The last year they made the Cherokee XJ was in 2001 and the Comanche MJ was 1992. That was over 14 years ago and longer for the MJ. After this much in the weather and under the sun things start to go bad and exterior parts start to look bad and deteriorate to the point they are not useable.

Here are the top 5 things that need to be changed on your XJ or MJ:

Liftgate and Tailgate handles are used quite a bit on Jeep XJ and MJ models. Over time these break and then you cant get access to the rear of your Jeep. These are easy fixes and dont require much to change them out. But if yours is showing signs of wear now may be the best time to change it. Normal prices are between $29.99 and $59.99 dollars.

Your antenna is a necessary item if you like the tunes. For the most part this part wont rust or wear out but chances are it will break, be stolen, or bend. In that case you may want to look at changing it. This may be a good time to upgrade your antenna to a new stubby one or at least a more modern or cooler looking model. There are many styles of aftermarket antennas out there. You can even upgrade to an automatic one that lowers and raises as the radio is turned on or off.

Mirrors are the one thing that sticks out on the Cherokee and quite often get broken, cracked, or clean sheared off the side of the vehicle. Unfortunately mirrors come in all kinds of models like non-remote, remote by electronics or remote by a manual handle. The non remote set starts at $39.99 and remote models can go up to $129.99 each. While this may seem like a lot you will need to replace mirrors in most states that have a safety test in order to register a vehicle. Mirrors are an important safety device for a vehicle and are needed in order to properly operate a vehicle.

Door handles are used all the time, after all you need to get in the vehicle in order to use it. Jeep Cherokee XJ models will have either two or four handles. While the Comanche MJ model will only have two door handles. They are made of plastic and are quite heavy duty but after a while the push in part of the handle can wear or the area where they go into the door will rust and the handle will pull away from the door. Another common problem is the gasket behind the handle will wear out and allow water to get inside of the door. You do not need to buy the whole handle to replace the gasket in most cases you can just get the gasket. Handles start at about $29.99 per handle and the gaskets are about $8.00 depending on if you get a genuine Mopar part or an OE style replacement part. Either will work just fine.

The last part you may need to change a lot is the weather stripping. It will wear quicker if you are in a hot dry climate or you do not keep it properly cleaned and conditioned. The outside the doors where the windows go will have a weather strip. Each door will have a rubber gasket that goes all around the door to keep air and noise out. And finally there will be a tailgate gasket. While there are other gaskets like in the engine compartment, those aren’t the main ones that wear out. The weather stripping and exterior gaskets are important to keep replaced and in top condition because they help keep water, air, moisture, and noise out of areas you dont want them in.

CONCLUSION

Part of the fun in owning a Jeep is the fixing up part. We Jeepers love to add new parts, restore old parts as new, and keep the Jeep looking new by replacing worn out parts.  In order to do this and not pay an arm and a leg for parts from the dealer we recommend OE style replacement parts which generally have the same great quality but are half the price.