MJS_Jeep_888: Initial Observations
 

OK - I've had my Jeep less than a week, but have some initial observations to share with the group; I've written some of this piece-mail in other posts, but here goes:

My Jeep:
2 door Sahara, Jeep Green, Auto, almost fully-loaded (Dual Tops, Tow Group, etc., but no 18" wheels, smoker's group, or MyGIG). I also have a remote starter installed.

1) First words: Love it - the ride to work seems almost like a ride off to vacation or a camping trip - this must be that "Jeep thing" that the bumper stickers and tire covers used to tell me I wouldn't understand. This vehicle is just a ton (or two) of fun, and I can't wait for the warmer weather - topless is where this vehicle really shines. :D

2) Build quality: seems excellent. There are no squeaks or rattles that I've noticed, and the fit and finish seem great. The ride is much better than TJs I've driven, and the seats are pretty comfortable. The Freedom Top panels fit great, and the cabin is practically airtight. I love the nice solid "thunk" when you close / half-slam the doors. The power group works great, and the one-touch-down driver's side window is a great feature. As everyone seems to mention, the heat is EXCELLENT. :yup:

3) Factory fixes?: The Freedom Top hasn't leaked a single drop, and I've had the hard top completely off (yesterday) to remove the soft top and hardware that was shipped from the factory. I paid close attention putting the front panels back on, and made sure that the seals were nice and tight - today, I got something like 4-5 inches of snow accumulation overnight, and the ride in to work left me dry as a bone - still leak-free. Also, the dash plastic seems better than the demo models I looked over before ordering in December; I've run my fingernail overs some of the areas that posters have identified as "easy to scratch" and no scratches on mine... :cool:

4) Topless factor: Call me crazy, hardcore, or just plain stupid, but once the wife and I had taken off the hard top and finished removing the soft top components/braces yesterday, we decided it would be fun to go for a ride topless. In February. In New England. It was, um, "exhilarating." We had grins from ear-to-ear on our frozen faces, and got some pretty interesting looks from the folks we drove by :thinking: :rotflmao: ... it was priceless. :rotflmao1:

5) Powertrain: I have the Automatic and the new Hemi option (kidding). ;) The 3.8L seemed a little weak when I was babying it off the line for break-in... but when you really get on it, this engine is a great workhorse. Nothing compared to a sports-car, but IMHO, way better-suited to everyday use than the outgoing 4.0L inline engine. I've been in 2WD, 4HI and 4LO, and this Jeep's damn near unstoppable... during the aforementioned topless drive, we decided to do a little light offroading (or should I say "over-the-curb, into a bumpy, unplowed field/hillside" - this is central Connecticut, after all), and it handled like a champ through at least 8 inches of hardpacked old snow and dirt; whenever I felt like I was going to hit some resistance or get "stuck" (yeah, right), I just gave it a little gas - definitely sufficient power for most uses, I think. Can't wait to get and install the CAI, for just that little extra!

6) Headlights: From reading some of the posts on this forum, I expected the headlights to totally suck... My experience has been quite the opposite. I've had some folks flash me at night, thinking I had my highs on; also, with the fog lights on, too, there's plenty of light for me, even on unlit backroads. Maybe if I lived further north (Maine/Vermont/New Hampshire) I'd want a LITTLE more light because of deer crossings, but if I'm out in the sticks and there's not heavy opposing traffic, I can just use my high beams - MUCH better lighting than I expected.

7) Sound system: I've never had satellite radio before, but I'm loving it. I have the 368W Infinity "upgraded" stereo, with 6-disc CD/DVD changer, and haven't used a disc yet... but with the top off yesterday, I cranked it all the way to (drum roll) 18 :rollingeyes: and the wife yelled at me because she didn't want to be rude to the people we were driving by.:eek!: I had to explain to her than it only SOUNDED loud, but that it wasn't THAT loud (I've been up to 20 with the top on, and the sound is great). I agree with some that it could use a little extra punch, but this is easily the best "stock" system I've ever owned in a vehicle. I would expect that those that buy the 4-door might want a little more, because there's more distance between their ears and the subwoofer...

8) Tires: The stock 17" wheels and Goodyears that came on my Sahara have been great so far. Quiet on the road, fine on the limited off-road use I've put them through already (they're especially good at low-speed curb-climbing), and provide a pretty good ride overall. In light snow (<=2"), they were good enough that I was able to ride in 2WD alone - the electronic nanny did a good job of keeping me in line. Today, riding into work with 4-5" of unplowed snow on the roads, they weren't quite as good, but 4HI did a great job, even at speed on the highway (think I touch 50 once, following the flow of traffic in this crud). I might consider getting some dedicated snow tires once the Goodyears wear in a bit, but not if I can make due with what I have.

9) Remote Starter: Love it - haven't tested it from further than 70 feet away, but works great. The Jeep warms up quickly, and this is a great feature. My wife gets the garage, I get the remote start - I'm not complaining now.

10) Small gripes: I'm still trying to get used to the lack of nooks and crannies for driving-accessible storage. The side steps (stock Sahara) are more of a nuisance for me than a help... but they're a necessity for the 5' wife! I'll get used to both of these "gripes," and they're really nothing much to complain about...

OVERALL: While I was waiting for my Jeep to be built, and then waiting almost another month for it to be delivered, I was reading this forum, and was getting bummed by all the problems I was reading about. I half-expected a POS vehicle that Chrysler rushed into production, without a thought towards quality. Boy was I wrong! In fact, as I wrote above, I think that they may even have addressed some of the more "fit/finish"-type issues. As I said, my dash plastic is scratch-free, and even after removal and reinstallation, my Freedom top is still leak-free. So far, everything is working just as it's supposed to, and I'm really happy with my Jeep.

