SO, the JK is......

[wranglertj]

Interesting thread Richo. Just to throw in my 2 bobs and as most would know i am a loud and proud JK owner and often had banter in the past with the TJ boys about it but hey thats half the fun.

I have had a TJ and now a JK and both have been great vehicles with minimal issues and are regularly wheeled offroad.
I would be inclined to agree that the quality is not as good as i would have liked but to be honest nothing has really concerned me to date and am happy to look past some of these because its a lot of rig for the price (especially in the 4 door rubicon guise) and with some mods this rig takes me everywhere i have pointed it and to be honest i am itching to find places that require a more than a point and shoot scenario as i do like a good challenge.

I happen to agree with alot of Flexytj's posts of late and the ones in here are no exceptions with regards to the JK as JK section certainly has changed from a TJ vs JK banter to a JK vs JK sledging match which is highly unusual within a brand i would think. I do admit i get sick and tired of the constant whinging and complaining in the JK section as i think there is a much better way of approaching their issues than they way some people have portrayed it.

At the end of the day a wrangler has always been agriculural from the onset and i think Chyrsler have done a good job in making that more subtle in the JK but it never lost what Jeep has always been known for and that is offroad ability not onroad prowess. You buy a Wrangler you are buying into the retro funk feel of a topless car and offroad ability i think you are crazy to beleive or expect that this vehicle will handle and be comfy onroad like a IFS pajaro, LC200 or whatever and i personally think it would be a shame if Jeep ever took this path with the Wrangler as it would take away everything it stands for

[Yom]

Originally Posted by flexytj

the dealer gets paid for the repairs by chrysler therefore needs to administer the warranty by chryslers guide lines or they will not get paid for the work .

and if they are genuine issues with the build or parts used in the manufacture of the vehicle then there should be no issue?

[gener8or]

I've spent the last 10 minutes online looking for an old quote from one of the Jeep CJ engineers, but I think it maybe was in the JP Magazine. Anyway, this guy's quote was that people need to realise that a Wrangler is NOT a car. It's simply NOT a car. The US government used to have a separate classification for the thing- it was called a jeep- like tractors etc were different from a car.

Dealers are at fault for selling then things as primarily onroad funmobiles. Yeah, they're fun. But they aren't anything like a Territory or other softroad car. They're a "jeep", a tool designed to drive the blackspur track with stock diffs and suspension. An offroad vehicle designed to support a large aftermarket ecosystem that both keeps 1000's of people in work but also helps maintain the Jeep brand.

I've actually talked a few people OUT of a wrangler purchase despite the fact that my JK competes with my wife for my affections. I tell you, it's only missing a couple of parts and I wouldn't need her. People have to realise that on the road, they'll feel every single bump and pothole. Tell them that, and half of them go running.

But a wrangler is also 15-20K cheaper than any other 4x4 with the same capabilities. And those cars DO have decent onroad handling, so there's a tradeoff. I went in to my JK purchase knowing this. I had a ZJ for 13 years before my JK. It was amazingly handy on the road and the best fkn car seats ever. But offroad it would never ever compete with what I've done in the JK.

On quality- Every single bloody car model has lemons. I've been mucking around on some Landrover Disco forums trying to help my dad with a purchase, and there's just as many complaints about those things. Same goes for my wife's peoplemover.

Please. Oldtimers, MGOCers, etc, take it easy on the guys that post about their stalks and other seemingly trivial things. I know this is ausjeepOFFroad, but they don't have an ausjeepONroad. This is the premier site for jeeping in Australia, hell maybe the only worthwhile one. Where else are they going to post a question about their JK and have it viewed by 100's of JK owners?

Just like we have to put up with the Compasses and Patriots so that Jeep can afford to make a vehicle like the wrangler and keep developing it, you kinda have to put up with the fact that when you have a singular board for the JK, it's going to be visited by a mixture of dailydrivers, funmobilers and offroaders. Get over it for fks sake. Maybe a suggestion would be to separate the various model boards into "hardcore", "custom" and "general" discussion boards. I dunno.

