Captain Texas
Adventurer
Scheduled a service appointment for next week at the dealer so they can fix the motor mounts.
Lets just hope it doesn't stay there forever....
Lets just hope it doesn't stay there forever....
Captain Texas Anvil JKU build
- Thread starter Captain Texas
- Start date
Captain Texas
Adventurer
Good news, Bad news, and more bad news
Good News:
So the Jeep went into service to fix the torn motor mount Tuesday and was happy to hear that it was covered under warranty. However, they had to replace BOTH motor mounts AND the transmission mount. Great. Although my service manager also told me that the rear track bar was "bent to ****" and that it would need to be replaced. I opted for an upgraded unit that would help with alignments as I asked them to do one anyway. Also they told me it would be ready Friday.
Bad News:
I just came back from the dealer where my service manager told me it was not ready yet because they were still waiting for the new rear track bar. Totally fine, not a problem, although it sucked driving 30 minutes just to turn right around. I was told that it would be done by Monday for sure, late Saturday (today) at the earliest. OK
More Bad News:
I just got a call from the dealer saying that also all the rear upper and lower control arms would need to be replaced (out of pocket) and that it is possible that the rear axle would need to be replaced. ******* Now the date is Tuesday for when it will be ready.
I guess JEEP really does stand for Just Empty Every Pocket
Good News:
So the Jeep went into service to fix the torn motor mount Tuesday and was happy to hear that it was covered under warranty. However, they had to replace BOTH motor mounts AND the transmission mount. Great. Although my service manager also told me that the rear track bar was "bent to ****" and that it would need to be replaced. I opted for an upgraded unit that would help with alignments as I asked them to do one anyway. Also they told me it would be ready Friday.
Bad News:
I just came back from the dealer where my service manager told me it was not ready yet because they were still waiting for the new rear track bar. Totally fine, not a problem, although it sucked driving 30 minutes just to turn right around. I was told that it would be done by Monday for sure, late Saturday (today) at the earliest. OK
More Bad News:
I just got a call from the dealer saying that also all the rear upper and lower control arms would need to be replaced (out of pocket) and that it is possible that the rear axle would need to be replaced. ******* Now the date is Tuesday for when it will be ready.
I guess JEEP really does stand for Just Empty Every Pocket
SilicaRich
Wandering Inverted
Is all this still issues from the wreck?
Captain Texas
Adventurer
Possible, but I'm not saying that it is the reason.
I called the dealer today saying that I wanted to get the Jeep back and see how it drives. Even after the wreck, I've had the Jeep in multiple shops and I think that one of them would have said something about the rear suspension.
Really was just wanting the motor mounts fixed, not a pile of things to fix.
Captain Texas
Adventurer
So a couple of days ago I went digging around the suspension on the Jeep to see if I could find anything out of the ordinary. I did find something interesting regarding the right sway bar link. I took a photo of a friend of mines Rubicon and mine to compare the two links.
My friends Rubicon:
Mine:
Is this a bad sign? I would think this would probably need to be replaced but it would not explain the reason why my steering wheel is still off.
I am going to get a shop to inspect it this coming week to get a second opinion from what the dealer said as I don't like to get swindled.
My friends Rubicon:
Mine:
Is this a bad sign? I would think this would probably need to be replaced but it would not explain the reason why my steering wheel is still off.
I am going to get a shop to inspect it this coming week to get a second opinion from what the dealer said as I don't like to get swindled.
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Captain Texas
Adventurer
Just finished up Spring Break and happy to say I think I did my first Overland trip with my Dad and Grandpa.:sombrero:
We drove out to Marfa Texas and stayed in a home away house there so not really "Overlanding" per-say but more like glamping. It was a great trip and the three of us had a great time together.
However, what is rather ironic about this trip is that we went in my dad's Toyota Tundra, a completely stock Toyota truck with nothing more than aftermarket wheels. Yea... but I was rather glad to take his truck though because the steering issue has still not been resolved on the Jeep (appointment has been made at a shop to take a look at it) and there would have been no way we could have fit all of our gear in the Jeep. My Grandpa is a professional photographer and brought a TON of camera gear with him and honestly I can say taking the Tundra with the space that it has was a better option. However, I am still planing to take a proper Overland trip in the Jeep this summer once it has been dialed in with a few more tweaks.
