Jeep Jam with the Jeep Wrangler Islander
The 2010 Jeep® Wrangler Islander Adds Sun and Surf to American Classic
Special colors, decals and interior highlight whimsical Islander edition.
If there is one rule that car companies almost always respect, it’s that you just don’t mess with success. The 2010 Jeep® Wrangler is one of the purest interpretations of the original spirit that has made Jeep the preferred off-road chariot for over 60 years. In celebration of Wrangler’s continued ability to conquer even the toughest trails, the brand has come up with the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander, a special edition of the already fantastic Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited Packages.
The 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander (two-door MSRP $25,220) immediately sets itself apart from the standard edition of the Wrangler thanks to its special paint choices. With colors like ‘Surf Blue,’ this tropical color brings to mind the endless expanses of blue ocean that serve to center the Islander Package from a stylistic perspective. The Islander is also available in black, Stone White and Bright Silver finishes. Beefy 32-inch off-road tires mounted on 17-inch wheels give the Wrangler Islander an attitude adjustment suitable for tearing across ocean dunes.
Further setting the Islander apart from other Jeeps is the Islander decal emblazoned on its hood. Preceding the word ‘Islander’ is a ‘Tiki Bob’ island statue sticker, and underneath is a small globe decal with the following coordinates listed: 21 degrees North, 157 degrees West. Give up? If you dig out your atlas, you’ll find that those numbers will lead you directly to Oahu, Hawaii, firmly tying together the Wrangler Islander’s beach theme.
The Islander’s unique looks continue inside where each seat receives an attractive Surf Blue-colored insert, complete with special stitching. The rest of the seat is framed in black fabric with Tiki Bob logos embroidered proudly in orange. The Wrangler’s steering wheel features leather wrapping with Surf Blue stitching along the inside, and Mopar accessory rubber slush mats help to keep the sand and surf off the Jeep’s floorboards. Special sidesteps also make it easier to get up off the beach and into the Islander’s cockpit at the end of the day. The Islander is capped off with a standard soft top or an available three-piece hardtop, both of which can be removed to let in the tropical sunshine. Features such as air conditioning, speed control and a full-length floor console add to the comfort factor inside the passenger compartment.
Mechanically, the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander shares the same stout drivetrain found in other editions of the popular off-road warrior. Under the hood, the Wrangler Islander makes use of a 3.8-liter V6 engine that generates 202 hp and 237 lb/ft of torque. A standard six-speed manual transmission routes this power to all four wheels through the Command-Trac® Shift-on-the-Fly four-wheel drive system. This system includes a low-range gear ratio that can make short work of the toughest of obstacles that might be encountered when motoring along the water’s edge. A four-speed automatic transmission is also available.
Furthering the Wrangler Islander’s off-road credentials is a host of under-body armor that is meant to protect components, which are most likely to be in harm’s way when driving over rough terrain. This armor includes three-millimeter-thick steel skid plates to cover the transmission oil pan, the transfer case and the fuel tank and there are solid axles both front and rear in order to withstand even the hardest impacts and specially strengthened driveshafts that can handle the abuse doled out by a day on the trail.
The Jeep Wrangler Islander also benefits from Electronic Stability Control and All-Speed Traction Control, both of which seek to minimize wheel spin and keep the Islander pointed in the direction you intended, whether on the road or off. Electronic Roll Mitigation, which keeps the Wrangler from tipping during hard corners, and Hill Start Assist, which stops the vehicle from rolling backward when starting on a steep incline, are also included as standard equipment. In effect, the Wrangler Islander marries the tried and true toughness of traditional Jeep construction with modern computer controls to give the vehicle an extra performance edge.
The 2010 Jeep Wrangler Islander is a unique and fun special edition of a sport utility vehicle that has become an American icon.
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Body Shop
Body and Paint Repair No matter how large or small the job is, the O’Daniel Automotive Body Shops are equipped to repair your vehicle and restore it to the condition you deserve. We work closely with your insurance company to ensure a hassle free repair process.
We repair all makes and models with state-of-the-art materials and equipment. Our factory-trained technicians ensure your repair is done correctly the first time.
Stop in for a free estimate utilizing our computerized estimating system at either of our locations.
Two Convenient Locations O’Daniel Motor Sales, Inc.
5611 Illinois Road
Ft. Wayne, Indiana 46804
Phone: (260) 435-5410
O’Daniel Ford Mitsubishi
631 Lincoln Highway
New Haven, Indiana 46774
Phone: (260) 748-6300
Mazda CX9
Mazda’s CX-9
Sporty feeling, and also carries seven adults.
