I sold my 1999 Jeep TJ and bought a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Pics and more detail below:
I've been busy lately. My wifes condition has gone back to worse. But in the mayhem I was successful selling my 1999 Jeep TJ for about 11k. It was getting up there in its service life. But more importantly it was really what should have been a second - recreational vehicle.
It's to high for my wife to get up into. Difficult to drive on the freeway - meaning you had to pay attention to your driving skills constantly. And had little room for cargo or passengers. But was rock solid, easy to work on, and very reliable. At some point I will buy the longer Jeep TJ Unlimited. But as a second vehicle. Not as a faily driver or BOV.
After much consideration of various suvs and trucks. (Honda Pilot, Toyota Rav4, Toyota Tundra and Tacoma.) I decided to go with a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Which is the newer four door version of the Jeep.
I spend more time researching and searching for a new vehicle than anyone I know. And this one was no exception. The newer Wrangler came out in 2007. But until 2011 was powered by an underperforming 3.8L engine. In 2012 they changed to a much more powerful 3.6L Pentastar. Which has gone into more than 10 million vehicles. As Chrysler owns many car brands. And this engine was meant to replace several different engines. And was olanned to run all of there vehicles.
So I was set on a 2012+ Jeep. Problem was all I had was the 11k from selling my TJ. And bluebook on a 2012 was upwards of 17k. So I was pretty sure I was gonna get stuck with aj early 07-11 model. Or have to wait until we came up with another 6 grand.
The JKU (short for the newer four door Jeep) I found has 120k miles, two owners from wealthy neighborhoods, has never been offroaded or altered with a lift or any other offroad equipment, and has an immaculate Carfax. Regular mainentance and repair at the dealership. It's in excellent physical condition. And came with a hard top. Rather than a soft top. Which I much prefer. Although the hard top does come with a removable t top above the front seats.
Why did I get it for $6000 below bluebook? It has engine issues. For all the great care and excellent condition it does run hot up long hills. Think more mountain pass than anything you'd find around town. Has a very strong coolant oder in the cab. Needs a new oil pump and 02 sensor. But even if I put a used or crate engine in it. For yhe $6000 in savings. I'd still end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new or newer engine. Which would probably take its value well above 17k.
It drives perfectly fine otherwise. No rough idle. Good acceleration. The engine runs very well with no knocks. I just need to sort out exactly what its going to need. Hoping to drive it by my mechanics this afternoon. And get some more definitive answers. But fingers crossed. The more I check it out myself. The more I think repairs will be less than an entire engine. But like I say I have $6000 in discount to play with.
As far as rigging it out as a BOV. I haven't put together my plans just yet. It does lock. Unlike my old Jeep with its soft top. So I have much more options available to me with this rig. It did come with a high quality Rhino roof rack with ladder. So its cargo capacity far exceeds what I had. You could put the rear seats down and sleep in it.
I think I will install a gmrs and ham antenna, maybe a dual battery system, an inverter, and maybe some additional insulation/sound proofing under the hard top.
It does need tires. And I am going to use black plastic dye in the slightly faded bumpers and fender flares.
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Nice! Just get that engine cooling issue sorted out for less than the $6K you saved vs book value and you'll come out ahead.
smelling coolant in the cab could mean you have a leak in the heater if you can't locate it under the hood. Which may also cause a temp issue. That's a pain to repair.
Do you have a check engine light on? can you put it on a diagnostic scanner yourself? Some of the auto parts stores in my AO will scan your car for free, its always good to know what is wrong exactly before taking it to the mechanic and having them tell you.
How do you know the oil pump and o2 sensor are bad? Those are easy fixes, but make sure they're broken. Also there's usually an 'upstream' and a 'downstream' o2 sensor and it could be one or the other or both. You don't need a working downstream sensor unless you have to pass an emissions test. Upstream o2 will give you really crappy milage if it goes out. Fix immediately, also clean your mass airflow sensor. [with mass airflow cleaner]
I have a local mechanic I trust completely. He's been in town for over 20 yrs. And everyone locally knows you can trust him. Which is why he's stayed in business so long. I stopped in this afternoon. Told him what was going on. He said it was safe to drive. I'm taking it back on Tuesday to run codes and have it fully diagnosed.
