Hello — First time post — long time consumer of the great content this forum provides...
Last October I purchased a 2004 Wrangler X (4.0L four-speed automatic, 154k miles) from a dealer. The purchase fulfilled a lifelong dream to own a Wrangler (I fell in love with them as a kid watching MacGyver — who drove YJ).
It was my first used vehicle purchase — and I'm certain I made some rookie mistakes.
The first mistake was to have the Jeep inspected after I purchased it. The inspection found a fairly obvious hole in the frame (passenger side, towards the front). The technician basically called me an idiot (in a nice way) for buying a Jeep with a hole in the frame. He advised me to take it back.
The dealer wouldn't take the Jeep back (at least not without a huge fight), but the sales manager offered to have his buddy patch the frame for me. I took a chance and said fine. A week later I picked up the Jeep. The frame was repaired.
Paranoid now about rust and frame integrity, I took the Jeep to a mechanic for a rust assessment (and to see if the repair job was adequate). To my great relief, he said that the frame was in good shape (for its age and northern location). He advised me to perform routine maintenance to keep rust in check, which lead me to a second rookie mistake.
Last week I took the Jeep to an auto body shop. I asked them to perform preventative rust maintenance, i.e. clean out rust flakes on the interior of the frame and coat the frame. I thought this was a smart, long term investment. I figured (and assumed) they would clean the undercarriage and coat the frame with POR-15 or something similar.
The Jeep looked great when I picked it up. I asked what they used to coat the frame. He said 3M Rubberized Undercoat.
Unfortunately, I did not specify no rubberized solution when I asked for an undercoating (I assumed they would use something like POR-15.)
After researching the rubberized undercoating I've learned that it's not a good option...especially for a Wrangler in an area like Northern Virginia and one that already had some rust. When water gets behind the undercoat it will stay there...and trigger rust and by the time you notice the rust it will be too late. The undercoating not only facilitates rust by trapping water, it hides the damage that's taking place.
I bought this Jeep with the goal of longterm ownership. Now I'm worried that I just expedited the onset of rust and there's not much I will be able to do about it.
I really want to keep this Jeep for the long haul. I've got some planned investments in it (lift, tires, etc), but I'm worried that I basically cut it's potential frame-life in half.
I'm thinking of selling the Jeep (I'd be 100% transparent with potential buyers), but I'd definitely lose a bunch of money since I bought it a a dealer inflated price in the first place (the third rookie mistake).
Can I get 10-15 years out of this Jeep or will it rust out on me in 5-7 now that the undercarriage is blanked with rubberized coating? I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice. Thanks very much!
Last October I purchased a 2004 Wrangler X (4.0L four-speed automatic, 154k miles) from a dealer. The purchase fulfilled a lifelong dream to own a Wrangler (I fell in love with them as a kid watching MacGyver — who drove YJ).
It was my first used vehicle purchase — and I'm certain I made some rookie mistakes.
The first mistake was to have the Jeep inspected after I purchased it. The inspection found a fairly obvious hole in the frame (passenger side, towards the front). The technician basically called me an idiot (in a nice way) for buying a Jeep with a hole in the frame. He advised me to take it back.
The dealer wouldn't take the Jeep back (at least not without a huge fight), but the sales manager offered to have his buddy patch the frame for me. I took a chance and said fine. A week later I picked up the Jeep. The frame was repaired.
Paranoid now about rust and frame integrity, I took the Jeep to a mechanic for a rust assessment (and to see if the repair job was adequate). To my great relief, he said that the frame was in good shape (for its age and northern location). He advised me to perform routine maintenance to keep rust in check, which lead me to a second rookie mistake.
Last week I took the Jeep to an auto body shop. I asked them to perform preventative rust maintenance, i.e. clean out rust flakes on the interior of the frame and coat the frame. I thought this was a smart, long term investment. I figured (and assumed) they would clean the undercarriage and coat the frame with POR-15 or something similar.
The Jeep looked great when I picked it up. I asked what they used to coat the frame. He said 3M Rubberized Undercoat.
Unfortunately, I did not specify no rubberized solution when I asked for an undercoating (I assumed they would use something like POR-15.)
After researching the rubberized undercoating I've learned that it's not a good option...especially for a Wrangler in an area like Northern Virginia and one that already had some rust. When water gets behind the undercoat it will stay there...and trigger rust and by the time you notice the rust it will be too late. The undercoating not only facilitates rust by trapping water, it hides the damage that's taking place.
I bought this Jeep with the goal of longterm ownership. Now I'm worried that I just expedited the onset of rust and there's not much I will be able to do about it.
I really want to keep this Jeep for the long haul. I've got some planned investments in it (lift, tires, etc), but I'm worried that I basically cut it's potential frame-life in half.
I'm thinking of selling the Jeep (I'd be 100% transparent with potential buyers), but I'd definitely lose a bunch of money since I bought it a a dealer inflated price in the first place (the third rookie mistake).
Can I get 10-15 years out of this Jeep or will it rust out on me in 5-7 now that the undercarriage is blanked with rubberized coating? I'd love to hear your thoughts and advice. Thanks very much!