Episode 411 – Jeep Vandalism!

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This episode of the Jeep Talk Show is sponsored in part by: Black Magic Brake Products, they build Big Brake Kits for your Jeep!  BlackMagicBrakes.com sells Direct Bolt-In Vanco Big Brake Kits with Black Magic Brake Pads and NEW Steering Knuckles. Find out more by visiting Black Magic Brakes dot com, that’s Black Magic Brakes dot com.

This Week In Jeep:

Veteran’s Jeep Vandalized on Veteran’s Day

According to an incident report, the crime happened late at night on Veterans Day, into the early morning hours on Tuesday.

Lindsay Koehler, the wife of the Jeep’s owner said does not know why someone would damage their property, but feels like this was some sort of personal attack.

Investigators said there is no indication of that, but the owners of the Jeep find it a little strange that the Jeep was the only vehicle that was hit, while there were other cars in their driveway that night and Tuesday morning.

Her mother-in-law was leaving about 7:30 Tuesday morning, and came back into the house to tell Lindsay and her Husband that someone had let the air out of the tires on their Jeep. Going out to see the Jeep for themselves, the Koehler’s saw that the vandals had not just let the air out of the tires, but they had been slashed.  The vandals sliced and slashed the windows of the soft top too. Then they saw things got worse. The seats we all completely torn up, cut and slashed, and ripped. They then saw that the paint had also been vandalized and that they had written “a word.” That word, or just letters rather, say K-O-M-Y. Koehler and investigators are not sure what it means.

Koehler says her Army veteran husband is still taking the damage in. “He feels very betrayed, very unsafe,” Koehler said. Bob Kealing with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said this is more than just broken property. “This happens on Veterans Day, and people need to understand that this is more than vandalism. It’s a crime. You have significant damage done to this vehicle, also someone burglarized it so, it’s not just a crime, it’s multiple crimes,” Kealing said.

Despite the damage, Koehler said she still forgives whoever is responsible. “Absolutely, they obviously need help. It’s just an object; I can fix the object. 

The person’s the one that needs the help,” Koehler said.

Lindsay and her husband said they would like to thank the community for helping and supporting them through this difficult time.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office asks that you think back to any conversations you may have heard about the vandalism, or if someone posted about the crime on social media and to contact them if you know anything about the damaged Jeep.

2020 Jeep Wrangler Diesel Price Announced

The first-ever U.S. market Diesel version of the Jeep Wrangler will be chugging into showrooms soon. Pricing for the much anticipated SUV has been released and the dealer order books are open as Jeep awaits final fuel economy certification prior to the commencement of sales in a few weeks. The new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesel is largely shared with the Ram 1500 and puts out a respectable 260 hp but boasts a whopping 442 lb-ft of torque in the Wrangler. It’s offered across all trim levels, but only on 4×4 four-door models equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission. So if you had aspirations of owning a new Diesel Wrangler with a manual, i’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it aint going to happen off the showroom floor. 

The lowest-priced Sport diesel starts at $37,795, which is $4,500 more than one powered by its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine and a $3,250 step from the 3.6-liter V6 gasoline option. Those differences also apply to the Sport S and hardcore off-road Rubicon trim levels as well. For 2020, the dressy Sahara is the only Wrangler available with the pricier mild hybrid “eTorque” versions of the gas engines, which add an electric motor boost which helps to eliminate low-end lag for improved launch performance while enhancing fuel economy. Jeep promises that the diesel’s fuel economy will be the best ever seen for a Wrangler, which is currently rated at 21 mpg combined with the 2.0-liter turbo 4. After launching in the Wrangler, the engine will be added to the Gladiator pickup for the 2021 model year. So maybe buying a Gladiator as a tow rig makes a little more sense now with the diesel option.

Wrangler Talk:

Making a change, going to talk about tire beads this week not steering. 

