Who do you recommend for your Jeep work?

[Jaeger]

Happy Wednesday! I'm in Minnesota, but I'll travel for a party... I'm interested in checking out a few other shops wherever--could be In NV, MT, UT, etc. to have anything from a steering upgrade to a potential axle upgrade to an engine swap. I work for a living as many of you do, so I'm trying to avoid the "check these guys out and see what happens" approach... honest people who aren't into over-billing, that are upfront- true professionals at what they do...that's what I'm looking for. Who do you recommend?

 

[wayoflife]

Honestly, a lot of things, I would recommend you try taking on yourself. I'm sure there are a lot of folks on here who would be more than happy to point you in the right direction and or you might even be able to get someone to help out in person. Otherwise, I think it depends on the kind of where you're ultimately needed to have done.

 

[JT@623]

To what Eddie said these are pretty easy to work on and kinda fun to do it yourself . Lots of info here not to mention labor is expensive.

 

[JimLee]

My mechanic ain't cheap, and yes she's trying to use a swivel attached to two extensions, backwards...but hey, who cares right. Sorry, couldn't help myself, I do my own, there isn't a decent shop or mechanic within 100 miles of where I live.

 

[AZVAJKU]

Happy Wednesday! I'm in Minnesota, but I'll travel for a party... I'm interested in checking out a few other shops wherever--could be In NV, MT, UT, etc. to have anything from a steering upgrade to a potential axle upgrade to an engine swap. I work for a living as many of you do, so I'm trying to avoid the "check these guys out and see what happens" approach... honest people who aren't into over-billing, that are upfront- true professionals at what they do...that's what I'm looking for. Who do you recommend?

I agree with Eddie. Do as much as you can yourself, that’s how you learn. I put my 1-Ton axles, hydro-steering, bolt on EVO suspension, Switch-Pro, lights, winch, bumpers, and a bunch of other stuff on myself. I learned more about my Jeep than I ever imagined.

I have a basic level of mechanical ability and I recognize my limitation, however you will be surprised at what you can do yourself with a little research and patience.

 

[docwilson]

I'm with Eddie here. I paid what I thought was a very reputable local shop to install my 3.5" bolt-on lift and do a few other upgrades. It turns out they left some of the steering linkages grossly loose, incorrectly seated the front springs, twisted/tore a boot seal, left the alignment horribly off, etc. It was sloppy and horribly disappointing work. I honestly felt sad and taken advantage of.

With the knowledge here and mostly Eddie's youtube videos I was confidently able to fix everything. Sure, I'm handy, but definitely not a mechanic. And, as I start getting more into the hobby, I feel better/more confident knowing how things work when on trail, etc.

This of course said, I still have a lot to learn, consider myself green and at the end of the day am still just running a bolt on kit with 37's, so relatively basic. If I consider 40s, I'll likely favor new axles, coil overs, ram assist steering, upgraded axles, etc. and will need to find a legit shop. I'm a little sad that I literally live 10 minutes from where Evo used to have their shop...