One Year and 15,500 Miles with my Rubi

[Blu bi Kong]

Great looking Jeep! I'm looking forward to seeing the Rotation mounts!

Thank you Dan.
The doers and wheelers in this forum have really helped me along with this path. The keyboard pushing, parking lot cruising negative Nellie's have sometimes made it difficult to stay here and not look for a more off road based forum to share in. There does seem to be just enough members that actually bought their Jeep as something other than an adornment in their ggarage. Special thanks to that crowd and I have really enjoyed getting out on the trails with some of you members. Whatta life!!!

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[ThirtyOne]

Just went over 25,000 on mine. Took delivery on June 18. Enjoyed your write up. My biggest problem is the rocks getting stuck between body and rear fenders. What did you use to secure the tubing??

Wow. Nice-looking Jeep.

 

[Cubbie Blu]

Who makes those side body rails, are they MOPAR?

Those are rock slide engineering slider steps, I love them..

 

[photowiz]

Turle Wax Ice and never a carwash with brushes. I've used Ice since my 2006 Pontiac Solstice. GREAT stuff. No residue. It can be applied in direct sunlight. In fact, the hotter the better. It protects plastic and rubber trim as well as decals. If you could see the paint on my 11 year old JK, it would speak for itself. It looks like new. I even do the headlights.

I've used TW Ice since 2008 on all of our vehicles including our JLUS. Great wax that lasts.

 

[Jlrut]

Just went over 25,000 on mine. Took delivery on June 18. Enjoyed your write up. My biggest problem is the rocks getting stuck between body and rear fenders. What did you use to secure the tubing??

Were you at the Jeep meet at Pigeon Forge back in August?

 

[ToolMonkey]

Turle Wax Ice and never a carwash with brushes. I've used Ice since my 2006 Pontiac Solstice. GREAT stuff. No residue. It can be applied in direct sunlight. In fact, the hotter the better. It protects plastic and rubber trim as well as decals. If you could see the paint on my 11 year old JK, it would speak for itself. It looks like new. I even do the headlights.

I've used Turle Wax Ice for the last 10 years, used it on my Z06 Corvette and every car I've owned, would not recommend anything else to use on a vehicle you love.

 

[Cubbie Blu]

Were you at the Jeep meet at Pigeon Forge back in August?

Yes I was, parked on the circle..

 

[Jlrut]

Yes I was, parked on the circle..

Thought so. I was the guy that talked to you about steering issues. Saw you at the Hard Rock and the convention center. I ordered a 2019 JL (firecracker red and 2 door) and FCA took my 18 back. I've only got a couple hundred miles on the 19, but it seems good at this point.

 

[Cubbie Blu]

Thought so. I was the guy that talked to you about steering issues. Saw you at the Hard Rock and the convention center. I ordered a 2019 JL (firecracker red and 2 door) and FCA took my 18 back. I've only got a couple hundred miles on the 19, but it seems good at this point.

I remember you, good to hear, I just got a notification today that the recall for the track bar welds was redone, have an appointment tomorrow so they can retake pictures and resend them in to FCA.

 

[DizzyIzzy]

Well, we've reached the 1 year anniversary of taking delivery of the JLUR. It doesn't seem that long, but we've had some real adventures with her. Here are some thoughts after living with her for awhile.

