dbltap's Mojito! JLUR

doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Well it's been a crazy week. As my wife, daughter and I were leaving for Idaho to pick up our new Jeep last week, lightning struck our house and fried a ton of stuff. As our home is built in a forest and is surrounded by 70 ft Ponderosa Pines, we rely on cable high-speed internet for all mobile data while at home. Without Wi-Fi, we've got no internet and no telephone communication. We just recently got the Wi-Fi back online, so I can finally start a thread about our 2018 Mojito! JLUR.

On the drive up, I met a Vietnam vet by the name of Robert while I was pumping gas. We struck up a conversation which resulted in my wife and daughter waiting 30 minutes in the gas station/travel center. Turns out he used to race Broncos in the 70s and 80s. He still has his main rig and was more than happy to share lots of pictures. He was in the process of moving from the PNW to AZ. We traded information, and we'll catch up again in AZ when we meet for drinks... hopefully sooner than later. (he did give me permission to post pictures)...

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Just before rolling into our hotel in Wyoming, we passed a Sinclair Gas refining station. The picture really doesn't do it justice. This thing was HUGE. It looked like a cross between a giant ocean liner and a small city.

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I traded in a 60k mile 2014 JKUR with a 2.5 in lift, 35s, bumpers, armor, et.al. I purchased a 2018 JLUR. I was really looking forward to getting back into a stock Wrangler, at least for a little while. Here's a few pictures of the 2014 Amp’d JKUR next to the 2018 Mojito! JLUR. I think it's ironic that both Jeeps have punctuation in the color name.

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Pictures of the window stickers if anybody's interested.

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The transaction at Dennis Dillon Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep in Idaho went extremely well. They were able to give us a price that no local dealer would come close matching. Although I highly recommend them, be aware going in that you deal with them for price only. Do not expect tracking or a lot of communication. You order it, you wait, they call you, you pick it up. If you need your hand held, then look elsewhere.

As a high-volume dealer, they get people from all over the place. Here are my daughter and I placing a pin on our home town of Colorado Springs.

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doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Although I've heard of several people who have dealt with loose JL fuses, my personal experience is that about a dozen of my fuses we're only partially seated. Before the test drive, I popped the cover on the fuse box and checked every single fuse. Several were only part way in, and actually crooked… with one blade seated in the other blade not fully seated. About a dozen fuses snapped into place when I applied pressure. It was pretty surprising.

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Considering my home was struck by lightning as we were leaving the night before, and we ended up with a broken windshield on the way home (continue reading), it seemed fitting that the odometer read 13 miles when we picked up the 2018 JL.

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I really wanted a good picture of me and the Jeep at the dealership, however one of two things usually happens. I either end up looking like Forrest Gump with eyes partially closed...

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...or my wife never clicks the photo while I'm looking at the camera. Here's a few pictures for your amusement at my expense.

I call this one “Squirrel!”

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This one is titled “How sweet it is.” (note Gump eyes)

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“Blue Steel”

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Hell, I can't even take a decent selfie. This one is called “Jeep Nirvana”... although my buddy says it looks like I'm on nitrous. (Gump eyes again)

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Probably the closest to a normal picture that I can pull off…

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doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
During the 900+ mile journey back home (back roads followed by Highway) we experienced no unusual steering issues including dead space, wandering or lock up. In fact I would have to say that our JLUR is very tight. The slightest change in wheel position results in immediate steering response. The 3.6 mated to the 8-speed is pretty awesome. Acceleration and highway performance between the 2014 JK and the 2018 JL is night and day. However, the JL lacks in engine braking. I guess I'll just learn to compensate. The leather JL seats were pretty comfy during our extended drive.

About 200 miles into our journey home a car flipped up a rock and I wound up with the obligatory cracked windshield.

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I was so pissed that I missed my exit. I took the next exit to make a u-turn, and wound up in front of a windshield repair center. The crack was traveling pretty quickly, so I pulled in and asked the tech if he could repair/fill it to stop it from worsening. He told me that he could not guarantee it due to its size, approximately 6 in. I told him that I didn't need a guarantee and that I was willing to take a gamble. If he could attempt a fill I would appreciate it. When I ask him how much, he stated that because he couldn't guarantee it, he couldn't put it on paper, and if he couldn't put it on paper then he couldn't charge me. He was more than happy to do it free of charge.

