Would you order a new Jeep Now?

[GroovyGorilla]

I have a friend that builds robots ... the kind that populate production lines. He was part of the team that installed the Tesla production line in Cali. He stated it is head and shoulders above what any other car manufacturer is doing. Claims there is some pretty cutting-edge stuff there.

It really is! As someone who was also involved in a lot of Fremont installs, I can tell you that it is completely different from other production lines. Most manufacturers have to shut down for a couple weeks to do model year changes if anything drastic is adjusted, but with the Tesla line you are always getting the "latest model" and there is no shutdown. Each assembly cell is intelligent and streamlined to accept new recipes; so if the mechanical engineering team decides the windshield needs to be placed onto the vehicle at a new angle, they can push the update live and have it take place on the next car in line.

They also use embedded PCs for all the controls on the assembly line, unlike most manufactures that use traditional PLCs such as Rockwell(AB) or Siemens. This gives them a leg up because the embedded PCs can use current cutting edge IT based technologies. The traditional PLCs are pretty much an overpriced "industrialized" Arduino these days, and they have very basic functionality. However, it's a known saying in Detroit that "You will never get fired for spec'ing Rockwell into a project". Mostly because they were the first into the automotive market in the 60s, and they used to be all American made. So most other manufacturer assembly lines tend to lack serious innovation, because they are using older PLC based technology on everything.

Even Rivian is doing inovative processes, because they are using the same embedded PC approach. Mostly because a lot of the assembly line engineers are former Tesla, but they know it gives them the most flexibility.

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[SunriseJeep]

Would you order a new Jeep knowing that there are shortages on computer chips, software, wiring and so on? I'm hesitant in ordering a new jeep because I don't want the jeep to be made with left over parts due to shortages.

We ordered a new one first week of September and was quoted six months. We got a call last week that it will be in by mid October. 6 weeks instead of 6 months.

 

[MaidenVoyage21]

Yesterday I would have said yes, with what I saw in the TSB forum on corrosion, no.

 

[JeeperKeeper]

I would (am) waiting until late February/March. My hope is they address the paint bubbling issues on the 22's when they retool the line. Someone's ass should be in a sling over that fiasco. Some people are paying 50, 60, 70K for these things. Known bubbling paint is not an acceptable ongoing problem, imo.

I am not thinking they are gonna fix this issue.

 

[driventoadventure]

I would order a new Wrangler instantly for wireless Android Auto/CarPlay. Frankly, I feel like with how poorly Android Auto functions with a wired connection on virtually every type of car it should be a free upgrade to any Jeep.

The second they add that feature, I'm in and will buy an electric. It's bonkers that they launched that without it.

I believe I read that at least the 8.x" option, if not both the 7.x" and 8.x" options. The bummer being that you are required to connect to the hotspot to use it... I will let you know in when I get mine in October...

 

[Jinnjue]

Would you order a new Jeep knowing that there are shortages on computer chips, software, wiring and so on? I'm hesitant in ordering a new jeep because I don't want the jeep to be made with left over parts due to shortages.

Just order a 2021 Ford Bronco. I hear they are shipping those out quite frequently. No problem

 

[Jgod333]

They’re not going to use leftover trash, you’ll just face a longer potential delay. I’m on ten weeks now and no end in sight. There’s little rhyme or reason as to why some get built quicker. Higher margin vehicles would make sense, but in practice it’s all over the place. Mine’s an almost fully decked out JLURD and nothing.

If I was just contemplating it today, I’d just wait for the next model year at this point.

Totally right! OEM's cannot just go buy parts and slap them into their vehicles. There is a high level selection process that often is created years before the vehicle even goes into production.

 

[Jgod333]

I ordered mine back in late June. I got it mid-September. You can't out guess when it will turn around.

 

[Spartan99]

Are you implying that they aren’t typically assembled with spare parts?

 

[bruin1md]

I wasn't even concerned about quality control issues............but after reading this thread, I am.

Perhaps it's best to hold off on ordering anything right now given all these supply chain constraints.
While I would love more power in my DD, I've got a reliable vehicle that I can keep for at least the next year, while this impending supply chain disaster unfolds.

