JL welding Issues

[maguro]

Looked at the welds before buying ... asked Superior Jeep ahead of time to have the JL placed on a lift to check for fluid leaks, underbody damage and frame welds. All welds looked like they were covered by a dark translucent coating ... anti-rust coating?

A tech offer a special pen flashlight with a red laser light to look at the welds. Tech said one could not see anything without it. I brought my own high intensity pen light to look at welds. Most of the welds had good flow to them ... some I did not know what to think. Forgot to ask the tech what he thought of the welds.

So you got both a Pre Delivery Inspection as well as a Post Delivery Inspection on your new vehicle?

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[Sierra Nevada]

Yes, Kim made sure there were not any issues ... so she took my chk list and had her people go through it before I arrived ... when I finally arrived, we went through the chk list rather quickly. So far, knock on wood, no issues with the JL.

 

[BoisetheCat]

So you got both a Pre Delivery Inspection as well as a Post Delivery Inspection on your new vehicle?

lol. frame issues - 3 / total built - 50k + / your odds are 0.00006 that you encounter this. or any problem at all for that matter. only real issue of safety we've seen is with the rubi steering posted elsewhere. only 1 case so far but it looks way sketchy.

 

[That One Guy]

lol. frame issues - 3 / total built - 50k + / your odds are 0.00006 that you encounter this. or any problem at all for that matter. only real issue of safety we've seen is with the rubi steering posted elsewhere. only 1 case so far but it looks way sketchy.

lol. you think only three frames were bad, just because you've only seen three here? oh, and 50,000 JL's (not 2018 JK's) have been built, have they?

that's a cute attempt at math but it's perfectly reasonable for people to be thinking "hey, the forum has pointed out this potential issue, so I'll check it out on my delivery inspection."

you're free to roll the bones however you want, sport.

 

[BoisetheCat]

lol. you think only three frames were bad, just because you've only seen three here? oh, and 50,000 JL's (not 2018 JK's) have been built, have they?

that's a cute attempt at math but it's perfectly reasonable for people to be thinking "hey, the forum has pointed out this potential issue, so I'll check it out on my delivery inspection."

you're free to roll the bones however you want, sport.

Is there any such thing as words? I think not, thus words indicating anything or everything are nonsense. There is no bad or good way, there is only the way; and the way shall compel you to understand their is no way.

Is there any such thing as 'good nonsense'? Of course there is. Makes sense to me that good nonsense is OK as long as in the end, it makes sense that it doesn't make sense. The real question is, does making sense that it doesn't make sense, make any sense?

 

[Sierra Nevada]

blah, blah, blah ...

 

[TopPinArcher]

I posted earlier and have 20+ years welding experience.. I inspected mine and even though it’s not perfect and I did find some porosity but this Jeep is way over-welded. I didn’t see the need to grind and reweld so I plugged any pinhole with liquid metal and repainted.. took an hour. Good to go... only reason I did that is i didn’t want salt water permeating the hole and rusting...done deal.. I’ll check once a year and repaint all the underbelly scratches.

 

[arch]

Looked at the welds before buying ... asked Superior Jeep ahead of time to have the JL placed on a lift to check for fluid leaks, underbody damage and frame welds. All welds looked like they were covered by a dark translucent coating ... anti-rust coating?

A tech offer a special pen flashlight with a red laser light to look at the welds. Tech said one could not see anything without it. I brought my own high intensity pen light to look at welds. Most of the welds had good flow to them ... some I did not know what to think. Forgot to ask the tech what he thought of the welds.

Sierra Nevada would you mind sharing your checklist you used with Kim? I should be picking my JL up from her sometime hopefully soon. Thanks in advance.

-Arch

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

lol. frame issues - 3 / total built - 50k + / your odds are 0.00006 that you encounter this. or any problem at all for that matter. only real issue of safety we've seen is with the rubi steering posted elsewhere. only 1 case so far but it looks way sketchy.

Sorry. I also disagree with you on your numbers. How many Jeep Wrangler buyers will even bother to examine or notice frame welds? Maybe 5% or less? So maybe there are 3 members here who report weld issues but what is the sample size? Just a handful of members here have actually examined their welds. So now it’s 3:10 or 3:20 ratio?

