I brought my Jeep in today for a brake job. The mechanic found that the rear wheel cylinders are leaking and I would need a complete brake job....not bad but that's not all. Both rear springs are broken and need to be replaced. ... but that's not all. The floor is rotted out and you can see carpeting from under the Jeep.
I brought it to a body shop and he discouraged me from trying to have the floor repaired. He said I would spend at least $2,000 and there would still be rust in other areas.
The brakes and springs will probably cost around $500. Can't see spending $2500 - $3000. The Jeep has 99k miles. It's unfortunate because I like the Jeep. I won't buy a new one because I have heard that they have poor reliablity.

 

I'll buy yours.

I've done my floors for waaaay less, including buying tools.

 

Pull the carpet up find someone with a welder and weld some 1/8" plate over the rust spot then put the carpet back down. Brakes are easy, buy a haynes or chilton at autozone for 20 bucks and learn how to do them. I'm assuming the leafs are broken cause cherokees don't have coils? Go to the junkyard and pull some for like 50$ or go online and buy some for like 200 or heck buy a lift that comes with new leaf springs for like 600$. Those guys are just taking advantage of you, all that work is easy and can be done for cheap.

 

Any car that is 16 years old is gonna need some repairs, whether its reliable or not.

 

do you own brakes and it will cost 50$, not hard to do just gotta put things in order, plenty of write ups. And both leafs are broken? sounds like something you would have realized way before you bought the car. they dont really brake, they sag. the shackles can break though. The floor rotting out is your only real problem here. Than again if you rip everything out, grab some scrap sheet metal, an angle grinder and some silicone you can fix it up (kinda) for under 20$

Really depends on what your trying to do with this truck

 

well if you can do the work yourself you can do it for alot less. Replacement floor pans cost from $45 - $90 (front driver's side)
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/rafr...469678-3893066
http://www.quadratec.com/products/pr...p?kw=floor+pan

read this:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f58/ru...herokee-20069/

replacement rear springs ~$250/pair

http://www.quadratec.com/products/pr...1100,1150,1200

full brake job (parts only) rotors $40/side, calipers $30/side, pads $30 total.
drums $40/side, rear shoes $35 total, misc hardware and brake cleaner $30

Total to fix your (stated) problems ~$700 in parts.

If you're going to own a cherokee you better be able to do the work or have deep pockets.

 

^^^ x2 on all of that.

Honestly, if you have heard or read they are not reliable then you have read or heard from a lot of people who have no experience with the 4.0 and AW4 that drive these beasts. You would be hard pressed to find a more reliable drivetrain on any other vehicle made.

You can make these repairs easily yourself, or you can pay someone a lot of money to do it. Either way, giving up on your jeep because of some rust and a needed brake job is......crazy. Look through the build threads here and see what people have started with and what they've ended up with.

 

I think I might keep the Jeep and get another car for transportation to and from work. I have a 2 car garage so I can take my time working on the jeep. (need to get rid of some junk to make room). The Jeep only has 100 k miles so the engine is still in pretty good shape.
Are the rugs difficult to take up? I never tackled a job like that before. I could put some sheet metal under the rugs for now.

 

Get some sheet metal and just patch the floor, alot of the body shops now days are using metal epoxy instead of welding. A friend of mine used it for placing a patch panel in his 2000 silverado. It bonds super strong amd takes no skill to use. You do have to buy an applicator gun for like $80 though

 

Find some plate for floors. I suspect maybe one leaf broke other wise you bought a lowrider cause that thing would be sitn on the ground. & it couldn't be front coils cause what would hold half of it in? Either case junk yard 50$-100$ at most! Maybe eBay. Or even here. Lots of members putn lifts on with leftover factory parts. Brakes should be under a hundred. Can find a manual online(if you have problems while your doing it). & jeeps not reliable?? That's CRAZY talk!my xj has 245K & strong as a 200 horses. Zigzaged this country several times & wheeled the dog **** out of her.I've never worried of getting stranded anywhere,in any weather & wheeling by myself.checkout the how many mile threads! Hell some member here might even help ya. I would if you lived here.

 

A lot of good advice here. And every one of these guys would tell you that they would easily take the time or spend the money to get their rig safe and on the road. I could not have a better daily driver. I don't know what your finance situation is but what you will spend on a daily driver could easily get the rig rolling. Part it out... and buy another XJ.

 

Don't have any reason to use it on my jeep(yet anyway)...but I have a few other things I'd like to experiment using this type of metal expoxy you mentioned....Any more info you can provide?..brand, where to get it?..I like the "takes no skill to use part"....lol

And to the OP...as long as you aren't under any time pressure...you can do lots of the work yourself...It does help if you've got another rig you can drive..

 

Google 3M automotive panel bonding

 

Pop rivets are less expensive and when used with a good seam sealer does a great job. I use a mig welder for sheet metal repairs. I looked at 'body panel adhesive' but with the $80 required gun it's kinda pricey.
http://www.google.com/search?q=body+...c4d96e154bbdb2

 

If I try to repair the floor, I still have to remove the carpeting, correct?
I can pop rivet the plating from the inside but I need to know how much work is involved in taking up the carpeting. The job doesnt need to be perfect, I just want to be safe. Having the capeting the only thinkg between me and the road would seem unsafe.