emptyminded42
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Mark
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2019
- Threads
- 0
- Messages
- 304
- Reaction score
- 366
- Location
- Cleveland, OH
- Vehicle(s)
- Hellayella JLU Sport S 6MT, Forester XT
- Occupation
- Engineer
Well, the clutch is fixed with a recall. Steering is fixed with a TSB. My dealer handled both with no questions asked. The steering damper was installed before I bought. I never noticed an issue with the clutch. The upgraded steering box was a huge improvement - I'd recommend it for every '18-'20 Wrangler.Long-time Jeeper here, but new to this site and in the process of ordering a new 2-door JL Sport with soft top. I plan to use it in stock configuration for the most part, as a daily driver, beach cruiser, and light/medium off-road machine...mostly on trails and flat-ish desert (no rock crawling or mudding). Before I pull the trigger, just trying to get an idea of how reliable this model has been for most folks. I've already read a ton about the steering and clutch issues, and know about the vehicles ratings from the usual suspects (C&D, Edmunds, etc.). However, I take the most stock in user experience, and just wanted to see what others think before I proceed. Certainly, I realize this is a very open-ended question and will likely end up with numerous subjective comments, but that's exactly what I need to see. Appreciate anything you can provide and look forward to contributing to this forum in the future.
For context - my '18 was a leftover when I bought it in October 2019. It had been on the lot for over a year with very few miles on it, like 100 or so. It was our third "fun" vehicle when we bought it and once COVID kicked in March 2020, it wasn't driven more than ~50 miles a week at most due to telework. Despite how long it's sat since we bought it, it's been steadfastly reliable (as I expected). Only at 7,500 miles so far. My only "issue" is a chronically slow clock on the base 5" Uconnect3 unit which to my knowledge is not even offered anymore.
I'm very satisfied with the quality and reliability of my JLU. It's very clearly the best designed and built Jeep I've been in (my first ownership, but I've been in JKs and TJs) and very comfortable to live with everyday. I love its styling and its practicality for my young growing family. I ended up selling my "practical" hatchback Mazda3 because the Jeep is just as practical but much more fun overall (despite how sporty and fun the Mazda3 was).
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