 

[Road Runner]

These are a few pics but almost all welds in the frame looks like this. Extremely poor quality.

My dealer is going to have fun when my Punk'n JL finally shows up, this has just added another hour to my vehicle acceptance inspection
Besides rumors of paint adherence issues with the Punk'n paint and the rusted welds discussed on another one of these forums.

 

[BostonBilly]

What is that? Glue? Bird Crap?

Looks like a glue of some sort that got painted over

 

[BostonBilly]

Does anyone know if 2 door frames are produced by the same people, at the same factory,on the same line?

It'd be sweet if 2 doors somehow skirt this issue.

I was thinking the same thing. I also wonder if just welding over a porous weld is a good practice.

I've personally not seen any issue with the JK/JKU frames from any off the 11 years of production. Some correct me if I'm wrong.

I wonder if the weld issues are from high demand causing rushing of frame building?

Could definitely come into play with quality standard checks. Maybe the old "good enough"

 

[NCSUSTATS]

You can already guess that if the welds fail it will be chalked up to "owner abuse."

Fail Rated ™️

 

[NCSUSTATS]

Yes, Kim made sure there were not any issues ... so she took my chk list and had her people go through it before I arrived ... when I finally arrived, we went through the chk list rather quickly. So far, knock on wood, no issues with the JL.

Mind sharing your checklist?

 

[Sierra Nevada]

Sierra Nevada would you mind sharing your checklist you used with Kim? I should be picking my JL up from her sometime hopefully soon. Thanks in advance.

-Arch

Here a list of items prepping for the purchase of the Jeep JL JWXXXXXX, Hardtop Rubicon JL.


High Level Check List:


A. Payment: Pls verify check from Credit Union Arrived at Superior Jeep on xx/xx/xxxx (this would be 5 days prior to purchase date).


B. Insurance: XYZ Insurance will cover the Jeep starting on purchase date of JL. I'll bring proof of insurance ... insurance card. Any questions call XYZ Insurance at xxx.xxx.xxxx.


C. Flight Info: Delta xxxx, From Altanta (ATL), GA to Little Rock, AR (LIT). Arrive LIT: 11:25am. I'll call you when I arrive?


D. Tread Lightly Cover Letter: I’ll bring the Tread Lightly Cover letter with me to give to you when I arrive.


E. Like to check the Jeep for alignment (drives straight) and to put the Jeep up on the lift and check for leaks. Here's my detail check list:


Detail Check List:


1. Verify Jeep drives straight with steering wheel centered (straight up and down).


2. Place Jeep on lift and look underneath for fluid leaks (oil pan, transmission pan, transfer case, both front and rear differentials), weld joints, any damage underneath and location of where the jack goes underneath JL in order to change a tire.


3. Two sets of fob keys


4. Jeep mini ratchet set/Torx (for hardtop/windshield/doors)


5. Lug nut key (for spare) and the lock nut on the spare.


6. Freedom top storage bag for hard top pieces.


7. Jeep hitch receiver rubber insert.


8. Towing Pkg: small baggie with tubing and splices.


9. Cold Weather Group option: removable AC cord that is part of the block heater kit (under the hood?).


10. Rear Cargo cubby rubber mat


11. Rubber mats inside center console


12. Rear mounting connector for rear windshield wiper tubing and rear electrical connector. This mounting connector is used to secure the rear windshield washer hose and electronics wiring when the hard top is removed.


13. Verify all options paid for are included in JL.


14. Pair Phone and go over how to use JL’s Navigation on 8.4” screen.


15. Locate where jack is … (incase one has to change a tire during delivery).

16. Test start/stop. Test start/stop so the slightest reduction of brake pressure will cause the engine to re-start during a normal start/stop/start sequence. Replace brake switch if necessary. If necessary or upon request of owner, turn off start/stop function by deactivating driver side hood switch (there are 2 vertical spring switches, side by side under the hood, near the front driver side. Deactivate the driver side one.)

17. Check Air Conditioning and Heat.

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