New Vehicle Inspection Checklist?

[ShadowsPapa]

all good. (Unless they still come with a hitch cover or plug - that I didn’t have).

My wife asked me about some gaps in the plastic of the rear bumper. I had, embarrassingly, dismissed these as probably being normal. I should have compared it to a similar rear bumper if there was one on the lot, or a photo from the web. On closer inspection, there had clearly been an impact, seemingly a fairly hard one, but most of the exterior bumper plastic had returned to shape. Most. Two fasteners (or plastic bolt covers, dunno) were also at odd angles. It had just been prepped and washed so there were no scuff marks. Dealer was very nice, had a senior guy inspect who immediately promised a new bumper.

Grand Cherokee does (or used to come with the receiver cover), Gladiator doesn't.
I found an official Jeep one at Fleet Farm. Likely on ebay or amazon as well.

Good catch on the bumper.

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[KoBear]

I’ll make one this evening

Picking up tomorrow 3 states away. Would love even a pic of your checklist.

 

[aceisback]

Picking up tomorrow 3 states away. Would love even a pic of your checklist.

There’s one over on the JL forum.

 

[Saharacane]

Make sure you got the Jeep Ratchet tool kit to take off the doors, top and windshield. It should be in glove box or center console storage.

 

[DLAW]

If your sales person is worth anything, they should be spending a good 15+ minutes with you in, and around, the Jeep to explain every button, lever, gear shifter, tools, bags, storage compartments, etc, that come with it. Even if you know everything about Jeeps, you should still check all these things with them. Don't just assume all the settings on your wipers work correctly. Don't just assume you can shift into 4-wheel low and disconnect the sway bar.

If they don't want to walk you through that stuff, then chances are pretty high of you getting home to some disappointment. If they WANT to spend that time with you, then they already know that everything is good. If they want to rush you out, then maybe their best practices are not in your favor to ensure you have everything and everything works.

Things you could add to your list:
1. Hard tops: come with a nice protective freedom panel storage bag and a little ratchet tool kit with the very elusive T-50 bit which is not easy to find at hardware stores. It's also worth checking the 8 bolts that hold on the rear hardtop. Check for cracks. The hardtop is fiberglass. So we all need to be careful not to crank down on those bolts like it's steel.

2. Your tag-registered states where you do not need front plate(like Delaware), they should NOT be screwing into your front bumper to install the plate holder, no matter what state you drove to to pick up. It should just come in a bag for you to use later if you want to.

3. Aux switches: make sure the wire set actually exists. Located in-between the top battery and passenger-side frame. I think another wire set is near the glove box somewhere, but I never looked.

4. heat the seats and steering wheel.

5. Test the AC, test the Heat. Pay attention to what the Jeep thinks the outside temp is. this controls the remote start to active the heated seats or not.

6. Tire pressure should be around 37, not 40+, as many others already said. Mine were set too high and I didn't know better at the time. I had a horrible first impression on my 2 hour drive home. I was literally afraid to drive too fast because it was so swervey. I just thought, "so this is what Jeep's feel like? I guess I need to get used to it". NO.

7. Examine paint for damage

8. Crawl under and look for damage or leaking fluids. I've seen a few reports of axle leaks. It can leak near the wheels and drips on the inside of the wheel. There are forum posts here about it.

9. Steering gear box issues should no longer be an issue now that they are on gen 2 or 3 of that thing. But just make sure the responsiveness of the steering wheel to the wheels are tight and don't have the play mentioned on the 2020 models.

10. Have someone take a smiling photo of you with your new baby. Take a deep breath and just enjoy it. You have done all the research. After all this stress, it's time for some fun. Remember that this forum is a little bit like watching the news everyday. It can make you think the whole world is on fire all the time and everyone is murdering everyone. It's not true.

 

[SpeedNeed]

This was mine, adapted from the other checklists and comments.

 

[Geoarch]

This was mine, adapted from the other checklists and comments.

Thanks. Now if mine ever gets off the train!

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