New Gladiator: Best Advice?

[ZombieCannon]

Id get something to protect the door hinges from rock chips. Hinge guard protectors or Mud flaps will help. The earlier you get these the less chance of a chip. Ask me how I know. For long car rides I'd recommend some sort of seat cushion. The seats tend to get a little stale after a few hours of driving but its also driver preference. Do oil changes a little early to give yourself the peace of mind the first few changes. If you want to go aftermarket parts I'd personally start with lights, upgraded headlights or Aux lights either way helps 100% when off-road at night or driving at night in general. I have about 68000 miles on my JT and have had it since mile 1

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[Rubicon6MT]

Carefully I have had mine for 11 months bought it with 22 miles it hit 31,998 today!!

Does this include some major road trips? That’s basically two years worth of mileage for the average driver.

 

[Rubicon6MT]

Lift or no lift I would swap these out for a better driving experience.

Will do some more research on this. Did the death wobble start when your vehicle was stock, or after it was lifted and modified?

 

[Rubicon6MT]

Any major truck use items, like a bed cover or liner etc... do them now as the miles and time goes quickly.

consider mud flaps or some 3m paint protection for the door hinges, they get a lot of stuff kicked up from the tires...

Spray on bed liner, tonneau cover, and door hinge protection film are all on my accessories list. Are mud flaps needed with OEM wheel and tire options? I don’t have painted fenders if that makes a difference.

 

[Rubicon6MT]

Do oil changes a little early to give yourself the peace of mind the first few changes.

I see this advice posted quite frequently, but with no mention of how many miles is considered early?

It also makes sense that modern synthetic oil last much longer, but the oil filters don’t.

 

[Hootbro]

My best advice, if you plan to lift, do not mess around with a spacer lift because that is all you can afford for right now. . Save and do it once with a proper coil and correct shock lift.

 

[Mr._Bill]

I see this advice posted quite frequently, but with no mention of how many miles is considered early?

It also makes sense that modern synthetic oil last much longer, but the oil filters don’t.

The OEM filters are good for the recommended service schedule. Fram has multiple filters available, one that is listed for up to 20k miles.

 

[Dhstec]

Don't believe the Jeep propaganda that the trans fluid is lifetime. Trans manufacturer says 60k for replacement. I did the spacer leveling kit just to take out the rack on mine. With that I was easily able to fit 33s on her. Also, I lived in Florida and I bought a sunshade bikini top for riding with my freedom tops off. Cuts down on the easy back oven feeling but still allows the wind through.

 

[Free2roam]

Open your wallet never look back. Make sure it livable in when you get divorced.

 

[Rubicon6MT]

My best advice, if you plan to lift, do not mess around with a spacer lift because that is all you can afford for right now. . Save and do it once with a proper coil and correct shock lift.

Not familiar with the term “spacer lift”. Spacers don’t increase the height of the vehicle, correct? They just push the wheels outward from the hubs, allowing for larger wheel and tire?

 

[Rubicon6MT]

The OEM filters are good for the recommended service schedule.

Is the OEM service schedule considered adequate? Or is more frequent service better for “preventative maintenance”.

 

[NC_Overland]

Get a AGM trickle charger and plug it in when parked for a week or more.

Why? I’ve left mine for weeks when traveling and it was fine. Stock batteries lasted 5 yrs too.

 

[NC_Overland]

Not familiar with the term “spacer lift”. Spacers don’t increase the height of the vehicle, correct? They just push the wheels outward from the hubs, allowing for larger wheel and tire?

No. It’s an inexpensive style of lift. Some, like the AEV spacer lift, aren’t bad. You’re thinking of wheel spacers.

 

[Rubicon6MT]

Don't believe the Jeep propaganda that the trans fluid is lifetime. Trans manufacturer says 60k for replacement. I did the spacer leveling kit just to take out the rack on mine.

Does Jeep claim the transmission fluid is lifetime for both automatic and manual? I’d be interested to read what the manufacturer says about service intervals for the manual, where could I find this info?

Does the levelling kit help reduce wear and tear on steering and suspension components?

 

[Rubicon6MT]

No. It’s an inexpensive style of lift. Some, like the AEV spacer lift, aren’t bad. You’re thinking of wheel spacers.

Are spacer lifts the same thing as a levelling kit?

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