I know the 02 sensor and lead, and oil pump or oil pump solenoid are out based on a diagnostic at the sellers dealership last week. But still I would like my mechanic to diagnose. As I don't trust dealerships. They've screwed me over as many times as private mechanics.
The seller was very up front about problems with the Jeep. He listed them all in his ad. Which is probably why I was the only one to remain in contact with him. He also lives way out in rich Santa Barbara. Not many people look that far out of LA for cars.
He basically thought alot more was wrong with it than really is. And he was worried if he didn't disclose everything to a buyer that they might come back knocking on his door. So he sold it to me for less the price of having the entire engine replaced.
He also thought the cats were bad. Which we found out later from the dealership was just an 02 sensor and lead. CA cats are over $2000 each! And you can't pass emissions without them.
So the guy was overly paranoid. And I was at the right place at the right time.
I don't think the heater core is whats causing the coolant smell as there is no leak on the floor or firewall. Weirdly coolant is topped off and does not appear to be draining. IIRC he also said he had the heater core replaced under extended warranty.
I hear you about the 02 sensors, Mac. I replaced two on my Jeep TJ a couple years ago. Super easy. I'd have to look at the dealer estimate to see if its up or downstream. But I really don't have to register it and have it smogged till next spring. So I have time. Except bad 02 sensors can ruin cats. And at $2000 each I want to get that fixed asap. If my wife wasn't so sick and my garage was straightened out I'd do it myself. But I think I will just have my mechanic do it all. He also lets me supply my own parts.
But so far its driving perfectly fine. No issues other than the coolant smell and the overheating on long hills while driving it back to LA. And only a couple needle widths. Nothing catastrophic like I had to pull over or anything.
The tires suck tho. Really nice, with lots of tread, BF Goodrich. But he didn't rotate them so they are feathered and have flat spots really bad. Its pretty loud because of this. So new tires are in the works. I would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
Baby oil on a rag does wonders for the faded plastic fenders. Sweartogod. As does peanut butter.
My Previous JKU (and years around it) had piss-poor radiators that spring leaks because they were mostly plastic. $300-600 aluminum Mishimoto replacement is a common direction people have gone.
Quote from: Beowolf on August 31, 2023, 08:37:41 PMBaby oil on a rag does wonders for the faded plastic fenders. Sweartogod. As does peanut butter.
My Previous JKU (and years around it) had piss-poor radiators that spring leaks because they were mostly plastic. $300-600 aluminum Mishimoto replacement is a common direction people have gone.
Watch this guys real world test videos on his TJ flares. Oil and peanut butter are pretty useless. As is everything else longer than a week.
He leaves his test flares in the Florida sun and rain for 1 week and 2 weeks. Then 5 months. To see what really works. He also washes it with car wash. Its all a waste except for the two plastic dyes. And the stuff is cheap. And gives the best color from day one.
I used it on my Yukon a few years ago. It can take the most faded plastic back to black and keep it that way for up to a year. I think a bottle is like 12 bucks. Everything else fades away after a week. He does the heat gun thing too. I tried that on my TJ and its blotchy as hell and looks like crap.
I don't care what car you have. If it has faded black exterior plastic, Forever Black will make your car like new again. For about a year. And even at a year its barely faded. The second ine is good too. I think its call that black stuff or something.
This is the most comprehensive test I've found. There are dozens of video tests on yt about this. But none of them actually test it in the sun over time.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=RDCMUCiCInCDiFmIwWI_gmudXP-Q&playnext=1&si=MiOu-wZRwsfzfT17
I've used WD40 to clean and shine exterior plastic pieces and still due on pieces under my hood. It doesn't last to long on the exterior parts though.
I'll have to investigate that 'forever black' stuff. But the only care I have with exterior plastic parts, those parts are grey.
Quote from: MacWa77ace on September 01, 2023, 08:35:09 AMI've used WD40 to clean and shine exterior plastic pieces and still due on pieces under my hood. It doesn't last to long on the exterior parts though.
I'll have to investigate that 'forever black' stuff. But the only care I have with exterior plastic parts, those parts are grey.
It comes with a bottle of condensed cleaner that you mix with water to clean off any wax or residue. Then the bottle of dye and a foam brush. You just brush it on. One coat.
