TimmyTXJ
09-23-2013, 03:33 PM
After a few months I've finally managed to get the first half of my new rear bumper installed on the Jeep. I'm writing this post to relay my personal experience with this bumper in the hopes it might help someone considering such a large $$$ purchase have certain information that I did not.
So it's clear, I ordered the Mojave Bumper with Tire Carrier from Dirtbound Offroad. This is my personal experience and may not reflect your experience should you choose to purchase something from them.
Spoiler ALERT: I suggest you spend your money elsewhere.
First, my experience with the company:
When I first decided on this bumper, I PM'd Dirtbound through XJ Talk as they are a Vendor on the site. My questions were answered promptly and to my satisfaction so I placed my order online. (I requested they delete the 2" receiver hitch from the bumper because I wanted a cleaner look) They even offered me a discount for being an XJ Talk member!
Their website quoted a 3 week turn around time, which is fair considering fab time and shipping.
About a week after I placed the order I sent another PM asking if they could suggest appropriate sized lights for the cut outs in the bumper. I received no response at all.
3 weeks in I started looking for notification that my bumper has shipped.
4 weeks in I started wondering if I was being ripped off because I never received a response to my email and the bumper was a week late in shipping. I called them directly and spoke to Gina who promised to check on my order and get back to me. A few hours later I got a call back from her to tell me my bumper would ship next week.
5 weeks in I finally got notification that my bumper shipped. Yay!
My experience with the bumper:
I have to say that I was really disappointed when the bumper arrived. The main part of the bumper came with a bit of clear packing wrap around it and had shipping labels stuck directly to it. There was very little to protect it from the hazards of freight. The other parts were packed in boxes with packing peanuts.
The bumper had no 2" receiver hitch like I requested, but it also had no cutouts for offroad lights! At this point I'm pissed but glad that I hadn't ordered lights ahead of time. I decided that I was okay with it but only because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of shipping it back.
Upon close inspection of the bumper I noticed a lot of weld spatter around the welds. I also noticed several sharp burrs along the edge of the bumper and tire carrier. I spent several hours cleaning up things that in my opinion should have been done by the mfg.
No hardware was included other than the pivot bolt for the carrier and the spring loaded T-handle that keeps the carrier from swinging away from the bumper.
No instructions were included with the bumper.
The worst part though... they didn't ship the brackets that mount the bumper to the Jeep!
Two emails, a voice mail, and phone call is what it took to get in contact with them to send the missing parts.
Installation:
As I said, no instructions were included so I had to figure this out myself. Based on my experience in contacting the vendor, I wasn't going to waste any more time trying to get someone to help me understand how it all goes together.
The brackets mount to the Jeep by sliding into the frame rail forms. To accomplish this, I had to cut the sheet metal on the back of the jeep and remove the nutsert that holds the skid plate to the vehicle.
The brackets went in readily enough, but they are not long enough to capture the skid plate bolts toward the front of the jeep. So I need to figure out how to get the skid plate mounted back up.
The brackets on the jeep and those on the back of the bumper did not line up. Maybe I installed the brackets wrong (instructions would have helped) or maybe the jeep isn't straight, but I suspect the problem is with the bumper.
It took a fair amount of beating on the mounting brackets and the bumper with a BFH to get it on.
I still need to install the rest of the bumper - tire carrier, tire brackets, etc. But overall I am not impressed with the quality of this bumper. Say what you will about it being for offroad use and whatnot, but the fact is, I paid quite a lot of hard earned money for this thing and expected better quality.
I would advise anyone else thinking of buying this bumper to consider everything I've said. If you're prepared, you may have a better experience than me.
So it's clear, I ordered the Mojave Bumper with Tire Carrier from Dirtbound Offroad. This is my personal experience and may not reflect your experience should you choose to purchase something from them.
Spoiler ALERT: I suggest you spend your money elsewhere.
First, my experience with the company:
When I first decided on this bumper, I PM'd Dirtbound through XJ Talk as they are a Vendor on the site. My questions were answered promptly and to my satisfaction so I placed my order online. (I requested they delete the 2" receiver hitch from the bumper because I wanted a cleaner look) They even offered me a discount for being an XJ Talk member!
Their website quoted a 3 week turn around time, which is fair considering fab time and shipping.
About a week after I placed the order I sent another PM asking if they could suggest appropriate sized lights for the cut outs in the bumper. I received no response at all.
3 weeks in I started looking for notification that my bumper has shipped.
4 weeks in I started wondering if I was being ripped off because I never received a response to my email and the bumper was a week late in shipping. I called them directly and spoke to Gina who promised to check on my order and get back to me. A few hours later I got a call back from her to tell me my bumper would ship next week.
5 weeks in I finally got notification that my bumper shipped. Yay!
My experience with the bumper:
I have to say that I was really disappointed when the bumper arrived. The main part of the bumper came with a bit of clear packing wrap around it and had shipping labels stuck directly to it. There was very little to protect it from the hazards of freight. The other parts were packed in boxes with packing peanuts.
The bumper had no 2" receiver hitch like I requested, but it also had no cutouts for offroad lights! At this point I'm pissed but glad that I hadn't ordered lights ahead of time. I decided that I was okay with it but only because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of shipping it back.
Upon close inspection of the bumper I noticed a lot of weld spatter around the welds. I also noticed several sharp burrs along the edge of the bumper and tire carrier. I spent several hours cleaning up things that in my opinion should have been done by the mfg.
No hardware was included other than the pivot bolt for the carrier and the spring loaded T-handle that keeps the carrier from swinging away from the bumper.
No instructions were included with the bumper.
The worst part though... they didn't ship the brackets that mount the bumper to the Jeep!
Two emails, a voice mail, and phone call is what it took to get in contact with them to send the missing parts.
Installation:
As I said, no instructions were included so I had to figure this out myself. Based on my experience in contacting the vendor, I wasn't going to waste any more time trying to get someone to help me understand how it all goes together.
The brackets mount to the Jeep by sliding into the frame rail forms. To accomplish this, I had to cut the sheet metal on the back of the jeep and remove the nutsert that holds the skid plate to the vehicle.
The brackets went in readily enough, but they are not long enough to capture the skid plate bolts toward the front of the jeep. So I need to figure out how to get the skid plate mounted back up.
The brackets on the jeep and those on the back of the bumper did not line up. Maybe I installed the brackets wrong (instructions would have helped) or maybe the jeep isn't straight, but I suspect the problem is with the bumper.
It took a fair amount of beating on the mounting brackets and the bumper with a BFH to get it on.
I still need to install the rest of the bumper - tire carrier, tire brackets, etc. But overall I am not impressed with the quality of this bumper. Say what you will about it being for offroad use and whatnot, but the fact is, I paid quite a lot of hard earned money for this thing and expected better quality.
I would advise anyone else thinking of buying this bumper to consider everything I've said. If you're prepared, you may have a better experience than me.