A few issues before I order....

[Milkman]

Well, stopped by Steve White Motors in Hickory today because we had a good steady rain all day. I am planning on ordering an Unlimited Rubicon shortly so I decided to swing by and see if I could verify the issues that everyone is talking about.

First off, I am a diehard Jeep guy, 53 CJB, 79 CJ7, 89 Wrangler and have a 01 TJ right now that I am planning on trading in on the JK. With a small child, it just makes sense to have 4 doors and some storage in the back.

We test drove a Unlimited Rubicon that they had on the lot on Sat and we pulled the top on and off to see how it worked etc.

I stopped by today and sure enough, water on the seat and center console. I read where the front was leaking but not the back. A salesman walked out with me to take a look at it. Also, no paint in the hinges like all the pictures I have seen. We tightened etc to make sure something wasn't loose but no dice. Also, I could see where it had leaked previously as the hard top seam between the two panels was stained like a wet ceiling panel.

Went in and talked to the General Manager about it and he basically said great, haven't heard anything about the leaking but sure his phone will be ringing tomorrow. I basically told him that if I order a Jeep I will not accept it until these are fixed so I guess I should hold off my order until he can guarantee these are fixed.

Now, I know you all will say, it's a Jeep, etc. But $30,000 should buy you a vehicle that is painted and the roof does not leak. My TJ roof has never leaked be it hard top or soft top and I payed far less for that one. I really, really hope Chrysler gets on the ball with these issues and solves them quickly. No way am I driving a primered vehicle through a Buffalo winter, it won't last one of them. Just look at my painted and powdercoated bumpers and rock rails.

[Tjen97]

I also would have thought that this problem would have been solved before they left the line, if not they will just be wasting money w/people sending tops back to the factory and having new ones shipped out. What a pain!

[Milkman]

Now not to be totally negative about the issues, the things I love about the new JKs...

3.8V6 with 4.10 gears - Plenty of power and take off compared to my lifted TJ Sport
Doors - Every door on this thing including the rear hatch opens and closes so easy..love it
32" tires/ground clearance - Looks great, can delay a lift for a bit
Sound system - Not usually one who cares about this but the audio guys did a great job
Seats - They wrap around and hug you, feels like I'm driving a sports car until I start it
Rear Seat and Storage room - Better than my wife's old XJ, can actually haul a gallon of milk home!

Front Tow Hooks with no clips...won't cut it in my 4x4 club tho....

[ppecorar]

I Have Had My Jk For A Month Now Through Five Or Six Days Of Rain
And No Leaks

[nam6869usmc]

I've had my JK for 2 weeks, had the panel's out twice, rained here in Central Pa. pretty hard twice(all last night) and absolutely not a drop inside.

[wayoflife]

From what I understood, the leaks were a problem but I was under the impression that it had been fixed. Maybe the one you were looking at missed the fix. Either way, I'd be willing to be there'll be a TSB issues on it that'll take care of it.

[Milkman]

Thanks for the replies guys. It is good to hear that some JK's are ok as far as the Hardtops.

Has anyone seen or have one where the hinges are painted all the way in the door jams?

[Piginajeep]

Has anyone seen or have one where the hinges are painted all the way in the door jams?

I'm not totallu sure what you mean..

But the wife and I just looked at a Red Rubicon and a White X, both 4 doors.

the rubicons paint was good around the hinges.. the white.. no so much it appeared to be light on paint. it wasnt complete, it appeared to have shadows under the hinges and in the bolts.

the blue 2-door we seen was also good.

The black hex bolts on all three of the windshields looked bad IMO. The two doors top was not properly installed. But i blame this on the dealer. it would be an easy fix if they looked.

When our rescue green arrives, we will be going over it before we leave the lot.

[Milkman]

What I mean about the paint is the following.

Stand outside the Jeep and open your drivers door. When it is fully open look at the gap between the body (Front Fender) and the top and bottom door hinges. This gap where the hinge is welded to the body is not fully painted on every Jeep but a silver one I have seen so far. Here is a thread talking about it but not so great pics....

Really hard to explain, but I think this thread does a good job after rereading it.

http://www.*********.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324881

[tolh13]

I have the steel blue and you really have to look between the door and behind the hing to see a lighter color.Don't like it but love the jk.it is very hard to see and the dealer said they we fix.

[Silver Bullet]

I just picked up a 4-door Rubicon....light greystone. The paint is absolutely perfect. 100% coverage, even on the underside of all hinges and the far reaches in the doorjams. I did look at a rescue green Sahara that had plenty of paint issues (door jams, hinges and even some flat areas), so I knew what to look for on mine. The sahara was delivered to the dealer prior to the one I bought, so perhaps Jeep has the problem resolved.

[Milkman]

That is funny because the silver X unlimited we drove yesterday looked perfect too. Every other one on the lot in the other colors had the issue. We were thinking of ordering a silver one anyway....