It's been said multiple times here on the forum, and I'd like to echo it: The wait TOTALLY sucks, but the Jeep you get at the end is WELL worth it. Here are a couple poser-pics, by request (we didn't think to bring the camera with us on our off-road/topless jaunt, but remembered when we were parked).

The little wife loving the big Jeep:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/atta...9&d=1172493908


Me, in the "Oh what a feeling!" pose some of you asked for... be careful what you wish for! :rotflmao1:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/atta...0&d=1172493917

Hope you all enjoyed my post (that picture is purely for your enjoyment) - again, the JK is well worth the wait. :)

I believe I was the one to requests this picture. Sorry everyone!:D

Just kidding, way to follow through! Now, how 'bout a shot sliding across the hood like the Dukes of Hazzard used to do.:rotflmao1: No don't, I know DC hasn't changed the metal thickness yet!

All hail my mighty one-pack!
 

Yeah, as you might imagine, getting the timing down on a shot like that without an "action camera" took a lot of tries... somewhere in there my T-shirt got untucked, so you all got a glimpse of my one-pack. :rotflmao1: Seriously, though: I said I'd do it, so I did - gotta follow through on your word, right?

I hope that my observations about the dashboard plastic are correct - It'd be great if those of you that had earlier-built JKs and complained ended up getting the problem "fixed" for the rest of us! :D Also, I think I forgot to write this: My door hinges appear to have been painted well, so thanks to those of you who did something constructive and benefitted the rest of us - it's appreciated. You can consider that picture of me making an 8ss of myself your reward. :yup:

Great to see you got your toy:yup: , now as the next thing, replace the air intake!
I did and what a difference, I used the Airaid.

Hey MJS_Jeep_888 do you have any interior shots (including door panel). I wanted to see the slate gray interior on a jeep green JK.



Did it really make a big difference?

I really thing it did and that is not just my opinion. Before, on the road, when I got going and I stepped on it, it slowly got up to speed. Now, I get the feeling the tires want to spin. Even my wife, a person with no technical knowledge or feeling what so ever, ask me what I did.:toung:

Consider engine break-in...
 

Hey Egmont. I'm not doubting that the Airraid adds some punch, but wanted to share another observation. I tried a little bit of a controversial break-in technique... this technique is pretty much "beating your new engine." Well, I wasn't about to do that to my new Jeep, so I babied it off the line, but once I had overcome the inertia of a dead stop, I wasn't afraid to juice it liberally... this supposedly helps to seat the piston rings tighter, and, according to this semi-well-known website that advocates a "hard break in," can produce something like up to 10% greater engine output, due to optimal sealing under pressure... don't know whether that's crap or not, and wasn't about to beat my new Jeep into the ground, so I tempered that technique with common sense (hence not working the new engine too hard under full load, i.e., from a dead stop). This technique will supposedly lead to longer engine life, as well as better power and fuel economy. Not advocating it, just mentioning it, because:

In the first 100 miles, the engine wasn't "gutless," but DID leave something to be desired (this is in "babying it off the line" mode, then some very liberal applications of throttle, once in motion). Now that I'm near the 200 mile mark, when I give it some gas from a dead stop, it DOES feel like the tires want to spin - in fact, I've peeled out a couple times already (I'm going to be honest - it was unintentionally, and for very short periods of time; there may have also been some road salt, etc. - not claiming that my Jeep is some awesome powerhouse that regularly burns up its Goodyears :D ).

I'm mentioning this because there seemed to be a distinct "break-in point," where all of a sudden my engine seemed to up its output on its own. The Jeep is too new for me to say conclusively that this break-in technique works wonders; for all I know, the ECU is learning my driving style and adjusting throttle inputs accordingly... This is also still on my first tank of gas, and there are just too many variables involved for me to say conclusively that "this works" - it DOES seem to, though...

Did you notice anything similar before you put on the CAI? I'm looking forward to the install, as mechanically-challenged as I am, because a 10-12hp gain would be awesome... just curious if perhaps your CAI install could have coincided with the engine "broken-in" point? Or, is the CAI that great and noticeable? Either way, I'm looking forward to it, and do intend to install and Airraid...

I don't have any interior pics yet, but give me a day or two and I'll snap some for you... I chose the slate gray because the center stack is gray/silver even if you choose the khaki interior, and that doesn't look too slick IMHO... Again, I'll try to snap a couple pics for you this week - feel free to send me a reminder later in the week if I haven't done this, kay?

First let me qualify what I will say later. I am in the marine generator and inboard diesel engine propulsion business for over 25 Years. I sell and service these engines, mostly new and with that comes the responsibility of educating the customer on the proper break-in procedure. Unlike a car engine, on a boat you set the throttle and forget it in normal use.

What I tell my customers is that for the first 25 hours or so, to vary the RPM every few minutes (not a issue in a car) and not be afraid to "goose it" for short time. In my opinion, nothing is worse then running a steady, low RPM in the break-in period with out really having a proper load on the engine. The worst thing you can do is “baby” the engine. Granted, there are differences in gas vs. diesel when it comes to loading that engine, but as far as break-in is concerned, they are the same.

You had a link in a previous post to a break-in page and I totally agree with this fellow.

I installed my Airaid at about 1400 miles and before I installed it I did this simple, non scientific “floor the pedal” test, the before and after came within an hour of each other so I still had the “feeling” of what happened before.

So wait a few miles and then get it and you will be surprised.

So the CAI works well?:confused:

Someone will have to start a thread about proper engine break-in procedure too... or has that been done?
There are too many myths and mis-conceptions about the break-in period and it seems pretty important to do right.