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The only cash my wife, daughter and I had was $9 in singles. I offered it to him and he refused, so I just stuffed it in his pocket and took off. Shout out to Michael, the windshield Tech. The crack has progressed no further, it is not in my line of vision, and I have no intention of replacing the windshield at this point.

We stopped at a hotel for the night, and the next morning I was greeted by several people who were interested in the Jeep, particularly the color. I don't think anybody really noticed at first that it was a new model, but they were more than happy to talk Jeeps all day. Robert, Cynthia and the June... If you can read this I made it home. Lol. Sorry... no pictures of the folks I met, but I did find a little time to download a new watch face (Samsung Gear S3 Classic) while waiting for my wife to check out of the hotel. It matches the paint pretty well.

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While rolling out of Idaho, we came across Twin Falls. The sights were beautiful. We got a kick out of watching about a dozen people base jump from the bridge. It was pretty crazy. They hold their parachute bundled up in their arms and then just let go of it for deployment. A few of them we're doing flips before letting go. Most let go at the very last moment. You can see a bunch of kayaks paused on the river watching the base jumpers do their thing.

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The rest of the journey home was relatively uneventful. However, here's something I've never seen before. A mobile / cell tower disguised as a tree.

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doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Upon returning home I washed and waxed the JL. It was then that I noticed that the hardtop doesn't seem to be finished appropriately. It has a lot of brush strokes, as if the final coat was applied by hand. It is also two different colors... flat gray, coated in areas with gloss black. It looks like a final protective coat was not thoroughly applied. Although this is a first world problem, I'm going to have to touch base with a local dealer to see what can be done. Ugh.

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In the end, I'm pretty stoked about the JL. Very impressed with the initial performance, fit and finish (with the exception of the hardtop roof).

Here's a couple of pics at home…

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One last set of Old vs New (just a few miles from home)...

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wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Hell of a story, thank you so much for posting it up and with such great detail! :thumb:

Sucks that you got a cracked windshield so early on but then, you're driving a Jeep. Awesome that you were able to get it addressed by such a nice guy. As far as the hard top goes, that's a real bummer too. Hopefully your local dealership will be able to help you.
 

Oside49er

New member
Great trip report, thanks for sharing.

We (wife & I) are heading up to Dennis Dillon this Friday to finally pick up our Sting-Gray JLUR. Planning about a 2000 mile adventure while heading home (Moab/Arches, Telluride/Ouray, Flagstaff/Sedona). We never get vacations it seems, so we decided we are starting the new JL adventure right since we never got to these places in the JK. The JL will be nice and dirty by the time she makes it back to San Diego. I'll try and keep a travel log, but I'm sure it won't be as good as yours.

-Oside
 

doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
Installed the Mopar molle bags, p/n 82215429. MSRP is $149, but they can be had for 99 bucks on Amazon if you have patience. Overall I like the quality. They're not floppy like some bags, and maintain their structure with ease. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I can fold the rear seats of my four door Rubicon and completely clear the installed bags.

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doubletapdaddy

Caught the Bug
I've never really been one for blackout grills, unless of course they are on a black jeep. How come I've never seen a black jeep with a white grill? I challenge someone with a black jeep to install a white Angry Birds / unibrow grill, hopefully with a single mesh opening rather than 7 slots so that we can shame you. Back on topic... my wife is crazy about the look of the Genuine Mopar Accessories Mojito! show Jeep. Really, her only request when I ordered this JL was that I would swap the stock grill for the Mopar Satin Black grill, p/n 82215114. At first I was disappointed that it is molded plastic and not painted, until I looked at the fender flares, the side vents, the hood vents, the cowl, the mirrors, the door handles, the rear lights, the bumpers and practically the whole interior. :crazyeyes:

Here are before and after pictures. Got to admit, I kind of like it.

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Onlyone

Member
Beautiful Jeep! Congrats on bringing it home! Let’s try and meet up sometime and run a trail. :thumb:
 

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