Rock Crawlers vs. Mall Crawlers

[CPT Papa]

My 392 will be a suburban/urban apocalypse utility vehicle, and it will rarely see the offroad. I live a couple blocks from the beach in Orange County, California and will use this Jeep for errands and driving to work along Pacific Coast Highway several days per week. The other "fun car" will be an Inbound Shelby GT500 which will share the same duties but with less utility. We also have an infant so each car will have an appropriate seat – how is that for posing!

Someday we will probably cross paths. I am often at Dana Point harbor and frequent the eateries and watering holes from there to Newport.

 

[Stealth7]

Sounds good!

 

[dog]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt this way before - but I'm going to be selling a heavily loved/built/broken/swapped/upgraded vehicle in for a stock one, and keeping it that way for a little while. I'll feel a little sad for leaving my old friend behind. I will feel slightly odd driving down the road in a "stock" jeep, despite the 392 badge on it. I'm also pretty sure that feeling will pass in the first few seconds after I step on the throttle!

I don't live 15 min from some of the best crawling in the US anymore, but I did for years. I do live in a place now where 99% of the jeeps I see have never seen dirt roads, much less rocks. Do I care? Absolutely not. I *love* being a part of a community where the only requirement for membership is a desire to keep jeeping. I *love* friendly, random, jeep conversations in the parking lot, even if it's at the mall!

There are probably metaphors for life in there somewhere. I want to be kind and inclusive. I want to make people feel "a part of" not "apart from". I've always experienced absolute inclusion and support from every group I've wheeled with, and every jeep forum I've contributed to. The least I can do is pay that forward!

 

[CBH]

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt this way before - but I'm going to be selling a heavily loved/built/broken/swapped/upgraded vehicle in for a stock one, and keeping it that way for a little while. I'll feel a little sad for leaving my old friend behind. I will feel slightly odd driving down the road in a "stock" jeep, despite the 392 badge on it. I'm also pretty sure that feeling will pass in the first few seconds after I step on the throttle!

I don't live 15 min from some of the best crawling in the US anymore, but I did for years. I do live in a place now where 99% of the jeeps I see have never seen dirt roads, much less rocks. Do I care? Absolutely not. I *love* being a part of a community where the only requirement for membership is a desire to keep jeeping. I *love* friendly, random, jeep conversations in the parking lot, even if it's at the mall!

There are probably metaphors for life in there somewhere. I want to be kind and inclusive. I want to make people feel "a part of" not "apart from". I've always experienced absolute inclusion and support from every group I've wheeled with, and every jeep forum I've contributed to. The least I can do is pay that forward!

The first week I had my 392 I rolled into a supermarket parking lot early on a Saturday morning and saw a dozen Jeeps and their owners hanging out together. They were all staring at my 392, so I drove over there, said hello and invited them to check it out. What a great group of people just gathered together on a weekend to have fun with their Jeeps. They even invited me to join them.

 

[veddersbetter]

Ok, this is a stupid question, but I am going to ask it. This 392 is my first Jeep, and it is such a pain to wash. So many nooks and crannies. It takes twice as long to wash than other SUV's. Is there a secret to waxing it, with all those nooks? I usually use Carnauba Wax, but I can't imagine getting it all out of the hinge nooks, and trying to avoid all the black plastic. Besides ceramic coating, what wax do you use (is there one that dries clear) and what secrets can you tell so I avoid wax disaster. Thanks!

Amazon.com

This stuff is amazing in between waxes.. spray it on while drying it off. I dont spray the matte black or anything directly.. but I have .. and hasnt left any marks. Works on glass etc as well.
Started using it on my boat during wipe downs... translated well to all my vehicles. ... its great stuff

 

[CBH]

Ok, this is a stupid question, but I am going to ask it. This 392 is my first Jeep, and it is such a pain to wash. So many nooks and crannies. It takes twice as long to wash than other SUV's. Is there a secret to waxing it, with all those nooks? I usually use Carnauba Wax, but I can't imagine getting it all out of the hinge nooks, and trying to avoid all the black plastic. Besides ceramic coating, what wax do you use (is there one that dries clear) and what secrets can you tell so I avoid wax disaster. Thanks!

Torque Detail Ceramic Shine should be called “OMG Shine” it is so good. It does not leave visible residue on anything including the black plastic parts, as the “Carnuba-like" waxes typically do.

I got it off Amazon; it was expensive ($34.95); the 8 oz. bottle was a little smaller than I expected; I used about 1/3 of the bottle to wax my GLE thoroughly; can’t wait to wax the Jeep with it.

If you don’t like the “value", I see there are other Ceramic Shine products for less; they may be just as good, but I’m sticking with this winner. I will probably never go back to the old way of dealing with the “Carnuba-like” dried haze that comes off paint nicely but sticks to black plastic like glue. It sucks when you have to buy another product just to remove the haze that was left from your wax job.

Amazon.com

 

[392Stinger]

Torque Detail Ceramic Shine should be called “OMG Shine” it is so good. It does not leave visible residue on anything including the black plastic parts, as the “Carnuba-like" waxes typically do.

View attachment 2715

I got it off Amazon; it was expensive ($34.95); the 8 oz. bottle was a little smaller than I expected; I used about 1/3 of the bottle to wax my GLE thoroughly; can’t wait to wax the Jeep with it.