[Bill]

I noticed the paint on my Jeep Green Unlimited has paint issues bheind the hinges. I'm going to the dealer tonight, I'll see what he says. Hopefully they're acknowledging the issue and will fix it on the ones that are bad.

[JByer323]

The fact that they are still having issues with the top is approaching unbelievable. The paint issue is just lack of quality. Thank you, UAW.

[SpudRacer]

I'd love to see pictures of the light greystone!! Haven't seen one in that color yet.

Has anyone heard that the production line was shut down temporarily?! I talked to my salesman 2 days ago, just to check on things, and he said that production of my Jeep may be delayed a little because the production line had been stopped temporarily.:naw:

I took that as a good sign!!! If they're fixing problems such as the paint or the top leakage, PLEASE DO SO BEFORE YOU BUILD MINE!!!:yup:

Tom
Bryson City, NC

[Piginajeep]

I took that as a good sign!!! If they're fixing problems such as the paint or the top leakage, PLEASE DO SO BEFORE YOU BUILD MINE!!!:yup:

Tom
Bryson City, NC


exactly what im thinking. mine should be off the line by now anyhow...:yup:

[SpudRacer]

I went to the Jeep dealer again today, and looked at the doors under the hinge surfaces.

Every Jeep we looked at was missing paint, but appeared to be covered at least by primer. If my JK shows up with primer behind the hinges, I'm going to refuse it until this is fixed.

Has anyone else looked at other JKs?

Tom
Bryson City, NC

[Piginajeep]

I went to the Jeep dealer again today, and looked at the doors under the hinge surfaces.

Every Jeep we looked at was missing paint, but appeared to be covered at least by primer. If my JK shows up with primer behind the hinges, I'm going to refuse it until this is fixed.

Has anyone else looked at other JKs?

Tom
Bryson City, NC

the one dealer has 4,. two of them were missing paint,

the one we just looked at today. that was just delivered was rescue green, and the paint was perfect. I'm hoping that problem was fixed.

we also noticed a couple changes in the jeep. just minor problems we noticed on the first ones. ie. bumper screws were changed and appear to be better.

[Milkman]

Tom,

I am putting in my order from Steve White tomorrow and I already told him the same thing. I will not accept the Jeep with a leaking top or unpainted hinges. The Sales Manager is aware of both these issues as I spoke directly to him about them.

On a side note with them. Make sure you check your Jeep over very carefully before you accept it. I was there on Friday and they were hammering a dent out of the hood cowl of a white Rubicon. The service guy dented it by opening the door up too far when he was out fueling it up. I checked it when it was done and you could still see it if you looked at it right. They delivered it to the guy and of course said nothing to him about it.

I will be going over mine with a fine tooth comb when it comes in....it is still 25-30K we are spending on a vehicle here.

[JKwannabe]

I took a look at one of the first JKs my local dealership and noticed the paint missing behind the hinges (it was black on grey primer, REAL noticeable). I was talking to the OWNER of the dealership and his reply when i brought it to his attention... "Its a Jeep thing" !!!

[wayoflife]

I took a look at one of the first JKs my local dealership and noticed the paint missing behind the hinges (it was black on grey primer, REAL noticeable). I was talking to the OWNER of the dealership and his reply when i brought it to his attention... "Its a Jeep thing" !!!

Ya know, I have looked at a ton of JK's over the past month and a half and I can tell you, all of them were missing paint at that location. Granted, there was primer there and not bare metal but apparently, this is a "Jeep thing" :rolleyes:

But, it won't keep me from buying one :D

[HappyCurmudgeon]

My 2 door soft top has a leak on both sides, water drips on the interior door releases. There is a small seam in the molding when you open the door right above this spot, it appears to be the source of the leak. Anyone else have a similar issue? I could investigate & goop it myself, but i made an appt with the dealer to let them do it.

Other than that little complaint, i love the thing.

[SpudRacer]

Tom,

I am putting in my order from Steve White tomorrow and I already told him the same thing. I will not accept the Jeep with a leaking top or unpainted hinges. The Sales Manager is aware of both these issues as I spoke directly to him about them.

On a side note with them. Make sure you check your Jeep over very carefully before you accept it. I was there on Friday and they were hammering a dent out of the hood cowl of a white Rubicon. The service guy dented it by opening the door up too far when he was out fueling it up. I checked it when it was done and you could still see it if you looked at it right. They delivered it to the guy and of course said nothing to him about it.

I will be going over mine with a fine tooth comb when it comes in....it is still 25-30K we are spending on a vehicle here.

Appreciate the heads up. I will certainly go over it with a magnifying glass. I'm not expecting a perfect Jeep, but will refuse it if I see any repaired dents. I'm sure they'll also have it all spic and span, but I'll spray it with a hose and dirty it up BEFORE I accept it to make sure it doesn't leak. Hickory is a good 2 hours away from where I live. I don't plan to take it back often, so I want it right before I accept it. I don't feel that's asking too much.