The front grille of the 2010 Mazda CX-9 “crossover” utility vehicle is new, but the goodness of the fun-to-drive and spacious seven-seater stays the same. The CX-9 is Mazda’s largest crossover, and it comes in three versions: Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. All three are powered by a quick-revving 3.7-liter V6 that makes 273 hp, yet the CX-9 returns up to 22 mpg on the EPA highway test. The CX-9 feels lively during acceleration, which is much of the reason it has gained a reputation among experts as one of the most fun vehicles with three rows of seats.
All three versions of the CX-9 are also available with all-wheel drive, and come standard with a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift feature. So equipped, the CX-9 gets from zero to 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds. The transmission shifts smoothly and quickly, without delays from either the manual controls or from tapping the accelerator pedal to downshift. There’s more fun: The handling is surprising for a seven-seat vehicle, with quick steering, a small turning circle, and grippy tires. Backroads are to be enjoyed in the CX-9 as much as long highways. Complementing this behavior is a driver’s seat that feels more like a sedan’s bucket seat than a utility vehicle’s taller chair. This car-like attribute adds to the enjoyment of driving the CX-9, even without a full load of people.
For 2010 there are newly styled, optional leather seating surfaces, while the CX-9 keeps its logically arranged dashboard controls and instruments. The available navigation system can now display the view from the optional rearview camera. Getting into the second and third rows of seats is easy due to wide-opening rear doors, and the second-row seats slide rearward and recline, making them an ideal place for large adults. The third row of seats is easy for adults to enter and exit because of the clever way the second-row seats fold and slide.
The $29,385 Sport model comes with privacy glass, 18-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, Bluetooth, tri-zone climate controls and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with cruise and audio controls. The Touring version adds heated mirrors, leather upholstery for the first two rows, auto-off headlights and the availability of some optional equipment. The Grand Touring edition upgrades to 20-inch wheels, HID Xenon headlights, fog lights, keyless ignition and entry, driver-seat memory, storage for the second-row armrest and “theater” illumination inside.
A sunroof and a Bose audio system are available, as is a quick-moving power liftgate. The rearview camera with a rearview mirror display is also available, as is remote engine starting. For long trips with antsy kids, there’s also a rear-seat audio and video system with separate inputs. The kids will also be well-protected, since the CX-9 comes with active features such as emergency brake assist for panic stops, stability control for slippery conditions, and a rollover mitigation system. There’s also an available blind-spot warning system that will alert the driver if it is not safe to change lanes. Front seaters are protected by side airbags, and side-curtain airbags extend to all three rows of seats.
The 2010 Mazda CX-9 is slightly more refined, yet it keeps all the traits that make it one of the most fun crossovers of any size to drive.
The Tempting world of paint and body work.
The Tempting World of Discount Paint and Bodywork
The price might be right, but the cost down the road will more than make up for any apparent savings.
There are few things more disheartening than walking up to your vehicle in a parking lot only to realize that someone has put a sizeable ding or dent in its side, or perhaps used your bumpers as feelers during an aborted parking attempt. Even worse is having to deal with the type of damage left behind by someone carelessly rear ending you at a stoplight, especially if their love tap was hard enough to crack bumper covers and displace sheet metal.
Even if you tell yourself that you can live with the scratches, dents and scrapes, there’s no denying that the temptation to stop in at discount body repair chains and their ilk can be quite high. After all, these kinds of places are constantly advertising incredibly inexpensive paint jobs, panel repairs and parts replacements on all makes and models of cars. The results sure look convincing on television and in print, and many people stop in just to see what kind of a quote will be offered on the job at hand. Once there, inspections are performed, promises of quality are made on the part of the shop manager and a price is given that seems almost too good to be true.
At this point, you would most likely be wondering whether it was possible to get a factory-like finish with such a low investment on your part. Unfortunately, the short answer is ‘no.’ While the natural urge to save money on car repairs is a strong one, you should really think twice before committing to drop your vehicle off at a local discount body shop. Let’s look at a few of the main reasons why these types of establishments should be avoided at all costs.
Many vehicle owners are unaware of the fact that the most important aspect of quality body- and paintwork is the time that’s spent preparing panels before any paint, filler or metal patching is applied. The level of priming, sanding and cleaning that goes into even the simplest of repair jobs is the key to achieving a quality finish. Unfortunately, a significant time investment usually translates into a more expensive bill, which is why top-notch bodywork rarely comes cheaply.
Discount body shops are able to offer $250 paint specials by cutting serious corners when it comes to prep work. Instead of sanding down to the steel or plastic base of a panel and then gradually filling, feathering or layering multiple coats of paint, they will instead simply clean and spray an inexpensive lacquer or base followed by a clearcoat. Very little care is taken to ensure that the newly painted areas match the original paint color, or that filler has been properly leveled off and sanded, and this can lead to a mottled and bumpy appearance. The paint might look fresh and shiny for the first few days or weeks, but soon enough, it will lose its luster and the unprepared area behind the paint will once again show through.
