Eco Diesel DEF Plate??
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
This is viewed by the JGC diesel community as necessary. I put one on mine as soon as they were available. The newer 2015's now have a partial plate from the factory, but still not adequate coverage. Look at other forums that discuss Grand Cherokee diesels.
Hmm, I'm not totally buying that it's "viewed by the JGC diesel community as necessary" when I'm just now hearing about it. Not only that, but this is the ONLY forum dedicated to the new diesel JGC....other forums I've seen share between this and the other gas platforms and honestly, very little is devoted to the new 3.0L EcoDiesel engine...
DO IT! Right now there are 4 levels of protection on the vehicles:
Nothin' - Common on the first batch 2014s. Basically a matter of time before the DEF injector or hanging lines are ripped of by a deep puddle. (You will be stranded, blamed by the dealer for abusing the vehicle, and will likely be financially responsible for the repair. And I think it takes a while to get the parts, so your vehicle will be out of commission for a while.)
Stage 1 - Common on later 2014s and early 2015s. Jeep basically zip-tied (at factory or TSB) the lines closer to the frame, but injector is still exposed.
Stage 2 - Current 2015s coming off the line. Jeep's "shield" basically wraps a bracket around the lines, protecting them from being snagged. Nice try, but the injector is still exposed. Will fix 90% of the problem IMHO.
Stage 3 - The famous "Dom's Plate" aftermarket upgrade. Both lines and injector are protected.
Nothin' - Common on the first batch 2014s. Basically a matter of time before the DEF injector or hanging lines are ripped of by a deep puddle. (You will be stranded, blamed by the dealer for abusing the vehicle, and will likely be financially responsible for the repair. And I think it takes a while to get the parts, so your vehicle will be out of commission for a while.)
Stage 1 - Common on later 2014s and early 2015s. Jeep basically zip-tied (at factory or TSB) the lines closer to the frame, but injector is still exposed.
Stage 2 - Current 2015s coming off the line. Jeep's "shield" basically wraps a bracket around the lines, protecting them from being snagged. Nice try, but the injector is still exposed. Will fix 90% of the problem IMHO.
Stage 3 - The famous "Dom's Plate" aftermarket upgrade. Both lines and injector are protected.
This description by hayasa is a more detailed review of the issue. This forum has very limited participation and depth of information compared to other forums which discuss JGC diesel issues.
Fixed...I think. Notice that the OEM protector basically just wraps around the DEF lines, keeping them from snagging, but doesn't protect any of the actual DEF hardware. Good but not great solution. Also, people have been installing both at the same time for a "belt and suspenders" approach to safety.
link for ordering one?
Someone finally took a picture that compares the new OEM plate and Dom's plate. Judge for yourself which is a better protector.![]()
Regarding the full-length DEF line protector, call me crazy but I think it is a bit of overkill. Sure it is good to be protected, but it really isn't vulnerable. I've bottomed out on a rocky dirt trail and the line wasn't even touched. I think because it is tucked up in there it isn't nearly as "snaggable" as the DEF lines where they wrap around the frame.
Hey, I agree that the full-length def line potector is a good idea - I might even end up getting one, along with the critically needed engine belly-pan bash plate (if only Chief's products could be shipped cheaper out of Oz...) However, I still maintain that Dom's def plate is an *absolute* necessity for all vehicles, even for new JGCs with the factory plate, while the line protector is really for hard core off-roaders. Dom's plate fixes 95% of the problem while the other plate fixes the other 5%. It all goes back to what you expect to do with the vehicle.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