We stayed in Marfa for about 5 days and really enjoyed it. I got a ton of tips from my Grandfather on photography and post-editing so I will be posting photos from the trip. We went out to the Prada store outside of Valentine, Texas and got to see a Union Pacific military train west bound with M1 Abrams Tanks, Humvees, etc. We also took a trip out to Shafter, Texas and visited an old cemetery there where we got to try out light painting for the first time. Also we went into the Fort Davis mountains to get some more night time photography. I have to say I have never seen so many stars in the night sky before. When we went back to Midland for a day before headed back to Austin, I looked in the sky to only find around 10 stars. It's crazy what the light pollution will do to the night sky.
Photos from the trip:
I still have more photos that I need to edit but now that I am back in school my time is going to be a bit more constrained. I won't post more of them onto this tread but if you want to see more follow me on Instagram @captain_texas_
Also I got a few "progress" photos of the Jeep as well. First thing I did when I got home was to take off the hi-lift jack from the hood. I was getting kinda tired of seeing the jack in the field of view everyday. Also it essentially did not allow me to use the wiper fluid for when I needed to clean my windshield because the jack would block the hood nozzles. Also because I knew that I could get maybe another .5 MPG back if I didn't have the jack on the hood because of better aerodynamics. lol
Will update if anything comes up.
We drove out to Marfa Texas and stayed in a home away house there so not really "Overlanding" per-say but more like glamping. It was a great trip and the three of us had a great time together.
However, what is rather ironic about this trip is that we went in my dad's Toyota Tundra, a completely stock Toyota truck with nothing more than aftermarket wheels. Yea... but I was rather glad to take his truck though because the steering issue has still not been resolved on the Jeep (appointment has been made at a shop to take a look at it) and there would have been no way we could have fit all of our gear in the Jeep. My Grandpa is a professional photographer and brought a TON of camera gear with him and honestly I can say taking the Tundra with the space that it has was a better option. However, I am still planing to take a proper Overland trip in the Jeep this summer once it has been dialed in with a few more tweaks.
We stayed in Marfa for about 5 days and really enjoyed it. I got a ton of tips from my Grandfather on photography and post-editing so I will be posting photos from the trip. We went out to the Prada store outside of Valentine, Texas and got to see a Union Pacific military train west bound with M1 Abrams Tanks, Humvees, etc. We also took a trip out to Shafter, Texas and visited an old cemetery there where we got to try out light painting for the first time. Also we went into the Fort Davis mountains to get some more night time photography. I have to say I have never seen so many stars in the night sky before. When we went back to Midland for a day before headed back to Austin, I looked in the sky to only find around 10 stars. It's crazy what the light pollution will do to the night sky.
Photos from the trip:
I still have more photos that I need to edit but now that I am back in school my time is going to be a bit more constrained. I won't post more of them onto this tread but if you want to see more follow me on Instagram @captain_texas_
Also I got a few "progress" photos of the Jeep as well. First thing I did when I got home was to take off the hi-lift jack from the hood. I was getting kinda tired of seeing the jack in the field of view everyday. Also it essentially did not allow me to use the wiper fluid for when I needed to clean my windshield because the jack would block the hood nozzles. Also because I knew that I could get maybe another .5 MPG back if I didn't have the jack on the hood because of better aerodynamics. lol
Will update if anything comes up.
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Captain Texas
Adventurer
Eureka?
So after looking over some build threads on some JK's and reading about how the owners have swapped out their tie rods and such for more stout pieces to handle 37 inch tires, it occurred to me to just check to see if any of my front arms on my Jeep were loose.
Eureka.
I discovered that my front tie rod is loose. Great, at least it is a start in the right direction in knowing whats wrong with my steering. The Jeep is headed to the shop on Saturday and will get a look over by a mechanic to see if anything (else) is bent, loose, or needs replacing.
Also Atlas hit 40,000 miles today. Pretty good considering I picked it up with 23,000 on it. I truly am hoping I can keep this thing for so long that when the 3.6L dies I can either swap a HEMI in it or a Cummins and keep going.
