Episode 547 – Looking Back Over The Last 50 Episodes

This Week In Jeep

Jeep Recalls Brand New Grand Cherokee-L and Wrangler 4xe

Jeep Grand Cherokee Ls face another recall, again… and this time, it’s (again) the headlights. According to the recall alert, the headlights might stop working due to an incomplete software update. This could cause one or both lights to stop working. My question is why the hell is software controlling headlights at all? It’s a  simple circuit, power, switch, maybe a relay and a fuse, and a couple of bulbs, that’s it!. Why in the actual “F” is there software involved? What program is needed to control such a simple circuit? Who knows, I’m sure the answer lies in a bunch of engineer-speak that someone used to justify their job. Either way, it’s ridiculous, and if you own one of the affected vehicles — a little under 37,000 in the U.S. and around 1,300 in Canada — then you will start being notified near the end of January 2022. At that point, owners can head to the dealer for the fix. Otherwise, owners can call FCA/Jeep/Stellantis customer service at 800-853-1403. The recall number is Y72. Be sure to just start laying into them for incorporating software programming into headlights! Meanwhile, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4XE is also facing a recall due to a software update. In this case, an update gone wrong has caused the odometer’s mileage to disappear after 13,342 miles. About 2,900 vehicles have been affected. And I’m sure not one of them will be fixed….“Why yes, this Jeep DOES only have 13,000 original miles….” 

Again, for you Grand Cherokee-L or Wrangler 4xe owners, notifications go out at the end of January 2022.

Talk About a Series Of Bad Decisions…

According to reports, on Tuesday, December 27th, a Bedford Indiana Police officer was leading a funeral procession on State Road 37 to the intersection of Dixie Highway and State Road 37 South. While leading the procession, the officer has just passed the offramp with the rest of the procession beginning just 30 feet behind the police vehicle. At this point, a group of vehicles on the right lane of SR37 were slowing to a stop as the officer and procession passed. This is where 59-year-old Christopher Meissner pulled out of the group of stopped cars in his blue Jeep Wrangler, and pulled in right behind the police officer, cutting off the lead funeral procession vehicle. Speeding upright on the cop’s bumper, the Jeep owner then sped up accelerating at a high rate of speed, passing the officer on the right, and then darting back into traffic right in front of the cop, cutting him off now. The driver kept accelerating and drove right for the median of the intersection of SR 37 South and The Dixie Highway. He luckily had enough sense to not cross the highway, but the officer pulled out from the procession, and followed the Jeep onto the median, pulling up alongside the Jeep with sirens and lights going, yelling through the PA for the driver to stop. The officer then pulled in front of the Jeep, into the roadway, parking in front of the Jeep to block traffic for the funeral procession. As the officer began exiting the cruiser, the Jeep backed up and sped around the cop car aiming right for the officer. Around here, that’s usually when the service pistol is drawn and the magazine is unloaded into the driver’s upper torso. Instead, the officer actually stands in the way of the Jeep, yelling and waving his arms, commanding the Jeep driver to stop. He did. Screeching to a stop a mere three feet from the officer where the cop slammed his hands on the hood, and approached the driver, continuing his yells to stop and to back up. The driver initially refused, and that’s when the passenger, the driver’s wife began yelling for the cop’s badge number. For several minutes the roadside yelling match ensued, with the wife even exiting the vehicle to charge at the officer, who managed to keep his cool and was able to command her back into the Jeep. After the funeral procession passed, the officer called for backup, and the driver was detained without further incident. The wife was allowed to leave the scene with the Jeep, but only after her husband was arrested. He is being held on charges of resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, reckless driving, driving between vehicles of a funeral procession, and failure to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle.

Infamous Seven-Figure Jeep Collection For Sale

In his latest YouTube video, Dennis Collins walks viewers through a collection of 28 classic Jeep CJs that he’s putting up for sale. It’s a twist on his usual presentations that show how Collins acquires vehicles, but not what happens afterward… According to Collins, this gathering of Jeep CJ-5s, CJ-7s, and CJ-8s is worth about $1 million.

Whether you’re a CJ enthusiast or are just curious about one of the foundational vehicles for today’s SUV craze, you’ll learn something by watching the video. Equally as impressive as this assemblage of classic Jeeps is, so isCollins’ knowledge of these vehicles. The bulk of the 39-minute clip is his Jeep-by-Jeep walkthrough of each CJ. He spouts off paint colors, vehicle history, and unique characteristics with ease and familiarity. For those not familiar, the CJ series is the last Jeep that can trace its roots to the iconic World War II vehicle initially developed by American Bantam in 1940. To meet anticipated wartime needs, the production of the General Purpose scout car (a name that would morph into GP or “Jeep”) was shared with Ford and Willys-Overland.

