Jeep® Service Information & More
Milito’s has Serviced Jeeps in Chicago since 1968.
Rely on Us for Jeep Service, Maintenance and Any Type of Repair Today!
How Jeep Has Stood The Test Of Time
A Legend is Born
From helping to win World War II to becoming one of the most recognizable American vehicle brands ever, Jeep has cemented its place in automotive history. However, creating a legend didn’t happen overnight — and it wasn’t easy.
But for more than 75 years, the Jeep brand has been indelibly linked to adventure, loyalty, and passion, with vehicle owners turning the “Go Anywhere. Do Anything” slogan into a way of life.
According to one Jeep owner, “When you purchase a Jeep, you join a unique club of enthusiasts that are unlike any other. Heaven forbid you don’t wave as you pass another Jeep owner on the road. If you park at the mall, other Jeep owners will automatically park next to you. Pull into a store with your Jeep and any other Jeep owner will automatically start up a conversation like you’ve been friends for years. The Jeep Wrangler is truly an American classic.”
Who is Buying a Jeep?
What makes the Jeep Wrangler such a popular vehicle is that’s it audience could arguably be one of the most diverse group of people. While the earlier models were generally targeted towards younger people, the company as a whole grew to have an audience ranging from teen girls to old men to the suburban family.
The target audience is the young outdoorsy-type individual, but there are plenty of people who don’t care to go off road. They still want the multi-color accents, impressive wheels, modifications, and an SUV that can becomes a roofless, doorless fun vehicle in the warmer weather, and the Jeep fits that bill to a tee.
It’s also the perfect vehicle for those who want to make that vehicle their own. Because of the huge demand for customization with it, there are ideas for making the Jeep your own all over the place, and the parts to do so are inexpensive, relatively speaking. Whatever you can dream, you can do — and more than 828,522 models were sold in 2017.
Top Jeep Repair Problems
Of course nothing is perfect, and drivers have reported the following problems with Jeeps the most often:
- Suspension – The top complaint among Jeep owners is with the suspension, or what they have come to call the “death wobble” that can occur after about 50,000 miles. The vehicle will begin to shake or violently wobble at speeds between 50 to 60 mph.
- Electrical – Owners have reported problems with various electrical issues, including warning lights, power coming on at night, instrument cluster and gauges going haywire, stalling, dead battery overnight, feedback in speakers, repeatedly blown 20A fuse on engine fuse block, electric windows not working, and the parking light in dash staying lit after removing the brake — or doesn’t light at all.
- Engine – It has been reported that Jeep engines have shut off while driving, before the check engine light will come on. Many have said that after having the oil changed, the engine inexplicably blew. This is most common with Jeep Wrangler’s V6 engines and the cylinder heads.
These problems and more can be fixed by the expert Jeep mechanics at Milito’s Auto Repair in Chicago!
Latest Blog Posts on Jeeps
What to Look For When Buying Used Jeep
If you’re looking for a used Jeep yourself, check out the links below to get you started.
Carmax | TRUECar | Autotrader
If you’re looking for a Jeep but don’t want to pay for a brand new model, a used Jeep is the way to go.
Here are five things that you should check. When it comes to off-roading vehicles like Jeep, you have a little bit more to look for:
1] Undercarriage: Without a frame for the vehicle to sit on, it’s useless, so this should be one of the first things that you check to gauge how much life the vehicle really has left. If the undercarriage/frame is rusting through or “rotting out,” steer clear. Make sure to crawl all the way under and look for any scratches, scrapes, dents, or other signs of damage from hard trail use. Also check for fresh paint, and recently replaced parts.
2] Modifications: Part of the fun of owning a Jeep is the modifications. But when you choose to buy a modified used Jeep, remember that it will be more expensive and you have to check more parts seeing as they’re aftermarket, meaning the manufacturer doesn’t install them. Check to make sure the modifications are installed correctly or have the service mechanics at Milito’s Auto Repair take a look.
3] Tires: Tire wear is can be expensive if you’ll need to replace the tires, but it can also be a sign of other problems you’ll encounter down the road. Since different types of wear can indicate different problems, this is a good way to see what else might be wrong with the vehicle. For example, you can have an alignment problem if the tire tread is wearing unevenly on the edges or down the middle. If the front tires are more worn-down than the back tires, this means they haven’t been properly rotated.
4] Rust Spots: A little rust is to be expected on a used vehicle, but when it shows up in the cabin of the floor or trunk or you can poke holes in the frame because of it, then you have a problem you don’t want to deal with. If you see a lot of rust on a used Jeep, it’s best to keep looking to avoid the trouble and expensive repairs you’ll likely soon face.
5] Leaks: Make sure to look at a used Jeep on a dry day so you can see any liquid that might be dripping underneath it. You’ll most commonly see leaks of engine oil or coolant, so check all of the hoses for any cracks, start it up, and see if you can see anything leaking out of the seals. With Jeeps, you could potentially split a hose or destroy the oil take if a rock is kicked up the wrong way or you hit a boulder while going off-road.
