KG6SLC

One thing to consider when buying from a dealer not local to you. I ended up purchasing my JKU around 100 miles away. I' m on that dealers list of service/repair deals and get lots of offers in the mail but it is so far for me to travel it negates the cost saving deals they offer. For me, I will buy local next time.

My .02 worth....

genesbro

EXpd don't buy in Nevada unless they have the cali emission on it or they will eat you up at the DMV.

ExpedJK

Yeah good looking out, I didnt think about emissions. Damn California and their crazy laws...

ExpedJK

Well I went to the dealer this weekend and checked out JK's. The interior is sweet and the Jeep drives great. They didn't have any manual tranny Rubicons on the lot so I drove a Sahara with a 6 speed. It drove nice, low end was responsive and pick up was decent but it just felt like a V6 trying to push a 4,000 pound vehicle. Admittedly it only had 3.21's so I'm sure a Jeep with 3.73's and especially 4.10s would liven up a lot. I'm surprised how much room the JKU has. I adjusted the drivers seat how I like and then went in the back to check knee room and it was reasonable, little less then I liked but the extra foot room under the front seats made it nice. The cargo area is incredible considering its a Wrangler. It has at least as much room as my XJ. I laid the seats down and I could potentially sleep in it too...except with the seats down there is a hell of a bump and crack between the bottom of the back rest and the cargo area. In my XJ that is a perfectly flat transition. Under the hood is packed, doesn't bother me because I'm a technician but its a little freaky seeing all the extra crap to break and maintain from wheeling abuse. The oil pan on the 3.6 looks REALLY vulnerable but all in all the vehicle looks pretty well thought out. I'm going to keep doing a little research and hopefully make a final decision after Christmas.

Anything else I should consider or know about JK's? Are there any real common issues or major fixes I need to know about?

JKbender

The power issue you mention is more due to the "breakin period" than anything. New my 12 felt like I had a stiff go pedal and I felt power was way less than my old straight 6. Hower after around 5000 miles it opened up and the pedal is now much softer. I now feel it has more get up than my TJ did. Try finding a 12 with high miles to drive (maybe someone on here or a used/demo). The difference is considerable.

TheTerminator

That shouldn't be a problem if you put a skid on it.

Of course, lol. Just read the forums. Lots of issues with worn steering, air/water leaks, engine oil burning (at least on 3.8L engines), etc. But if you like to work on your own vehicle and love the JK in general, then that shouldn't be a huge problem.

ExpedJK

I'm not terribly worried about mechanical issues as long as it isn't motor problems. The 3.6 has been in Grand Cherokees since 2011 so I think 2 years has been long enough to prove the 3.6...well at least its not a grenade. I'm worried about the VVT and timing chain tensioners and guides at higher mileage, also electrical and body problems. I know on BMW and VW I have done a heck of a lot of timing chain components on those. Completely different vehicle I understand but its still something to consider. I looked up all the TSB's and the 2012 JK only has 22 and most of them are trivial customer complaints which is some what reassuring. My buddy has a 2006 Ram 2500 with a 5.9 diesel and I was kind of hesitant to buy a Chrysler product, he has had broken wires, bad instrument panel, his factory radio display went bad and that vehicle has 90 TSB's. To put things in perspective my sister owns a 2012 Grand Cherokee, no issues and those have 29 TSB's, looks like Jeep has really got their crap together. I was very pleased with the fit and finish of the Sahara I test drove as well.

I suppose I'm kind of deviating and probably over analyzing JK's but I guess my mind works that way. But hey, if I'm spending upwards of 37 grand you can't blame me...right? Hopefully it will be a good vehicle for at least 10 years or so.

genesbro

I work on Fords with VVT and the biggest problem is people using cheap oil filters that come apart and clog up the oil passages or not changing the oil causing crank bearing wear and the resulting low oil pressure at idle. So I use Ford oil filters on my JK (3.8), can't think of the filter number at the moment, and use mobil 1 oil. It isn't using any oil (57750) and doesn't make any noise at start up. Haven't checked yet to see if I can get a Ford oil filter for the new 3.6 motor. If not then I will use the factory one until I can get the Ford one.

So anyway just use a good high quality filter and after the breakin period switch to a full synthetic oil like Mobil 1 or Amsoil.

ExpedJK

Yes sir your 100 percent correct. I've got a 04 GT currently that I've owned since it had 15k miles. I always use a FL820S and Mobile 1 every 3k miles. Under the valve cover is insanely clean, the wear on the cam lobes is almost the same color as the cast part of the cam indicating everything is squeaky clean. No noise on start up and its got close to 100k now and lots of track time on it. People dont realize oil changes and good filters like you say are crucial to longevity. I specialize in European cars and you'd be surprised how many Audis, Porches, BMWs and Mercedes have nasty oil pans and valve covers. I don't believe a word of the higher mileage service intervals. 5k max on most cars with synthetic is all Id ever do.