Hello JTS Listener and welcome to this week’s Wrangler talk. So, I know I said we were going to be talking about steering systems, but I am going to push that off and talk about another topic. Let’s talk about tire balancing and specifically balancing beads. Well I know you just spent all that money on cool wheels for your rig and now you don’t want to have to put those ugly wheel weights on the bead of your wheel. Well the next option is balancing beads. Balancing beads are tiny plastic beads that you put inside your tires, and I am not talking about airsoft plastic pellets. Yes, I know people use air soft pellets as balancing beads, but I am specifically talking about the balancing bead kits. I do not recommend using airsoft pellets, they have a larger diameter then the plastic beads that are sold in balancing bead kit. The smaller beads allow for a more accurate distribution of the beads inside the tire. So first why would you want to use a balancing bead kit. Well when we start increasing the size of the tires they tend to need more and more weight to balance the tire, and balancing beads allow for more weight to be added to the tire and better balancing of the tire. Secondly when it comes to balancing weights they do have a tendency to fall off when we are off-road, and with balancing beads do not ever fall off or come off the tire when we are wheeling.  Another great benefit of the balancing beads is that they automatically re-balance the tire every time you stop and start again. Finally, they are great with tires that have a more aggressive tread on them like our mud terrain tires. So how do they work. Ok let’s picture the inside of the tire at rest. All the balancing beads are resting at the bottom of the tire. Then we start to travel forward and with the rotation of the tire these beads are forced outwards and start sticking to the wall of the tire. When the tire rotates forward small vibration begin to start in the tire. These vibrations are caused by the heavy spots in the tire. Also, as the tire rotates the beads begin to spread out evenly over the wall of the tire, the beads are forced against the wall of the tire by centrifugal force. It is the same force that is used in that fun amusement park ride where you lay against the wall. As the beads start to evenly distribute around the tire they start to fall into the light spots in the tire. That mean like every lite spot that is in the tire. When the balancing beads begin to fall into the lite spots in the tires the tire begins to balance itself. Also, some might ask well how long does this take to happen, well the process really takes effect when the tire starts to spin at about 30 mph. Before 30 mph the tire’s vibrations are not that strong to be felt inside the vehicle unless the tire is really out of balance. As the tire reaches 30 mph the forces acting on the tire begin to hold the balancing beads against the wall of the tire and they begin to work their magic. I personally use these balancing beads in my tires and I absolutely love them. Another question I get asked it how much should I put into my tire, and my answer is check with the tire balancing bead manufacture. Each manufacture has different specifications and amounts you should put into the tire. So, if you follow the manufacturer’s recommendation you should be okay. Finally, the last question that I get is do they come out when I air down my tire, and the answer is “no”. Usually the manufacture will supply another specific valve stem for your tire to use with the beads but also the beads are laying at the bottom of the tire not anywhere near the valve stem to be able to be sucked out the hole. So, I would recommend going on line and buying an actual balancing bead kit and use them yourself. I do not recommend using airsoft pellets to get the same effect. Yes, they may work for some people, but I would hate to see it not work for you. Thank you for listening to this week’s wrangler talk and remember if you have any questions about anything you heard on this episode or if you want to know about something specific send us an email or leave us a voice message on our website at JeepTalkShow.com/contact and remember to join us next week where we will actually be talking about steering.

Interview with:

Paul Fernandez

General Manager at AutomotiveTouchup Paint. AutomotiveTouchup is known for producing automotive touchup paint for any vehicle, and its paint options extend from the newest models on dealer lots to classic marques and models. The company also provides perfect match OEM paint color matches for vehicles which are now discontinued and whose paint is difficult to find as a result. The company is a division of Microfinish, which produces coatings for vehicles and industrial equipment repair and refinishing in its state-of-the-art facility. Paul is in charge of production, human resources, recruitment, and most of the day to day activities. He was born in New Orleans, attended the university there, and joined AutomotiveTouchup soon after the company was started.

