Your telling me. My neighbors think I'm the next Green River Killer. I do not let rain, wind, snow, or even power outages get in the way of working on my Jeep in my driveway.
How reliable (or unreliable) has your TJ been?
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Your telling me. My neighbors think I'm the next Green River Killer. I do not let rain, wind, snow, or even power outages get in the way of working on my Jeep in my driveway.
Kiwi TJ
I don't suffer from insanity I enjoy every minute
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Wow you created a monster......love itI have owned my 2006 Wrangler X since March 2006 when I drove it off the dealer. It has been my daily driver about 30 to 40 miles daily and also a weekend warrior in the swamps of South Florida. It was stuck in the mud about 1 month after I drove it off the dealer. Spend the first 5 years of its life wheeling through mud and deep water while also serving as a family vacation vehicle driving it from Florida to The Outer Banks of NC and to the mountains of NC. It has been beaten to shreds but has never let me down. I still use it today as my daily driver I just work very close to home these dayslike maybe 3 miles round trip to work and back.
Any off the issues it has had in its life so far are 100% my fault and not the Jeep. I feel that @jeep_boss TJR was severely mistreated by its previous owner and now unfortunately @jeep_boss is the one dealing with the aftermath and poor maintenance choices of the of the previous owner.
Below are some pics of the life of my TJ. It is not a trailer queen so I drive it everywhere and I used to also tow a pop-up camper to many of the trips.
April or May 2006
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March 4th 2007 Outer Banks NC
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June 2007 Outer Banks NC
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June 2007 Beech Mountain NC
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June 2007 Bear Den Campground NC Mountains
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May 2008 Sand Dunes Albany GA (Well more like a mining site LOL)
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2009 Hard Rock Ocala FL
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2010 WindRock TN
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2011 Uwharrie NC
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Here is a before and after
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Got caught in a controlled fire at Croom WMA
This brings up something I'd like to comment on. This is my first TJ. While I consider myself to be mechanically inclined, I still am very capable of making mistakes. These blunders can be regarding mechanical repairs...which consequently affects reliability...or they can be regarding upgrades and modifications...which also can affect reliability. This forum has been, and continues to be, a wealth of not just information, but damn good information. It has given me the confidence to "know" (as much as anyone can truly know these things) that my upgrades will have a quality about them that will allow me to enjoy my rig for what I hope to be years to come. It also, however, makes me feel that if I ever did have to sell my TJ, the next guy will not be looking at it going "WTF was the PO thinking?". Instead, he'll be able to see that there was a plan, and not just a hodgepodge of parts thrown at it. Hell, he might even look at it and say "This guy must've been a member of the "Wrangler Jeep TJ Forum"...
Thanks for all the help, guys. I appreciate it!.
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This brings up something I'd like to comment on. This is my first TJ. While I consider myself to be mechanically inclined, I still am very capable of making mistakes. These blunders can be regarding mechanical repairs...which consequently affects reliability...or they can be regarding upgrades and modifications...which also can affect reliability. This forum has been, and continues to be, a wealth of not just information, but damn good information. It has given me the confidence to "know" (as much as anyone can truly know these things) that my upgrades will have a quality about them that will allow me to enjoy my rig for what I hope to be years to come. It also, however, makes me feel that if I ever did have to sell my TJ, the next guy will not be looking at it going "WTF was the PO thinking?". Instead, he'll be able to see that there was a plan, and not just a hodgepodge of parts thrown at it. Hell, he might even look at it and say "This guy must've been a member of the "Wrangler Jeep TJ Forum"...
Touche amigo, Jeeps also have the characteristic of being approachable to work on too. I would say that my TJR is a lot easier to work on than my T4R, were it not for my overkill 5.5" long arm lift; it's facking ROUGH getting to spots under the hood, even for a guy like me @6'3".
That said, from a resale value perspective - I would also add that many of the potential Jeep buyers here in our area are overpaid nerds that wouldn't (at least initially) appreciate not recognize QUALITY vs. crap, so it would take a buyer that knows the difference between a racheting combination wrench and a football bat to tell the difference
I'm "liking" your acknowledgement of that sad truth...not the fact that it is the sad truth!That said, from a resale value perspective - I would also add that many of the potential Jeep buyers here in our area are overpaid nerds that wouldn't (at least initially) appreciate not recognize QUALITY vs. crap, so it would take a buyer that knows the difference between a racheting combination wrench and a football bat to tell the difference
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Yep, and these are the same types of folks that manage to ROLL a Jeep too. I went through a Starbucks drive through recently with my TJ, and the young lady at the window gave me a compliment on it, but then said "it's just too bad that they roll over so easily". I asked her "Oh? Well what makes you think that" and she replied "because I rolled mine over a couple of months ago".
I did not bother engaging any further in roll over discussions with her, nor was I motivated to talk with her about basic physics. I felt that she'd be better off NOT being behind the wheel of another Jeep, if I had somehow enlightened her - given her personality and age
The combination of French and Spanish was a nice touch. Very international of you!
Been a very reliable vehicle. I will admit that there are times I am so far back in "the wilds" that if something DID go wrong, it would take a cargo helicopter to get me and my TJR out. It is times like that where I wonder whether or not I should trust my rig to that degree. I do make sure I maintain it and service it regularly (comes from a career of taking care of fire trucks) so I do what I can. But NOTHING is flawless and I suspect it will require me to keep a close eye on things and repair/replace BEFORE that let me down. Just common sense in my view.
94c2500
TJ Enthusiast
I recently drove my 2003 TJ with 120,000mi on the odometer from Texas to Indiana and back without any problems whatsoever. I'm just staying on top of all the recommended routine maintenance items.
I do carry a blue-tooth dongle to read any code that could possibly trigger, but no trouble yet.
K.C.
New Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2015
- Messages
- 20
My 2002 SE has 63,000 miles on it. Its never failed me. Had to put a resistor in for the heater and a new oil pressure sensor and had the brakes done. I've taken it on several 800 mile jaunts and plan to take several more.
TJScott
TJ Enthusiast
I’ve had my TJ going on two years now. It has become a daily driver and mild off-roader. I do trails and power line access roads. The only actual issue was my rear diff lost a bearing early on. I believe it was damage from the prior owner in the form of water. Once I was faced with it, I re-geared both diffs and had a rear ARB locker installed. I didn’t have the money for a front as well. Other than that mods and basic maintenance. Oh, and fuel. Lots and lots of fuel. Did I mention fuel?
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