Duder

Hi guys,

I am looking at an '09 Unlimited X 4x4. It features 3.76 gears, tow package, automatic, hard top and full doors. The only real upgrades appear to be some 16"x8" wheels and 33" mud terrains. If it has any lift under it, it's not much. It has that squatty, wide look to it. Besides that it's a basic, stock model. No fancy electronics, manual windows and locks, etc. Which suits me fine. I like simple, rugged vehicles.

I have a couple of questions:

1. What are known issues for this model, year etc? I've heard the tops leak and have read some things about oil consumption and trans problems. How common are those problems? How easy to fix? What else should I be aware of? What might be fixed under a recall (or "service bulletin" whatever that means)?

2. When checking this thing out, what should I really look at? I'm not opposed to crawling around on the pavement underneath it to get a good look at everything. Areas prone to rust? What signs would show it to be a problem child? At what point should I walk away?

3. I have read about a lifetime powertrain warranty. What's the story on that? I'd rather hear from you all than the dealer.

I have a lot of experience with 4x4's and jeep-ish vehicles. My father and I have done a '68 Nissan Patrol, a '46 Willys and I'm currently driving around in a '69 Toyota FJ40 most days. My dad had a '01 TJ and I've done a fair bit of wrenching on my buddy's CJ5. Then there have been Zuki's, Isuzu's etc. Anyways, lots of jeeps around but I've never really owned one myself and never one I wanted to rely on solely to be my DD. So any guidance would be much appreciated.

Ghost63

I would have a good look underneath for any signs that it has been wheeled hard. A trip to a reliable mechanic for a full inspection may be wise also. Remember that there is always a reason that a vehicle becomes "used". Sometimes it isn't bad, but there are a lot of guys/gals out there that thrash the $hit out of there Jeeps and then trade them in.

Duder

True enough. What are the specific trouble areas I should look at? Torn bushings, bent suspension mounts, gouged skid plates, etc?

Ghost63

I good look at the suspension and drivetrain for anything that looks worn, or for obvious signs of hard use. A few scrapes on skid plates are ok, but huge dents or missing parts would be signs that the Jeep has had a hard life. Take it for a test drive and turn off the stereo and roll down the windows. Listen closely for any unusual sounds. Crawl over a few speed bumps or curbs and see if you hear any strange steering or hear the suspension making noise.

Look under the carpeting for any signs of mud, sand or rust; these would also be indicators of a lot of wheeling. Again, Jeeps are born to wheel, but sometimes people tend to push their rigs to the extreme. It sounds like a fairly stock set-up, so perhaps it was only a DD.

Duder

Cool. Thanks for the input. So, what about the leaky top and oil consumption, are those problems as common as they would seem? What, if anything, can be done to fix those issues? I'm not an actual mechanic but I'm pretty competent with a set of wrenches.

Duder

Alright so I went and checked it out and took it for a spin. Drove in a bunch of different, regular driving conditions, up and down hills, around town stuff and then got on the interstate and got her up to 75 mph. Everything was fine. Rode smooth, no death wobbles. Engine sounded good and even. Exhaust was quiet (again it's all stock). Took her over some bumps with the windows down, no odd sounds and the suspension was quiet and seemed to behave properly. The under pinnings all looked good, bushings seemed fine. Skid plates were clean. I looked under the carpets as you suggested and found no signs of abuse.

BUT, there was one odd thing. It was in the steering. There was a sort of click/pop when the steering wheel was pushed an inch or two left or right of the center point. It was faintly audible but I could feel it more than anything. The dealer agreed that was bizarre. It wasn't horrible and didnt seem to adversely affect the handling. However, it did bother me and I wasn't ready to plunk down my cash with it like that. I told them I would go and come back in 3-4 days with my wife to check it out but if she drove it and felt that, she would not want to buy it. The dealer manager told me he would put it into the service center to get that fixed as he agreed it needed to be resolved before selling it (whether I was the one to buy it or not). It is an actual Jeep dealer with a full service center and trained techs so I feel they should be able to address the problem. The salesman was very helpful in explaining the issue and how to recreate the occurrence in their testing. I don't know. Loose tie rod? Bad bushing in the steering linkage, bad power steering box?

Thoughts?

Otherwise, I did enjoy the experience. Rather refined compared to what I'm used to but still every bit a Jeep.

By the way, thanks for answering my questions.