Build quality satisfaction?

[The_Dude]

Hi,

I have never owned a Jeep and am admittedly a Toyota guy. My current rig is in my sig. I am not here to start a passing match. I am genuinely wondering how satisfied you guys are with your JKUR's after putting 30-40k+ miles on them. I have nothing to compare to except for a 1998 and 2003 Tacoma. If I were to buy one it would be a few years but my Land Cruiser is getting long in the tooth and the Jeep is the closest thing to what the 80 is that isn't decades old. I have been very pleased with my 17 year old 80 and its rattle free. I don't beat on it but I do use it.

Mainly the Jeep would be built as an expo vehicle. 285s in the interest of fuel mileage and bumpers/winch.

Any input would be great!

 

[EugeneTheTJ]

It's very reliable. Might rattle a little bit but nothing unbearable.You won't be disappointed in one.

 

[swift7777]

45K on my 2011, overall very reliable. The build quality is great except for the cheap components they use on the front end. At around 40K started to get a lot of rattles over bumps and expansion joints and tracked the issue down to the pitman arm drag link end and the tierod ends.

After switching out both for moog grease-able units its back to new, no squeaks or rattles.

 

[Justincredible]

My 2012 (2 door Sport) has been rock solid for 42,000 miles, except the battery crapped out on me a couple weeks ago. Other than that no breaks, rattles, or problems.

 

[F5driver]

My last 4x4 was a well built 07 Rubicon 4 door so I've owned both. LC's are over built, designed for 100k's of off road use. JK's are under built, just barely enough build quality to get the job done. The front axle housing and shock/control arm mounts, for example, are made of tin. That being said, once the known weaknesses are addressed the JK is a great platform.

 

[Rubicon John]

My 08 JKUR has over 70K on it and runs like new. This is my favorite jeep having owned several over the past 25 years. They keep getting better and improving them. Like my JK, my previous 3 TJs and XJs never once left me down or were sent back to the dealer (I do my own work and keep up with the maintenance). My CJ was a mess when I got it, and never served as a DD, but who can fault a 30 year old jeep that served farm duty for a decade of its life!

I went crazy for a year and bought a 2007 FJC when they first came out. I liked it on the road, but offroad it was not even close to being a jeep--it wheeled like a fat lady walking in high heels!

Most people that buy jeeps and complain about them shouldn't be jeep owners in the first place. They're usually the ones that end up trading them in for a BMW SUV or some other soft-road pavement queen.

 

[EugeneTheTJ]

LC's are over built, designed for 100k's of off road use. JK's are under built, just barely enough build quality to get the job done. The front axle housing and shock/control arm mounts, for example, are made of tin. That being said, once the known weaknesses are addressed the JK is a great platform.

I lol'ed at this. I guess my perception of "off-road use" is probably different than yours, though.

 

[Weeds]

58,000 miles on mine no problems. I have been to Utah, Arizona, Idaho and Washington. The only thing I feel may be light duty is the suspension. The stock springs would not support my load more than 6 months.

 

[Rubicon John]

LC's are over PRICED...

Fixed it 4ya! :coffeedrink:

By "over built" do you mean this monster of ruggedness or something not in current production and 20 years old (which is kind of a ridiculous comparison)???

 

[Root Moose]

Honestly, I'd take a 200 series Land Cruiser over a JK anything any day.

 

[Rubicon John]

Honestly, I'd take a 200 series Land Cruiser over a JK anything any day.

Hmm...I'll let Scott Brady comment on the 200 series...
http://expeditionportal.com/why-the-land-cruiser-is-the-worst-selling-suv-in-america/

The OP came here for Jeep owners' input from real life experiences with our rigs and not to hear conjecture and hearsay from non-owners and their cousin's sister's boyfriend's uncle about their opinions.

 

[KlausVanWinkle]

There are a lot of little annoying things. And even some things that are a lot better than the Land Cruiser.

Mine only has 1200 miles on it. But there are some things I've noticed.

The sheet metal is very thin. And since it's mostly flat, it noticeably bends when you press against it.

The ridges of the wiper and headlight stalks are kind of sharp. And there's an annoying rough spot on the end of the headlight stalk.

It's very plasticky compared the Land Crusier. And since the interior is mostly black, even dry skin shows on the black plastic. There's a white spot where my knee touches the door.

The 80's seats aren't great. But the JK's seats aren't nearly as comfortable as a 100-Series.

Everything is a lot lighter like the doors, center console lid, glove box handle, etc.

So in concluison, you'l find plenty of little Jeepisms to complain about, but the fun factor outweighs them. The Jeep is infinitely more fun to drive on a daily basis. The Land Cruisers balance comfort, reliability, and utility very well. But fun was never a factor.

Go read some Defender vs Land Cruiser vs Jeep JKUR threads on South African or Australian overlanding forums. I think we all want what we can't have and take for granted that the most capable stock 4x4 in the world is relatively cheap and available to us here in the US.

 

[kpredator]

build quality

we own two jeeps a 2004 and a 2013. 2004 build quality was better.
2013 is wifes daily driver,she enjoys it. but i will take our old beater
anytime.
jm2c
kp

 

[HRPINDC]

I actually have no issues with build quality. I think the interior of my Rubicon is nice and I feel like the engineers put a lot of thought into most of it. In black, I don't think it's too plasticky at all. The panel gaps are consistent both inside and out. I had a leak, but the dealer fixed it on the first try. Mechanically I've had no real issues. That being said, it's not a luxury vehicle, it is a Jeep so you can expect some annoyances, trade-offs and idiosyncrasies. In my opinion the trade-offs have been worth it to drive something that makes me happy every time I get behind the wheel. I've never owned a Toyota, but I know they are well built vehicles, especially 15 to 20 years ago. Previously I owned an Xterra so my expectations are kind of high, but so far, so good.

 

[The Swiss]

72,000 miles on my 2012 JKUR and I still consider her as new; no problems what so ever. When I was a little kid I was dreaming of putting half a million kilometers (310,686 miles) on a vehicle. This might just be the one.:smiley_drive: