In today's manufacturing environment, the mopar one is probably made by another company anyway (like SKP for example) and just relabeled. And any of them that you buy will likely last long enough. Keep the extra bucks in your pocket. That's going to be my plan when it's time for my subframe replacement. Though I'll probably try to coat the insides of my new frame with used engine oil or something.

 

So I’ve decided to get the Patriot repaired, possibly market it once it’s safe to be on the road, and if no one buys it I will simply just keep it myself.

Hooray! I'm keeping my 2014. I just put a new manual tranny in it. Now I've gotta get a couple more years out of it.

 

How many miles has your 2014 got now? Lol you say hooray but my Patriot has been costly lately and tbh if something else goes wrong in the next 6-12 months after the subframe being replaced, the rear calliper seizing and rear brakes needing to be done again at 15k since the previous change, and the potential turbo issue which hasn’t yet been sorted (limp mode) - I’m seriously gonna lose patience with the car.

Honestly the patriot has so much going for it but fundamentally it is a budget vehicle which could be made better and unless you have the US freedom drive II trail rated version, it should stay on the road. Mine is not lifted but honestly you put good AT tyres on a 4wd patriot and it is damn capable. I have taken mine everywhere and it has always got me through snow, ice and mud with little problem. But it is not a wrangler nor a land cruiser....

I love the car for its looks, practicality, it’s comfortable ride, power and off road ability, but it could have been much more.

EDIT: Having said all that, I forgot to say, Jeep make good 4 wheel drive systems, I will give them that. But better customer care, warranties and durability would go a long way. It just seems Jeep don’t come close to Toyota in terms of their durability and build quality.

 

Whether you like aftermarket or factory, like Wizard said there's some bits that it only likes factory(such as the O2 sensors). A subframe might not have this issue, but since there was once an extended warranty on it, the local dealer may be able to get you a good deal on parts for it.

 

Actually, bosch is the oem supplier for mopar O2 sensors. I can confirm this as the bosch sensor I bought had the mopar part number laser etched on it in the same spot as my failed oem, and it's been working great for over a year now. As far as a body part goes, no reason to need oem as no electronics involved in it. Just use a known aftermarket company like SKP or Dorman so all the bolt holes are in the right spots.

 

What are the symptoms of rear subframe failure and how easy are they to spot?

 

It starts with surface rust (coating flaking / blistering and falling off), then progresses to perforation, cracking / breakage.

 

In today's manufacturing environment, the mopar one is probably made by another company anyway (like SKP for example) and just relabeled. And any of them that you buy will likely last long enough. Keep the extra bucks in your pocket. That's going to be my plan when it's time for my subframe replacement. Though I'll probably try to coat the insides of my new frame with used engine oil or something.

To be honest, the MOPAR one wasn’t that much more expensive than most of them and there was one subframe which was more expensive than the MOPAR one, shipping from Germany. I decided to get the MOPAR one in the end as enquired about the item and the seller gave me £20 off which was decent!

 

Oh, well if the price is that close, why not go mopar. For me, I can get an skp brand for about $200 vs $660 for the mopar one.