• Fit and finish upon delivery were impeccible. The only flaw I found on the whole thing, after hand waxing and going over it with a fine tooth comb, was a drip of window adhesive that had gotten onto the side of the hard top under the rear quarter panel. That's it. After a year of handwashing and admittedly OCD hand waxing, I still haven't found another flaw, even underneath on/around the frame or in/under the engine compartment. I avoided fuses not seated, bad welds, etc. Mine was perfect. That's pretty darned good for a December 2017 build that was in the first month or two of production.
• Not only do I have no regrets on the manual transmission, I'm 100% thrilled with it. It is better in every way than I'd imagined, which isn't surprising, considering I spent the previous 10 years driving a JK with an NSG 370 which puts the "uck" in "truck transmission." My manual was apparently (according to my dealership's manager), the first one delivered in Indiana. It was likely in the first major production batch for the JL. It has had zero problems and survived my brother in law and wife absolutely smoking the clutch as they mistakenly tried to launch in 5th gear. (I still cringe at the thought of it). I've towed my fishing boat quite a bit with it, too.
• I feel the same way about the 3.6 as the transmission. (Not a knock on the 2.0. It is sounding like it is off to a great start and is a little powerhouse. I'd have considered it if available with a manual.) It has been great and has pepped up a bit since new, seeming a bit more free-revving and having some of the low rpm jerkyness (typical of manual transmissions). It is really smooth, quiet, and sounds GREAT going through the gears with the Magnaflow axle-back exhaust. Gas mileage has consistently been better than my JK, even with 35's (vs. 33's). I know, it is a lopsided comparison in every way with the old 3.8 in that JK.) I've done a used oil analysis after each oil change and they look great for the context they were in, from break-in to the last one at 9,xxx miles. The next oil change is still a little ways off, but we'll do another then. The engine seems to like Mobil 1 Ep and AP 0w20.
• Interior. Love it. My kids love the back seat, as it has more room and is more comfortable than the JK, plus it has power outlets. They also love the wifi. I'm 6'5" tall, and have not had an issue. I've got the seat and wheel adjusted just right. After 22 hours each way to and from Moab, and really spending an entire week behind the wheel, I had no cramps, soreness, or body fatigue from being in this Jeep. I've done the same trip in the JK and while I find it comfortable, it doesn't compare. After about 5 hours in the JK, I need to stretch to get rid of muscle fatigue in my hamstrings and lower back.Honestly, the JL is more comfortable on the long haul than any of my vehicles, including a Mercedes E 430.
• Steering. Mine was right from the start. I did have to get a new steering stabilizer. Mine developed a slight wobble when hitting bumps at 55mph. The dealership replaced it and it seems fine, for now. If it returns, i'll try the Fox 2.0 or the Teraflex. Otherwise, my steering feels fine. Best of the 3 Jeeps I've owned.
• Off-road. She is a BEAST! The Mopar lift is awesome. I love the ride on road, but off road, it is in its element. We ran it hard for 5 days straight, from the highway, to the Rimrocker (160 miles) to Moab, then another 22 hour drive home, the Fox shocks were simply outstanding. My buddy blew out a brand new Pro-Comp monotube shock in the middle of the trip. His shocks were very warm to the touch after each workout. The Fox aluminum bodies were cool to the touch. The ride and flex are perfect. Any more flex and tires would be rubbing in a couple places.
• KO2 tires. Love them. They are wearing perfectly. They've been outstanding on-road and off. They surprised me in the mud, too. They weren't nearly as disadvantaged to the KM2's I ran on the JK as I thought they'd be. They didn't chunk any worse than the KM2's after all those miles on rocks, either. The other Jeeps with me had much more aggressive mud tires and I never felt disadvantaged on any terrain. In sand, I felt they had a significant advantage over them. The C-load rating really rides nice, too, and I haven't found the sidewalls to be weak, at all. I doubt it was just luck, because we really gave them a workout and they have the scuffs and scratches on the sidewall to show they weren't babied.
• Uconnect. Love it. The user interface is outstanding and the Alpine sounds awesome, even with doors off and top down at 70mph. I don't have the off-road pages yet, but should get them Wednesday. No biggie.
• Other things that have impressed: The soft top is amazing. From the material to the zipperless windows to the way it folds, it is easily the best factory Jeep top yet. It also doesn't have any leaks. Yes, it does have the dreaded gutter pour at the front doors in rain, but who cares? It is a Jeep and it has drain holes in the floor liners, which my other Jeeps, which all did this, did not. You had to take out the floor mats and carpets to get the drains open. Love it! The auxillary buttons are great. This thing is just so easy to wire up with lights, thanks to this option. I've got two sets of auxillary lights using two buttons. Next up will be Rigid Industries floods for the rear bumper. The Molle webbing on the seatbacks is a cool feature. I've got my tool kit and a trauma kit on there. LED headlights. Wow, they are bright! I had a 14" light bar (spot) on the front bumper. They added so little to the brights that I took it off and replaced it with incandescent driving lights as a backup, in case the LED's ice over. (Hasn't happened yet.) Vastly improved rear visibility is great, with easy flip down headrests and the wiper mechanism being placed on the bottom. Even with a 35" tire on the rear, it has MUCH better visibility than my JK. The rear camera and parking assist is just gravy.

Things I don't like? Not having Off road pages has been an irritant. I also wish proximity keyless entry had been available when I ordered it. That's probably the only option I wish I had. I also had the bowing spring with the Mopar lift, but that's a mod, so it doesn't count against the JL's score. Besides, mine never rubbed and was quickly fixed with the revised spring pad. It has been no issue.

I'm hoping for a few hundred thousand miles and probably at least two decades with this thing. It is off to a great start, so the odds are ever increasing that she'll go the distance. Can't wait to see what adventures it takes us on in 2019! I couldn't be more thrilled with year 1.

This is a pic from just after delivery, before any lift or mods. The next is a recent pic.

Hi Dan,

Thanks for posting this review. I just joined this forum and this is my very first post. I did not know that it came with "wifi"! I'm trying to soak up as much info as possible on Wranglers.

Been waiting on a diesel Wrangler, as I want to take it overlanding in Asia. Will be visiting the Overland Expo West this May to get an idea of what overland rigs are out there. Now that the Gladiator is coming out, it's going to make it a much harder choice.