J

PS Just like there are arseholes at your local pub, there's the same ratio of arseholes online. Except their dicks hang 2" longer.

[carvesdodo]

Yep ... getting to be a real good thread Richo ...

Good point by gener8or about vehicle classifications ...

The re-release of wranglers in Aust caught legislators on the hop ...

As none of them had to really think about no doors/no roof stuff since 1984 ... and the lazy sods just applied bommadore/foolcan & UN nannystate rules applicable to 1997 vehicle onwards, release dates.

As for splitting the forum up .... Its something I thought a while back, might have worked to segregate the groups ..... but

There is too much crossover of useful info

A "hardcore" .... upgrade of diffs and axles is also useful info for a "softcore" driver wanting to ensure the pissy little dana stuff will handle a bunch of outback road corrugations ..... which I might add is a much more 'hardcore" undertaking in a jeep ... when distances from dealers and towtrucks are considered.

After trawling through ALL the XJ/TJ/ "Technical" etc. threads for suspension & engine info - as most is interchangeable .... I decided that its probably just as well left alone.

This link below is a good JK post .... No whinging, gives the model type ... and a fair description of the problem ..... even if it is a common problem on other models.

So will someone get the poor bugger a picture of the vacuum line layout or whatever a JK uses for vent controls .... before someone else tells him winter is nearly here or whatever

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/...ad.php?t=93976

[Yom]

Originally Posted by carvesdodo

So will someone get the poor bugger a picture of the vacuum line layout or whatever a JK uses for vent controls .... before someone else tells him winter is nearly here or whatever

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/...ad.php?t=93976

he needs to HFTU as its a jeep thing.

plus in winter all he will need is the blower to send air down to the lower areas...hot air rises.

[Sheeds]

Interesting thread, I don't spend too much time trawling the JK threads but I have also noticed some of the recent goings on.

Originally Posted by gener8or

Anyway, this guy's quote was that people need to realise that a Wrangler is NOT a car. It's simply NOT a car. The US government used to have a separate classification for the thing- it was called a jeep- like tractors etc were different from a car.

This quote sums it up best for me about wranglers, my TJ soft top leaks, the car rattles and squeaks, the headlight switch and indicators play up, its had some oil leaks, my missus complains about her feet burning from heat through the firewall when she's a passenger and driving it on the highway for more than an hour or two can be quite draining and is reminiscent of a tent in a cyclone just to mention a few things

But so what! I still love it and accept the problems that come with buying and owning a wrangler as it was like no other car on the market and suited my needs when I was looking for a 4x4. Every time I drive it I have a smile on my face. Like Dom said owing a jeep is character building.
Just accept things arent always perfect. Sure there may be some genuine complaints about build quality out there which dealers should deal with appropriately but that aside surely you must accept that when you bought a wrangler you were making a comprimise and not getting anything like a tourer or a car. It's a wrangler

Anyway I personally would like to see more JK owners threads about people enjoying there 4x4 and getting out amongst it as surely at the end of the day thats why you bought a wrangler in the first place right?

[Aaronsjeep]

Originally Posted by gener8or

Just like we have to put up with the Compasses and Patriots so that Jeep can afford to make a vehicle like the wrangler and keep developing it, you kinda have to put up with the fact that when you have a singular board for the JK, it's going to be visited by a mixture of dailydrivers, funmobilers and offroaders. Get over it for fks sake. Maybe a suggestion would be to separate the various model boards into "hardcore", "custom" and "general" discussion boards. I dunno.

Not a bad idea with the two sections..
going from pirate 4x4, they have a section where you can ask stupid winging questions without getting flamed. and people only post constructive answers..

And a hardcore section, where really, anything goes, and all the decent topics are..

Becauses i can tell everyones getting over all the posts being about indicators, flare and bumper shine methods, leaking softtops, death wobbles, and terrible trade in prices and plenty other posts that have come up lately. These threads dont turn out well anyway, just turn into a sledging match..