I was amazed at how short a lifespan all those other products have. Even after just one week out in the sun. All of them turn at least 75% back to the original sun damaged grey color.
The Ceracoat product stays black. But its like a high gloss paint that doesn't look normal. And eventually cracks.
Some of them are really expensive too. And then especially expensive considering you have to reapply every week or so.
I'm ordering some now. I'll post some pics once I do it.
Project Farm on YouTube has done a video on plastic trim restoration products as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOX4z6uwXo
Quote from: Moab on August 31, 2023, 06:23:18 PMI would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
I have those on my Grand Cherokee and can't say enough good things about them.
Try simpletire.com and take advantage of their 5% veteran discount. Should get them a few bucks cheaper. Maybe not enough to matter but maybe enough to cover installation.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:02:02 AMProject Farm on YouTube has done a video on plastic trim restoration products as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOX4z6uwXo
A PF comparative review is as close to the definitive word on a subject as you're likely to find.
I love that channel. Dare I say it? It's "VERY IMPRESSIVE!"
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:02:02 AMProject Farm on YouTube has done a video on plastic trim restoration products as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOX4z6uwXo
I love that guy. But the difference is he (and just about every other test I've ever seen) didn't do any actual time testing. Meaning letting it sit out in the sun. All of these products look and work great for first few days. As he shows. But after a week all if them need to be reapplied.
He also didn't test any of the actual plastic dyes. He's also going to regret using the Ceracoat product on his truck. As after a few months it begins to crack. And its a permenant product. He's actually going to have to sand it off. And start over. A huge pain in the ass. He should have just used spray paint. But the problem with paint is if it gets scratched you have to prep and repaint that entire section. Plastic dye doesn't scratch like paint.
I spent weeks trying to get my TJ fenders, that faded so bad they were actually blue, to get them back to a natural black color. Same with my Yukon. Trust me. The only way to go is plastic dye. It applies evenly like an Ammoral of sorts. But soaks in and returns the plastic to the most natural black color of all of these. And easily can be reapplied. But most importantly it stands up to sun, rain and soap for at least a year. Everything else pales in comparison.
Quote from: NT2C on September 01, 2023, 11:54:53 AMQuote from: Moab on August 31, 2023, 06:23:18 PMI would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
I have those on my Grand Cherokee and can't say enough good things about them.
Try simpletire.com and take advantage of their 5% veteran discount. Should get them a few bucks cheaper. Maybe not enough to matter but maybe enough to cover installation.
Man. Tires are expensive right now. Maybe its supply chain? I can only find a couple name brand tires for less than $200. Even fewer less than $175. I will just wait for a sale. In the mean time I'm searching for a set of used or take off tires to get me thru. Mine are so f ed you can hear them "clop" along even at parking speeds.
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 01, 2023, 12:07:06 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:02:02 AMProject Farm on YouTube has done a video on plastic trim restoration products as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOX4z6uwXo
A PF comparative review is as close to the definitive word on a subject as you're likely to find.
I love that channel. Dare I say it? It's "VERY IMPRESSIVE!"
I agree about him. But this is his first test that I've seen that has failed as a test. It's not just about how well these products look or hold up to chemicals right after application. It's about how long they last out in the sun. And all of them fail at that IMHO.
Quote from: Moab on September 01, 2023, 12:18:28 PMQuote from: NT2C on September 01, 2023, 11:54:53 AMQuote from: Moab on August 31, 2023, 06:23:18 PMI would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
I have those on my Grand Cherokee and can't say enough good things about them.
Try simpletire.com and take advantage of their 5% veteran discount. Should get them a few bucks cheaper. Maybe not enough to matter but maybe enough to cover installation.
Man. Tires are expensive right now. Maybe its supply chain? I can only find a couple name brand tires for less than $200. Even fewer less than $175. I will just wait for a sale. In the mean time I'm searching for a set of used or take off tires to get me thru. Mine are so f ed you can hear them "clop" along even at parking speeds.
Yeah, when I put tires on my new (to me) Suburban, I got the same ones (General Grabber ATx) that I'd put on the old 'Burb just 3.5 years ago. In that time, they'd nearly doubled in price, from $700/set to $1300/set. :eek1:
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 02:15:13 PMQuote from: Moab on September 01, 2023, 12:18:28 PMQuote from: NT2C on September 01, 2023, 11:54:53 AMQuote from: Moab on August 31, 2023, 06:23:18 PMI would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
I have those on my Grand Cherokee and can't say enough good things about them.