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:

Going From Soft To Hard…. Tops.

We tried to put it off for as long as possible. We closed the blinds to avoid seeing the leaves turn, and are still sporting flip flops and shorts despite fall definitely being here and winter is most definitely knocking at the door. It’s that time of year when we cant go topless as much as we’d like, and for some of us, it means switching from a soft top, to a hard top. So I’m going to go over the proper way to go from soft top to hardtop, and all the things that needs to be taken into consideration when doing so. We’ll get into the hows and why’s and even get into specific details of how to winterize your soft top, and other storage considerations. Ok first off, we’re going to make some assumptions here. First that you actually have both a soft top installed and a hard top in storage ready to go on, and that you have at least one extra set of hands, and some basic hand tools. Outside of that, this isn’t really rocket science, but if you’re new to the jeep world, or new to soft tops, then we may have some tips that you’ll want to utilize as you make the transition from soft top to hardtop. I suppose I should stop right here and apologize for not mentioning something sooner. Who puts away their bedding or clothes without washing them first? Not me! The best time to clean your top is right before it comes off to be stored for the winter. That way when it comes time to put it back on in the spring, it’s clean and ready to go. One nice thing about a Wrangler hard top is you can drive right through an automatic car wash without an issue and come out clean on the other side. With a Wrangler soft top, automatic car washes must be avoided. The large spinning brushes in drive through car washes can easily scratch soft top windows because of either stiff bristles or from dirt left on the brushes from a vehicle that went through before you. A touchless automatic car wash is unlikely to damage your top, although it is very likely to get some leakage due to the high pressure nozzles pointing at your top from various directions. Another downside to automatics is it would be extremely loud from the sounds of the high pressure water, not to mention, you’re likely not going to get it all that clean. Cleaning a Jeep soft top is best done by hand. If you use the manual wash station at a carwash be sure to wash your top first. Start with the roof and then wash off the foam brush or wash rag thoroughly before moving on to the soft windows. Make sure the brush/rag is clean as any dirt left behind can severely scratch your windows. After you finish cleaning the top rinse off all of the soap to prevent soap from drying on it and leaving behind ugly stains. Additionally, if you would like to prevent water spots on your windows wipe them dry with a soft, dry cloth. An important thing to remember about your soft windows is under no circumstance should you wipe dirt off them with your hand or a towel. This must be done with a soft wet cloth so the dirt is picked up and not dragged across the windows, scratching them. A common misconception with vinyl based soft tops is that they require extreme care and caution when cleaning. You can use general car wash soap to clean your top, but there are vinyl specific cleaners that do a much better job. Trust me, it’s worth the time and money to get this stuff. There are also specific fabric cleaners for twill style tops, but again, you can use a basic car soap on these too. For the best results, a soft horse hair brush and a dedicated vinyl or fabric cleaner is the way to go. Remember, a soft cloth is the only answer to vinyl windows to avoid scratches. Like anything else, your soft top needs to be properly cared for in order for it to last. The most important part of maintenance is keeping the top clean. This helps prevent stains, holes, abrasion, and will reduce the likelihood of scratches on your windows. All of the zippers on the top should be regularly treated with zipper lubricant to prevent them from seizing, breaking, and ripping. If your window zippers are seized, do not pull them hard. This will only destroy the zipper or rip the fabric it is sewn to. Zipper Ease 227 Lubricant, Quadratec’s Zip Slick, and Bestop’s Zipper Cleaner and lubricant are all good products that will work year round to keep your zippers from seizing or breaking. Next week, we’re going to pick up right where we left off, and get into the exact procedure for removal of the soft top, how to winterize it, and how to store it for the winter. Stay warm, stay dry, and next week, we’ll wrap things up and get you under that cozy hard top.

