From Scotland

[Coojeebear]

Hi, I live in the Scottish Highlands

My current Jeep is a 2005 TJ 4L Renegade edition which I've had for 10 years or so. I'm looking to get a new JL Rubicon 2-door & finding it hard to find a dealer who has any interest in selling cars or understands the slightest thing about them. It's really putting me off the process & I've glanced at a Defender more than once.

I've watched a few YouTube videos, one of which indicated that the speaker was in the floor of the 2-door boot? Is that really the case? Wouldn't it get broken?

Is it possible to fit a towbar? One dealership ghosted me because I dared to ask for a towbar.

Can I buy a Jeep from a dealer & then have it serviced privately? I'm likely to have to source from so far away that overnight stays for servicing by some 18 yo kid gets to be silly money.

Any tips on buying a new Jeep? It seems a far more difficult process with Jeep than my previous experience with Land Rover, Ford or Subaru.

[jeepstertim]

I think the subwoofer went in the boot floor (mine was on the side, not floor), I must admit I was always concerned the floor speakers would fill up with crud.

 

Yes to towbar, the JK/ JL is a doddle.  Check amazon US (I used a 2" US receiver).  PF Jones are also very good for aftermarket towbars.

 

If you're buying new then you're stuck with dealers or some specialists.  Wranglers tend to change hands quite regularly as a lot find them too compromised, I'd probably be looking at newish 2nd hand cars.   

[V]

Sadly, you cannot legally tow in the UK with a US 2" receiver hitch unless you have written evidence of a US type approval for the exact same equipment that satisfies the 'Class S' towing requirements for foreign type approved equipment.

 

There are both fixed and detachable 'E' marked 50mm ball towbars available for the JL Wrangler in 2 and 4 door, but they may not be suitable for adblue equipped models. Anybody is allowed to fit a towbar as long as it is 'E' marked type approved.

 

The EU Block Exemption Regulations (BER) of 2003 allow UK residents to buy a new car and have it serviced and repaired anywhere. However, the regulations expire next year, but the independents are trying to get it continued into British law.

 

I think if you are looking to buy any new car, no matter what brand, you should be duly diligent researching known problems with the models you are considering. 21st century legislation forced upon all vehicle manufacturers has increased the complexity of modern cars and correspondingly has increased the probability of component failure. It is my opinion, that new cars have become more dependent on their franchised dealers than older vehicles particularly if support of their software systems invokes the 'security' clauses permitting only authorised support.

[Overlander21]

2 hours ago, Coojeebear said:

Any tips on buying a new Jeep?

If you want a brand new Jeep and you want it in 2022 then buy one from a forecourt.  If you're happy to wait until 2023 for delivery, then order a new one.  The lead times on new Wranglers to the UK are just insane. 
 

Please don't buy a Defender

 

[digger]

I have a local tow bar fitting company who come to me and they have done a good job for every Jeep I've had ! A lot cheaper than main dealers etc. Ok, I'm too far away for you but there must be similar specialists your way. Just DYOR.

I wouldn't touch a Landie. I've had a lot and a fair few Jeeps. Jeeps have been brilliant! However Landie reliability and how I was treated on a warranty claim for a 500 mile only  new car put me off forever. I cannot understand many friends who stick with LR despite the ongoing problems they still have!

I have been told that LR are one of the brands that are trying to securitise their vehicles so that only they can physically get into their electronics any way!  I think some German makes already do this(I've had bad times with these too!).   I agree with V, the newer the car, the more complex, therefore more to go wrong. More often than not in my view , things that I didn't want or need in the first place! 

I also understand ,from good authority that the most reliable period for cars was around end of 80s,early 90s. The industry was in trouble with little work. then ,complex electrics came along. Manna from heaven!!!  There are a number of models from back then that I would be happy to buy new now if I could! 

[V]

I think buying or leasing a new car is fine as long as you are entering the deal with your eyes wide open. Car trouble in a remote area is a challenge if you have to rely on dealer services many miles away. It's a little less of a risk if you know the vehicle you are interested in has a strong record of reliability.

 

Interestingly, the 'What Car?' reliability survey doesn't list any Jeep models so I can only assume either none were surveyed or Jeepers don't reply to surveys. Except for one outlier, the unreliable SUVs are still at worst 72% reliable, with some scoring 100%. Is 28% bad? I guess if your vehicle was unreliable for 28% of the year it probably would be, but I don't know how the scoring works.

 

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey-small-suvs/n23402

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey-family-suvs/n23403

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey-large-suvs/n23405

https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey-luxury-suvs/n23406

 

[V]

I found this article about the perception of Jeep Wrangler reliability where off roaders thought it was reliable and street jeepers were the ones that were getting picky. I suppose you cannot really completely trust a review or survey on a Wrangler unless you identify with the reviewer or the majority of the survey group.

https://www.hotcars.com/jeep-wrangler-reliability-truth/

 

[Coojeebear]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

I am still trying to check reliability, but get no answers about this from anywhere. Perhaps no-one owns a JL who frequents forums.

