Will you work on your JT?

[Trickster]

Well, the first point I'd make is that the list price on a 850RE trans is about $3k, so if a dealer is charging a $2k premium that's a big problem. The radios can be bought online for $1k. Yes, these prices are still very high but if you don't go through a stealership you can save a wad of cash.

In my experience, the electronics are the only expensive part. For example, my ESS feature died in October. It was November before I realized it was an actual problem. Jeep sat at the dealer for two weeks while they tried to diagnose it. Could I afford to have paid that labor out of warranty? Nope.

But, mechanically the JT/JL is still stone age simple and anyone can work on them with basic mechanical knowledge. That's actually one of the big draws to this vehicle for me. I can work on it easily.

Well first off, I couldn't change a transmission or figure out a U connect radio to replace I think.
Secondly, I am in Canada so add 30% due to exchange rate.
Third, the prices I mentioned were at a dealership including labor.
But it's possible the JT is still simpler to work on than many, although it's getting its share of
more mainstream modern technologies that are above my abilities.

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[12BNNT]

Don’t get me wrong. Earlier I remarked about things being all computer monitored and that diagnosis required hooking up a computer to the OBD port. The thing is, for a vast majority of repairs, that computer can be hand sized at you local auto parts store. When the onboard computer in the car senses a problem, it lights up the engine symbol on the dash. Take it by the auto parts store and have them retrieve the code and then LEAVE. My sister in law had a fuel system pressure code and the store sold her 3 parts before she asked me about tit. Googled it and found a solution of remoistening the seal around the cap less fuel door. In essence, take your code home and look it up yourself. Plenty of resources out there on the web to help you decide what’s wrong, and videos of how to fix it. A good majority of repairs can be done by the mechanically inclined. However, if you plan to keep a vehicle longer than the factory warranty, the extended warranty is a good piece of insurance. Most warranties won’t cover wear item but those are the things you can fix yourself. It’s an insurance policy against the repair you can’t or don’t want to deal with such as transmission, transfer case, and major Powertrain issues. My last several vehicles were new and on the last two, I didn’t buy an extended warranty because I had no intention of keeps them more than a few years. The Gladiator will be one that I will probably buy a warranty for as I plan to keep it for years to come ... perfect all around , do everything vehicle.