A few questions I have for you.
1. The Mopar lift kit seems to be taller than 2 inches. Do you know if it's rated for carrying a lot of load than the stock shocks and springs? Or do I need to get a lift for carrying a lot of load during overlanding?
2. Do you think 35s are enough or you wish you had 37s?
3. AEV is one that I'm looking at for overland rig. Any recommendations for other brands?

 

[Rubi]

Those are rock slide engineering slider steps, I love them..

I contacted Rock Slide they only sell Rockers for JK 2 door. Did you have to mod yours to fit on the JL?

 

[Cubbie Blu]

I contacted Rock Slide they only sell Rockers for JK 2 door. Did you have to mod yours to fit on the JL?

They just finished quality testing for the 2 door JL, I believe I may have gotten one of the first production sets. I bought them through my dealership and believe they were not selling them to the public as of yet. They are less than 3 weeks old and I know they had a long list to fill, luckily my dealership ordered them in July. Sam Lehman Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Morton Illinois, ask for Monty he's the parts Manager. He may have gotten another set when I got mine.

 

[DanW]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for posting this review. I just joined this forum and this is my very first post. I did not know that it came with "wifi"! I'm trying to soak up as much info as possible on Wranglers.

Been waiting on a diesel Wrangler, as I want to take it overlanding in Asia. Will be visiting the Overland Expo West this May to get an idea of what overland rigs are out there. Now that the Gladiator is coming out, it's going to make it a much harder choice.

A few questions I have for you.
1. The Mopar lift kit seems to be taller than 2 inches. Do you know if it's rated for carrying a lot of load than the stock shocks and springs? Or do I need to get a lift for carrying a lot of load during overlanding?
2. Do you think 35s are enough or you wish you had 37s?
3. AEV is one that I'm looking at for overland rig. Any recommendations for other brands?

Welcome to the forum! I'll answer the questions best I can.

1. It is certainly taller than 2 inches. I'd say 3 to 3 and 1/2. The GVW is the same as stock, so while the lift might weigh slightly more than stock pieces, I'd still call it the same payload as stock. I'd wait for Old Man Emu's (ARB) suspension system if you are looking to add a lot of weight. On the JK they had the option of springs rated for heavier loads. There might be others out there that do the same. Maybe AEV, too. I'd call AEV and talk to them, and do the same with OME.

2. Nope, not at all. 35's have exceeded my expectations. In Moab, I barely touched an exhaust tip (Magnaflow, so stock would interfere even less with departure angle) and bumped a crossmember. That's it. There were places I was sure we were going to bash the skid plates, bumpers, hitch, or exhaust tips and we didn't. My spotter told me it wasn't even close, most of the time. Also, I would not want to give up any more power. It is just right and still peppy with the 35's. I fear 37's would be a dog. Finally, I'm very weight conscious about my JL. The more weight, the more the effect on power of the tires would be magnified. Plus, 37's and aftermarket wheels for them would put more stress on the driveline, drive train, and suspension. That's all just my opinion. You then look at Lite Brite on Youtube and they have absolutely tortured their JL with 37's and now 38's, with nothing breaking. This thing appears to be built like a tank. If I were going way out there where parts are scarce, such as Asia, I'd be even more conscious of weight and stress on parts.

3. Again, Old Man Emu has a great reputation in Australia and probably South Africa and other places where they really put them to the test. I would also take a look at Tera Flex and Metal Cloak. Lots of good options out there with more coming all the time. For exotic overlanding, though, I just have a hunch that AEV and OME would have more experience. I've got a 2" AEV spacer lift on my JK and I've run the heck out of it off road. It has never had an issue and it drives just like stock. Of course, I'm thrilled with the Mopar lift. I'd do it all over again. But, I'm not carrying heavy loads. It would probably do fine, though. I've put a pretty good beating on the Mopar lift over the course of the year with no ill effect. It rides like a dream, too. Very smooth. The Fox shocks are outstanding.

Send pics when you get your Jeep and as you put mods on it. Sounds like you are going to have some big adventures in it, so I also look forward to hearing about them!

 

[Jlrut]

I remember you, good to hear, I just got a notification today that the recall for the track bar welds was redone, have an appointment tomorrow so they can retake pictures and resend them in to FCA.

Rich,
How well do you like the Rock Slide step sliders? I've been waiting on the LOD destroyers for my 2 door and hopefully they'll be available at the end of this month. I like the way they look but have considered the Rock Slide product. Does the drop down step work well? Does it get used? I don't know if I'd use it, but the other half is only 5'4". And are yours sliders? Looks like you didn't have to attach to the body??
thanks,

 

[smithrd65]

7 months and 11K miles zero issues miles with smiles.

No complaints here

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