Jeep Innovations
Infotainment
Owners are able to package equipment together into the Infotainment Group to get the most popular available technology features at your fingertips, like 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay support and Android Auto, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Bluetooth connectivity, integrated Voice Command, built-in Navigation, 4G Wi-Fi, and SiriusXM Guardian.
Wash Out Interior
Knowing that many Jeep owners take their vehicles out in rough and dirty terrain, they can open new one-way floor drain valves and release any water and muck that has accumulated for interior cleaning and water drainage.
4 X 4 Technology
It wouldn’t be a Jeep without 4X4 innovation, and this can include off-road differentials, a front sway bar disconnect system, skid plates, rock rails, and body-on-frame design.
Trail Rated
Every Trail Rated 4×4 Jeep Brand vehicle has gone through a series of grueling tests in five categories — Traction, Water Fording, Maneuverability, Articulation, and Ground Clearance. These tests are done in the state-of-the-art facilities at FCA US headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, before heading out to some of the most challenging terrain on earth.
Jeep Dealers in the Chicago Area
History of the Jeep
In June 1940, with World War II on the horizon, the U.S. Army solicited bids from 135 automakers for a 1/4 ton “light reconnaissance vehicle” tailored to Army specifications that could replace both the horse and the motorcycle as a general-purpose transportation device.
Three Companies Responded – American Bantam, Willys, and Ford. American. Bantam cobbled together a prototype that exceeded the Army’s design parameters, but the Army was worried about the tiny automaker’s ability to build the quantity of vehicles it needed. That’s when they contracted Willys Overland and, later, Ford, to build what became the Jeep.
In July of 1941, Willys-Overland was awarded the contract that called for the production of 16,000 revised MB models at a price of $738.74 per vehicle.
Most of the models were sent to the United States allies in Russia and England under the Lend-Lease program. MBs could be loaded into transport aircraft for rapid deployment, but they were also small enough to fit into the large gliders used in the D-day invasion of Europe.
General George C. Marshall, US Army Chief of Staff during World War II, and later U.S. Secretary of State, described the Jeep Brand 4×4 as “America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare”.
Making Jeeps For the Civilians
Soon Willys converted its military Jeep — known as the MB — into the CJ-2A. “CJ” stood for “Civilian Jeep.” According to Willys-Overland, there were 5.5 million farmers in the U.S., and of these, more than 4 million had neither a truck nor a tractor.
They saw a need and filled it with the versatile CJ-2A, marketed as “The All-Around Farm Work-Horse” that could do the job of two heavy draft horses, operating at a speed of four miles per hour, 10 hours a day, without overheating the engine.
Fast Facts
One model, the Willys MB, was awarded a Purple Heart during World War II and sent home.
In 1951, Museum of Modern Art declared the Jeep Brand 4×4 as a cultural icon and saluted it as one of the world’s eight automotive masterpieces.
One theory on how the “Jeep” name came to be is that it comes from an acronym for “general purpose:” GP. Others point to Eugene the Jeep, a character from the Popeye comic strip. Regardless, the name stuck, and is still around today.
Willys went on to create an entire lineup of Jeep vehicles, marking the beginning of Jeep’s transition into a standalone brand. There was the Jeep station wagon in 1946, a Jeep pickup truck in 1947, and the Wagoneer, with had a station wagon-like body and was one of the earliest forerunners of the modern family SUV.
And who could forget the Jeepster in 1948? According to the company, it was the “last phaeton-style open-bodied vehicle made by a U.S. automaker, using side curtains for weather protection instead of roll-down windows.” It priced out at $1,900, which was extremely expensive at the time, and was marketed as a vehicle suitable for women drivers and college grads.
The years to come would see the vehicle evolve into the Jeep that you know today, with the 1980s introducing two significant Jeep models — the XJ-generation Cherokee in 1984 that was Jeep’s first truly modern SUV, and the YJ, the first-generation Wrangler. And all this was done while the company changed hands multiple times.
Changing Hands
In 1953, Willys was bought by Kaiser for $60.8 million, which was then bought by AMC in 1969, which would then be bought by Chrysler in 1987. That turned out to be good deal for Chrysler, as the 1990s saw an explosion of interest in SUVs and Jeep was ready to fill the need with the Grand Cherokee in 1992.
The All-New 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ) came next, and then Wrangler (TJ) with its new coil suspension was introduced in 1997. In 1999 the new Grand Cherokee (WJ) was marketed as “the most capable SUV ever,” and sales soared to 629,000 units for the decade.
However, Chrysler merged with Daimler AG in 1998, and eventually Chrysler entered bankruptcy. But instead of fully going under, it was bought by Fiat to form what is now known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles — FCA. There’s no telling what the future will bring, but you can plan that Jeep will keep driving on.
The Jeep® name, logo and all associated photos and name brands are property of their respective owners.