AEV Rear bumper water tanks

[slvyj]

Anyone have problems with the AEV Rear bumper water tanks? I installed the rear bumper and tire carrier first then a few months later I installed the water kit. One of the bolts holding the tank wouldn't come out. Contacted AEV because it was well within warranty and they told me it was my fault because I didn't use anti-seize. The instruction for the front bumper say use anti-seize but not the rear. I had to cut off the bolt head to install the water kit. The bumper is pretty much grey now because of all the anti-seize I've been using. One of the bolts on the other tank won't even screw in, don't know what is wrong with it. Now I just tried to install the mud flaps, again loaded up on anti-seize, even though the instruction don't call for it and one of the bolt heads broke off. I can also tell some of the metal inside the tanks broke loose from the plastic as I was tightening down the bolts. Never installed mudflaps before so its not lack of anti-seize issue. So one mudflap is loose and I don't think the bolts will come out and the other only has two out of three bolts installed. These are suppose to be mudflaps you can take on and off easily when you go wheeling. The rear tanks are basically worthless to me. Anyone else have these problems with AEV water tanks. Somehow the metal inside the tanks is not well connected or the bolts themselves are pieces of junk.

The rear bumper has now been installed for exactly two years.

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

my dealer

says dealing with aev is pain in the but i don't know they make cool stuff but the stuff is only as goddess customer service. had similar problems with my warn bumper.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

There's an AEV forum - you could check things out there

 

[tpreston]

I have the same problem with mine and AEV installed it. Bolt just spins.
The tanks are a good idea but poorly designed. You can't get all of the water out of the passenger side tank based on what I read. I didn't even have AEV install the cross tube joining the tanks. I didn't like that design anyway.

 

[slvyj]

There's an AEV forum - you could check things out there

I monitor it, but to many AEV fanboys on AEV's forum. I wanted to hear true unbiased opinions of the tanks.

 

[slvyj]

I have the same problem with mine and AEV installed it. Bolt just spins.
The tanks are a good idea but poorly designed. You can't get all of the water out of the passenger side tank based on what I read. I didn't even have AEV install the cross tube joining the tanks. I didn't like that design anyway.

I also thought the tanks were an excellent idea and that was one reason I went with AEV, but I've never even used the tanks to store water. The tube connecting them is flimsy at best and easy to pull off.

 

[aristobrat]

I monitor it, but to many AEV fanboys on AEV's forum. I wanted to hear true unbiased opinions of the tanks.

If there's an issue with an AEV product, I've not seen "fanboys" try and squelch it. Not to say that if someone is needlessly being a ******** with their posts, they won't catch some flack for that, but I can't think of a single regular (err, sorry, "fanboy") over there that's going to tell you that something's great if they've had a different experience.

Having said that, I'd guess that the vast majority of folks haven't used the tanks for much of anything...

 

[Abe Froman]

I like the AEV forum, haven't noticed "fanboys" there, and haven't used my bumper for water yet, but will give it a try.

 

[daveh]

I use my tanks. The only issue I've had is a small drip at one of the plastic connectors that screw into the tank for the quick disconnect tubing. I had the bumper for over a year before adding the mud flaps and no issue there either with the install. Mine is probably 3 yrs old. I wonder if something changed in the manufacturing process.


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[slvyj]

I see you are in the Northeast, salt country. I don't get it, my first problem started less than 6 months after installing the bumper. Upsets me AEV doesn't stand behind there product.

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[daveh]

I'm a bit obsessive with keeping it clean and getting the road salt off asap. That may have helped as far as the mud flap install. I haven't tried to remove them and now that they have been on for a while I hope I don't have to based on your experience.


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[slvyj]

I'm the same way mine. I live in Colorado and supposedly they don't use salt on the roads, use something else, beet juice or something. Nothing else on my Jeep has rust issues, none of my other AEV parts have rust, so I actually think its with the tanks and just the tanks. When the bolt head broke, that tells me they are using cheap metal.

 

[m(a)ce]

I use the tanks for longer trips and they work fine.

tight trails here in the East that have lots of vegetation/limbs/rocks. both the tanks/connectors & mudflaps have held up fine.


Matt - 4xfish