Hi all, Me again. I'm just so excited about my new jeep, and you all have such good info..
Has anyone ever run into a problem with making aftermarket modifications (simple things) and their warranty? Such as them saying "sorry, you voided your warranty by adding ...."? I'm just looking at minor things to begin with - nerf bars initially (I'm short, sorry :). Then a little lift and bigger tires, various skid plates, off-road lights, a good winch.... the dreams go on and on :) Based on reading historical postings to this group, I am NOT looking to use Mopar parts, so they wouldn't be anything factory approved. Does this cause any problems?
Secondary question, does anyone recommend a good 4x4 shop in the northern Colorado area? Longmont or Boulder preferred, Loveland or Ft Collins good, Denver and surrounding area acceptable. What would be REALLY wonderful is if there's a 4x4 shop that would teach and watch ME while I learn to do the stuff. Does anyone do this, or do their insurance requirements get in the way?
Thanks again to all for putting up with another newbie jeeper.
In short, no. They would have to prove the modification caused the damage. Say for example, you drill holes and don't apply protective paint, the panel then rusts and you ask for replacement under warranty. The dealer could then tell you to pack sand.
However if the engine blows they would have to prove that adding that nerf bar caused the failure or they would be in violation of federal law.
Dunno. I only travel out to C Springs from Oklahoma a few times a year.
Nerf bars wouldn't mess with your warranty, though I'd suggest real, protective rock rails with a functional bar used as a step. If you start wheelin seriously, there aren't many "nerf bars" that will hold up for long. Off road lights are the same ... unless you have some electrical problem and then they'd have to prove the lights caused the problem. With a lift you get into a touchier area, though I can't see dealerships in CO having issues... where as some dealerships in say, Illinois do. I wonder about skids (transfer case specifically) and the effect it might have in a TC warranty...
Best bet is check with your dealer. If they say they won't warranty something, go somewhere else. There HAVE TO BE offroad/mod friendly dealerships out there (I sure hope so, cause that's where I'm gonna be in a week :) Which brings me to the next question:
If I were you, I'd go over to
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and ask there. I getall my CO specific answers there. Great group, and I'm sure you could findpeople willing to teach/help you with your mods. Enjoi' n.
A buddy has a 2002 Jeep with a few mods, hit big rock, bent the tranny/xfer skid plate enough to move the tranny/xfer case.
Local dealer found it during routine maintenance and made him pay to get a new skid plate. But dealer was not a pain about it -- he needs the local off road business! Dealer is in Oak Ridge, TN.
Lessons:
1) skid plate worked like a champ!
2) damage due to off-roading may be detected as such and be on your nickel
3) expect to have to fix thing back to stock if damage occurs. If you don't want to pay dealer prices, check the jeep out before going to the dealer and fix it up first.
I wouldn't worry too much. As the other poster noted, the dealer has to show a change or bad behavior caused the problem. My buddy remembered the rock and the thud -- he did not try to claim it should be a warranty repair.
TJ Girl wrote:
Stop sitting in front of the keyboard and go get it muddy!
At some point we were all newbies, though many have been around longer than the Jeep....
~steve
------------------------------------------ Red 1978 CJ-7, 304V8, headers, T-18 w/Granny Dana 20, Dana 30/AMC20 4.10 ARB air lockers Mosler axle, 6in suspension lift, 35in tires
If you plan to seriously off road, dont do the nerfs. get a rock rail with some sort of step on it instead. granted I ran nerfs for a couple of years, they held up better than expected, but they had to be removed and real rock protection put on. I'm 5'4", my TJ is currently on 33's with a 1" body lift and between the RE long arms and the Skyjacker springs we figure its still got 5-6" of suspension lift. I'll be going to 36's here real soon. Get yourself a good set of handles for the roll bar, it will make an amazing difference on the ease of getting in and out.
I would highly reccomend that you put a gas tank skid plate on as soon as you are able. I reccomend the Kilby, however the Tomken is good, as are some of the others. Those are just the two I have used. With the sort of wheeling I do, the Tomken held up pretty darn well for about 3 years, then I decided to upgrade to the Kilby since the Tomken was pretty well bashed around the edges.
Oh, and no, I never had any warrenty issues due to modifications. Granted my
Y'know, it *is* a great group, and I love reading the bulletin boards there. The only problem is "Update: I've restored the old board for now. Note that new registrations are suspended" So you can't post without registering, and you can't register until the board is fixed :( So I'm stuck just reading what's already there until they get it fixed again.