Another favorite method used by fly-by-night shops to reduce costs is to source so-called ‘jobber’ parts when replacing bumpers, doors, fenders and the like. These reproduction pieces don’t offer the same quality of steel or accuracy of fit and finish as factory parts, and as a result, they often install with large gaps or at strange angles compared to the rest of the car. Will the discount or franchise body shop stand behind its work, or even still be in business, if a paint job peels or parts fail prematurely?
The simplest way to avoid any of these body shop nightmares is to have your vehicle worked on exclusively by dealership technicians who have been trained specifically on how to repair your particular brand of car or truck. Your local dealership is not only staffed by confident and experienced painters, welders and other craftsmen, but it also offers you direct access to factory parts at the best possible prices.
It is certainly tempting to go the fast and cheap route when taking care of your car’s paint- and bodywork. However, almost without exception, a low quality body job is one that will have to be done again after the original problem works its way back up to the surface of your paint. This quickly erases any initial savings. Spending the money on a quality job done right the first time is always the best possible solution when it comes to this type of automotive repair.
Fund the Fort
Be sure to check out our February special! Go to our Fund the Fort website to sign up and lock in your free money! We are matching down payments at 10% up to $11000 on new and used cars at all of our locations, and here is your chance to take advantage! 40% of our advertising budget is going straight back to the public through this program, which ends February 28th. Please sign up today, and get into a new car with as little money out of your pocket as possible!
You must be 18 or older to sign up, with a valid drivers license and email access. All question can be answered by calling any O’Daniel Location
Service tips to help you save money!
There’s no doubt; today’s cars are better and tomorrow’s cars will be better yet. Still, even the best cars have to have the consumable parts renewed periodically to provide the best service for you and your family. The intervals are longer and the list of things requiring service is shorter but there are still things that are consumed with the passage of time and the accumulation of miles. What are they and what can you expect your service provider to talk to you about?
There are ten major areas of consumables on any car:
- Brakes
- Tires
- Batteries
- Filters
- Spark plugs
- Belts
- Wiper blades
- Hoses
- Fluids
- And PCV valves (where equipped)
Anyone who’s owned a car for any period of time know that filters plug and brakes, batteries, tires, spark plugs, belts and hoses wear out with time and miles and require replacement at some point in the life of a vehicle. Let’s talk about a couple of the other services you might expect to do every so often.
Fluids
Fluids lubricate, cool and provide corrosion protection. They contain additives that enhance lubrication, cooling, viscosity, pumping characteristics and corrosion protection and additives are sacrificial by design. Once the additive package is depleted the fluid is no longer capable of protecting the expensive parts with which it’s in contact.
The enemies of fluids are:
- High temperatures (volatilization – cooks off lighter components as vapor)
- High pressures (increases temperature and rates of oxidation)
- Contamination (from dirt, immersion, poor system sealing, combustion processes, oxidation)
- Oxidation (oxygen freely combines with other components in the fluids to make new, often corrosive compounds)
- Shear (gear sets and pre-loaded bearings “cut” the lube, changing its viscosity)
- Moisture (from condensation, combustion process and the environment. “Hydrolization” creates new corrosive compounds)
Hydrogen and oxygen make up water and part of our atmosphere. Both are very reactive elements, easily combining with any one or several other elements to form new compounds. We know the by-products of these reactions as rust or corrosion on steel and hydrolization or oxidation in fluids.
Why change engine oil?
- Contamination
- Oxidation
- Moisture (for every gallon of gas burned we make 1.25 gallons of water
Contamination, oxidation and moisture are all affected by trip length and the amount of time an engine spends at full operating temperature. Conservation of resources has driven the movement to extend oil change intervals but the “payback” assumes that a customer will not have to replace an engine prematurely. The environmental cost of an engine replacement – manufacture, installation, disposal of the old unit – exceeds the savings offered by extended drain intervals.
On a four-to-five quart sump if every trip (from startup to shutdown) is 30 minutes long or longer in the summer and 45 minutes long or longer in the winter then we can determine your best interval by oil sampling. To determine your optimum change interval several samples will be needed at a cost of about $50 each (including total acid and total base sampling which tells us true remaining oil life.) If every trip is not 30 minutes or longer then simply changing oil every 3000 – 4000 miles is a less expensive option. If you own a car with a large capacity oil pan you may be able to safely extend the drain interval beyond our 3000-4000 recommendation. Again, testing will provide the best interval for your application.
Why rotate tires?
In the battle between rubber and road the road always wins, but we can delay the inevitable.
Tires wear differently on drive axles compared to non-drive axles, left side tires compared to right side tires and steering axle versus non-steering axle.
Moving the tires at 6000 – 8000 mile intervals evens the wear and roughly doubles tire life. Our rotation includes a free brake inspection.