Must Have Stuff for your Jeep:

Omix-ADA Wrangler Soft Top Front Cross Bow Set 

$57.59 – (97-06 Jeep Wrangler TJ)

https://www.extremeterrain.com/omix-ada-jeep-wrangler-soft-top-front-cross-bow-set-1351085.html

Nobody likes sagging or flapping Soft Tops. So why not do something about it before the snow and rain fall this year ends up falling in through your top. Whether you want to face it or not, your Jeep’s soft top is prone to sagging when it accumulates water from heavy rains or excessive snowfall. Especially if it’s been around for a while. Letting this go on for too long will result in leaks, fading, or worse, a complete failure of the top itself, allowing whatever is on the top, or falling from the sky to fall right into your Jeep. That is, if you don’t have this installed: The Omix-ADA Soft Top Front Cross Bow Set. Apart from preventing sagging of the top’s material and making sure that water simply rolls off, instead of pooling up on your top, this cross bow kit also prevents the soft top from flapping while driving down the road, or in heavy winds. This is especially valuable during high-speed driving, resulting in a substantially quieter driving experience whether you’re in the city or out in the trails. Omix-ADA crafted this front cross bow set from high-quality materials to ensure its superior durability and strength. You can count on it to hold up your Jeep’s soft top for years without bending or cracking. This front cross bow set comes with all the hardware you need for an easy and straightforward installation. It requires simple hand tools for installation, which can be completed in less than 1 hour. Comes With a 5-Year Limited Warranty.

Jeep Weather:

Cloudy with a high chance of being Topless.

Hey Jeeper, Mitch here, today is the Fifteenth of November 2019, and it’s time for your weekend Going Topless-Jeep Weather Report.

This week, I was thinking about where to take your Jeep out Topless now that winter has touched most of North America. I’ve figured out a solution, it’s going to take some balls and… its completely cool to blast your heater and still be Topless.  Alright so let’s cut some diamonds in Fairbanks, Alaska! One may say that it is nippily there. Friday and Saturday will be cloudy at 8 and 6 degrees respectively, and Sunday you may get some concealment while Topless in some snow flurries at 1 degree. This may also be a good time for a disclaimer, I am using Fahrenheit for all my temperatures.

Maybe you chase the last of summer south so being Topless isn’t as difficult. That can work, so our next stop is Calgary, Alberta. It’s not that cold as you would think. That’s a start but it’ll still be cloudy there. Friday will be 45, Saturday 44, and Sunday 53 degrees.  Now you make it further south with better weather to keep your top off. In Helena, Montana it will be 52 on Friday, 49 on Saturday, and 51 on Sunday. Hey Listener, at least all these places will be cloudy making for some good pictures to prove you went Topless! Go to JeepTalkShow.com slash contact and use any of those ways to send in your proof.

You made it south, so you’re Topless in Ottumwa, Iowa. Radar says that it will still be cloudy here though. Hey, it’ll be 46 on Friday, 44 on Saturday, and 43 on Sunday. Maybe next week I’ll find you some warmer weather, but you’re a Jeeper, Jeepers are crazy enough to go Topless and wheel anywhere. That’s why we have Jeeps.  If you have any suggestions or want to know YOUR local weather in an upcoming episode. Go to JeepTalkShow.com slash contact in order to find all the ways to get a message to me.  I’m Mitch and It’s always great weekend to Go Topless if you’re brave enough! Just Go Topless responsibly.

Wheeling Where:

Big Dogs Offroad – Toys for Tots Dirt Fest
November 30-December 1
The Cove – Gore, Virginia
More Info: https://bigdogsoffroad.com/html/toys_for_tots.html
Charity event, all toys will go to the Quantico Marine base toys for tots program.

Adventure Off Road Park Annual Toy Run
December 7
Adventure Off Road Park – South Pittsburg, Tennessee
More Info: http://adventureoffroadpark.com/
https://www.facebook.com/adventureoffroadpark/

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

https://www.automotivetouchup.com/
https://www.extremeterrain.com/throttleout-sema-2019.html
http://www.blackmagicbrakes.com/