Episode 797 – How Long Can You Hold Your Breath?
If We Didn’t Have The Pics To Prove It…
(woman survives an unknown period of time in submerged Jeep)
Less than 30 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana border rests a little body of water quaintly called “Lake o’ The Pines”. Last Friday some fishermen were doing what guys typically do when they fish, they ….try to catch some fish. Here and there they puttered around the lake in their little skiff of a fishing boat. As the two came up to a familiar spot in the lake, they saw something now so familiar.
Now if you’re on the Jeep Talk Show Discord server, then you will know what comes next, as this story is utterly everywhere on the internet. Credit where credit is due, I got this story from a listener on said Discord server, but I would have had to have been drunk and blind to have missed this one. As the men approached an odd-shaped object protruding from the surface of the water, they recognized it not as the Loch Ness Monster, but as the back half of a Jeep Wrangler hard top.
And yup, sure enough, there was a Jeep still connected to it.
As anyone would, the men called the misplaced Jeep into the local authorities, who coordinated a tow company to come out and recover the Jeep turned submarine from the waters of Lake o’ The Pines.
Thankfully the Wrangler was only about 40 feet from a nearby boat ramp.
(likely the access point to the water)
So recovery was relatively easy.
As the Jeep was pulled back ashore, however, the first responders noticed something moving inside. Had a large fish gotten in there? Was some sort of curious animal trapped inside? No. It was the owner of the Jeep, a Texas woman who had been reported missing by the Longview Police Department several days prior.
The tow truck driver and fisherman who called authorities were able to rescue the woman from the submerged vehicle, who, yes, was still alive!
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, treated the woman for hypothermia, and took her to a hospital.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says they don’t know how or when the Jeep ended up there, but the victim confirmed it was at least a few hours.
Jeep’s Hybrid Battery Explodes During House Fire
This happened in Erie Colorado, but there is nothing eerie about this story.
The facts are that Hybrid battery vehicles are dangerous, and becoming more so every year as we hear about an ever-increasing number of these types of incidents happening. This latest, happened in the Morgan Hill neighborhood around 8 am, where Mountain View Fire Rescue had responded to smoke from a residence.
Firefighters once on the scene did not see smoke from outside the home, but they eventually found it coming from a secondary garage.
A Jeep Wrangler 4xe hybrid was smoking and when crews started putting water on the vehicle, that’s when it happened.
As it is becoming all too common, a hybrid vehicle catches itself on fire, and in the process of putting out the fire, the vehicle explodes.
The explosion from this Jeep was so intense, it blew the entire garage door clear off its tracks.
The giant portion of the house’s face was now leaving the residence at a very high rate of speed, and just missed a Mountain View Fire Rescue captain, as it flew about 30 feet into the front yard in a blink of an eye.
Authorities say there were no reported injuries from the fire or the explosion.
And aside from the blown-off garage door, the home sustained “very minor” damage from the incident.
Investigators are working to learn what happened including a thorough investigation of the Jeep, and its charging station.
We don’t know the year of the Jeep 4xe involved, but according to the NHTSA, there is currently a recall on 2022 through 2023 model year Wrangler 4xe due to a faulty fastener securing the 200 amp main fuse. This faulty fastener can cause high resistance in the fused interface generating excessive heat which can cause the fuse to fail and potentially lead to a fire.
Wrangler Beats Bronco In Q1 Sales
What do you think are the two most popular off-road vehicles on the market right now?
If you guessed the Wrangler and the Bronco you’d be right.
It’s a well-known battle that’s been going on for a little while now, and despite the continued epic failures of Ford’s Bronco, they somehow keep selling.
But the reputation of the Bronco has gotten out, and sales have sputtered.
With a recent audit of the two brands’ first-quarter sales, we see that only one brand has bragging rights moving forward in 2023.
Ford reported that the Bronco family is attracting more female buyers, accounting for 31% of retail sales, giving Ford an increase of just over 37 percent year over year.
Not bad, but in contrast, Jeep comes out as the clear winner.
Although sales of the base model Wrangler slipped 17 percent year over year, the 72 percent increase in sales of the 4xe put the king of the offroad in the number one spot.
With a combined 37,971 units sold, the Wrangler has beaten the Bronco by nearly 10k units….And that’s just in the first quarter.
Last year the Jeep Wrangler 4xe was the best-selling hybrid vehicle in all of America, beating out the Prius and forever changing the face of electrified vehicles.
What the numbers hold for Jeep for the rest of the year is unknown, but if the Bronco’s reputation off-road continues, I’d say the writing is on the wall…. And one that even the sasquatch bronco can’t climb over.
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Ladies Off-Road Challenge – UPDATE #1
Quick update – we have to complete a challenge or more by the end of this month (April)
10 challenges/5-6 mos.
Each challenge has a main part and a scavenger hunt as well
Challenge #6: Vehicle Checklist
1) Pre-departure (basic day run) (20 items to check)
2) Pre-trip (longer trip/overnight?? (20 items to check)
3) Post-trip (20 items to check)
PLUS: 20 different items we have to take pictures of items on the jeep- oil & transmission dipsticks, coolant reservoir/air filter/lug nuts/tire tread, etc.
