What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[ChrisNLA]

This morning I woke up, looked outside to make sure no one stole my new tires. Yeah, paranoia.

I make a cuppa Joe, sit down to drink it. I thought I could drag my Jeep through the car wash to get rid of that blue tint on the raised white letters. Then maybe, if I feel like it, take it to the dealer for an oil change. I got the oil changed shortly after I bought it, Jeep site says January. I've only put 4,000 on it since purchase in November, but whadehell, I got that 3 change package already paid for. It's only 4:30 in the morning, I gotta wait.

There is a Buc-ee's down the street from my house, less than a 5 minute drive. I have car wash tickets backed up because if you pay 13 bucks for "The Works", you get the wash, vacuum, tire shine (which I decline) AND .30 cents off per gallon. I have a few tickets in my console, good for 1 year.

Let's see....drag out the hose, bucket, wash mitt or go to Buc-ee's. It's now 8am, I step outside and I presume the temp is already in the 90's. Buc-ee's for the win. I keep a roll of painters tape under the back seat. I remove my radio antenna, my GMRS antenna. I tape over the radio antenna socket, the GMRS mount has a screw on rain cap. I throw a strip or two of tape over my gas flap; their blower likes to flip that thing open every time. Powerful sucker. Makes my wipers shake like a fat kid watching his banana split being made.

Off to Buc-ee's, it's 8:30, all the normal people should already be on their way to work.

No one at the wash. Excellent. I pull out my oldest receipt and pull up to the station to enter the code. Window down, I pull up slowly. I hear the uncomfortable groan of rubber on concrete. Yes, boys and girls, I pulled too close to the island holding the check-in station. That noise was my brand new K03's, raised white letters out, arguing with the concrete and losing. This is where the next county over heard me curse. I back up slowly, enter the code and go in the wash. I pull out and go to the vacuum station. I get out and see what I've done. Less than 24 hrs on the Jeep.

I go home, grab a rag and some Simple Green. I say to the Jeep God's, "Please, please, please.". Squirt some Simple Green onto the rag and wipe. IT CAME OFF !! NO DAMAGE !!" I am once again a happy, fat, old Irishman.

Then I went to get my oil change, but that's for another post; I type too fast as it is and my posts are more along the lines of a short story than a post.

While I feel like there might be a very slight amount of comedic drama in this story...

...I once drove all the way back from Moab (so that's like 1600 miles one way) with more than one tread lug fully ripped off my KM2 and at least one gouge in the sidewall where I could see the fabric, LOL.

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[Mud Pie]

While I feel like there might be a very slight amount of comedic drama in this story...

...I once drove all the way back from Moab (so that's like 1600 miles one way) with more than one tread lug fully ripped off my KM2 and at least one gouge in the sidewall where I could see the fabric, LOL.

If your tires were only 14-15 hours old like mine are, I could say, "I feel your pain."

Pretty brave, you doing that. I'd be afraid of a blow out followed by a very Hollywod multiple rollover.

 

[ChrisNLA]

If your tires were only 14-15 hours old like mine are, I could say, "I feel your pain."

Pretty brave, you doing that. I'd be afraid of a blow out followed by a very Hollywod multiple rollover.

Thinking about it now I do think when we stopped for the night (about 900 miles in) we went ahead and put my spare on - which was slightly better

 

[RougeShot12er]

This morning I woke up, looked outside to make sure no one stole my new tires. Yeah, paranoia.

I make a cuppa Joe, sit down to drink it. I thought I could drag my Jeep through the car wash to get rid of that blue tint on the raised white letters. Then maybe, if I feel like it, take it to the dealer for an oil change. I got the oil changed shortly after I bought it, Jeep site says January. I've only put 4,000 on it since purchase in November, but whadehell, I got that 3 change package already paid for. It's only 4:30 in the morning, I gotta wait.