Try simpletire.com and take advantage of their 5% veteran discount. Should get them a few bucks cheaper. Maybe not enough to matter but maybe enough to cover installation.
Man. Tires are expensive right now. Maybe its supply chain? I can only find a couple name brand tires for less than $200. Even fewer less than $175. I will just wait for a sale. In the mean time I'm searching for a set of used or take off tires to get me thru. Mine are so f ed you can hear them "clop" along even at parking speeds.
Yeah, when I put tires on my new (to me) Suburban, I got the same ones (General Grabber ATx) that I'd put on the old 'Burb just 3.5 years ago. In that time, they'd nearly doubled in price, from $700/set to $1300/set. :eek1:
What gives? I'm actually contacting these damn near underground guys on offerup about a used set of bfgoodrichs. I'm not even seeing many used take off sets on offerup. It used to be clogged with those.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 02:15:13 PMQuote from: Moab on September 01, 2023, 12:18:28 PMQuote from: NT2C on September 01, 2023, 11:54:53 AMQuote from: Moab on August 31, 2023, 06:23:18 PMI would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
I have those on my Grand Cherokee and can't say enough good things about them.
Try simpletire.com and take advantage of their 5% veteran discount. Should get them a few bucks cheaper. Maybe not enough to matter but maybe enough to cover installation.
Man. Tires are expensive right now. Maybe its supply chain? I can only find a couple name brand tires for less than $200. Even fewer less than $175. I will just wait for a sale. In the mean time I'm searching for a set of used or take off tires to get me thru. Mine are so f ed you can hear them "clop" along even at parking speeds.
Yeah, when I put tires on my new (to me) Suburban, I got the same ones (General Grabber ATx) that I'd put on the old 'Burb just 3.5 years ago. In that time, they'd nearly doubled in price, from $700/set to $1300/set. :eek1:
Those are what we have on the Dakota. It's the second set. The first gave us 72k and one was good enough to use as a spare when we bought the new set.
Quote from: NT2C on September 01, 2023, 07:19:38 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 02:15:13 PMQuote from: Moab on September 01, 2023, 12:18:28 PMQuote from: NT2C on September 01, 2023, 11:54:53 AMQuote from: Moab on August 31, 2023, 06:23:18 PMI would like to replace them with the same Falkan Wildpeak ATs that I had on my old Jeep. But I bought those on sale at Walmart for around $150 each. Now they are like $220.
But basically its a pristine Jeep with a few mechanical issues that I got for dirt cheap. Even if I had to replace the engine. I'd end up with an excellent condition 2012 Jeep with a new engine. Or at least a used engine with half the miles.
I have those on my Grand Cherokee and can't say enough good things about them.
Try simpletire.com and take advantage of their 5% veteran discount. Should get them a few bucks cheaper. Maybe not enough to matter but maybe enough to cover installation.
Man. Tires are expensive right now. Maybe its supply chain? I can only find a couple name brand tires for less than $200. Even fewer less than $175. I will just wait for a sale. In the mean time I'm searching for a set of used or take off tires to get me thru. Mine are so f ed you can hear them "clop" along even at parking speeds.
Yeah, when I put tires on my new (to me) Suburban, I got the same ones (General Grabber ATx) that I'd put on the old 'Burb just 3.5 years ago. In that time, they'd nearly doubled in price, from $700/set to $1300/set. :eek1:
Those are what we have on the Dakota. It's the second set. The first gave us 72k and one was good enough to use as a spare when we bought the new set.
You're right about those Falkans, Nt2c. I really liked those. It was a fairly aggressive offroad tire. But was not noisy.
Update 090723:
I had it into one of my mechanics. He ran codes and with the help of a ling term super knowledgeable member of the Jeep forum I have a strategy for dealing with the mechanical issues. I need to replace a couple 02 sensors. My other mechanic is super cheap so I'm going to have him do those. That and my garage needs straightened out before I have a flat space to work on it. My driveway is to steep.
After that I'm going to have the sparkplugs replaced and a leak down test. Depending in what happens with the codes after that and the keak down results. I'll know better how I'm going to proceed. It also needs diagnosed for whether it needs an oil pump or oil pump silynoid.
