Episode 718 – All Lighted Jeep Parade

This Week In Jeep

Imagine Having To Pay For a Jeep You Can’t Legally Drive

Imagine this… you decide you want a Jeep. It’s going to be your first Jeep, and you decide to trade in your old beat-up truck for a shiny new (to you) used Jeep.

After some searching around, you find that going through an online used car dealer will net you the most value for your truck, and they have just the Jeep you’ve been thinking of. The deal goes through, and you’re off and driving your new Jeep. The company you went through is called Vroom.com, and come to find out, they just settled a big lawsuit over late title transfers. Vroom.com is a car-buying website that buys and sells used cars. It was founded in 2013 as Auto America but changed its name to Vroom a year later. Well, they just settled $87,000 and 87-counts worth of administrative complaints filed by the state of Florida for late title transfers in fact. This comes as a little unsettling since you are now wondering what’s going to happen with your own Jeep’s title. Well, this is the plight of a Florida woman by the name of Cheri Hertzog who is having to pay for a Jeep she can’t legally drive. Florida law dictates that no one vehicle can be issued more than two consecutive temporary tag permits, and she’s exhausted both of hers already through Vroom. Florida law also dictates that a dealer is required to transfer the title within 30 days of a sale. Vroom made a public statement where they said they have been actively working with Ms. Hertzog, including providing her with a rental car to use, while they finalize her title and registration. There was no mention of how much longer that could or will take. Meanwhile, a state representative reached out to Hertzog to give her another temporary tag and look into this issue further from a state level. All previous Vroom complaints, except the case of Cheri Hertzog and her Jeep that is, have been settled, and the company has paid a total of $134,000 to settle late title issues.

Hertzog said she’s stuck paying her Jeep loan payment, more expensive car insurance, and a higher interest rate because she can’t refinance until the Jeep is legally in her name. She said she asked Vroom to just give her the truck back but it was already sold.

Cheri, I wish there was something we could do, but for now, at least it sounds like you have transportation, but will have to play the waiting game with the title. Perhaps she can recover something in a small claims court, but if nothing else, it sounds like you’ve got the state on your side and should have everything squared away hopefully sooner than later.

Christmas Lighted Jeep

The second annual All Lighted Jeep Parade will make its way down Soco Road in Maggie Valley North Carolina at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Last year, the parade had 187 Jeeps all lit up participating. If all 187 Jeeps were bumper to bumper, that would be a line of lit-up Christmas Jeeps over a half mile long. Definitely, something to see. The parade is organized by Cabbage Rose, a luxury gift items store located in the Maggie Valley area, and known for the incredible Christmas lighting installation they do every year. There will be prizes awarded for the best-decorated Jeeps, and the event will benefit Toys for Tots. If you hear this in time or would like to get on board for next year, we’ll have the email address and phone number for you to make contact.

Just know, that any and all participating Jeeps MUST be lit up with Christmas lights… other than that, the only limit is your imagination and how big of an inverter you’ve got. 

RSVP to CabbageRoseJeepChristmasParade@gmail.com, or call 828-926-3079

They Are Actively Trying To Hide This

I found this story earlier in the week and bookmarked it to come back and add it to the news stories for this week’s shows. However there is some deep-state type of stuff happening here, as it appears as if this story is actively being suppressed, and I think it’s by the request of FCA. From the minuscule amount of information I’ve been able to dig up since first seeing the headline, it appears as if FCA, Jeep’s former parent company has asked a Michigan judge to seal police photographs from a fatal crash that involved an unreleased Jeep Wrangler model, saying the records contain trade secrets and should be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. That’s all the definitive information I can find now. Any and all traces of this story have been virtually wiped from the web, and for now, at least, all I can find is a mention of an accident from a UAW newsletter, where it mentions a woman being killed in a crash involving a forklift at an FCA facility. The date, location, and sex of the victim all match up, except for the cause of death. Curiouser and curiouser. I’m going to keep digging into this, as I’m not only curious about what looks like a cover-up, but also this supposed unreleased Wrangler model too.

