My 2008, after 7 years of ownership.
09-30-2016, 07:10 AM
#1
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
My 2008, after 7 years of ownership.
8 years of ownership I mean.
When I bought it new in 08, this is how I envisioned it to look. My goal was to do it as frugally as possible and without violating the factory lifetime powertrain warranty. To avoid a lift mod that could result in a violation, I got fenders that make it appear lifted and I got them on sale and installed them myself. I got a brand new complete set of Rubi wheels and tires for $300, carefully and properly blacked them out and installed them myself. Front stubby bumper free on CL installed myself. The final step is half doors. I have waited and waited and waited for an opportunity to get some on the cheap or by trade but that has not happened yet. I can wait.
I am not convinced that a trans cooler will not violate the warranty, so I will not do that. I have heard contradicting statements from various Chrysler reps so to be safe I simply won't go there. Besides I have not had a single trans issue in 110k miles so I suppose I do not require one. I installed a drain valve on the pan so I can easily maintain the fluid.
Soon I will search for new seats on the cheap, remove the old ones, bedline the floor and install all new seats. Also I will pay one of those talented paint and body guys $1k to freshen up the body. It is absolutely mind boggling what those guys can do with their touch up paints and tools. Give them a few hours and they'll bring the body almost back to new it's like magic.
This Jeep has been very low cost to own. I have never paid a professional to service it other than alignments, balancing, etc. Very reliable. I have done most everything on my own. Worth every penny. When you factor in the cost of ownership I believe it has been an excellent purchase.
Last edited by spartan99; 09-30-2016 at 08:18 AM.
09-30-2016, 03:15 PM
#2
Super Moderator
<img src="https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=657857"/><img src="https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=657857"/> 8 years of ownership I mean. When I bought it new in 08, this is how I envisioned it to look. My goal was to do it as frugally as possible and without violating the factory lifetime powertrain warranty. To avoid a lift mod that could result in a violation, I got fenders that make it appear lifted and I got them on sale and installed them myself. I got a brand new complete set of Rubi wheels and tires for $300, carefully and properly blacked them out and installed them myself. Front stubby bumper free on CL installed myself. The final step is half doors. I have waited and waited and waited for an opportunity to get some on the cheap or by trade but that has not happened yet. I can wait. I am not convinced that a trans cooler will not violate the warranty, so I will not do that. I have heard contradicting statements from various Chrysler reps so to be safe I simply won't go there. Besides I have not had a single trans issue in 110k miles so I suppose I do not require one. I installed a drain valve on the pan so I can easily maintain the fluid. Soon I will search for new seats on the cheap, remove the old ones, bedline the floor and install all new seats. Also I will pay one of those talented paint and body guys $1k to freshen up the body. It is absolutely mind boggling what those guys can do with their touch up paints and tools. Give them a few hours and they'll bring the body almost back to new it's like magic. This Jeep has been very low cost to own. I have never paid a professional to service it other than alignments, balancing, etc. Very reliable. I have done most everything on my own. Worth every penny. When you factor in the cost of ownership I believe it has been an excellent purchase.
09-30-2016, 07:11 PM
#3
Super Moderator
I'm in the same boat you are- the anemic 3.8 gets such a bad reputation but I've really enjoyed mine for the past 5 years and I agree- very low cost to maintain. I've not had any major components fail and just been keeping up with fluids is plenty cheap, even buying full Mopar branded items.
Based on the experiences I've had with the jeep thus far, I don't anticipate it dying anytime soon or having any catastrophically expensive fixes come up.
Based on the experiences I've had with the jeep thus far, I don't anticipate it dying anytime soon or having any catastrophically expensive fixes come up.
09-30-2016, 08:13 PM
#4
JK Freak
OMG ! don't get bigger tires other wise the dealer will void the warranty because you stressed the drivetrain. You don't cover your couch with plastic do you ? Sometimes you have to give into life by doing what makes you happy, and sometimes that means not conforming. I bought my 08 in 07 with the factory warranty and I bought it with a dealer installed 4" lift. What a piece of junk, I immediately cut off all the factory bracket from the frame that held the links on and installed a 6" long arm with Fox shocks and 35" tires. It is still that way and I have been to a couple different dealers in two states for service and not one single time has any one even remarked on the fact that major changes were made. You have to understand what you read on 4x4 web sites about people having problems at dealers because of lifts is rare comparison to how many people with lifts have no problems, you just never hear about those stories. You could also just ask your dealer if they are lift friendly, some are.
10-01-2016, 12:44 PM
#6
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Good for you! Everyone has their own opinion and different views. I know people with bone stock jeeps, extreme king of hammer builds, and the crazy mall crawlers. That's what makes jeeps so great. There are millions of options for these vehicles to make it your own. Build your vehicle how you want it.
10-01-2016, 01:07 PM
#7
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10-01-2016, 02:30 PM
#8
JK Super Freak
Thread Starter
09-02-2017, 08:44 PM
#9
Super Moderator
I have an 08 and I'm in the same boat about violating the lifetime power train but the trans cooler is a must in my opinion. I got the mopar one. If def doesn't void it because they started putting it on the JK's stock in like 2010.
Just my 2 cents. Changing the fluid is great but the filter is what really makes the difference.
Just my 2 cents. Changing the fluid is great but the filter is what really makes the difference.
09-04-2017, 05:18 AM
#10
JK Super Freak
I have an 08 and I'm in the same boat about violating the lifetime power train but the trans cooler is a must in my opinion. I got the mopar one. If def doesn't void it because they started putting it on the JK's stock in like 2010.
Just my 2 cents. Changing the fluid is great but the filter is what really makes the difference.
Just my 2 cents. Changing the fluid is great but the filter is what really makes the difference.
I've got a 2" lift and 33.5" BFG tires and I've been through two lifetime warranty inspections with no concern. In fact, on the last one, a couple weeks ago, they determined I needed a new (rebuilt) transmission. The old one was popping out of 3rd gear, maybe once or twice a month.
I'm a big fan of the old 3.8 in my JK. It has had no issues other than drinking a bit of oil. It runs great and has been trouble-free. It sometimes has a tiny bit of spark knock, but a couple tanks of Vpower and an Italian tune-up usually takes care of that. I've also found that it LOVES 91 Octane ethanol free gas. It runs smoother, no knock, and gets 1 mpg better city and highway. I don't run it too often because of the expense, but if I'm going off-road or just on a Jeep cruise, I run it for the pure enjoyment.
The 3.8 with 4.10 gears and the 6 speed moves around just fine with the 33's.
I'll be ordering a new JL in November, but the old JK isn't going anywhere.