There is a Buc-ee's down the street from my house, less than a 5 minute drive. I have car wash tickets backed up because if you pay 13 bucks for "The Works", you get the wash, vacuum, tire shine (which I decline) AND .30 cents off per gallon. I have a few tickets in my console, good for 1 year.

Let's see....drag out the hose, bucket, wash mitt or go to Buc-ee's. It's now 8am, I step outside and I presume the temp is already in the 90's. Buc-ee's for the win. I keep a roll of painters tape under the back seat. I remove my radio antenna, my GMRS antenna. I tape over the radio antenna socket, the GMRS mount has a screw on rain cap. I throw a strip or two of tape over my gas flap; their blower likes to flip that thing open every time. Powerful sucker. Makes my wipers shake like a fat kid watching his banana split being made.

Off to Buc-ee's, it's 8:30, all the normal people should already be on their way to work.

No one at the wash. Excellent. I pull out my oldest receipt and pull up to the station to enter the code. Window down, I pull up slowly. I hear the uncomfortable groan of rubber on concrete. Yes, boys and girls, I pulled too close to the island holding the check-in station. That noise was my brand new K03's, raised white letters out, arguing with the concrete and losing. This is where the next county over heard me curse. I back up slowly, enter the code and go in the wash. I pull out and go to the vacuum station. I get out and see what I've done. Less than 24 hrs on the Jeep.

I go home, grab a rag and some Simple Green. I say to the Jeep God's, "Please, please, please.". Squirt some Simple Green onto the rag and wipe. IT CAME OFF !! NO DAMAGE !!" I am once again a happy, fat, old Irishman.

Then I went to get my oil change, but that's for another post; I type too fast as it is and my posts are more along the lines of a short story than a post.

You need to be rubbing them on some trail rocks! You stop caring after that happens a few dozen times. I don’t even think I have washed mine since Jeeptoberfest 2025.

 

[Mud Pie]

You need to be rubbing them on some trail rocks! You stop caring after that happens a few dozen times. I don’t even think I have washed mine since Jeeptoberfest 2025.

Agreed. And I fully expect that to happen...within time. Not within hours. That's what slightly cheesed me off.

It's like accepting the fact that the paint and metal will never be as pristine as the day you bought it, yet on purchase day I wouldn't go from the dealership straight to Wal-Mart and purposely run a shopping cart into the door to "break it in"...

In 1987 when I bought my Suzuki Samurai Special Edition, that was the first brand new car I've ever purchased. First time a tree branch dragged the side, hearing that dreadful "skreeee" sound, I was like, "Oh, man !! Look at that scrape !!". After a while you had the "eh" attitude and blasted through low hanging branches; hard to see any new scrapes at that point....

 

[RougeShot12er]

Different strokes for different folks.
This was 48 hours after I signed the paperwork on mine. lol

 

[Mud Pie]

If it wasn't so expensive, I like the white top being offered, here's a rendering. My top is the textured style, so I couldn't save a few bucks and get it painted. Plus, I bet heat load would be reduced.

 

[Mud Pie]

I showed my wife the pic and asked, "Whattaya think ?". She says, "Looks like you stole the roof off a mall security guard golf cart. No.".

Well, she ruined that for me, I can't help but see that. Thanks, honey.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

I showed my wife the pic and asked, "Whattaya think ?". She says, "Looks like you stole the roof off a mall security guard golf cart. No.".

Well, she ruined that for me, I can't help but see that. Thanks, honey.

They do have a way of putting us in our place don’t they? If you went white lettering on the “Rubicon” vinyl and maybe white old school wheels it would work though. I personally wouldn’t go white as it’s a bit too “in your face”. Maybe an anvil gray or something along those lines.

 

[Mud Pie]

It had that old skool toyo FJ-40 vibe, and I've always liked them old FJ's.

Yeah, I know, blasphemy....

 

[Camaroboi13]

Threw some new shoes on the old gal today. Huge improvement in the way it looks

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