posted 06-07-2007 07:34 AM                  

Ajax is still in business. In fact I had them go through our car hauler in preparation for the Tulsa trip just last week.

Ajax was the manufacturer of record on the trailers. Mopar contracted with them to build the trailer frames which is what drives the serial number. The frames were sent to Tri-Glass, one of the Penda companies for completion. They manufactured all of the fiberglass parts, painted the trailer and completed final assembly shipping them to the dealers.

The wheels were manufactured by American Racing. They were purchased in quantity by Mopar. The reason that Mopar was stopping production of the trailers was that they had exhausted the supply of chrome wheels and didn't have confidence that they would be able to sell enough trailers or replacement wheels to offset the expense. Remember this was at the time that the decision was made to end Prowler production. Mopar reviewed their sales and available supplies of all Prowler accessories, a normal process as production is ending on a model. They recognized that they were going to lose a lot of money scrapping what the parts they had on hand, which included over 100 trailers at the time.

Mopar, knowing that CJ was involved with the Prowler owners, ask if there was anyway to help clear out their stocks. CJ posted what was still available from Mopar and the quantities. Virtually everything sold out with weeks to Mopar's amazement, including the last of the trailers.

The demand for trailers, splash guards, car and trailer covers, car and trailer bras, trailer hitches and wiring harnesses and floor mats was still there. CJ convinced Mopar to continue the parts in demand. Then she went on a campaign to get them to build more trailers. As she had credibility helping clear out over a million dollars worth of stock they thought they would have to scrap, they listened to and finally agreed to order 400 more wheels, if she could identify 100 people interested in buying a trailer.

She provided the list of people and where they intended to buy. Mopar agreed to built 100 trailers. Demand remained high and they built 200 more trailers using up the supply of new wheels. Mopar ended production at that point very happy that they had sold 332 trailers that they never expected. This is why the club can still offer OE car and trailer covers and car and trailer bras. When Mopar exited this business, they approved CJ to purchase directly from the original vendors. She shared that with the club so that members can still purchase OE accessories today and at a price lower than dealers originally paid plus you can have your car color logo which Mopar never did.

Now that's the short version of the history of the trailers. The warranty has expired on the trailers sold and the wheels. There are no more chrome trailer wheels either in the Mopar system nor at any dealership. The supply has been exhausted. You will need to seek an alternative solution to the flaking issue on the inside barrel.

Now the chrome wheels on the car. The warranty on the car is not related to the Mopar Accessory trailer, different terms and conditions. American produced the original car wheels which were designed to be painted aluminum. Aluminum is very difficult to chrome under the best conditions. Chrome, aluminum wheels are typically either forged or pressure cast. Many of the newer ones actually have a plated plastic overlay, hence the term "chrome clad."

American never designed the car wheel to be chromed nor did they want to chrome it. They resisted Chrysler's demands as long as they could and reluctantly agreed under pressure. The wheels are a cast design and casting has some porosity. It is that porosity that leads to the flaking and separation.

The Chrysler warranty was not uniformly applied by service representatives across the country. Some dealers willing replaced peeling wheels, others refused until their service rep. advised whether they would be reimbursed. As the service replacement wheels were no better than the originals, some were good and other exhibited the same problem.

Getting any company to replace a chrome plated aluminum wheel that shows any type of deterioration anywhere other than the show face is virtually impossible. Wheel companies do not consider the inside barrel a show surface. Chrysler was no different. As American told Chrysler they didn't want to chrome the wheels in the first place because of the known issues with cast wheels, the problem was Chrysler's. Now the supply of replacement wheels is limited. Many in the system had been sent out to dealers and returned after the dealer inspected them cherry picking the best for their customers.

Mopar changed their return policy the first of the year. Dealers can not return parts even if they ordered the wrong one. Dealers will be very reluctant to exchange any part today. I order more parts than most people despite this, if I ordered it, I own it.

Do I like or agree total with all of this, no but I don't have a vote in the matter. CJ has three Prowlers. We've faced many of the same problems that other owners have. I've had to purchase many front shocks, hood struts and miscellaneous parts. I even had to pay over $800 for a rear shock that was leaking and that was with my discount.

So life's not fair some times. I haven't had warranty cover most of the parts needed. The car is what it is, not perfect, with its own issues but a **** of a lot of fun. The friends that we've made and the people we've met are priceless. The website can help individuals understand the various solutions and work arounds that others owners develop. That access to knowledge is priceless. Don't be afraid to call a problem as you see it. Hopefully there's someone that has encountered and overcome the same issue.

posted 06-08-2007 09:16 AM                  

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Originally posted by bowton:

A very informative post. Thanks much, Bob.

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Yes,,agree! Just to change the topic,,,like to find some owners who have saved their replaced window regulators, and send them to Stephen [the hood shock guy in Canada]. If he can get a left and right,,,they'll look at making a replacement model??? We are going to need them in the future,,,and hopefully, a much higher quality unit that will last.

posted 06-08-2007 01:07 PM                  

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Originally posted by bjprowler:
Sounds to me like Tennessee Cat has the simplest and most economical solution....I was thinking of doing the same thing but I'm thinking of painting the inside of the wheel to match the car...Has anyone tried this?

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Not the same color as the car, instead I used aluminum colored engine paint.

posted 06-11-2007 10:04 AM                  

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Originally posted by bjprowler:
What did you do to "prep" the rim?....Was the paint from an aerosol can or ordinary spray gun?

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