I live here in the Denver area. I do most of the stuff myself, aside from diff gears or major engine work. However, when I do get stuff done, I've tried a number of shops around the area. I'm listing them in order of my own progression from shop to shop, so therefore the last one listed is my current favorite shop to deal with.
1) Four Wheel Parts ... stay away (at least from the service dept). They're like the Wal-Mart of offroading. They do have good prices on specific parts (such as winches, straps, hilift jacks, etc.), but I don't feel all that confident having the vehicle worked on there. Heard some stories (first hand) from friends...
2) All-American 4x4 Repair ... this is located on the south side of Denver near C-470 and Santa Fe. Not exactly close to your neck of the woods. They do decent work, but suck at responsiveness, and are still somewhat expensive for labor. I had them do my exhaust manifold replacement. My biggest complaint about them is the guy who answers the phone annoys me, they won't let me make an appointment for work, (they just say "Bring it down and we'll look at it"), and when I do bring it in, they never call me with status, and don't even START on my vehicle until they've had it idle in their shop parking lot for a day or two (with me calling to ask, and them simply saying "we haven't gotten to it yet, we'll do it next and call you back in a couple hours"...no call...ugh). Needless to say, I won't take my jeep there anymore because of this crappy customer service. They don't seem to understand that I don't want to be without my only, daily-driver, vehicle for 4 days just to get the stupid exhaust manifold replaced (which took them all of probably 2 hours, on the fourth day).
3) High Country 4x4 ... They seemed cool to me at first. Then I realized they push Teraflex a little TOO much. It seems obvious they're getting kickbacks. I mean, they were trying to tell a friend of mine they'd "never heard of" anyone putting a Rubicon Express 4.5" lift on a ...'03 Rubicon. Bull! So I don't always trust any advice I get from them. They do do good work though and will let you schedule appointments. And their sales folks are reasonably knowledgeable and helpful. I had them weld on my new front lower control arm mounts when I tore one off a while back. Labor normal to a bit high: $85/hr.
4) Wild West Off Road ... So far these guys are my favorites. I'm having them do my gears (4.56) and lockers (ARBs) right now (they did it all yesterday, in one day...I'm picking it up today). They let me schedule an appointment and everything. They're also (so far) very good about accuracy in estimates and time, and getting back to me via phone, even late (they called me at 6:30 PM last night to tell me the gears/lockers were done). Their labor rate is also nicer, at $75/hr. They seem to be honest and fair, so far, and they're really nice. They only charged me exactly 8.4 hrs work for my gears & lockers install. They've given me a quick tour of their shop and taken me back to see some stuff they were talking about on a rig back there without any question. They're over in the same area as High Country, near Santa Fe and Hampden Ave. Still on the south side of downtown Denver, but closer in to town.
5) I have a friend who lives up in your preferred area; I asked if she's got any shop recommendations up there. I know she liked the people she had put in her York OBA system. I'll post here with whatever she sends me.
Good luck. Welcome to the addiction ;-)
Oh, and WRT nerfs or the like. I have the "Jeeperman"
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"Trail Skidz" (same as the "Rock Skidz", but with a plate welded on top to provide a better step than the bar alone). They're plenty strong to work as rocker protection (or jack point), they don't mess up your clearance that much (and provide much more clearance than most crappy sidesteps or any nerf bars you come across). I like them because they don't require me to drill my frame or body. Just in case you were looking for recommendations.
4) As Nathan said, Colorado4x4.org is a good place to get local "I like The 4Wheeler at 6519 Arapahoe Ave in Boulder, (303) 443-8488) or 4WD Xtreme at 31 Bowen in Longmont. The Longmont place is more of a custom fab place but The 4Wheeler has tons of experience and is a more well-rounded garage.
Austin (longboy on the Colorado4x4 board) would know of Ft.Collins places I think."
Thanks. I was hoping to get a Kilby as soon as I can afford it. Probably second in line after the nerf bars/rock rails (whichever I end up deciding to go with).
Yeah, good point there. At the rate I'm going I may run out of warranty before I earn enough money to pay for any aftermarket stuff.
Yeah, I know. Got some good mud on it the other day. Then we got 1.5 feet of snow, so that sort of cleaned everything off for a bit. Tried to get some mud again today, but the roads are dry, even the back dirt roads. Unfortunately still too much snow on the "trails" for a beginner like me to feel comfortable yet.
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