hey all...after the first week of jeep ownership, ive driven it for 3 hours and had it in the shop for 6 days.

the mechanic is convinced its a piece of ****, but all i see is potential.


what started as a new right front steering knuckle has turned into brake pads and seals all around, new water pump, new fan clutch, new steering knuckles on both sides.


this is my first jeep, and im really looking forward to joining the community. my hope is that the jeep can run on hopes and dreams until i can fix it properly.

add onto this that the gf is annoyed ive been gone all week (mechanic is near my parents place 100 miles away)....and im really starting to second-guess my buy.

the good thing is, im sure that as soon as i step into it and drive it home im gonna have a big smile.

i just need a bit of reassurance that my jeep isnt a piece of ****.

(and another jeeper in the columbus ohio area who would be able to stop by and find any real problems and eliminate anything the mechanic just thinks is a problem would be nice too)

 

You know I was going to tell you that you need another mechanic. I met with a mechanic when I first purchased mine and he said it was a piece of crap also. Guess what... he has never seen my jeep again. I found a mechanic who owns one near me and tells me that my jeep is just fine and runs exactly the way its supposed to. Dump the idiot and find one you can work with. Go to the section for you area on the board and post a question for a good mech in your area. BTW whats going on with your jeep that you can drive it. I own a 2001 also and this thing has never left on the side of the road.

 

BTW... I just realized you posted about what was wrong. When I took it to the first mechanic he claimed it was a piece of crap and I was taken for a ride. He told me to sell it and pass the peice of crap to someone else. He said I need a new drive shaft, axle, brakes, and the list went on and on. I took it home, and changed the rotors and pads myself and ever since then I have been doing most of my own work. I have taken it to a couple of shops to be looked at and everyone of them has told me every thing is good. Like I said before, find another shop. You about the be taken for a ride by your mechanic not the guy you purchased the Jeep from.

 

Heres my story on why a PITA will always pay off

I've owned my Jeep for 5 years. I bought the Jeep from an owner who bought an H2. The lift he installed was terrible and mixed. He had 1.5" spacers up front, 3" coils 3" shocks, no extended brake lines, stock steering, RE HD 4-6" T/B, 15" LCAs, Stock UCAs, AAL rear leafs and 1.5" shackles.

It had death wobble, I wasn't aware of this symptom and how well known it is to the offroad community. I'm not the type who pays a mechanic. I was on a school budget as a 18 year old kid. I paid $2,000 for the Jeep. I drove that Jeep everywhere except the freeway because of the death wobble. After a year I finally had enough money to upgrade and replace a few of the items I knew were the cause. I upgraded and replaced the steering system, ball joints, bushings. Since then it drove smooth.

Here I am now with the same Jeep which has little to nothing untouched from when i bought it -- getting 7mpg without doors on the freeway, driving it daily, and couldn't be more happy.

 

those are all just small things that will eventually at some point in the jeeps life go bad. remember its 10 years old. yours is last year they where made and there are people on this forum that have 17 year old xj's that run fine. that mechanic sounds like an ***. used cars will always have a lot of crap wrong with them at first. unless you go to car max and overpay.
you came to the right place btw.

 

Sounds fine to me, XJ's are built like tanks, take care of her, and she'll take care of you. Also, once a competent mechanic gives it a look over and you get everything working fine, go run that incompetent *** over, calling an XJ a piece of ****. Chery's gotten me through places the ATV's get stuck, and she has stock suspension... and welcome to the wonderful world of XJ's, it might hurt your wallet now, but it'll be well worth it in the end. Every mechanic I've met here in Texas has nothing but praise for the XJ.

 

MY first POS was an '88. Yeah the original motor lasted 288K on the original trans.

 

x2 on these things are built like tanks. other than routine maintence, and crap I have broken myself, my jeep is a tank

 

There are always some bugs to work out with used cars. I went thru some with mine when I first got her. Replaced a couple of minor things and I haven't had a single problem since. Its all about regular maintenance with these things. You take care of the XJ and it will take care of you.


PS your mechanic is a D-Bag