Why perform a rear drum brake service?
Drum systems are very nearly sealed and wear products from the consumable linings are trapped between the drum and backing plate. Backing plate lubes are absorbed by brake dust leaving critical pivot and wear points unprotected.
Servicing removes wear debris, allows us to adjust the service brake, parking brake and lubricate the ten contact points between the shoes and the drum brake mounting system.
Why change brake fluid?
- Moisture
- Contamination
- Oxidation
Brake fluid is designed to absorb moisture to prevent standing water from rusting the steel brake lines from the inside out. Brake fluids also pull copper from steel brake lines and free copper has been proven to be a contributor to ABS control unit failures.
Exchanging brake fluid removes absorbed moisture, increases the fluid boiling point and removes leached copper that damages ABS hydraulic systems.
Why service the transfer case?
Why service the front or rear drive axle?
- Oil shear
- Contamination
- Oxidation
- Temperature and pressure
Changing drive axle and transfer case lube on a routine basis stops premature bearing failure, extends gear set life and removes contaminants from the system.
Why change the power steering fluid?
- Temperature
- Pressure (some systems run as much as 2000 PSI)
- Contamination
High pressure and high temperature accelerates fluid depletion. Some power steering systems actually incorporate a cooler to keep temperatures under control.
Changing power steering fluid extends internal and external seal life, protects pump bearings and prevents premature power steering pump and rack and pinion repairs.
Why a Thottle body and upper intake system service?
- Contamination
- Carbon formation
Residual gases from the cylinders, injectors, PCV gases, EGR gases and fuel vapor are carried up into the intake on shut down to form hard carbon deposits that restricts air flow and plugs ports and openings. The intake flow in a fuel injected engine is dry and with no fuel to act as a solvent thick deposits form over time. Throttles often stick; EGR passages plug and minimum air flows that are used to calculate idle control are reduced or shut off. The result can be pinging, stuck throttles, reduced fuel economy, phantom stalls or rolling, surging idle conditions.
Why clean fuel injectors?
- Contamination
- Carbon formation
Modern gasolines are a chemical soup of over 150 carbon and hydrogen compounds, plus additives and detergents. Most fuel companies only blend in the government mandated minimums of detergents rather than the most effective amount needed for maximum deposit control.
The same residual gases that cause throttle bore sticking also deposit on fuel injectors. While there are several designs of injector, the fuel distribution plate of a typical injector has one or more laser-cut dispersion holes as small as twenty-thousandths of an inch that are susceptible to plugging. Newer engines with tightly managed tumble and swirl strategies are particularly intolerant of dirty injectors. Improperly atomized fuel that isn’t evenly distributed in the combustion chamber results in rough run complaints, lowered fuel economy, pinging and increased emissions.
Why change antifreeze?
- Oxidation
- Corrosion
- Contamination
Extended life formulations have taken what was once an annual service and made it into a service required only once every five years or so.
Controlling oxidation, additive depletion and corrosion in a water based system takes excellent chemistry and a nearly pure water supply and it’s the water that mixed with the antifreeze that’s the real problem. Unless your service provider is using a pure or premixed product, city water supplies are generally not pure enough to allow for on-site mixing. Radiator cores, heater cores, engine blocks, hoses and piping are rapidly destroyed by depleted or improperly mixed antifreeze.
Why change automatic transmission fluids?
- Shear
- Oxidation
- Temperature
Automatic transmission fluids are made from light weight oils, usually around a 5W or so. They are among the most heavily fortified oils made, with friction modifiers, stabilizers and anti-oxidants added in large concentration. The exact mix of each type of transmission oil is proprietary, but there are some nearly universal synthetic fluids now available at an affordable price. At our shop the filter will not normally be replaced unless we suspect major damage or a change interval that was grossly overextended. In truth the depth media filter used in automatic transmissions mainly functions to keep debris from re-circulating. I think that if you’ve got that much shrapnel in the pan the filter is the least of your worries. Transmission fluids can be rapidly depleted under some driving conditions. We recommend that you service the transmission based on a visual inspection of the fluid, rather than a fixed interval. We’ve changed some fluids in as little as 18,000 miles. We recommend a complete fluid exchange process rather than a “short change” of just a few quarts of fluid and a filter.
If you have any questions about servicing your car or keeping it in tip-top shape just email me at gmcconiga@odanielauto.com and I’ll be delighted to answer your questions. Make sure to check out our service specials at http://www.odanielmazda.com/Service-Specials.html
Feed the Fort Piles it On!
We would like to thank all of you that participated in the Feed the Fort program! We were able to come back from a day at the grocery store with many jeep loads full all the way to the roof! Again, Fort Wayne, thank you for your generosity, and we hope to see you again next year!