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Do I have to...

bmyohn

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Lake Orion, MI
I am new to off-roading, well actually i havent done any off-roading yet, my parents wont let me. They think i have to change all the fluids and filters after everytime i go off-roading. Is this true??? I want to convince them that i wont do any serious damage to the Jeep before i lift it. Will i do anything like that (changing all the liquids after i go offroading)???

Brendan
 
Fluids need to be changed when they need to be changed, what ever miles you put on your ride offroad may put a little more stress on the parts that have changable fluid in them, so if you do a lot of off roading you can maybe change them every 2500miles instead of every 3000 or however often you do them. But engine, tranny, t-case don't need to be changed every outing, say again do not need to be changed. Now as for the difs, if you are in a lot of water, n mud you may want to change the dif fluids more often on the front d30 you have. Unless you have something extra like the Superior Axle Seals to help keep crap out of there, they will take water n mud in thru the axle tubes whenever you cross the wet stuff. Result is milky, ugly rather useless dif fluid that you'll want to change more often.
other than that I would say your good to go, I don't change my fluids any more often than I did when I didn't offroad, and my ride runs better than when I bought.
enjoy your ride, on the road and off.
 
Sounds like you're young, 16 maybe? Take your time getting acquainted to off-roading, stick to forest service roads and mild trails, get a feel for your Jeep and it's capabilities. You certainly don't need to change all the fluids each time you go off road, but you do need to be smart and cautious as you explore the capabilities of your Jeep and yourself. Too many of us learned the hard way as young four-wheelers, having to call a tow service or Mom and Dad after a bad stuck or rollover would put a definite cramp in your wheeling style. After a few mild trips with no damage or breakage, your parents will gain confidence in your decision making ability. A few things you should do are: never go out in just one vehicle, having that buddy in his rig to pull you out if you get stuck or go for help if someone gets hurt or their vehicle can't be recovered is essential. Bring along the trail essentials, such as tools, a jack, spare tire, spare u-joints, a tarp to lay on if you have to do field repairs, a first aid kit, a tow strap, make sure your vehicle has tow hooks, etc. The most important thing to bring with you is common sense and sound judgement. If the obstacle looks intimidating and you aren't sure you should try it, take a pass and save it for "next time". Confidence builds slowly, through experience and judgement, go slow and take it easy until you (and your parents) confidence is at a level where you can go wheeling and return with no damage or breakage.

Good luck, and welcome to wheeling.
 
thanks guys, yea i am 16, keeping it slow and gaining confidence in myelf and my jeep is important. I gonna use this stuff to try and try to convince my parents to at least let me try it once or twice..i will have to look up some light trails!!
 
And take a couple buddies with you in seperate rigs. I can't stress that enough, never wheel alone. The amount of tools, experience, and manpower that your buddies can lend is priceless.
 
yeah, definetly, i still have to find a legal place to go, i can probably find someone in my school to go with me!!
 
buy your own jeep and what are going to do?

my parents never bought me anything, bought 3 jeeps (cj-7,YJ, XJ) since i was 16, I'm 19 now and still have the XJ

my mom just gets pissed when i go out, come home, and the drive way is covered in mud:dunno:
 
steelmen said:
buy your own jeep and what are going to do?

my parents never bought me anything

Im 18 and bought my own Jeep and every thing for it best way to go they don't tell me I can wheel it though, my Dad loves to watch me.:yelclap: Maybe take your dad or mom out with you they mite like it as much as you.:dunno: (maybe not mom they always scream loud. :laugh3: )
 
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i just talked to them and they said there was no way i could go off-roading in their car so i offered to buy my own car...they said no cuz they bought the Jeep for me...so im stuck, unless i buy a really cheap truck and just use it for just going offroading and maybe for work but that doesnt make much sense because i have a perfectly good XJ so im not sure...we'll see how it goes
 
well you could ask your parents what their intentions were for you to use it for.
going to school, not having to borrow their car?
well suggest to them the pro's of going off road, such as meeting good people, seeing new sights, learning a little about vehicles and the outdoors.
and maybe suggest some of the cons to just 'hanging out' after hours with friends. I know whenever I didn't have anything to do when I was young, my outlet was drugs and/or alcohol. Other than sports now and then, much of my time was spent just 'hanging out' with nothing to do, which turned into finding new ways to escape reality. This is not to assume you would you would do this, but its hard enough for younger people to find something meaningful to take up their time these days.
As stated, take them out on some fire roads, a few mild trails with lots of sights to see, places they've never been, open their eyes to what it is you want to take part in...
If you want to buy your own, which means spending your own cash than go for it... thats the beauty of it being your money.
 
buy a beater heep. you wont regret it. the hard part is letting your parents park the ugly thing in their driveway everynight
 
Well, they bought it for you, right ? But yet they call it their car ?

Hmmmm........ offer to buy it from them. Draw up a contract for payments. Once they sign it, it becomes yours, and they can't say anything more.

or buy a beater to drive off road. It IS good to have 1 to drive to school/work, and 1 to beat on. It sucks to roll your daily transportation.
 
steelmen said:
F*uck the parents do it anyway what are they gonna do?

i love the idea that just because you bought the Jeep you can do whatever you want with it. True, your parents cant take it away from you or prohibit your use of it, but they can do many, many things to make your life miserable if you dont use it they way they want you to.
 
That's amazing.. I have the absolute opposite problem. Bought my son a 2000 TJ for his first car. It has a 2 inch budget boost, warn 9500, 30" MTR's and he won't take it off road. :doh:
 
DaffyXJ said:
That's amazing.. I have the absolute opposite problem. Bought my son a 2000 TJ for his first car. It has a 2 inch budget boost, warn 9500, 30" MTR's and he won't take it off road. :doh:

Wanna adopt me?
 
TRCM said:
Well, they bought it for you, right ? But yet they call it their car ?
It is their vehicle cause the title and insurance is in their name and they are legally responsible.
Hmmmm........ offer to buy it from them. Draw up a contract for payments. Once they sign it, it becomes yours, and they can't say anything more.
Depending on the state he lives in, he may not be able to own a vehcile until the legal age of 18. Besides that, like he's going to be able to buy and afford paying for insurance.

Youngster, don't try and badger mom and dad about it. Find some scenic, rough country road. Offer to take them out on a sight seeing tour. Drive slow down the road and let them enjoy the bumps and jouncing and beautiful scenery. Be patient. Do that several times then say, "See it wasn't so bad, where I'm going is just a bit bouncier". More than likely they give you the nod.
 
My mom WAS the same way. Heres what got her to let me go wheelin. I have some buddies who go wheelin quite a bit and I went with them and took as many pics and vids as possible to show my mom that as long as you are smart it is a great and safe hobby. I would suggest looking for a 4 wheel club in your area and contacting them to see if you can maybe ride along with someone. Then show your parents the vidoes and pictures and hopefully that should work. Good luck. if that doesnt work then save your money and buy a beater. They migh be your parents but they cant tell you hhow to spend your money its yours!
 
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