So after looking over some build threads on some JK's and reading about how the owners have swapped out their tie rods and such for more stout pieces to handle 37 inch tires, it occurred to me to just check to see if any of my front arms on my Jeep were loose.
Eureka.
I discovered that my front tie rod is loose. Great, at least it is a start in the right direction in knowing whats wrong with my steering. The Jeep is headed to the shop on Saturday and will get a look over by a mechanic to see if anything (else) is bent, loose, or needs replacing.
Also Atlas hit 40,000 miles today. Pretty good considering I picked it up with 23,000 on it. I truly am hoping I can keep this thing for so long that when the 3.6L dies I can either swap a HEMI in it or a Cummins and keep going.
SilicaRich
Wandering Inverted
Honestly seeing how these 3.6s are holding up, good luck killing it:sombrero: and chill with the driving, you are fixing to pass me up in milage at the rate you are going:safari-rig::********:
Captain Texas
Adventurer
I know right. I actually went through my build thread to update the main page and saw that exactly a year ago I hit 30,000 miles. Thats 5,000 less than the average a year and for a daily ill take it.
Captain Texas
Adventurer
Its done...
So Atlas went into the local shop today to get a look through of what was causing the steering issue and within an hour they found out what was the issue.
According to the mechanic, there were two missing bolts in the rear that were causing alignment issues. They replaced those two bolts and adjusted the alignment specs on it afterwards. They didn't even charge me which was very generous.
Steering wheel is straight now. :sombrero:
It just baffles me that the Covert dealership would try to ******* me over like that. They said it was a bent rear track bar, then bent rear upper and lower control arms, and they even went to go onto say that my entire rear Dana 44 for christ sakes would need to be replaced. I am so glad I got the Jeep out of that place when I did or I would have been out 3-4 grand.
If any of you are in Lakeway, Texas I highly suggest Sun Auto Service on 620, they really helped me out on this.
Now that this is taken care of I can now start planning some off-road trips I have been wanting do to for a while, and maybe some more mods... :ylsmoke:
So Atlas went into the local shop today to get a look through of what was causing the steering issue and within an hour they found out what was the issue.
According to the mechanic, there were two missing bolts in the rear that were causing alignment issues. They replaced those two bolts and adjusted the alignment specs on it afterwards. They didn't even charge me which was very generous.
Steering wheel is straight now. :sombrero:
It just baffles me that the Covert dealership would try to ******* me over like that. They said it was a bent rear track bar, then bent rear upper and lower control arms, and they even went to go onto say that my entire rear Dana 44 for christ sakes would need to be replaced. I am so glad I got the Jeep out of that place when I did or I would have been out 3-4 grand.
If any of you are in Lakeway, Texas I highly suggest Sun Auto Service on 620, they really helped me out on this.
Now that this is taken care of I can now start planning some off-road trips I have been wanting do to for a while, and maybe some more mods... :ylsmoke:
Captain Texas
Adventurer
So today was a pretty productive day if I may say so.
Finally got the Jeep washed for the first time in two months, yuck. Glad its clean again.
Took the doors off, first time this year and driving around was AWESOME.
Re-installed the Metalcloak rear seat center support. I removed it because I thought it was an annoying squeak I had in the Jeep and turned out it was loose driver seat bolts. Tightened those up and I haven't heard a sound since.
I ordered a set of fake MOPAR tail light rear guards months ago and when I got them I decided against installing them because they looked kinda cheap. I was digging around in my garage today and found them and decided to install them. They weren't the hardest thing id ever installed but tricky. Looking at them they look pretty good.
I also ordered up a genuine MOPAR fuel filler sill because I have a fake Chinese one right now and it has faded really badly. Also ordered a Rugged Ridge front grill mesh. :Wow1:
Finally got the Jeep washed for the first time in two months, yuck. Glad its clean again.
Took the doors off, first time this year and driving around was AWESOME.
Re-installed the Metalcloak rear seat center support. I removed it because I thought it was an annoying squeak I had in the Jeep and turned out it was loose driver seat bolts. Tightened those up and I haven't heard a sound since.
