New JL owner

[Jeepinjs]

Long time Jeep owner here but my wife and I just bought our first JL. Its a 2018 4 door Rubicon, 3.6, 6 speed manual. As a JK owner I'm very familiar with it and its weeknesses or "flaws". Things like Cs that tend to bend with big tires and offroad, ball joints that aren't the best, etc etc. My question is, what are some known weeknesses reguarding the JL that people tend to address? Also, our Jeep was lifted with a Icon Vehicle Dynamics lift and 35s when we bought it. I didn't find a programmer of any sort in the Jeep and the speedo is off about 4 mph. Is it possible the previous owner had a dealership reprogram/correct the speedo? I know if nothing was done it would be off even more and likely would have put it in limp mode right? Just trying to figure out what I need to do to fine tune it so the speedo is as close as possible. If I just need to buy a programmer, what does everyone suggest?? Thanks in advance!

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[SparkleTooth]

The biggest issues you will probably face are:

• Aux Battery issues or Just battery issues in general
• Chronic sensors going mental on occasion (Blind Spot, Rear Locker, ACC, etc)
• Paint bubbling around hinges
• Death Wobble is still a thing, although this is often misunderstood
• Clutch issues with the manual Transmission

I'm sure others can chime in with their experiences

 

[ArcadeTracks]

The sun visors sometimes randomly fall. Aftermarket reinforcement brackets are readily available.
The defrosters (on some?) are too targeted, and don't cover the whole windshield.

Probably true with a JK, too -- they are terrific and may make you (and/or your wife) want to drive everywhere and come up with random reasons to go places.

 

[Tethmes]

The FAD and knuckles can be a weak point in some circumstances, but not a big issue for the majority of people. The visors also like to break. If they haven't yet, they will at some point. There are fixes on amazon for that.

To reiterate what SparkleTooth said, Battery issues. It seems like any time someone posts here about an electrical gremlin, it leads back to simply being a bad battery.

High operating temps are normal on the 3.6. Not sure what they were like on the JK verison, but don't be shocked to see 210-220 range.

If I just need to buy a programmer, what does everyone suggest?? Thanks in advance!

A Tazer or JScan will be able to reprogram the speedo, but with the manual trans it's not as simple as changing the setting. You'll have to do the relearn procedure after it's changed, which I'm not very familiar with so I won't try to explain. It's not a huge deal, but just be aware it does take a bit of extra work. There are threads about it in this forum.

For the price and many extra features you get with them though, it's well worth going that route vs. a trip to the dealer for an overpriced speedo change.

 

[Jeepinjs]

The sun visors sometimes randomly fall. Aftermarket reinforcement brackets are readily available.
The defrosters (on some?) are too targeted, and don't cover the whole windshield.

Probably true with a JK, too -- they are terrific and may make you (and/or your wife) want to drive everywhere and come up with random reasons to go places.

Thanks for the info! And I agree, we are a long time Jeep family and enjoy the heck out of the two we have both on and off-road.

 

[Jeepinjs]

The FAD and knuckles can be a weak point in some circumstances, but not a big issue for the majority of people. The visors also like to break. If they haven't yet, they will at some point. There are fixes on amazon for that.

To reiterate what SparkleTooth said, Battery issues. It seems like any time someone posts here about an electrical gremlin, it leads back to simply being a bad battery.

High operating temps are normal on the 3.6. Not sure what they were like on the JK verison, but don't be shocked to see 210-220 range.



A Tazer or JScan will be able to reprogram the speedo, but with the manual trans it's not as simple as changing the setting. You'll have to do the relearn procedure after it's changed, which I'm not very familiar with so I won't try to explain. It's not a huge deal, but just be aware it does take a bit of extra work. There are threads about it in this forum.

For the price and many extra features you get with them though, it's well worth going that route vs. a trip to the dealer for an overpriced speedo change.

Very good info, thanks! I’ll look into a programmer. If has already been changed by the dealer or a different programmer, will I run into any issues?

 

[Jeepinjs]

The biggest issues you will probably face are:

• Aux Battery issues or Just battery issues in general
• Chronic sensors going mental on occasion (Blind Spot, Rear Locker, ACC, etc)
• Paint bubbling around hinges
• Death Wobble is still a thing, although this is often misunderstood
• Clutch issues with the manual Transmission

I'm sure others can chime in with their experiences

Thanks for the info!

 

[Tethmes]

Very good info, thanks! I’ll look into a programmer. If has already been changed by the dealer or a different programmer, will I run into any issues?

I only have experience with the Tazer. While it does have a personality sometimes, as long as you make sure its updated to the latest firmware, the version of (stellantis) software on the jeep's computer shouldnt be a factor. Im not sure if another programmer was already involved.

It wouldnt hurt to shoot them an email with any questions you might have.

Also, if it does give you issues, Z auto is usually pretty quick to respond to questions and get the issue resolved. If all else fails, its a simple matter of unmarrying the device and it reverts all settings back to whatever the default software on the jeep is.

 

[Al P]

Things to look forward to:

Death wobble when you least expect it
Wheel bearings that don't last
Issues with ABS sensors
Battery issues (just replace it now) Main and aux
All sorts of cool dash lights that come on for the dumbest things because a sensor is dirty (um, it's for off road Jeep Factory!)
Drivers side Sun visor that falls for no reason and when inconvenient
Paint bubbling around hinges and hard doors

just Stupid and annoying things that would have taken minor adjustments to fix before built.

Jeeps need constant attention, but are still fun!

Good Luck1

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