Episode 571 – Jeep in Russia and Ukraine

This Week In Jeep

Jeep in Russia / Ukraine

So I’ve been getting asked lately, what’s the deal with Jeep in Russia? Are there even any Jeeps in Russia to begin with, and what’s going to happen to a US brand name in a country poised on the brink of war? These are all good questions, and I figured here on the Jeep Talk Show, where we have international listeners and have had a global presence ourselves for many years, you need to hear the answers. The international community of Jeepers deserves it. ohhhh…the “ICJ” …. that has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? I want 20% if anyone capitalizes on that! Got me!? Ok, so back to Russia, the numbers are modest at best, but Jeep is without a doubt, (and at least until now) is growing in Russia… just very …very slowly. Sales of all Jeep models totaled just 1,773 units in 2018 in the entire country. Think that’s exciting? That’s up 39% from 2017, according to Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade data. By those numbers, you’d think Jeep didn’t hit the scene until 2010 or later. Of course, if you go to the Ministry’s website now looking for data, it is all but scrubbed for us yanks trying to get some recent numbers. According to Reuters however, sales of new cars in Russia are forecast to slow to 3.3% this year, down from 4.3% in 2021, due to a global shortage of electronic components, logistics challenges, and higher costs… all pushing up car prices for Russian buyers. But it’s the same around the world.  But you wouldn’t know any of this by the recent Stellantis press releases. Jeep’s parent company has even gone so far as to point out that overall sales in Russia are up 65%. Now, this is largely due to the Stellantis owned Renault brand, but even then, Stellantis, the company formed from the takeover of Fiat Chrysler by Peugeot, has just 1% of the entire car market in Russia.

So whoopee right? CEO Carlos Tavares said he was unsure how Western sanctions would affect the car maker’s single plant in that region, 115 miles southeast of Moscow. 

Since December the facility has been increasing production for exports to Western Europe amid rising demand, even amidst dropping sales numbers locally. Now since Ukraine is on the other side of this proverbial coin, we need to talk about Jeep in that country too. Unfortunately, Jeep is even less popular in Ukraine, as the country is predominantly biased towards Toyota, which has an impressive 12.3% of the market share there. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy a Jeep in Ukraine still, in fact, I found a 2021 Jeep Gladiator… Rubicon trims even, for just 1,259,725 (huh·riv·nyuh) Hryvnia, the Ukrainian form of currency. That’s about $42,722 USD… not bad right? There’s also a company called Green Ukraine that advertises Jeep tours, but really… These are retired eastern European military vehicles, (definitely not Jeeps) with trailers behind them for the passengers. But if you can get past the brand mistake, the tours cost about $150 bucks US. and the views do look pretty cool. Unfortunately, as I write this, Russia has begun its invasion of Ukraine, and the entire region may be under attack, as martial law has been declared, and the air raid sirens are going off in the capital city there. They’ve even called for an amateur radio blackout there for 30 days. Strange times indeed, especially for our beloved Jeeps. They are being used more for war than wheeling now in Ukraine, as even just last week, someone used what I’m pretty sure WAS a Wrangler (it’s not anymore) – as a truck bomb – and detonated it just outside a government building in the center of the city of Donetsk. Clearly, Jeep has a long road ahead of itself in that part of the world. Hopefully, if we can get more people there listening to this show, they may see the beloved seven-slot grill as a vehicle for fun, and not for explosives.

Jeep Orders Dealers to STOP SELLING Grand Cherokees!

The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee could be one of the best things that Jeep has done in years when it comes to its non-Wrangler output and punches well above its weight class in terms of interior quality and overall design. I’ll admit, there’s a part of me that has always liked the Grand Cherokee line, even going back to the ZJ’s. Unfortunately, the newest Grand and pretty much all of its trim levels including the “L” model have an issue. The news has been trickling into the web all day about how some of the new Grand Cherokee (and the longer-wheelbase L models) have been bricking themselves. According to the official word sent from Stellantis to ALL of its Jeep dealers, the issue seems to stem from something called the Radio Frequency Hub Module.

This module is the primary means of communication between the vehicle and its key fob, and a serious issue with it could cause everything else to malfunction, or not work at all. And since the Jeep can’t see that you have the fob and it’s the right one, any attempts to unlock the Jeep with a physical key are seen as attempted theft. You can guess what happens next. The problem has reportedly led Jeep to officially place a “stop-sale order” on the Grand Cherokee. This means that despite dealers having an inventory of these Jeeps, and somebody really really wants one, and even has a briefcase full of cash… they absolutely cannot sell them under serious financial and legal penalties. This obviously is not good for the dealer network, and Jeep is of course all over this. In the coming weeks’ Jeep will be getting the appropriate replacement parts sent to dealers so that this issue can be fixed quickly and without a full-on safety recall.

Jeep doesn’t need any more recalls on the Grands. Things also tend to get a lot more complicated once the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets involved.