Challenge #7: Recovery Bag
1) Weight of vehicle BEFORE (stock weight)
2) Weight AFTER all the added-on items (like recovery gear/tires/bumpers etc.
PLUS: 17 recovery items (soft shackle, tree saver, winch line, hi-lift jack, traction boards, etc.)
I plan to get these both done and submitted before the end of the month.
It’s a process with lots of parts to each challenge – So I am trying to get things done sooner rather than waiting till later.
I’ll update you next month on my progress.
If you are hearing this for the first time you can join the Challenge
www.ladiesoffroadnetwork and search for the #ladiesoffroadchallenge
Sorry boys, this challenge is for girls!
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
Yakima RibCage $600 https://yakima.com/products/ribcage-jk-4dr
Go Off-Road With a Heavy Load
Near and dear to my heart is a company based out of my neck of the woods, the pacific northwest, called Yakima. They’ve made a good name for themselves in the roof rack industry for decades, and now are expanding their line of Jeep and offroading accessories. If you own a JK or even a newer JL model Jeep Wrangler, and you would like to be able to haul more cargo on your roof rack, Yakima now has the end-all-be-all solution and it’s taking the overlanding Jeep world by storm. They call it the RibCage, and Yakima says that with this system properly installed, these heavy-duty, externally mounted track systems can help you negotiate dicey off-road trails carrying up to 330 pounds of gear in dynamic loads, and up to 825 pounds of static loads. So that’s like throwing fat Freddy and a full keg of beer up on the roof rack and carrying him all the way through the Rubicon without a single worry.
I mean aside from all the foam and vomit, but I digress.
They claim these numbers are backed up not only by rigorous in-house testing but also through extensive real-world testing as well. This all-new roof rack support system is, however, less of an add-on, as they’re meant to be integrated with the vehicle.
Both RibCage models are permanent hardtop installations and are identical except for the specific components that mount to the Wrangler’s internal supports.
The company says that occupants need not worry about cracking the Wrangler’s roof during installation — which obviously would not be a good thing — since the tracks are attached to the vehicles’ internal roll cages.
What’s better is that the parts of the RibCage do not interfere with any of the passenger or cargo space, so literally, nothing is sacrificed, yet a great deal of capacity is gained.
Freedom panels are removable while the system is in use and the whole hardtop is still easily removable for all your sun junkies.
All it takes is a process of unbolting the rack’s internal supports, according to the products’ specs.
Yakima says there are also optional accessories planned which will allow for the expansion of the system as well. For either the JK or the JL, the Yakima RibCage will run you about $600, but for what it gives you in carrying capacity, I say this is a must-have.
One word of caution though…. If you currently use your angled roll cage bars right now for things like fire extinguisher mounts, gear bags, or a compressed air tank, please do your homework and ensure that the mounting points for this system won’t interfere with any existing mounts for other things you may already have in place.
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
TOPIC/QUESTION: Cheap Jeep Hacks (modifications/fixes/upgrades)
From time to time I like to showcase a few ingenious ideas that make owning a Jeep easier or more fun. Sometimes it’s something that will be just the thing to make the Jeep that much more your own Jeep. So this week I’ve put together three little things that just may have you saying, “Now why didn’t I think of that!?”
First up is one that many of us will find useful. It involves using Foam Pipe Insulation, cut to length to fill the gap between the seat and the center console.
No more lost french fries, or having to pull the Jeep over because a cell phone found its way into that no-mans land. Of course, if you’ve got a vivid color scheme going on in the interior, you could always opt for the more colorful version of pipe insulation…called pool noodles. Although more modification to the foam may be necessary to make this stuff work.
If all you’re doing is a beer run, then keep those half racks, six packs, and full cases from sliding around the back cargo area of the Jeep by putting down some non-slip rug mats. Perfect if your Jeep has a tan interior. Although if your interior is black or gray, you may want to try and find the same stuff marketed as toolbox drawer liners, or non-slip cupboard liners.
It is basically lacy foam rubber, and for a few bucks, a few square feet of this in your cargo area will keep things put and stop everything from that six-pack to your toolbox from sliding around.
Rearview Mirror Flip. It’s been a while since we talked about this one, but for lifting vehicles that do not have a smart mirror for the rearview, simply rotate it 180 degrees.
It puts the centerline of the mirror higher so that you can see better behind you.
For you Wrangler owners who always find small rocks between your fenders and body, here’s a simple hack to eliminate that void. Use some cheap rubber vacuum line from your local parts store. It runs on average about 50 cents a foot or less, so it’s super cheap but highly effective. You’ll want to look for the 1/4″ diameter stuff. Using something like a shoelace, figure out how many linear feet you’ll need. The shoelace will mimic the vacuum line, and you can use a tape measure to figure out how long your shoelace is. Once you have the tubing, simply pinch it and tuck it into the seam between the fender plastic and the metal of the body. No more trapped rocks messing up your paint. Since it’s rubber it will form easily and seals that area up nicely. It even will look like a factory option. Just be careful going through the drive-through car washes with these, they may get caught by a bristle and be ripped out. No worries though, it’s cheap enough to replace real easy.
But let’s be honest, who among us Jeepers actually goes through a CAR-wash?