I ordered a set of fake MOPAR tail light rear guards months ago and when I got them I decided against installing them because they looked kinda cheap. I was digging around in my garage today and found them and decided to install them. They weren't the hardest thing id ever installed but tricky. Looking at them they look pretty good.
I also ordered up a genuine MOPAR fuel filler sill because I have a fake Chinese one right now and it has faded really badly. Also ordered a Rugged Ridge front grill mesh. :Wow1:
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Captain Texas
Adventurer
Update on the Jeep:
I got my new Mopar fuel sill and it looks good. I also ordered a Spiderweb Shade grab-bar bag and so far all my passengers love it as it lets them have a place to put their phone, wallet, etc. I really like it as well, I occasionally use it to hold my sun glasses.
Also ordered a Rugged Ridge grill mesh kit. It did require drilling and after my whole Frontrunner tailgate table issue, I was really hesitant on drilling. So I took a deep breathe, measured twice and drilled once. Got it installed and it looks awesome. My only issue is that the fitment is really tight when reinstalling the grill but it is rock solid.
For the Easter weekend my dad and I spent the day at our ranch. It was a really chill and relaxed day, which is what we needed. I did a bit of wheeling as I hadn't been off-road since last May. The KO2s did a great job and we were still at street pressure. Got some great photos too.
And my favorite photo so far
AND IN OTHER NEWS:
Dynatrac Progrip brakes are a 95% probability of happening within the next month and im super excited. Also thinking of getting ARB diff covers and JKS quick disconnects. Any other suggestions feel free!
I got my new Mopar fuel sill and it looks good. I also ordered a Spiderweb Shade grab-bar bag and so far all my passengers love it as it lets them have a place to put their phone, wallet, etc. I really like it as well, I occasionally use it to hold my sun glasses.
Also ordered a Rugged Ridge grill mesh kit. It did require drilling and after my whole Frontrunner tailgate table issue, I was really hesitant on drilling. So I took a deep breathe, measured twice and drilled once. Got it installed and it looks awesome. My only issue is that the fitment is really tight when reinstalling the grill but it is rock solid.
For the Easter weekend my dad and I spent the day at our ranch. It was a really chill and relaxed day, which is what we needed. I did a bit of wheeling as I hadn't been off-road since last May. The KO2s did a great job and we were still at street pressure. Got some great photos too.
And my favorite photo so far
AND IN OTHER NEWS:
Dynatrac Progrip brakes are a 95% probability of happening within the next month and im super excited. Also thinking of getting ARB diff covers and JKS quick disconnects. Any other suggestions feel free!
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Thanks for the write up. I really enjoy seeing peoples vehicles progress over time. You have done several things that I am/was wanting to do to my gecko green jku. Its been in the dealership the last 2 weeks for a weird shudder issue that feels like a torque converter failing to me. With no codes they all say ( been to 2 dealerships) with no codes or it constantly doing it no joy. It has 63k on the clock and gets a daily commute an hour each way still 100% stock. The aev lift and bumpers look awesome.
Captain Texas
Adventurer
Thanks! Means a lot, means to me someone actually is reading haha. The AEV bumpers are really nice bumpers, they have really good lines and are really high quality, I really recommend them.
Captain Texas
Adventurer
So my trusted Jeep shop in Marble Falls has told me that they "Streamlined" their product range and will not be helping me out with the Dynatrac Pro-grip brake kit. They want me to go with the Terraflex brake kit and my response to that is, uh, no. Which I find rather weird considering they installed that same kit on another customers Jeep (very similar to mine) about 6 months ago.
This has left a rather sour taste in the mouth with them so I am currently getting bids for the work by two Jeep shops in central Austin.
In other news, I ordered the AEV rear hi-lift mount as well as some of their touch up paint because I am noticing some rust spots on the front bumper. (This is because of my accident FYI)
Also currently looking into doing a DIY rear backup camera. Still working out how it will workout.
This has left a rather sour taste in the mouth with them so I am currently getting bids for the work by two Jeep shops in central Austin.
In other news, I ordered the AEV rear hi-lift mount as well as some of their touch up paint because I am noticing some rust spots on the front bumper. (This is because of my accident FYI)
Also currently looking into doing a DIY rear backup camera. Still working out how it will workout.