2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

Since its last update, the Wrangler made a pit stop at La Brea Chrysler-Jeep in L.A. for its second service, a $60.74 maintenance that included an oil change, inspection, and tire rotation. The dealer also replaced the license-plate assembly, including the lamp, for $97.14-broken during one of our off-road excursions.

Perhaps it's those excursions that have caused the Wrangler's stereo/navigation system to go AWOL intermittently, leaving us lost and audibly deprived, as were photog Brian Vance and senior editor Ed Loh on an outing to Death Valley: "Eventually we made it to the Barker Ranch with the help of a Jeep club that was nice enough to point us in the right direction while admiring the four-door Rubicon with an eye of jealousy." We'll have the audio/nav checked out when the repairman fixes the Rubicon's front bumper, which -- yep -- got dented during an off-road excursion. C'mon, it's a Jeep.