Then I need to replace the rockers and lifters. The tick from them has just started. Its pretty faint. But a known issue with the 3.6L Pentastar engine. And if the rickers start digging into the cams it coukd be catastrophic.
Believe it or not the catalytic converters are just about as important as the engine. Each CA approved cat is over $2200. If those go its the same orice as having a low mile used engine installed. Crazy right?
I found some Jeep Gladiator wheel and Falkan Wildoeak AT tire take offs. With 1800 miles on them. My bfgoodrich k02 MTs are feathered and loud as hell. I think more just because they are MTs. I will never run those again. Annoying the shit out of me. A new set of just tires is over $1200. These take offs are $800. And I can sell the rims and tires I have for $400. So I'm getting an almost new set if tires and tims for $400. Picking them up this morning.
The wranglerforum has a 290 page cheap mods thread for Jeep JKs. I've done the following:
The rear headrests are huge and block alot of your vision. I modded them to tilt down out if the way while the seats are up.
Flipped my rear view mirror for much more vision out the front.
Started putting new LED replacement bulbs in the interior. Jeep JKs don't have that much interior lighting to begin with. The LEDs are way brighter. But I'm also going to out some battery powered lights around too.
Razored all the stickers off the windows.
I started dyeing the exterior plastic with Forever Black. The front bumper looks great. And I really have the technique down. But I did ine of the big flat fenders and its going to take a couple coats. But I found this new stuff called Shine Supply Trim Paint. It's darker and seems to last longer in a 1.5 yr test on youtube. Against 24 other products. I think it might also come off of paint easier. So I have some if it coming. I'm going to give it a try. As much trouble as it is to do all the olastic on a Jeep - there is alot, fenders, bumpers, door handles, side mirrors, window rubber etc. - I want to do this as seldom as possible.
Here's the other test I found. The end results start at about the 5 minute mark. He used an old olastic bed cover panel from a truck. Treated it with 25 different products. Then washed it regularly. And left it out in the weather for 1.5 yrs. He also did updates every few minths in his main channels playlists. The Shine Supply Trim Paint was almost like new after the 1.5 yrs. Everything else was either gone or fairly fade by then. I don't know what its made out of. But its clearlt the winner. Forever Black was probably second place. But if the Shine Supply comes off paint easier its application will be much easier:
https://youtu.be/5wHfrDpASSM?si=kiVeH5ofdIAuLkV_
Been busy on the BOV.
Got the new wheels and tires on. WAY BETTER RIDE! I swear I will never run mud terrain tires. They are annoyingly loud and vibrate.
Had them leave the spare off. As I started dyeing the rear bumper and fender flares tonight.
I switched from Forever Black to Shine Supply Trim Paint. Its not really paint. Its a dye. Last alot longer and is darker. Pretty much the same type of application. Except thus is a bit thicker. Which I think leaves more in and gives you a better dye the first time.
I think the best application is using a sponge brush with plenty of dye. Smoothing it with the thinner tip of the brush. And then going over it with more dye using a terry cloth covered sponge. Like the ines you use for wax? I bought a 9 pack at harbor freight for like $4.99.
Its hard to see. But the front driverside flare is not done. Just the rear bumper and rear flares. I may do another coat in the morning.
The rear fenders and bumper looked more like the door knobs when I started.
I'll post pics below.
I also gathered all the parts I need to address the mechanical issues. Sparkplugs, ignition coils, and 02 sensors.
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Anyone got any home remedies for brake dust on tires? I tried oven cleaner. But only let it sit about 2 minutes. And scrubbed for about 1 minute in half of one tire. No change.
Quote from: Moab on September 14, 2023, 08:33:41 PMAnyone got any home remedies for brake dust on tires? I tried oven cleaner. But only let it sit about 2 minutes. And scrubbed for about 1 minute in half of one tire. No change.
You're probably going to be better off with a dedicated tire/wheel cleaner for that, as it'll be better formulated to clean the specific compounds in the brake dust. I probably need to get something like that for my truck, since the wheels on it are still in good shape. The wheels on my car are a lost cause after 18 years! :D
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 14, 2023, 09:19:37 PMQuote from: Moab on September 14, 2023, 08:33:41 PMAnyone got any home remedies for brake dust on tires? I tried oven cleaner. But only let it sit about 2 minutes. And scrubbed for about 1 minute in half of one tire. No change.