If you don’t like the “value", I see there are other Ceramic Shine products for less; they may be just as good, but I’m sticking with this winner. I will probably never go back to the old way of dealing with the “Carnuba-like” dried haze that comes off paint nicely but sticks to black plastic like glue. It sucks when you have to buy another product just to remove the haze that was left from your wax job.

Amazon.com

Thanks for the detail…. I’ve been looking for something to try but hard to find honest reviews so I’ll take your experience and give it a whirl.

 

[Viking Jeeper]

I've been a big fan of Zaino products for some time but the ceramic technology definitely interests me. How do you feel about the protection it provides to the paint against fading?

 

[CBH]

I've been a big fan of Zaino products for some time but the ceramic technology definitely interests me. How do you feel about the protection it provides to the paint against fading?

Honestly, I have never given “paint fading” a thought, when it comes to chosing a car wax. Is there any scientific evidence one “wax” is better than another?

 

[dog]

Honestly, I have never given “paint fading” a thought, when it comes to chosing a car wax. Is there any scientific evidence one “wax” is better than another?

^^100%

brb inventing SPF100 jeep wax

In all seriousness, I guess it just depends on whether anything you apply to the paint will actually block some percentage of UV. I don't think I've ever come across anything that advertises this feature, but I've never really looked. I've always found the best way to prevent fading (and sunburns) is to stay out of the sun! Obviously for wheeling that's impossible, but a vast majority of sun damage I see is from people leaving their vehicles outside and not garaging them, not from weekend trips off-road.

 

[veddersbetter]

I've been a big fan of Zaino products for some time but the ceramic technology definitely interests me. How do you feel about the protection it provides to the paint against fading?

Ah Zaino.. youre the 2nd person Ive seen mention them recently. I used Zaino Bros exclusively in the 90s up until 2010 or so...
Still some of the best products Ive bought.... just havent used them in a while.

 

[CBH]

^^100%

brb inventing SPF100 jeep wax

In all seriousness, I guess it just depends on whether anything you apply to the paint will actually block some percentage of UV. I don't think I've ever come across anything that advertises this feature, but I've never really looked. I've always found the best way to prevent fading (and sunburns) is to stay out of the sun! Obviously for wheeling that's impossible, but a vast majority of sun damage I see is from people leaving their vehicles outside and not garaging them, not from weekend trips off-road.

I finally sold my truck because it wouldn’t fit in my garage after I moved from Colorado to the Atlantic Coast of Florida where humidity, sun and salt started taking their toll. Keeping my vehicle garaged at night really makes a difference as I would often come out in the morning and find a thick salty film covering my truck. When I bought a second vehicle (my 392) I waited until I had found a nearby storage garage to hide it from the elements. Its worth the extra expensive IMO.

 

[dog]

I finally sold my truck because it wouldn’t fit in my garage after I moved from Colorado to the Atlantic Coast of Florida where humidity, sun and salt started taking their toll. Keeping my vehicle garaged at night really makes a difference as I would often come out in the morning and find a thick salty film covering my truck. When I bought a second vehicle (my 392) I waited until I had found a nearby storage garage to hide it from the elements. Its worth the extra expensive IMO.

Yeah, I lived in the NM high desert (4 corners area) for a few years, not a spot of rust on the JK. Moved back home to southern CA, and even with the garage, the exposure to sea air is just devastating to every little nick/scratch on the jeep!

 

[PlumCrazy392]

Torque Detail Ceramic Shine should be called “OMG Shine” it is so good. It does not leave visible residue on anything including the black plastic parts, as the “Carnuba-like" waxes typically do.

View attachment 2715

I got it off Amazon; it was expensive ($34.95); the 8 oz. bottle was a little smaller than I expected; I used about 1/3 of the bottle to wax my GLE thoroughly; can’t wait to wax the Jeep with it.

If you don’t like the “value", I see there are other Ceramic Shine products for less; they may be just as good, but I’m sticking with this winner. I will probably never go back to the old way of dealing with the “Carnuba-like” dried haze that comes off paint nicely but sticks to black plastic like glue. It sucks when you have to buy another product just to remove the haze that was left from your wax job.

Amazon.com

Got this and love it. One quarter of the bottle did the entire 392. Thanks for the advice!

 

[volztn1]

Mine will be a daily driven garage queen. I have no plans whatsoever to take her off road beyond a basic gravel road.

I consider mine more an urban utilitarian vehicle instead of an off roader. I could careless about "flex". However, I do want a truck that can withstand hard pothole hits, snow, ice, etc. I also want a truck that is practical and I can throw kids and all kinds of dirty shit in the back and not care. I also want that truck to have some basic luxuries like heated seats / steering wheel and adaptive cruise control. Finally, having all the aforementioned in a car with a 470 hp and a loud grumbly exhaust and can scoot from stop light to stop light in 4 secs? Sign me up!

I get the mall crawler hate as some of them are god awful tacky. Angry eyes! Off road equivalent of "stanced" ricers. Regardless, everyone has their own likes and opinions.

For me the 392 is kind of like a practical G Wagon without the Kardashians....

Well said. This is exactly how my 392 will be used. When it finally arrives…….

 

[Electrified]

This will be my first Jeep and the first hot rod I have had since my 1970 Dodge Challenger 340-6 Pack back in the mid 80's. We are going to pull around behind our RV and use it as a 3rd Vehicle/toy. I may dabble off road but I doubt it will be serious stuff. I just want to enjoy the ride.

 

[Jeepstin392]

I've loved G wagons since the 80s before they became popular with rich housewives.

You don’t like rich housewives?