wayoflife

Actually, I got my JK Back from Orange Coast Jeep back on Thursday but spent the rest of the day packing and then spent all day Friday driving up to Lake Tahoe where I am now. Need I say, this is the first real chance I've had to sit behind my computer in about 2 days.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that the problems I was having with my rear locker not disengaging was not caused by the new 5.13 gear install Off Road Evolution did for me (as was originally suggested to me by a different Jeep service advisor) but rather, it was caused by a groove that got worn into the slots on the locker (as I had originally thought). Now, what made it completely blow on my last trail run is still beyond me but it was definitly not working by the time I took my Jeep into the dealer. The crazy thing was, you couldn't really tell it wasn't working unless you were climbing a hill (you could hear it clunking) or by testing things out with the rear end up in the air. Need I say, when I first brought my Jeep into Orange Coast Jeep in Costa Mesa, they actually called me back the next day to tell me that nothing was wrong with it. Of course, when I asked their technician what all he did to inspect the locker, he said that they just ran some codes, engaged the locker, disengaged it and then took my Jeep for a test drive. "Test drive" I asked, "where in the world would you have been able to do that?" Of course, I then asked if they ever put my Jeep on a rack, engaged the locker and then tried rotating one of the rear wheels to see if the other would rotate in the same direction as well. And, as you can guess by now, they didn't - but, at least they were very honest about it and agreed that it should have been something they should have done.

So, I left my Jeep with Orange Coast again and come the next day, I get a call from them stating that my locker was indeed toast and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, it would end up taking a week to get and, once they got it, they then realized that they needed a set of shims to complete the install and as luck would have it, the nearst ones were in Milwaukee and would take another 5 days to get! Well, fortunately for me, I made a few calls and was ultimately able to pick up a few shims from Off Road Evolution and promptly took them back to Orange Coast so that they could complete the installation of my new locker in time for me to leave town - *WHEW*

Now, inspite of all the delays and troubles that I experienced getting my rear locker fixed, I will have to say that I am extremely excited, grateful and thankful of Orange Coast Jeep for taking care of me and for doing it all under warranty. I should also point out that their overall service was extremely professional, they quickly owned up to their mistakes and never gave me any BS about anything. So, if you're in the South OC and need a Jeep serivce department that's friendly to real Jeepers and are willing to honor warranty claims, I would highly recommend these guys.

Anyway, for those of you who were wondering what was going on with me and my Jeep, that's the low down. Sorry for babbling so much

MossMan

Man, what an ordeal. It's good to know there are still folks out there that can admit when they're wrong or when they may not have done "everything" they could have. Glad you got your jeep fixed.

jsherman

wayoflife: fortunately you knew the right things to ask...otherwise, you would have had to go some where else and your experience would be completely opposite of what you've described here.

to me, they sound like most mechanic shops.

TORN

Thats great you got your jeep repaired in a timely fashion. I hope it works well for you now. Did you have a good trip and did you go to where the burned area was in tahoe? I never been there but plan on going someday. Did you do some wheeling or was it business?

greggradwohl

Was this an installation error at the factory? Or, just a bad part in the locker?
Is this situation at all common? I am assuming most lockers are working properly?

wayoflife

Yeah, you're absolutely right. What the dealership didn't realize was that I had already done all that I could on my end at home to figure out what was going (opening up the diff and doing a physical inspection of the locker short of pulling it out) on prior to taking my Jeep into the dealership. Need I say, I already knew for sure that my locker was broken and was just hoping for them to repair it under warranty. And, when I was told the first time that nothing was wrong with my locker, I almost lost all hope. Fortunately, I was able to get my service advisor to let me talk directly to their techincian and discuss the situation at hand. After a few minutes, he had a better understanding of what was really going on and asked if he could keep my Jeep a bit longer to check things out for himself. And, as you have suggested, I may still have a broken locker today had I not known what was going on, what needed to be checked and what questions to ask.

So far so good and I hope to test things out on the trail soon to make sure. As far as my trip to Tahoe goes, I am still here and will be until the end of next week (maybe longer) visiting the inlaws. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm able to bring work with me so I can stay away for a while but my stay won't be all pleasure. Although I am close to the burned area, it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be and for the most part, it is contained now.

Well, it's hard to say for sure but I can tell you that the air lockers used in the 03-06 Rubicons were junk and after taking a hard look at the new 07 e-locker, I can tell you that these aren't all that much better. As I mentioned before, I had been having problems with my locker from day one and from what I've been hearing from others here, they have been having similar problems too.

greggradwohl

This is actually the first I've heard this. When you junk, do you mean they were unreliable locking/unlocking? Or, just a weak design? Both? Something else?

Sorry if I am beating this into the ground. But its time to order the JK, and I am torn between getting an X and building up, or a rubi. If there are problems with the rubi lockers, that could be enough to push my decision one way or other.

Thanks, wayoflife.

wayoflife

Junk in the sense that they are a weak design/prone to breaking. I also find it frustrating that it can take for ever for them to disengage whereas the ARB air lockers on my TJ snap of instantly and believe me, this can be a real help on the trail.

However, if you can afford to get a Rubicon, I would still recommend it inspite of the lockers as you will get a Dana44 front axle, a beefier Dana44 rear axle, 4:1 low range and as crazy as it sounds, an e-disco that I actually have grown to like

As soon as they become available in a 32 spline, I will definitely upgrade my lockers to a set of ARB's

greggradwohl

As always, you offer sound advice. Thanks.

wayoflife

Hey, it's my pleasure.