You're probably going to be better off with a dedicated tire/wheel cleaner for that, as it'll be better formulated to clean the specific compounds in the brake dust. I probably need to get something like that for my truck, since the wheels on it are still in good shape. The wheels on my car are a lost cause after 18 years! :D
I used oven cleaner on my sons Rav4s aluminum rims. They were caked brown from brake dust. I sprayed all four wheels. Then let it sit while I scrubbed each one with a brush. Then hosed them off. They are like new shiny after just two times of doing that. The first pass got 99% of it off. The last pass was just to get into the tiny crevices I missed the first time. It was cheap oven cleaner too. From the dollar store in a pump bottle. Not aerosol. But I've seen a lot of people use it online.
Did the door handles, tailights, license plate and side mirrors this week. Then had my spare out back on. My son said between the new rims/tires and the trim dye I added $8000 to the visual value of the car. Lol.
I also had them air down the tires to 32 osi. Seems to handle much better. But shocks are definitely on the list. 120k on the originals. And there is some body roll at speed.
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I wrote a long how to in this if anyone wants to use it.
That looks FANTASTIC! :smiley_clap:
Nice ride.
While you are changing the shocks you may as well change the stabilizer bar/ linkage as well. It will really tighten up your front end. If the shocks are original it likely is worn out from the additional stress of cornering. Between all that and the new tires it will handle close to new.
Thanks. :) I had it gone through by my mechanic. But I'll check the linkage on the front. It's pretty tight driving though. It was owned by two rich guys that always took it to the dealership. But the last owner didn't keep any of the records. So I suspect alot of things have been repaired and kept up. The visits do come up on Carfax. And the Carfax was golden.
I replaced the power window switch and the cabin air filters this week too. Still want to dye the hood latches, hood bumpers, antenna mount, and wipers.
Eventually I want to put insulation panels on the hard top. And a dual battery system. Lion and agm. And some portable solar panels.
The tires had really bad brake dust. I tried some of the below. And even after scrubbing it three times. It still wouldn't come off all the way.
Anybody ever heard of using trim restorer on tires?
It looks a little better after totally dry.
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To remove the brake dust from my C8 I use a pressure washer to soap it down, let them set for a minute and then blast the rims with the pressure washer on high. I have a high quality ceramic coat on the car and it is unaffected. The dust comes right off.
Quote from: Uomo Senza Nome on September 26, 2023, 10:14:03 PMTo remove the brake dust from my C8 I use a pressure washer to soap it down, let them set for a minute and then blast the rims with the pressure washer on high. I have a high quality ceramic coat on the car and it is unaffected. The dust comes right off.
Thats what I've read. I don't have a pressure washer. But thought I'd try the oressure washer at the self serve car wash.
Quote from: Moab on September 26, 2023, 10:58:13 PMQuote from: Uomo Senza Nome on September 26, 2023, 10:14:03 PMTo remove the brake dust from my C8 I use a pressure washer to soap it down, let them set for a minute and then blast the rims with the pressure washer on high. I have a high quality ceramic coat on the car and it is unaffected. The dust comes right off.
Thats what I've read. I don't have a pressure washer. But thought I'd try the oressure washer at the self serve car wash.
IDK, car wash hoses tend to be lower pressure to avoid damaging paint. Once you get the surface areas clean I do suggest a ceramic coat as this makes the brake dust adhere much less easily. The coated areas tend to wipe clean with a microfiber towel.
I finally got the Jeep to my mechanic. After running codes and diagnostic he determined it needed a new radiator and oil cooler.
I am having the oil cooler and radiator done now. The anti freeze smell in the cabin is regularly horrible. Should be done today.
I also have no heat coming out of any blower vent. It appears to be a blend door. I have the diagnostic steps to determine which ones. And instructions for repair. I'm going to attempt it myself. If I fail I'll have my mechanic do it.
Next will be shocks.
The newer tires and rims are awesome. It cut road noise by like 80%!
I did pick up several items from Aliexpress. A few LED light sets. One for the rear cargo area, two for the footwells, some dome leds, a nice sunglass holder that attaches to the A pillar and looks stock.