Episode 742 – Consumer Reports is WRONG!!!

This Week In Jeep

Consumer Reports Once Again Gets It WRONG!!!

Back around the third week of May, we aired a story in Episode 607 where Consumer Reports had a rather negative view of the Jeep Gladiator. It was a complete debacle of a review too, as the person who was to review the first Jeep pickup in 30 years had apparently never ridden in anything short of a Bently. It was clear the review team had no real-world experience, and had never owned or even driven a Jeep before, and the entire article left you imagining soft-spoken, pale-faced beta males and blue-haired SJWs gathering around this test Jeep all scared to death to be the first one to drive it. Every criticism was nit-picking the things that have made Jeeps, and Wranglers specifically, such attractive offroaders and adventure vehicles for so many decades. It was laughable coming from the perspective of having driven almost every Jeep ever made in the modern era. If you want a good starting point for the context of this story, go back and listen to Episode 607 where I take Consumer Reports to task for such a naive review. Ok, back to the present, and Consumer Reports has done it again, and AGAIN singled out the Jeep Gladiator as what they are calling ((QUOTE)) the worst pickup truck. So let’s get into why the nation’s leading and most trusted consumer advocacy group for almost a hundred years hates Jeep so much. Their first gripe with the Gladiator is its stiff and choppy ride. As compared to what I would ask? Since the rear suspension of the Gladdy is borrowed from a RAM 1500, it is truck through and through.

And I don’t know about you, but about the only truck that rides like a car is the Chevy Avalanche, and that’s because it IS a car. A truck is a truck for a number of reasons, and at the bottom of that list is ride quality. Anyone buying a truck for what trucks are used for should already know this, but Consumer Reports wants to compare Jeeps to luxury sedans for some reason. Again, expectations were not set in reality. The biggest gripe that Consumer Reports has with the Gladiator is overall reliability. According to CR, Jeep pickup truck owners should expect several issues. The model has been plagued by trouble with the suspension, driveline, body integrity, transmission, and fuel system. Issues with the suspension have included hundreds of reports of death wobble and loss of control of the vehicle. There was also a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) over the suspension of the Eco-Diesel Gladiators, as owners were reporting the front suspension bottoming out over the slightest of potholes or speed bumps. But as months went on, more reports from other trims of Gladiators were also stating an issue with the front suspension. Back in 2019, there was a stop-sale order for the Gladiators, as Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company had recalled all the drivelines due to failure because of a missed lubrication process in the manufacturing of them, and they would have blown apart had they gone to market. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the diesel-powered Gladiators were recalled due to fuel system issues surrounding the high-pressure fuel pump failing. Right about the same time, another recall went into effect, this time for a transmission issue. The recall stated that transmission fluid would leak, then overheat and catch fire at highway speeds. Needless to say, the Jeep’s first truck in over three decades rolled out with a few bugs in its first few years. But here we are in 2023, and Consumer Reports is claiming that all these issues, which arguably would all have been taken care of with the recalls, are still plaguing the Gladiator, leading to their negative review. Does that mean the Gladiator is a bad truck? Should you tell all your friends to steer clear of the Jeep truck? That is ultimately going to be up to you. But let me leave you with this little bit of perspective. No one, in the history of car buying, has ever bought a Jeep Gladiator or hell, even a Wrangler, because it was the most sensible vehicle to buy. In fact, most Jeep owners bought their rig despite the lack of sensibility or known reliability of the model. I see no reason for practicality, reason, logic, or good sense even, to deter anyone from buying a Gladiator, a Wrangler, or even a Jeep 30 years old or older for that matter. Jeeps are fun, and they are the most capable vehicles on the planet when taken off-road. THAT is why Jeeps are purchased. Consumer Reports needs to get their expectations in check and start reviewing Jeeps for what they are and for what they are bought for, instead of trying to compare them against any and every other vehicle out there. Jeep is a brand unto itself, and there really is no comparison.

Level of Border Crossings Makes For Increase In Jeep Crime

If you get your news from sources like FOX, CNN, CBS, and other legacy media outlets, then you’re likely completely unaware of the massive crisis that has been unfolding at our southern border since 2020. Unprecedented levels of illegal aliens are crossing our border and entering this country illegally. Many of them work for the cartels, smuggling in all kinds of illicit drugs including the extremely dangerous Fentanyl that we keep hearing about. Well with literally millions of interactions that border agents have been faced with, it was only a matter of time before this affected the Jeep world. Every week, I sift through literally hundreds of headlines searching for stories that are relevant, worthy, or at least humorous enough to be used here on the show. And to be honest, I have seen a marked and dramatic increase in stolen Jeep stories or crimes involving Jeeps in our southern states. I don’t necessarily report on every one of them, because how much can you take off one stolen Jeep story after another? Hell, just within the last couple of months I reported on a story about migrants in a stolen Jeep that were fleeing border patrol agents and ended up crashing into the back of a semi. At least seven people were in that Jeep and four of them died. This week we have another slew of stories involving crime, Jeeps, and migrants. Six people were arrested after a traffic stop in Tucson Arizona where a Jeep was pulled over for erratic driving. Once stopped, as many as 11 people fled from the Jeep, and the officers… only able to stop six of them.

