Winch or Not, and resales

[Deleted Member RoadNomad]

A friend of mine recently traded off his 18 JLU Wrangler Rubicon for the new Gladiator. The dealership he traded his Wrangler at dinged him for a bumper winch he added.

I thought that was interesting because one of the most popular add on's for a person buying a jeep is to add a winch (whether they ever plan to use it or not).

He also had taken it to Carmax to see if he could sell it to them then buy the Gladiator without a trade. They also considered the winch a modification and dinged him as well. He pursued the issue asking why would adding a nearly $1000.00 add on decrease the value by nearly the same amount?

He was told this, (and what I think may be a little on the BS side) To add a winch you have to tie into the factory electrical system which is not engineered for the added device. Also during a frontal collision there is a great chance of increased damage to the front end as well as a fire from the electrical short. Another point that was presented, "Most people" don't like a winch on the front. I almost guarantee that an excuse, lol Personally I would have just removed it before the trade and saved it for the Gladiator. Comments?

All interesting points. So I guess if your not going off road and planning to trade off your Jeep in a few years perhaps hold off on the winch! Food for thought.

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[Heimkehr]

Taking a very general, experience-based view here, one man's modifications is another's waste of money.

While it is true that powering a winch does require tapping into the vehicle's electric system, the installation is also at the mercy of the skill with which it is done. This crosswalks fairly plainly to the collateral effect such a fitment may indeed have on the degree of damage that occurs during a collision.

Viewed objectively, it's not as easy to dismiss Carmax's take on the matter as we might believe. I have myself removed as many accessories as possible before selling or trading my own vehicles, and have counseled others to do the same, precisely to avoid (or minimize) the exact episode that your friend experienced.

 

[Tpsillos]

thats some bs. its a factory option on the the 24's...

 

[Flip]

Some people may view a winch as a selling feature, some people like having a winch even if they don't go off-road, it might be for winter snow or just for looks. I sold my TJ to a dealership who gave me a very good figure for it. He told me he liked everything I had done to the Jeep, winch and all.

I would have asked Carmax how much more $ if I remove the winch? Great! Be right back, went home and removed it.

 

[rohdawg]

I’d take a winch off before I sold or traded it if only because the price of them keeps going up. If you have a good one, why wouldn’t you take it off.

during a frontal collision there is a great chance of increased damage to the front end as well as a fire from the electrical short

I’ll buy this… they did extend the crash cans and bezels on the ‘24s with the factory winch. Makes sense I suppose.

 

[roaniecowpony]

The winch should be fused at the battery. Fire hazard should be minimized.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Regarding devaluation, I always sell my vehicles myself. My last one I sold for fair market value, rather than the $6k less several dealers were hounding me to sell it to them for (without me initiating it). It was a very hot selling 2014 SS Camaro and was in great shape, low miles etc. I think all these "cookies" collect data, like when you look up the bluebook value, then sell that information, in this case to dealerships.

The point is that someone would appreciate the bumper/winch and either pay more or at least even money. You just have to be willing to deal with selling it yourself to get more. But Jeeps are very popular and should sell easily, if priced right.

 

[BasementKitty]

I kept the factory bumper for my ‘22jlu so I can put it back on. Winch bumper and winch is the very first thing I do to any new truck. It pretty much solves any problem I might run into, not being a rock crawler kinda person.

Not everyone wants one and I’ve seen a ton of bad installs, so I get it being a trade-in ding, but would be added value for a private sale. No matter vehicles, bikes, or guns, you never get back value on mods if you sell.

 

[autotragic]

A friend of mine recently traded off his 18 JLU Wrangler Rubicon for the new Gladiator. The dealership he traded his Wrangler at dinged him for a bumper winch he added.

I thought that was interesting because one of the most popular add on's for a person buying a jeep is to add a winch (whether they ever plan to use it or not).

He also had taken it to Carmax to see if he could sell it to them then buy the Gladiator without a trade. They also considered the winch a modification and dinged him as well. He pursued the issue asking why would adding a nearly $1000.00 add on decrease the value by nearly the same amount?

