Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

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Re: Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

Postby Mark » Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:49 pm

I don't remember all the details so I could have missed or forgotten something but as I remember it you were a victim. A victim of at least a poor situation and bad luck or a bad dealer screwing over yet another customer. I think you got dealt a bad hand with Kashmir and can certainly understand it souring your taste on Hummer and the GM brand overall.

Parts for any vehicle these days are going to be expensive but yes, depending on what it is you can get raked over the coals for Hummer parts. The brand is dead but they have to supply parts for 10 years (if I recall correctly) after the end of production. That doesn't mean there are going to be a huge supply but what parts for the H3 are H3 specific that are going to be expensive? I ask because I am actually curious myself, not for you to make a list. Of those parts what are rebuildable? With H3s getting older there are going to be more an more used parts available through salvage yards. Maybe that is being optimistic but that's the way I see it. That's also coming from somebody that (keeping my fingers crossed) has yet to have any major issues with mine. I don't plan on ever getting rid of mine even with I get a new DD in the next year or so. Down the road I might find it very tough to find parts but it could also be like my Scout which is pushing 40 years old and I can find just about anything I need. Of course a LOT more Scouts were produced so I don't honestly expect it to be like that.

As far as what other Hummer to look at, depends on what you can do. If your budget allows try to find an '08 or newer but even an '07 gives you the benefit of not being the first model year. For being the first model year the '06 was remarkably reliable but with any first year vehicle there are going to be problems. That certainly doesn't mean that there can't or won't be with a later model but each year bugs get worked out. Of course with gas where it is you might be able to get a newer H3 for less that you could have 6 months or a year ago. Maybe it's time to move on to something else but you might also find love again in Kashmir II :D
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Re: Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

Postby The Other Rob » Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:36 am

Mark wrote:The brand is dead but they have to supply parts for 10 years (if I recall correctly) after the end of production.


That's the theory, but I recall even before the brand was officially shut down, just scaled back some you'd wait forever on some parts..

That front crossmember with the bushing issue was at one time on backorder for a couple of months. Of course those of us that know and have the ability to do it, have a fix for the bushing..

Going into my 4th front drive shaft I was told they were on backorder for another 6 months. The fix there of course is a custom driveshaft, but I don't know of a dealership out there that would recommend custom made parts raher than GM..

The final straw for me was an open ended back order (no known production date) nationwide for something as simple as the front differential yoke. We ended up finding one in Canada, but that took several weeks and we waited another week for it to clear customs..

Now my situation is very different than 99.9% of the rigs out there.. Those are daily drivers that will see very little trail time, so repalcement parts that are needed will hopefully be far between.. Mine was being used as a trail rig that would get itself to and from the trail with occasional daily driver duties.. The fact I beat the living crap out of it was it's undoing I think.. Even though Hummer and GM billed it as an offroader, they didn't have rock crawling in mind.. Just forest trails, fire roads and the slick rock stuff in Moab.. I don't think it was ever designed with having a need of having the UCP and rock rails they built for it..
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Re: Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

Postby Mark » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:46 am

The Other Rob wrote:That's the theory, but I recall even before the brand was officially shut down, just scaled back some you'd wait forever on some parts..

There is no disputing that but my primary point is that the same happens with other brands on in production models as well and that they are required to produce parts for 10 years. I never said it was a perfect world, only that the grass is always greener on the other side attitude normally get's people in the end and not to assume that will be the case.

The Other Rob wrote:That front crossmember with the bushing issue was at one time on backorder for a couple of months. Of course those of us that know and have the ability to do it, have a fix for the bushing..

That right there is one of the items that I am talking about. Not saying that it is a solution for the majority of H3 owners out there but those here have the information to remedy the problem. They may or may not have the ability but they have the info and can find somebody to do it if the need arises. Not perfect by any means but there are options.

The Other Rob wrote:Going into my 4th front drive shaft I was told they were on backorder for another 6 months. The fix there of course is a custom driveshaft, but I don't know of a dealership out there that would recommend custom made parts raher than GM..

Definitely an issue and you are right that most likely no dealer is going to recommend a custom made part. On the flip side how many front drive shafts have need to be replace overall through all of H3s production. Recurring problem for you which I would love to know why but not a common issue that the vast majority would ever have come up. If under warranty the dealer (if it had any) should remove from another vehicle to get you back on the road but of course that isn't always an option. Somebody that isn't under warranty and who might have this issue probably wheels their truck and uses an independent shop for service. An independent shop would be far more likely to recommend a custom drive shaft.

The Other Rob wrote:The final straw for me was an open ended back order (no known production date) nationwide for something as simple as the front differential yoke. We ended up finding one in Canada, but that took several weeks and we waited another week for it to clear customs..

