Frustrated...what would you do?

[swsmith.ss001]

Remove those pieces between the bumper and fender (15 minute fix)and straighten the steering wheel (5 minute fix).

That is an option, but I hate to cut the front fenders on a brand new truck. The whole idea of buying it lifted from the dealership was to save me some time and busted knuckles as my free time is currently limited. You would think the dealership would know what they were doing. I'm at the dealership now so will see what they can do. I don't see any reason why I should have to trim my fenders because the dealership couldn't get it right. Like the post says I'm quite frustrated. Thanks for the info.

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[TTEChris]

That is an option, but I hate to cut the front fenders on a brand new truck. The whole idea of buying it lifted from the dealership was to save me some time and busted knuckles as my free time is currently limited. You would think the dealership would know what they were doing. I'm at the dealership now so will see what they can do. I don't see any reason why I should have to trim my fenders because the dealership couldn't get it right. Like the post says I'm quite frustrated. Thanks for the info.

You don't have to cut anything. Just a few bolts/clips holding it in place, completely reversible. We pulled those pieces on my wife's JL sport the day we brought it home.

If they didn't center the steering wheel after the lift I also doubt they centered the axle properly with the new adjustable trackbar. Any shop that has lifted a Jeep knows to center the steering wheel after a lift or the traction/ABS etc will go haywire. It's a 2 minute process to do so...

I don't think any of this is on Rough Country... Only problem I see with that lift is a form of caster correction.

 

[furrymurray]

Honestly that doesn't look like a 3.5" lift

Doesn't look like 3.5 to me either.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I'm sorry this happened to you and I'm sure you're terribly disappointed. Since your Gladiator is brand new, I might suggest that you take a step back and focus on the long-term reliability and health of your rig. My biggest concern would be that this lift was clearly not installed properly, and that makes it fairly likely that there are other problems lurking within. For instance, were all of the suspension components re-torqued to factory spec? If not, that's a sure-fire way to create death wobble long term, as bolts begin to loosen and their respective holes begin to wallow out. This is a frequent cause of death wobble, and it's hard to chase down and cure once it gets going. Those wallowed out / oblong holes are on the frame itself. Fixing them requires welding.

You don't want that in your new Gladiator. You don't want a quick fix like cutting your fenders. You want this done right. Consider having the dealership completely remove the lift and return the vehicle to stock. Then take it to a reputable 4x4 shop and have it done right. Use quality parts for the lift. Use a shop that will make sure your bolts are torqued correctly and your geometry is correct post-lift. For instance, you probably need longer front lower control arms to correct your caster angle. Dealers love to slapdash a lift to make a truck look cool, but proper lifting is difficult work that requires careful consideration. It won't be cheap, but your Gladiator wasn't cheap, and you want to ensure its long-term reliability.

 

[bhbdvm]

I'm having trouble sleeping. Please make the dealer take this lift off and return to stock. I can't sleep knowing they did this.

 

[swsmith.ss001]

Update:

I returned from the dealership where they fixed my alignment issue. The vehicle leaving the dealership drives much better now. I brought up the issue with the tires rubbing the front bumper. They said that I was correct in that there is clearly an issue. The way the vehicle sits currently the wheel and tire offset is to great. I presented 3 different options to the dealership. 1. Replace the current bumper with an after market or Rubicon like bumper and all rubbing with go away. 2. Order new wheels and tires that fit the current set up. 3. Return the vehicle to stock and refund me the money I spent on the lift, tires, and wheels. I was told they needed to speak to the parts and sales supervisor and would give me a phone call. Looks like i will be making yet another trip to the dealership after we have a discussion.
If the lift does stay on and I can work something out with the dealership, I will certainly be bringing it to a 4x4 shop to have some guys with more experience take a look and ensure it was installed properly. I appreciate all the information and recommendations.

 

[swsmith.ss001]

You don't have to cut anything. Just a few bolts/clips holding it in place, completely reversible. We pulled those pieces on my wife's JL sport the day we brought it home.

If they didn't center the steering wheel after the lift I also doubt they centered the axle properly with the new adjustable trackbar. Any shop that has lifted a Jeep knows to center the steering wheel after a lift or the traction/ABS etc will go haywire. It's a 2 minute process to do so...

I don't think any of this is on Rough Country... Only problem I see with that lift is a form of caster correction.

Looking at my Truck last night it seemed to all be one piece without the bolts and clips you are referring too. I will look again today when I get home. My only concern is if the dealership has messed this up already what have the messed up that i haven't seen yet. I'm worried if i do trim or remove any pieces of the front bumper they will automatically point blame at me. At this point I want them to do what they can so they hold all liability. Last thing I want is to modify the truck and something happen with the lift or wheels and they wont hold responsibility. I appreciate the info and recommendation.

