though when speaking with my rep. next week.

Your comments are spot on though and part of what I do for a living. If a business' employees or contractors go online, hide behind profiles, and begin calling extremely loyal customers out by name to somehow shame them in front of others -- all while only knowing 20% of the story -- then they hurt that company's reputation that much more. It's amazing how much revenue is lost via social media or negative reputation posts. I've seen it first hand while working with major power and telecom companies, among others. Tens of millions of $$ lost!

The user could have PM'd me and I would have gladly replied with more details to negate 85% of his original remarks. But that didn't happen.

Oh well, time to move on!

Thank you again

NCJeepn73
I sincerely hope you make it through all your medical hurdles. I can’t even imagine how it must be. My thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
If I had the money I’d buy you a new Jeep and drive it to your door.
I’ve been reading this forum and it’s truly awful that you have to worry about your family’s safety in an unsafe vehicle with everything else you’ve got in your plate.
I hope the owner of your dealership and corporate make things right and give you a new Jeep that is sound and sturdy.

 

[NCJeepn73]

NCJeepn73
I sincerely hope you make it through all your medical hurdles. I can’t even imagine how it must be. My thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
If I had the money I’d buy you a new Jeep and drive it to your door.
I’ve been reading this forum and it’s truly awful that you have to worry about your family’s safety in an unsafe vehicle with everything else you’ve got in your plate.
I hope the owner of your dealership and corporate make things right and give you a new Jeep that is sound and sturdy.

@LLRubylady That's very sweet of you to say. The GM of our dealership has never messaged, called, or anything. We know him well. He and at least one sales rep there have sold us the last 8+ cars we've purchased. I'm not going to buy another vehicle from that dealership. Maybe it's just that they don't know what to do or what to say because welds are out of their wheelhouse. But they have acknowledged nothing during this whole process. I'm really disappointed in the few guys in the sales side.
I may write the owner of the company. They are huge and have many, many dealerships under their name/umbrella.

But thank you for the thoughts. It's all the people that has reached out in ways like you just did that make this all a little less scary and hopeless.

 

[Capt-Zoom]

As far as the fca welder goes...he was put in a bad position to fix someone or some robots mistake and thats not easy with welding. I wouldnt want that job. That said fca corp and especially their engineers should know this wasnt a viable solution.

 

[blessidsoul12]

Let me get this straight, you complained about some porosity in a few welds, outlined the welds you were concerned about. Presented them to your dealer who sent them to FCA who sent someone to fix what the complaint was about. Correct?

The issues were addressed, resolved, and presented to your dealer service manager (Jerry) and service writer (Ryan) who confirmed the worked was performed that was outlined by the customer you Brian.
Correct?

And you have previously mentioned you have ZERO knowledge in welding and are unsure what you are looking at.
Correct?

Now because you failed to outline ALL issues or concerns you were experiencing with your JL to your dealer. You feel the need to put Jeep on blast for not addressing everything that you are now seeing after the inspection.
Correct?

Guess you can't make some people happy.

-moderator note. Removed real name.

Oh man on top of the bullsh#t calling out someone by his real name, it seems somewhat high risk to engage in personally calling out customers on an online community forum when it is obviously known now that you work for or have some relationship with FCA or Jeep brand. I cannot imagine FCA would find that best practice. We don't know you personally but there are not many people in this world whose continued employment is more important to a big corporation than the corporation's PR image and this is not a good look for them.

Anyway, I am no welding expert. I have literally ZERO knowledge about welding. I do however know that the side steps I ordered have welds that look like 48.5 times better quality than all of the welds posted here, and all they are supposed to do is support the weight of my little girls. These welds are unacceptable. This JL should be replaced and upgraded at no cost. Period.

Sponsored