Everyone has their final straw limit and you found yours. Again, nothing saying you didn't have a legitimate reason but just stating that going to another brand does not fix all issue which was my primary point.

The Other Rob wrote:Now my situation is very different than 99.9% of the rigs out there.. Those are daily drivers that will see very little trail time, so repalcement parts that are needed will hopefully be far between.. Mine was being used as a trail rig that would get itself to and from the trail with occasional daily driver duties.. The fact I beat the living crap out of it was it's undoing I think.. Even though Hummer and GM billed it as an offroader, they didn't have rock crawling in mind.. Just forest trails, fire roads and the slick rock stuff in Moab.. I don't think it was ever designed with having a need of having the UCP and rock rails they built for it..

You are absolutely right in that your case does not match at least 99.9% of the H3s out there but for the most part neither do most of our members simply do to the fact that we use the rigs as they were intended to be used off road and we have a knowledgable community to help with issues. I do believe that rock crawling was part of it's design, even had commercials showing it doing so but you, myself and many other's here have taking the rock crawling to a level it was not intended with a few, yourself include, taking it even further than most. Any vehicle taken beyond it's design limits is going to have issues, that's the price we knowing pay for taking them beyond those limits.

Is this a perfect world with an never ending supply of H3 parts, of course not but that was never my point. There are definite pros and cons to Callie sticking with the brand or not and I was only pointing out some aspects she might not have thought of.
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Re: Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

Postby USVibrant » Tue Apr 10, 2012 4:26 am

Mark wrote:I don't remember all the details so I could have missed or forgotten something but as I remember it you were a victim. A victim of at least a poor situation and bad luck or a bad dealer screwing over yet another customer. I think you got dealt a bad hand with Kashmir and can certainly understand it souring your taste on Hummer and the GM brand overall.


Yeah Mark, you nailed it 'a bad dealer screwing over yet another customer,' making me a victim and no doubt, I am confident out of this dealership others have heard 'there is no problem,' when there is a huge problem. I call them the "No Problem Dealership."

It is not so much I have a sour taste for the Hummer brand, I am a lover of the Hummer, which goes to say, it is pretty bad when your grandson is always singing aloud, "Granny, is a Hummer Lover," and then giggles because he knows he has it all figured out.

Parts for any vehicle these days are going to be expensive but yes, depending on what it is you can get raked over the coals for Hummer parts. The brand is dead but they have to supply parts for 10 years (if I recall correctly) after the end of production. That doesn't mean there are going to be a huge supply but what parts for the H3 are H3 specific that are going to be expensive? I ask because I am actually curious myself, not for you to make a list. Of those parts what are rebuildable? With H3s getting older there are going to be more an more used parts available through salvage yards. Maybe that is being optimistic but that's the way I see it. That's also coming from somebody that (keeping my fingers crossed) has yet to have any major issues with mine. I don't plan on ever getting rid of mine even with I get a new DD in the next year or so. Down the road I might find it very tough to find parts but it could also be like my Scout which is pushing 40 years old and I can find just about anything I need. Of course a LOT more Scouts were produced so I don't honestly expect it to be like that.


My experience in owning a Hummer has been; everyone thinks you are a money bag. When turning my attention towards someone to help me with Kashmir, other than the dealership who had no desire to make it right, most wanted to gauge me hard. I am lucky I found one honest man at the service center who repaired Kashmir, who had not only empathy for my situation, but gave me the most awesome customer service, even looking out for me when I discovered a leak at the rear seal. He fixed it for free, when he could have easily said this a new problem with Kashmir, we did not do it.

I am going to have to finish talking to you guy's later, time to shuffle to get ready for work. 8) Thank you so much for caring-I love you guy's!
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Re: Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

Postby Mark » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:58 am

USVibrant wrote:My experience in owning a Hummer has been; everyone thinks you are a money bag.

This unfortunately often times can be the case. As they get older this will no longer be the case but many have that attitude right now. Sounds like you have found a shop that you can trust and isn't going to try to screw you over regardless of what you end up with. It's good to have a shop you have a good relationship with. I have always had a great relationship with my Hummer dealer and they always went above and beyond for me. Unfortunately though I am still under warranty all the service writers that I was friends with have moved on but I still know a few of the techs. While I have never had to use them on the Hummers I am lucky enough to have a couple of shops I can turn to that are owned by friends so I can trust them. Anybody with a vehicle out of warranty that isn't doing the work themselves should try to build a relationship with a shop, it will pay off in the end.
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Re: Wrangler Jeep or Toyota FJ Cruiser.......

Postby USVibrant » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:59 pm

Hey Guy's!

Sorry I did not get back to you, I am always good in replying to every little detail as you know. Just wanted you know I have not forgotten.
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