Brand new owner!

[GoBraves95]

Thanks so much for all the replies everyone! Will read through them all in more detail this evening. Again, super excited to be a jeep owner!!

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[GoBraves95]

Thanks again for all of the replies. How did I do on the package? It is pretty much as close as you can get to an overland while still being a sport I think. Final price was 41 or so after 750+ of dealer applied tint and bedliner.

 

[GoBraves95]

Seat covers: I haven't purchased yet and just use towels when I'm grungy from a mountain bike ride. I've been looking at the Diver Down neoprene covers ($200).

Mirrors: They aren't required in my neck of the woods, but I missed them when doors were off. My son had an older set of Quadratec mirrors for his JK ($30-$40) that attached to the upper door hinge. They shook/vibrated so much above 30mph that they were useless. I purchased the Jpeggz mirror w/footpeg - great product, rock solid on the highway, quick to install ($179 black, $199 color).

Tonneau cover: I do not have a tonneau cover for the bed, but I did purchase the Rain Gear cab cover ($170). I routinely run with freedom tops out, front doors off, and back top on. The Rain Gear cover fits perfectly with the top on and keeps the sun off the interior and sheds water in the event of a typical SE Alabama summer thunderstorm. The OEM cab cover is a lighter weight material and takes up less storage space, but it won't fit correctly if the top is still on.

Thanks for the note on the mirrors. Was close to getting that set.

 

[GoBraves95]

My 2cents on a tonneau. Test drove a few with the roll up Mopar, it was ok but that fabric collects dust easy and not confident about the snow/ice load I would get on it. The one the wife bought on Thursday had a Mopar 3 piece soft top on it and though a bit more rigid, not overly impressed so far with latch or how only 2 pieces fold up. Having had and installed about four 3 piece rigid tonneau tops on Ram 1500’s,
those are my choice. They are more money but more durable especially if outside 24/7.
You are on the right forum here, this site has it all.

Edit…I should have mentioned the brand that I had experience with
BAKindustries.com. Bakflip models.

I had a bakflip in my ram. Great cover, was hoping not to have to spend a grand on this one though. Maybe it is worth it. Not much snow here though

 

[GoBraves95]

Great advice. One of my first mods was a set of floor liners. I went with Smartliners, Amazon had the best price I found.
Lots of great people & advice on here, you can learn plenty by reading & using the search function.
Congrats & welcome from a another black JT owner!

Thanks! Any special care for the black vs other colors?

 

[GoBraves95]

Congrats on the new ride! Take care of it and it’ll be around for a long time!
I picked mine up last February and because I live where it snows and road salt/chemicals are used, I had the dealership undercoat it. I hate rust! When things melted up and dried out, I power washed underneath and spray waxed with CRC Marine on all the metal and threaded bits they couldn’t undercoat. I also ordered from 3M - Cavity Wax Plus with spray wands to get in the bottoms of the door panels and other drainage access holes so rust doesn’t form on the inside. Today, there is no sign of any rust. Coming up soon here I’ll wash the underneath again and spray the wax on weld points and metal parts and threads again.

The other thing I did as soon as I drove mine home was to sell the factory Falcon tires and had KAL install the 285/75/17 KO2’s. I went one size bigger than stock. Have always done this.
Just an FYI on any warrantable items attached to steering…(maybe stresses caused by bigger tires)

I had a electric steering pump problem where, when outside temps got hot, the electric steering pump got REALLY hot and would quit, NO CODES. This happened about 7 times this summer and I finally went to a dealership, had the truck parked outside and running for an hour and a half before it quit again and I could bring a tech outside to see it. His comment…”I’ve never seen this issue with a JT, what tire size are you running, are you stressing the pump??”

He saw I only went up one size then confirmed with the Forman, warranty would cover. I was almost SOL because I went bigger size. Had I gone with 35’s or bigger, I’d have to pay for the repair.

Thanks for the note on the tires! I think I would even be happy with stock size, just more agressive. Kind of like the Willys tires. Never traded/sold tires before. Is it a losing game as I expect it would be?

 

[Midnight Rider]

Thanks! Any special care for the black vs other colors?

Not really. My wife’s Highlander is black also, it can be a challenge to keep them clean. I’ve had good luck with Meguiar’s products. I hear a lot of good things about Chemical Guys, probably will give them a try.

 

[USMC-SSGT]

Welcome!!

Some advice / lessons learned

Drive it a bit before you start modding. You will be surprised how capable and enjoyable it is without giant tires and unnecessary stuff added.

You will see a LOT of posts on this forum about people who rush to mod, then need to backtrack to make corrections for things caused by those mods. (My self included...got sucked into the larger tire game) Really take the time to research your upgrades and be sure they're what you want, and what they will do once you add them.

I feel targeted!

Ready! Fire! Aim!

 

[that_gladiator_kid16]

Hey guys. Brand new Gladiator owner and forum member here. I have wanted a jeep since I was old enough to know what they were, and I have wanted a Gladiator since the day they came out. I could never justify a jeep because I am a one-car guy mostly and I need a truck bed. With trade in values way up, I did some looking and was able to get a few thousand more out of my ram than I owed, and get into a blacked out Gladiator Sport S while still lowering my monthly cost. I am excited!

there are just a couple things I want to get for it right away, and the rest of my plans (bigger tires, rock bars, front skid plate, winch, etc) can wait a year or two until I save up for them. I was hoping someone here could point me to a good place to get the following items for a good value (not breaking the bank but not garbage either). There are so many accessories out there it is hard to know what is a good value and what is junk.

Seat covers to protect from moisture

Cloth door replacements in case it happens to rain when riding around without doors.

Mirrors for when the doors are off

tonneau cover that keeps the rain out.

long run, I want to put a carport or garage in but for now, the truck is staying outside. Any tips on care for it while that is happening? Thank you so much for your help!

welcome to the fam brotha

I have a Sports S to so if u need any help hit me up

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Thanks for the note on the tires! I think I would even be happy with stock size, just more agressive. Kind of like the Willys tires. Never traded/sold tires before. Is it a losing game as I expect it would be?

Not at all. I looked on-line for these tires at 4 different places selling tires and posted a similar price. Was sold within a couple hours. I was very happy with that and the guy was waiting for me when I came home with them in the back of the truck.

 

[Gren71]

I feel targeted!

Ready! Fire! Aim!

 

[Matts4313]

Thanks again for all of the replies. How did I do on the package? It is pretty much as close as you can get to an overland while still being a sport I think. Final price was 41 or so after 750+ of dealer applied tint and bedliner.

A base sport with power windows and locks? I didnt know that was a thing. Does anyone know if they stopped offering that?

 

[GoBraves95]

A base sport with power windows and locks? I didnt know that was a thing. Does anyone know if they stopped offering that?

I am under the impression that it is an S model and they just put “Sport” on every sport configuration’s window tags.

 

[GoBraves95]

Actually, looking up the vin it doesn’t mention S either. I don’t see any features this truck lacks that an S has however. It is more equipped than most of the S models I looked at.

 

[Gvsukids]

Thanks for the note on the tires! I think I would even be happy with stock size, just more agressive. Kind of like the Willys tires. Never traded/sold tires before. Is it a losing game as I expect it would be?

It's a losing game on selling takeoffs. The m/t on the Willie's are noisy, try the Wildpeak m/t for a quieter m/t.

A base sport with power windows and locks? I didnt know that was a thing. Does anyone know if they stopped offering that?

24S is the package which makes it a Sport S.

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