The beginnings of a “civilian Jeep” (the “CJ” moniker would come later) started in 1942 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture tested the vehicle for farm use. Willys would continue to produce Jeeps after the war, and eventually, the vehicle crept into the consumer market primarily for farm and off-road use. Fast forward to 1954, when the CJ-5 entered production as a more modern and street-friendly version of predecessor CJs. A longer wheelbase provided better road manners and many engines (which varied by production year) offered buyers choices running from an efficient four-banger to a gutsy V-8. Just before the CJ-5’s release, Kaiser Motors bought Willys. And Kaiser later sold its Jeep operation to American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1970. Renault would begin to take control of AMC in 1979. But, despite the ownership turmoil, Jeep continued to crank out the CJ-5 through 1983. As Collins points out, the final year CJ-5 is a highly collectible version. A more extended version CJ-6 debuted in 1955 but didn’t see much success as only 50,000 units were sold over its 20 years of U.S. sales (the CJ-6 was more popular overseas). Shortly after dropping the CJ-6 in the U.S., Jeep debuted the CJ-7 in 1976. Its full door openings (at the bottom) made it easy to spot against the abbreviated door frame of the CJ-5. The CJ-7 featured a longer wheelbase and a range of car-like features, including automatic transmission, a one-piece hardtop, and metal doors with roll-down windows. As evidenced in Collins’ collection, many CJ-7s were upgraded with exterior and interior appearance packages. An extended version with a pickup bed (dubbed the CJ-8 or Scrambler) would appear in 1981. The last year for the CJ-7 and CJ-8 was 1986, the same year that the Jeep Wrangler (YJ) launched. Chrysler bought AMC (and Jeep) a year later.

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

2021 looking back

I love this time of year when winter is present with crisp cool mornings, snow on the ground, and days with cooler temps. There’s always a chance for some fun wheeling if you don’t mind some mud and snow. But more importantly, I like to look back at the year and reflect on how much fun I had with our jeep and the people we met. Of course, looking back at past episodes is also a great use of time when we are stuck inside due to inclement weather. Have you checked out the list of past episodes on Jeep Talk Show.com? Do you have a favorite? Call into the show and leave a voicemail and let us know which one is your favorite. Who knows, we might just replay it, or review the content in an upcoming episode. While you are on the site, don’t miss the huge glossary of jeep terms. https://jeeptalkshow.com/glossary-4/  Great way to look up a definition of something we are talking about, especially if you are new to Jeeping. And if you find that we are missing a term, let us know.

Here’s a look back at a few things I learned in 2021;

Steering issues and wobbly steering can be fixed – (ep 470) with enough wrenching, determination, and finally figuring out what the heck was wrong. Patience was learned over this problem

Ice dancing with your jeep is not fun – BUT I survived (ep 479). OK, it wasn’t actually dancing, nor was it graceful. It WAS the scariest thing that happened since I started Jeeping – I did get a good understanding of how ice and Jeeping can work (or not work) together and also how it can go wrong in a heartbeat!

Jeeping with fellow JTS Listeners is awesome. – Larry, with JeepinMo came out to Calif and we took him through some black diamond trails. I hope to wheel with more listeners in 2022.

 

Jeeping can be dangerous – Sure we talk about precautions and being safe all the time but sometimes accidents just happen. In Episode 491 I share how my friend Becki survived a horrific situation and was run over by another Jeeper. I can report that she is on the mend and doing well. It’s a process but she is a trooper.  She is planning to wheel next year, can’t wait to see her out on the trail soon.

25 hours in a jeep doing 10 Black Diamond trails does play some mind tricks,
(ep 493). But the camaraderie of having accomplished such a feat is worth all the hours of no sleep. We are planning another invitational event next year – Stay tuned for those stories.

I learned that when flushing your radiator Patience is imperative (ep 522) – something Bill didn’t possess at the time. I only wish I had it on film when the  “Old Faithful Gusher of “ fluid spews out everywhere – luckily no one was hurt, well maybe the tree and Bill’s pride.  Oh how fun Jeeps are LOL

I also learned that it IS possible to switch out a bad steering box for a gently used one ON the trail (ep 525) – providing you actually have one at home on the workbench. You also need the tools & skillset to do this major repair while it’s getting dark. I love helping newbies. We made the repairs and they made it home in one piece. Great memories to reflect on for sure.

There are so many things we share on the Jeep Talk Show, I am looking forward to bringing more Newbie Nuggets as I wheel and do even more with our Jeep.

Hopefully, you have your list of things you want to do to your jeep or trails you want to try, and push your comfort level, to further explore the fun world of Jeeping.

Camp Fireside Chat

Saw a Topless Jeep Driving Today… (it was 29 degrees and sunny)

Is There Such A Thing As TOO COLD For Topless Driving?

What is YOUR limit?

You can join us around the virtual campfire every Thursday night at 9:45 pm when we record the latest episode.  Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly reminders and how to join via Zoom, or follow us on Facebook (https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow) for notifications.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

Interact With The Show! https://jeeptalkshow.com/contact

Jeep Talk Show on Facebook https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow

Rat Bastards Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratbastard

Rat Bastards Webpage https://ratbastard.lol

Looking for Amazon products we’ve talked about on the show? https://jeeptalkshow.com/amazon

You are invited to our Discord Server!  https://discord.gg/txeYMs45sm

Show notes powered by sevenslats.com