2013 Weber Jumbo Joe quality control issues...

I bought the new Jumbo Joe a few days ago after reading some glowing reviews online. When I finished putting it together, I found that the lid or bowl was out of round and that the lid wouldn't fit without forcing it down which in turn made it stick hard enough to lift up the grill when I tried to remove it. Also, the lid rubbed pretty hard on the bracket for the lid holder, it would be scratched up in no time. Problem #3 is where the wire for the lid holder goes into the bottom of the kettle. It goes into the kettle at a sharp angle causing the washers to immediately chip the porcelain.

So I dismantle it, take it back to Lowe's and get another one. I open it in the parking the lot to check the fit of the lid. It fits fine in the position that it would be in while using the lid holder, but a bit out of round and sticking if you put it on in a different orientation. Ok, I decide that I can live with this. I go home and put the new one together and low and behold, I have the same issue with the lid holder bracket rubbing the lid and the wire fore the lid holder chipped off the porcelain the first time I closed it.

Have any of you who own this grill noticed any of these issues? Is this the norm or did I get one from a bad batch? The chipped porcelain really bothers me since it is a big chip, the size of the supplied washer that goes on the end of the wire to supposedly protect the grill bottom. And no matter what I do with the lid holder, it is going to rub the lid hard and in short order it will scrape off the porcelain and this area will rust along with the area where the wire bail enters the bottom of the grill.

Any input will be appreciated. I really don't feel like taking this thing apart again and returning it again. I have not used it yet just in case I do have to return it. I haven't called Weber yet, I wanted to see if anyone else has had these problems or if they just had a bad run. Thanks.

Trumpstylz said:

Are you putting the lid on wit the vents open or closed? If closed, that may be causing it to stick.

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It did it on the second one with no vents installed. On the new JJ you have to install the top and bottom vents yourself, they are not pre installed. I can live with that part, the chipped porcelain is what really bothers me.

Bluesman said:

Call Weber customer service and see what they suggest. I have found them to be very helpful. Let us know how it turns out.

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I am going to call them. I wanted to get feedback from anyone else who has one of these first. I'll keep the forum posted on what I find out.

MisterChrister said:

I'm a big Weber fan, but I have to admit I'm pretty unimpressed with the build quality of the new big Joe. The screwed on lid handle, the bolt on vents, and overall fit and finish seems to be lacking on the ones I've seen/touched/felt. I really wanted to like it and buy one but I just can't get over what I've seen so far. I just hope they don't decide to cut corners like this on their larger models going forward......

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I forgot about the bolt on vents. These too seem to be prone to scratching the lid and bowl. No matter how much I fiddled with them, they still made pretty heavy contact and scraped.

1911Ron said:

My lid was out of round making it stick also, what i did was lock down the lid and let it sit. After a couple of days i unlocked it and it came open real nice.

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What about the handle bail wire washers, do they gouge the side of the kettle? And does the lid rub harshly against the bail support bracket?

Customer service is closed due to inclement weather in their area. They will be open again tomorrow so I'll call back then. I just hope that someone else who has this grill here will let me know if theirs is the same.

prodano said:

I had the same problem with the lid sticking but after I used it once or twice, it fits perfectly with no sticking now. I am not a fan of the vents as they are scraping the heck out of the lid, but am overall very satisfied with the grill. Small enough for portability but large enough for indirect grilling.

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Do the washers on the bail wire gouge the side of the bowl and does the bracket for the lid holder rub hard against the lid when you push it back? It seems to me that the bail wire is bent at sharp angle were it enters the bottom of the kettle causing the washer to twist and gouge the porcelain when it is locked into the notch on the lid holder bracket. Both of the grills I had were the same in this regard.

prodano said:

Just took a look. The washers are scrapping the bowl slightly and the bracket for the lid holder is very slightly scuffing the lid. Although there are some cosmetic issues that will only get worse with time and use, I forsee several years of use out of mine before rust or damage become an issue.

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Maybe I'm just being too picky, but the chipped porcelain on the sides really bugs me. My washers are dug in so that you can't even move them when the bail is in place as the lid holder. In fact, the damage appears worse than if no washers were used at all. I don't think rust will be an issue for a few years either, I just don't like it that it will start out that way right out of the box. Thanks for checking.

Update:
I spoke to Weber customer service. They had me put the lid and the kettle of the Jumbo Joe on a flat surface and see if it rocked at all. I said it did a small amount and the CS rep said that it shouldn't rock at all. They are sending me out a new bowl and lid which I really appreciate, but I told her that I don't think that is going to solve the other issues, especially the washers gouging the side of the kettle. She told me she would forward my observations to the appropriated dept.

I also went to a Target that had the JJ on display. And guess what? The lid fit even worse than mine and stuck on in any position I tried. The porcelain was also chipped on both sides from the bail handle gouging issue and the top and bottom vents also dug into the lid and kettle. So that is 3 for 3 with the same issues. Something is definitely not right and I hope they really look into it.

As a bonus, I stopped at WalMart too. They had the JJ, but not on display, just in the box. But they also had a few SJ silvers on clearance for $20 so I picked one up to use for my mini WSM. I already have a SJS so now I will have 2 cooking grates to use in the mini. Plus my original SJS has seen better days, so it will be good to have a fresh one to use. The SJ is nice and flat when tested and the riveted vents work just fine with no gouging of the porcelain.

Weber is doing something different with the Jumbo Joe and the quality or quality control is suffering. I am happy that they will send me a new kettle and lid, but the handle bail is going to chip it immediately. I hope some other JJ owners will chime in here too with their experiences.