I managed to find a "can-do" semi new dealer, so may get some luck with sourcing a new car. I will see if they bother to follow up. I'll give up on towbars I think, I'm buying a campervan soon & will make do with that. I still can't even find about the sub woofer placement. No-one knows for sure, but all think it's crazy putting it in the floor of the boot. So I've just got 1 single YouTube source placing it there.

 

As I'd then have 4 vehicles, my TJ needs to be part-x or sold privately. Is Autotrader the best choice for selling?

 

[V]

I buy from classified ads, Autotrader, and eBay. You could try the bidding site motorway.co.uk .

Current TJ values are not what Parker's think they are - prices are high. Check ebay sold items for recent selling prices.

[digger]

3 hours ago, V said:

I found this article about the perception of Jeep Wrangler reliability where off roaders thought it was reliable and street jeepers were the ones that were getting picky. I suppose you cannot really completely trust a review or survey on a Wrangler unless you identify with the reviewer or the majority of the survey group.

https://www.hotcars.com/jeep-wrangler-reliability-truth/

 

I don't trust any review or,even worse ,road test on any make. My experience in the motor trade convinced me that these are more about vested interest than fact. Ask me at the camp fire!

The reliability index used to be quite good as I understood it was based on number of cars collected on recovery trucks reported from that trade and then expressed as a percentage of the number on the road. However its not now as far as I know, besides the figures are fogged with the costs of repair. I don't care about that if a car doesn't break down!

So, I go on personal experience of different brands. I can't comment on ones we have not owned. My results don't agree at all with many of the myths eg German makes are brill! Of 3 new 2 nearly new-poor.  Japanese 2 Mazda 1 new 1 near, v.poor, Suzuki 1 new  v good. UK cars. Jaguar  6 ,2 new 4 used V. good.Only 1 new car had an issue but v good warranty service. L Rover 9, 1 new, various ages, awful warranty service, poor. Ford, 1 new ,3 used, good.   Others Alfa, 3new 2 near, v. good. Volvo 2 new 1 near, v good. Apart from something not tried before I would only consider, Jeep, Alfa, Volvo and Jaguar again!

Then we come to Jeep!  5, 1 new, others near and 1 older.  Excellent, the best o/all make for me because of the total number. In over 200k miles I have had two issues out of them all which caused a breakdown. My new XJ failed on the M25 within 100 miles of new-- the coil lead fell out!! (she went on to 90k in 4 yrs when nothing went amiss) My GK had a wheel sensor fail on holiday! Why was I not surprised when I saw Mercedes stamped on the part!!  These comments apply to road experiences.

I have not included many other odd makes over the years. Also I suspect that any make could have a 'Friday afternoon car'. I've had them and learnt to sell 'em asap with minimum pain!

[XMFjeep]

Hi There, I’ve got a 2 door Sahara with a sub in the floor, great sound by the way! It has a little mat that covers it when you are carrying anything in the boot.

[Raakhee]

On 20/04/2022 at 10:35, Overlander21 said:

If you want a brand new Jeep and you want it in 2022 then buy one from a forecourt.  If you're happy to wait until 2023 for delivery, then order a new one.  The lead times on new Wranglers to the UK are just insane. 
 

Please don't buy a Defender

 

If only I had known the stress of waiting for a new Jeep before I placed my order. But if I'm gonna drop +£50K, I'm gonna get what I want. We are currently on week 6 of being assigned a Rubicon. No shipping details as yet

[UKTJ]

On 20/04/2022 at 13:12, Coojeebear said:

...As I'd then have 4 vehicles, my TJ needs to be part-x or sold privately. Is Autotrader the best choice for selling?

 

It looks a lovely clean example and should fetch more than you paid for it in the current market.  IMHO the trouble with Autotrader may be that such a nice example may get lost in amongst some of the unsympathetically modified examples that seem to be on there in significant numbers.  That said, I would be getting rid of one of the other vehicles and keeping the TJ.  But hey, I'm biaed 

[Coojeebear]

Thank you so much for the replies. There has been a flurry of activity this end. A dealer in Perth, Scotland was very kind & searched the incoming database for me  - without being asked. They came back to me & gave me the name of a dealer with a car in the spec I want coming in. I called them the same day & put dowen my deposit. So I'm now the semi owneer of a Rubicon 2 door in granite crystal. It's due in next week!

[Overlander21]

2 hours ago, Coojeebear said:

It's due in next week!