 

[TTEChris]

Looking at my Truck last night it seemed to all be one piece without the bolts and clips you are referring too. I will look again today when I get home. My only concern is if the dealership has messed this up already what have the messed up that i haven't seen yet. I'm worried if i do trim or remove any pieces of the front bumper they will automatically point blame at me. At this point I want them to do what they can so they hold all liability. Last thing I want is to modify the truck and something happen with the lift or wheels and they wont hold responsibility. I appreciate the info and recommendation.

I understand your concerns. I would take it to the dealer and have them remove those fender inserts since they were the ones that installed everything. I've removed them on several JL's, I can't imagine they changed the mounting for the Gladiator.


I would find a straight edge and measure the position of the axle if you can just to point that out while you are there if it happens to be off center(And to make sure they fix it)

 

[Sorbs]

Update:

I will certainly be bringing it to a 4x4 shop to have some guys with more experience take a look and ensure it was installed properly. I appreciate all the information and recommendations.

How much did they charge you to install a $500 lift?

 

[swsmith.ss001]

I understand your concerns. I would take it to the dealer and have them remove those fender inserts since they were the ones that installed everything. I've removed them on several JL's, I can't imagine they changed the mounting for the Gladiator.


I would find a straight edge and measure the position of the axle if you can just to point that out while you are there if it happens to be off center(And to make sure they fix it)

Thank you for this I appreciate it.

 

[swsmith.ss001]

How much did they charge you to install a $500 lift?

The lift was already on the vehicle when they put it on the lot. If recall correctly they charged 500 -700 bucks as an add on for the final bill. I would have to double check to be certain but I know it was not much if any over the lift kit price. If i do keep this lift on it will only be for about a year or two before upgrading.

 

[bhbdvm]

Update:

I returned from the dealership where they fixed my alignment issue. The vehicle leaving the dealership drives much better now. I brought up the issue with the tires rubbing the front bumper. They said that I was correct in that there is clearly an issue. The way the vehicle sits currently the wheel and tire offset is to great. I presented 3 different options to the dealership. 1. Replace the current bumper with an after market or Rubicon like bumper and all rubbing with go away. 2. Order new wheels and tires that fit the current set up. 3. Return the vehicle to stock and refund me the money I spent on the lift, tires, and wheels. I was told they needed to speak to the parts and sales supervisor and would give me a phone call. Looks like i will be making yet another trip to the dealership after we have a discussion.
If the lift does stay on and I can work something out with the dealership, I will certainly be bringing it to a 4x4 shop to have some guys with more experience take a look and ensure it was installed properly. I appreciate all the information and recommendations.

Your last paragraph states that if the lift stays on then you will take it to another 4x4 shop to make sure it was installed correctly. That just doesn't make sense to me. Why keep a lift that isn't working and then have someone double check and/or fix the problem. Ultimately it is your Jeep and situation but honestly I would just have them remove the lift and start over where you feel confident from the very beginning.

 

[swsmith.ss001]

Your last paragraph states that if the lift stays on then you will take it to another 4x4 shop to make sure it was installed correctly. That just doesn't make sense to me. Why keep a lift that isn't working and then have someone double check and/or fix the problem. Ultimately it is your Jeep and situation but honestly I would just have them remove the lift and start over where you feel confident from the very beginning.

I honestly do not believe the lift is the issue. The issue is the tires they put on there 20x10 wheel and 35x12.5 tire are to offset for the truck.

Your last paragraph states that if the lift stays on then you will take it to another 4x4 shop to make sure it was installed correctly. That just doesn't make sense to me. Why keep a lift that isn't working and then have someone double check and/or fix the problem. Ultimately it is your Jeep and situation but honestly I would just have them remove the lift and start over where you feel confident from the very beginning.

I honestly do not believe it is the lift. Although yes this rough country lift is on the cheap side I do not believe it is causing the issue. I believe its the 20x10 wheel and the 35x12.5 tire is to large for the truck as it currently sits. It would work better with a less wide wheel (9" or lower) and a more positive offset (no more than -12, but 0 and above would be better). This information was pointed out to me earlier in the post. Also I believe if I had an after market bumper or a Rubicon like bumper it would solve the issue. I am still waiting to hear from the dealership and i am going to discuss with them about removing the lift. I appreciate your comment and your concern, what your saying does make compete sense.

 

[Trauma PA]

It's not the lift that is causing the rubbing problem, it's the size of the wheel and offset. That wheel is a 20x10 and the offset is -25. Even if you got another lift, you'd still run into the same problem. It would work better with a less wide wheel (9" or lower) and a more positive offset (no more than -12, but 0 and above would be better).

100% agree with you.
That dealer sold him shit Parts (lift and wheels) at the highest profit margin. I'd be more than pissed.

 

[5JeepsAz]

So someone watched the lift being put on by the dealer, or the lift was put on before it hit the lot... Confused..

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