He was told this, (and what I think may be a little on the BS side) To add a winch you have to tie into the factory electrical system which is not engineered for the added device. Also during a frontal collision there is a great chance of increased damage to the front end as well as a fire from the electrical short. Another point that was presented, "Most people" don't like a winch on the front. I almost guarantee that an excuse, lol Personally I would have just removed it before the trade and saved it for the Gladiator. Comments?

All interesting points. So I guess if your not going off road and planning to trade off your Jeep in a few years perhaps hold off on the winch! Food for thought.

All I'm going to say is when I buy used vehicles I go out of my way to buy only unmodified cars.

I mean I want the factory radio even because most people don't do modifications correctly either the wirings hacked together or the fitment isn't right or I just don't like their taste in mods.

I'm picky and I want to start from a clean slate.

 

[TrentYoung]

A friend of mine recently traded off his 18 JLU Wrangler Rubicon for the new Gladiator. The dealership he traded his Wrangler at dinged him for a bumper winch he added.

I thought that was interesting because one of the most popular add on's for a person buying a jeep is to add a winch (whether they ever plan to use it or not).

He also had taken it to Carmax to see if he could sell it to them then buy the Gladiator without a trade. They also considered the winch a modification and dinged him as well. He pursued the issue asking why would adding a nearly $1000.00 add on decrease the value by nearly the same amount?

He was told this, (and what I think may be a little on the BS side) To add a winch you have to tie into the factory electrical system which is not engineered for the added device. Also during a frontal collision there is a great chance of increased damage to the front end as well as a fire from the electrical short. Another point that was presented, "Most people" don't like a winch on the front. I almost guarantee that an excuse, lol Personally I would have just removed it before the trade and saved it for the Gladiator. Comments?

All interesting points. So I guess if your not going off road and planning to trade off your Jeep in a few years perhaps hold off on the winch! Food for thought.

Of course they will ding you. Yes, you jumped into the electrical system which, in theory could cause issues for someone down the road. Jeep did not feel comfortable adding it in as an option until the 2024 model. I would be hesitant to buy another persons work...

 

[snphufford]

I ran into this same issue with aftermarket fenders, wheels, and tires. To trade it in, the dealer really wanted it stock.

 

[wranglerbro]

Always keep your OEM parts, if possible. Should you ever decide to sell and upgrade to a newer model, put the original stuff back on and transfer the good stuff (winch, lights, etc) to the new rig.

 

[autotragic]

Vehicles are designed with crumple zones to absorb energy in a crash. Take a look at some crash photos. They very specifically design the front end to crumple and maintain the integrity of the passenger compartment. There is a safety video titled “room to livr

If you modify or remove the factory bumper you are at a higher risk of death in a frontal collision.

That's why good bumpers cost more. AEV is over $2k but they are crash tested. The cheap look-a-like is only $800 but no testing was done on them and they are going to fold like a cheap suit and may or may not interfere with your airbags going off when they are supposed to.

Brush guards are considered "damage multipliers" by insurance adjusters for a reason.


This is why I am going to replace my plastic front bumper with a Rubicon factory bumper instead of something "fancy". I know it passed all the test and will do what it is supposed to do in a crash. Bonus points because it doesn't cost an arm and a leg and still looks good (IMO).

Remember also that if you get some crazy bumper and hit someone else, say you T-bone and kill somebody (even if it was their fault) that you're fancy tricked out bumper may mean you pay out more when it comes to the wrongful death suit their loved ones slap you with...All it will take is their lawyer arguing your big beefy bumper caused more damage than it should have and you lose. Civil cases aren't held to the same standards as criminal cases in this regard.

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

 

[Terrymo]

I bought my Jeep knowing I would modify it to my liking with little concern of warranty and no concern of future resale value. Maybe that’s foolish, but at this point in my life it’s kind of nice.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Adding the winch means strengthening the front end by tying the rails together with a winch plate or bumper with integrated winch plate. I completely disagree with the "increased frontal damage" train of thought. Beyond that, it is a modification from stock. If trading in or selling to a dealer I'd remove it, get the extra $1k from them, and then sell the winch on marketplace. An hour or so of work for $1500+ seems like a no brainer to me.

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