If you are buying a Grand Cherokee, the issue will be fixed before you can take possession and Jeep is prioritizing customers like you. Current owners however will be next in line, and for some of you, that may mean being without the Jeep for several weeks, but you will be getting a notice from Jeep about this. The good news is that this fix is free of charge. Right now the going consensus is that this issue is limited to vehicles purchased in February, which points to there being a bad batch of components that came and went through production. Seems like the QC guy on duty that week is probably looking for another job right now, right? Now you may think a stop sales order is pretty serious, and could permanently have an effect on future sales of the said vehicle under such order. Not so, or at least not in all cases. Back after the Gladiator first came out, it was around September of 2019 when there was a stop-sale order issued on the Gladiator. Do you think that hurt the overall sales of Jeep’s truck? Not in the least. As the Gladiator has become one of the best-selling Jeeps of all time. So is the Grand Cherokee and its seemingly cursed longer brother doomed for all eternity?

What do YOU think?

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

In last week’s episode #568, I shared ways to “feel” your jeep and things you can do to get that “feeling”. This week I am sharing how to put it all together and utilize those feelings to be a better driver over obstacles and out jeeping.

It will take some time to “master” the feelings but it will come and trust me it will become second nature.

Are you aware of how the tires on your jeep actually track? When you turn your front tires, the rears will track differently. They will NOT go in the same line as the fronts when turning. They track inside the path of the front tires. Knowing how your jeep tracks are essential to Jeeping. I have some great visual aids in the show notes where you can see how the tires track when turning.

Josh mentioned (episode #568) a great way to practice and learn how your tires track. This will also help you learn your width and length too. Simply use some orange cones (home depot) and PVC pipe (sticking out of the cone so you can see the cones) and go to an empty parking lot and practice turning your jeep around the cones. If you are hitting the cones, then you turned too sharp, if you are really wide, you could have turned sooner. Use your side mirrors to see how close or far you were from the cones. Practice turning in both directions. The idea is to learn to “feel” your way around the cones and not have to watch the whole time as you turn.

Another way to “see” the tracks your tires make is to be on some smooth dirt. Plan to make a sharp turn. Once you do, get out and “see” where your rear tires went in relation to the front. This is a very good visual to help show you just how much the rear tires track to the inside.

Either way works to help teach you to better understand tire tracks. Now with some understanding of how your jeep feels, you are ready to tackle an obstacle.

When I come upon an obstacle, I already know how wide and long the jeep is and I don’t have to “think about it”. I select my line but I also look for things like, will there be a turn in the middle of this obstacle?  – Not all obstacles are a straight shot. Or, when I climb over that rock, what’s on the other side. Or, is there a narrow spot I have to get through. Narrow is probably the hardest to gauge because it usually involves large boulders and rocks in our area, and if the terrain is uneven (which most are) then the jeep may lean toward the rock as you go through the narrow section. The thought of damaging side panels or breaking windows does come to mind. But when you know your jeep, then it makes the obstacle easier to maneuver

Once I begin the descent over the obstacle I am constantly checking my side mirrors to verify my line hasn’t changed and keeping my eyes on my spotter, if I am using one. As I have mentioned in other episodes, moving the front tires even a tiny amount can and will adjust the rear tires. I am also “feeling” my way over the obstacles. I know how long the jeep is so I know that in a bit, the rear will be coming off the same rock, as an example. Knowing my rears are coming off the rock soon, it helps keep the bumper from hitting the rock loudly and hard.  This makes the ride for the passengers inside a little less stressful. Trust me, hearing the bumper HIT hard on a rock is not fun when you are inside the jeep. You pretty much think the whole thing is breaking apart –which it is not, but the passengers may not know that. So try not to do that LOL

The knowledge you gain and knowing how the jeep feels helps with all kinds of driving. Even if you are only on a fire road to start, going over ruts, or small half-buried rocks on the trail. All of this at any level is great for you to gain confidence and have a good time. And isn’t’ getting out there with friends and family and enjoying the gorgeous trails we have all over this country what it’s all about?

Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update

There was an interesting conversation in the Jeep Talk Show discord server this morning.  Someone was trying to figure out where the microphone was located for the UCONNECT system.  Curious, I had to look it up for the 2021 Jeep Talk Show Gladiator.

I guess I knew there was a mic when I would answer the phone or use the UCONNECT navigation system, but I never really thought about it.

Wendy did you know you can find out lots of information by reading the supplied manual?

How frustrating must it be to work in the Jeep documentation department?

Mumbling after the third slight correction in text, or where the arrow is pointing… no one is ever going to read this!

Well on the 2021 Gladiator the microphone is located just to the driver’s side of the center rearview mirror!

Now you know and now you know where to point your mouth hole when talking to your navigation system, or Mom on the phone telling you to be careful off-road!

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

HAUK OFFROAD Air Tank/Evap Skid Plate

2007-2018 Wrangler – (Bare Steel) $157.99

https://haukoffroad.com/all-products/2007-2018-wrangler-air-tank-evap-skid-plate-bare-steel/

This JK skid plate gets your 2007-2018 Jeep JK Wrangler (2 or 4 Door) trail ready by fully protecting a standard 2.5-gallon air tank and factory evap canister with the Hauk Off-Road Air Tank/Evap Skid Plate.

Mount brackets using factory evap mounting location for a secure install. This is constructed out of 3/16 steel. Available in bare steel, satin black powder coat, or in any of our optional colors. Proudly made in the U.S.A.!

>> For proper driveshaft clearance, a 2.5-inch lift or greater is recommended. <<<

Camp Fireside Chat

With the end of 3G, Uconnect may never be the same again, ….

”How does this make you feel?”

 

 

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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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