 

[hpwong]

It looks like you have a ton of opinions, so here's mine. I went ahead and ordered (9/20) for the following reasons:

1. My '07 JKU is starting to show more issues.
2. I'm not sure about anything that will change on the '22, except the price, I feel with a fair amount of confidence it will go up.
3. They had the color I wanted, why wait?

Far as part shortages, it's a 1 or 0, the chip is either available and it works or it doesn't. It's not like they are short a Blind Spot chip so they throw in something that kinda works......so I wouldn't sweat that.

Last - with respect to discount. I ordered the '07 JKU in '06 and used these forums to get roughly 5% below invoice at the time, something like $23,500. I used these same forums to get 8% below invoice this time around, now naturally that invoice price has gone up, but the discount is still there for the high volume dealers. You just have to put in the work to go out and get the price, why pay MSRP?

Wow, 8% below invoice? I was only able to get 1% below invoice on the order (9/20), the FCA Affiliate price. Did you get an additional discount or just negotiated?

 

[hpwong]

It's an algorithm, and it's all of those things. Here is a lame example:

Jeep orders parts to build vehicles, they order 10,000 15A fuses (used for a bunch of different stuff, including the rear wiper switch), 5,000 rear wiper motors, 5,000 rear wiper blades. If the wiper motors come in on Monday, the wiper blades on Tuesday and the fuses come in on Wednesday, they can't build a hard top vehicle until at least Thursday. If they have the wiper blades and motors on Monday and they don't get the fuses until Wednesday, guess what, no hard top vehicles until Thursday. It also means any vehicle that uses a 15A fuse for the (name a switch/electrical component) fog lights can't be built. If any of that combination shows up in a different order, you change the list of buildable units for scheduling that week. So, it looks like they are only building soft tops this week, and none of them, until Thursday, with fog lights because they use a 15A fuse.

On Wednesday though, when those fuses, or wiper motors or whatever else come in, all of the sudden all of the vehicles that were unbuildable the first couple days of the week are now buildable units and they all get scheduled *boom* for the next build week. The week after that there is a shortage of 15A fuses for the USB ports so any trims with tow package (which includes accessory switches) isn't a buildable unit because they don't have anymore 15A fuses for aux switch number 3 and 4.

That's why your vehicle that is an easy build may not get built for weeks, because there is a part constraint. It may be a part that is used on 90% of the vehicles, or it might be a part that is used on 10% of the vehicles, but it is an unbuildable unit until all of those parts come in. Manufacturers, unlike popular belief, order/inventory parts as they are needed. There is a small percentage of on-the-shelf parts, while most are orders as needed for anticipated builds. The 15A fuse is one that they are keeping enough in inventory for 95% of the vehicles built, but even those will be dependent on optional equipment (like included with aux switches or tow package). If you order an easy to build vehicle it *should* be more likely to be a buildable unit, but if they jockey/shuffle buildable units due to a part, or a combination of parts, your easy vehicle becomes constrained.

They have a system that automatically shuffles vehicles based on a lot of things, but part ordering, inventory, what was scheduled the week before, all cause vehicles to move up or down that list of what is considered the next buildable unit.

It is in no way random.

Best explanation I've seen. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

[StardogGT]

I would. I should have ordered my 21 instead of buying off of the lot. I would have skipped crap like body colored roof/flares, leather seats, rubber mats and a few other $$ add ons that I really didn't want or need and gotten some other things that I actually like, like a block heater.

 

[Obispo325]

I would. I should have ordered my 21 instead of buying off of the lot. I would have skipped crap like body colored roof/flares, leather seats, rubber mats and a few other $$ add ons that I really didn't want or need and gotten some other things that I actually like, like a block heater.

You should list your mats. They aren’t selling them now so if you don’t want them, someone else does for sure.

 

[viper88]

Jeep prices keep going up while customer service keeps going down.

Something's gotta give.

If Jeep keeps charging fu*K you prices, I want fu*k you service!

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