The Jeep was of course stolen, and all the people detained were here illegally. Meth, Cocaine, and fentanyl were all seized along with guns that are at this point presumed stolen as well. In Cochise County earlier this week, a cattle farmer that has been working his ranch since the 70s was interviewed about his dealings with crime on the border. He says that back in the 80’s you’d see maybe 300 people crossing the border, and coming through his land in the course of the whole year. Now, ranchers like him are reporting as many as 300 a day and sometimes more. Reports, calls, and complaints to the Department of Homeland Security and to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have gone up over 600 percent in the last two years. And that rancher? He’s had three trucks stolen in the last two years. Also this week, The US Border Patrol’s Del Rio Sector reported that Eagle Pass agents had foiled a smuggling attempt involving 10 people found driving a stolen Jeep. Speaking of Eagle Pass, do you remember that story last summer where they found 55 people dead in a semi-truck trailer from heat exhaustion? The coyote smuggling them over decided that he’d rather get paid than risk getting detained, so he left the truck and trailer, with all 55 souls in it, to bake in the hot sun and cook to death. This border issue is getting serious, and it seems to be infiltrating the Jeep world like a virus. Look, I know this is coming across more as a rant than anything else, and I know it’s not something you want to hear let alone deal with. But I feel with the number of headlines I’m seeing about crime, Jeeps, and migrants, and the severity of the stories I’m seeing week in and week out… I thought it might be more of a public service announcement at this point, and just ask that you stay vigilant Jeepers, and make 2023 the year you take the security of yourself and your Jeep more seriously.

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Out wheeling and it’s time to Pee – what do you do? 

We love wheeling and getting out in the forest, the deserts, and beaches but what happens when you need to use the restroom?  

It’s not like there are bathrooms strategically placed out in the wild blue yonder. 

What do you do for your guests when you wheel and they have to pee? What about you? Well, I have a simple suggestion.

1)   Tell anyone riding with you how the ‘system” works. There are no facilities so it’s all natural in the wild.

2)   Tell the ladies that NO paper gets left behind when it’s #1. JUST NOPE! If it’s #2 that’s different. You’ll need a shovel to dig a hole and bury it down about 6-10 inches in the soil.

3)   I suggest making up  “baggies” with a ziplock bag & toilet paper inside. When she is done, she simply puts the used paperback in the baggie and zips it up. This includes all the “other” personal things she might need. Throw the baggie into the onboard trash bag and NO more waste in the forest. Throw it away at home.     

As experienced jeepers we need to help the newbies on the trail. I have lots of these baggies ready-made so if we are out on the trail with others (Newbies) that are new to wheeling, I can simply hand them out and the ladies are happy to have them. It makes using the great outdoors a bit more discreet and we can help keep the forests/deserts clean from debris that doesn’t belong there.

You can see a new Trails 411 video I did recently when we were on a Gold Mountain fence repair trip. I couldn’t believe how much toilet paper was up there and I was inspired to share my tip for the baggies. The video really pushes off-roaders to do a simple thing – Make up these baggies for guests. Spread it around and let’s keep the trails clean from toilet paper and other things.

Josh uses W.A.G. bags for long adventure wheeling (A WAG bag is a plastic bag used to carry human feces out of a wilderness area. 

W.A.G. is an acronym that stands for Waste Aggregation and Gelling)

 

Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update

Xprite 7″ Inch 75W CREE LED Headlights for Jeep Wrangler JK TJ LJ 1997-2018, with Daytime Running Light (DRL) Round Hi/Lo Beam Headlamp, DOT Approved $126

YEEGO DIRECT Wrangler JL Round Headlight 9 Inch Mounting Brackets All-Directional Adjustment Replacement with Adapter Harness for 2018 2020 2021 2022 Wrangler JL JKU $44

 

iJDMTOY (2) Front Turn Signal Lamps 42-Diodes White/Amber LED Daytime Running Light, LED Blinker Conversion Kit Compatible With Jeep 2018-up Wrangler JL Sport Trim ONLY $36

Alla Lighting 912 921 LED Bulbs for Back-up Reverse Lights, 6000K Xenon White CAN-BUS 4014 30-SMD T10 T15 906 W16W 921K 922, 360° Light Backup, Cargo Lights Replacement, Extremely Super Bright $12.98

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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