Looking at trading my 08 X in for a 10 Rubicon. My wife is trying to talk me into an automatic tranny(so she can drive, of course). How are the auto Rubi transmissions holding up? It would be a daily driver, with occassional weekend warrior offroading. Thanks for any info.

 

You will be fine, just get the life time bumper to bumper max care.

Tell them you only want to pay $1675 for it, and see what they say. I have purchased it on my 08 for that amount and will pay $1750 for my 09 tomorrow.

Now if you are going to mod the heck out of it then thats another story.

 

welcome to the forum...

my auto rubi has been good so far (coming from a manual TJ owner). i've enjoyed it wheeling and in traffic. some days I do miss shifting, other days not at all. btw shift points on the tranny are not so great but I'm hoping my superchips will help with that.

my vote is to go for the auto to satisfy her but with full disclosure to her that the autos do require some more mods for the trails.

this is true (front drive shaft, oil/tranny skid, etc) depending on how you build it.

and it will give you a little bit of a piggy bank for mods.

 

my 2010 has been good so far....i think I have 3300 miles now. It's a little sluggish when shifting but gas mileage is good 19/21

 

I do a lot of rock crawling with my auto rubi's. They do a great job. I think they are easier to drive on rocks and steep ledges/hills than the 6 speed rubi i have driven. It comes down to personal preference. One drawback to an auto is the engine braking isn't as good as with a stick. Of course who cares unless you are on a hill where it matters. For my rock crawler I put in a rubicrawler. It made the auto better for the really steep stuff.

 

I have upgraded 2005 Rubicon manual onto 2010 Auto, new Rubi has 5yr/100k miles powertrain warranty on top of standard 3/36k. Mileage is the same or better than 2005 model, automatic transmission is definitely a great feature especially for my GF. Good luck !

 

i have had both manual and auto 4x4's. I currently have an 08 Rubicon with an auto. 44K miles so far w/o a problem. Stick is more fun at times, but if it is going to be a daily driver and there is traffic involved, you will be happy you got an auto. I also think that I am a lot smoother on rocks with an auto. A stick does not mix well with knee and back problems.

 

My Rubi is an auto...works fine for me. We have put 15k miles on it in just over 7 months...including a 2k trip to FL from VA...cruised at hwy speeds just fine. I have also used on the trails and love it!

 

You can search the forum for more info on them so I'll just mention a few of the issues that come up.

The auto-trannies tend to run hot, especially when towing or slow-crawling. Many folks install aftermarket auxiliary coolers. $50 and an hours time, good write-ups available on the forum.

Some folks report a shudder when backing uphill. You may want to try that while test driving, especially if you have occasion to back up hills frequently.

Some one mentioned the shift points, if you drive extended hills you will get to know and love your OD-off button.

And, of course, the gas mileage is a bit lower than a manual (depending on how you drive). But you don't buy a toaster-oven on wheels for gas mileage...