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Holding up fingers as you pass other Jeepers

Last weekend we did an intense black diamond trail (or a difficult, or 8-9, trail rating depending on where you wheel). We had lots of fun climbing over rocks, using our skid plates and rock sliders as we performed a delicate ballet through the narrow canyon of large boulders.

 One thing I noticed as we made our way to this canyon and then again on our way home was that we passed lots of jeeps and 4×4’s out having fun. And why not, it was a beautiful fall, crisp day.  As we always do and us being in the lead, we always hold up our fingers to tell the lead Jeep in the other group we’re passing, and the Jeeps following them, how many Jeeps are behind us. No, we’re not saying we’re #1 or giving you the Peace sign, or even flipping you the bird, just trying to let you know how many Jeeps are behind us. Do you do that? Well in Episode 618, I share the details of why we do this. In a nutshell, you are telling the other on-coming group how many are in your group so they;

1) stay put and let us pass and

2) they can count the jeeps as we pass and once all are through, then they can continue on their ride knowing they counted the last Jeep.

We do this to make sure everyone can pass on the trail. Sometimes the trail is very narrow and there isn’t room for both groups to pass each other. Someone has to stop, pull over and or sometimes back up to the last “wide spot” in the trail or road, and let the other group through. If you are alone (I don’t always recommend that) and you come across a group, you may be the one backing up to make room for the larger group.

I can’t tell you how many other drivers had no idea why we were putting our fingers up. The looks were priceless. Of course, some thought we were doing the jeep wave, and others held up 4 fingers to match ours with a puzzled look like “what does this strange hand signal mean? What planet are we on?” We then started to roll down our window and tell them there were four more jeeps behind us. And still, the bewildered look was almost worth videoing and putting on YouTube. They still didn’t understand. One group nodded their heads in agreement like they understood but then proceeded to continue on. We knew there was no way we all could pass, so Bill had to shout at them to STOP and tell them to wait until we passed.

There is an unwritten code in the off-road world that this is how you communicate with others on the trail, but apparently, it hasn’t passed into the Jeeping world as much as I wish. I get it, if you have never been told what this all means, how would you know? Well, I’m sharing this info for you o that YOU will know and YOU can help educate others that you wheel with.

 Basically, the lead jeep holds up the # of fingers to represent the # of jeeps behind the leader. Then each person behind that should hold up the number of Jeeps they have behind them, etc., etc. The last jeep holds up a closed fist to represent there are no more jeeps behind them. Now in today’s overly sensitive culture, I understand holding up a fist may seem strange, but a closed fist in the off-road world means there isn’t anyone behind you. So don’t worry about the Kens and Karens out there.

I do think it’s our responsibility to mentor others, but when you deal with 4×4 drivers who are not in a Jeep it’s a whole different world. If that driver happens to have off-road experience from riding motorcycles or quads, chances are good they probably know what it all means. Today’s new drivers of side-by-sides and Jeeps have to learn somehow. If you are experienced, teach the new drivers the code and let them in on the secret of the fingers. It’s good manners on the trail and you can set an example for others to follow.

Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

Factor 55 – Winch Lock Security Bolt 

https://amzn.to/3XtHdPq     – $31

The Factor 55 winch lock bolt is a custom 3/8-16 precision security bolt made from 1045 carbon alloy steel heat treated to high yield strength. The key patterned head bolt is proprietary and the matching key is not available at your local retail hardware store or any tire shop. The winch lock bolt cannot be removed with ordinary screwdrivers, pliers, or commonly sold security bits. Simply substitute any one of your winch mounting bolts with the Winch Lock bolt and your winch is protected – simple as that! The Factor 55 Winch Lock Bolt fits all winches with standard 3/8 -16 mounting hardware. All Factor 55 products are designed and engineered in the United States using state-of-the-art Computer Aided Design and analysis tools.

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/

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