 

 

Congrats

 

 

[UKTJ]

2 hours ago, Coojeebear said:

Thank you so much for the replies. There has been a flurry of activity this end. A dealer in Perth, Scotland was very kind & searched the incoming database for me  - without being asked. They came back to me & gave me the name of a dealer with a car in the spec I want coming in. I called them the same day & put dowen my deposit. So I'm now the semi owneer of a Rubicon 2 door in granite crystal. It's due in next week!

Don’t tell Raakhee

[Raakhee]

45 minutes ago, UKTJ said:

Don’t tell Raakhee

I'm getting the Jeep I want in the colour and spec I want... just have to wait a bit more.

[Spike64]

Hi,

 

I purchased a new 2 door JL Rubicon petrol in January '21, the subwoofer is weather proof and has a reasonably sturdy grille. I normally use the rubber boot mat that came with the car if anything heavy is loaded and had no issues. The car has now done 20,000 miles, a 100+ mile a day commute into London and some green lanes and off roading . A few minor teething problems but has never let me down.

It was hard to find a dealer that was interested in selling me a car and had to travel to Thames Motors in Slough who were great. Servicing is done at my local dealer in Canterbury who are helpful.

Servicing is expensive and don't ask me how much I spend on fuel at the moment, but its all worth it for the driving experience.

 

Hope this helps

 

Ian

[Coojeebear]

11 hours ago, Spike64 said:

Hi,

 

I purchased a new 2 door JL Rubicon petrol in January '21, the subwoofer is weather proof and has a reasonably sturdy grille. I normally use the rubber boot mat that came with the car if anything heavy is loaded and had no issues. The car has now done 20,000 miles, a 100+ mile a day commute into London and some green lanes and off roading . A few minor teething problems but has never let me down.

It was hard to find a dealer that was interested in selling me a car and had to travel to Thames Motors in Slough who were great. Servicing is done at my local dealer in Canterbury who are helpful.

Servicing is expensive and don't ask me how much I spend on fuel at the moment, but its all worth it for the driving experience.

 

Hope this helps

 

Ian

 

 

Very useful thank you. How many miles to you get out of a tank?

[Coojeebear]

On 20/04/2022 at 17:27, XMFjeep said:

Hi There, I’ve got a 2 door Sahara with a sub in the floor, great sound by the way! It has a little mat that covers it when you are carrying anything in the boot.

Thanks, so I can expect a mat, or is that an extra?

[Spike64]

Hi,

I get around 350miles from a tank, mix of motorway, London traffic and rural school runs. This is about 24-30mpg. My car came with a small double sided boot mat, a large bag for storing the two roof panels and some carpet mats. I see you've found a car, congratulations. 

Not sure if its still an issue, but there were a lots of comments on https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/ when I got my car that its worth checking all the fuses are securely pushed home. People were getting lots of electrical gremlins as the fuses were not fully seated. 

I'm sure you will love the JL.

Ian

 

[Coojeebear]

Thanks, I'll check the fuses. 350 miles seems pretty good!

 

Question to JL users about the Uconnect system.

I don't want to assume that the salesman can explain it & I will have a 600 mile return trip. I will want to listen to my music & not the radio. So I have a Pixel 5 android phone with USB C connection. I have an "mp3 player" with USB out & headphone out. Also I can load some tracks on a USB stick if needed. I only have FLAC tracks. On the Android phone I use Poweramp to play music. How do I plug any of this stuff into the Uconnect system please?

[Raakhee]

@Coojeebear you should be able to connect your phone via Bluetooth and stream your music that way. Just pair your phone to the Jeep. 

 

UCONNECT can be set up at the dealership but if its pre-owned then you will need to contact Jeep Customer care to have the Jeep linked to your UCONNECT account. 

 

I use YouTube music and when connected via USB, Android auto allows me to access my music. You may need to download Android Auto from the Play Store and the UCONNECT app. 

[Overlander21]

There are more USB connection ports than you can shake a stick at

 

Regular USB-A and USB-C,  they are in the front of the dash, in the arm rest centre console and in the rear of the console too. There is also a 3.5mm jack so you can plug a standard MP3 player in too.

 

As above, you can pair your phone using regular Bluetooth if you just want music, or for a better experience which will give you some apps too you can use Android Auto.

 

I'm an Apple guy so use Apple CarPlay but the principal is the same.  You can also get wireless CarPlay adapters too so you can just get in the Jeep, start it up and your phone apps are available on your Jeep dashboard

 

 

[Coojeebear]

16 hours ago, Raakhee said:

@Coojeebear you should be able to connect your phone via Bluetooth and stream your music that way. Just pair your phone to the Jeep. 

 

UCONNECT can be set up at the dealership but if its pre-owned then you will need to contact Jeep Customer care to have the Jeep linked to your UCONNECT account. 

 

I use YouTube music and when connected via USB, Android auto allows me to access my music. You may need to download Android Auto from the Play Store and the UCONNECT app. 

 

Thanks, it's a brand new Jeep.