Jeep Wrangler Soft Top Maintenance Tips

Before cleaning the Jeep, hose all the dirt off the top, but especially the windows and zippers. Get all the dirt off you can with the hose, and later, when the Jeep is clean, we like to use Zip Care by McNett Corporation to really clean the dirt out of the teeth and the zipper itself. The convenient built-in brush on top of the bottle makes it easy to work all the dirt out of the nooks and crannies of the zipper.

Once all the dirt is out of the zipper, it will need long-lasting lubrication. Over the years we've used bars of soap, crayons, and candles to lubricate the zippers of the top. The new tops, with their plastic teeth need less lubrication than older tops with metal zippers, but we still use Max Wax every time we wash the Jeep. Max Wax, by Aquaseal, is a silicone-based lubricant designed especially for zippers and ensures smooth zippering for years to come.

Tension is important in tops. In the YJs, tension comes from this bar. We run adjustable ones from Rugged Ridge (PN 11251.02) that we got from 4 Wheel Drive Hardware. Too much tension puts strain on zippers and seams, but too little tension can allow the canvas of the top to shrink to the point where it won't fit anymore. With a TJ top, beware of the longer aluminum bow ends, as there is the potential to over-tension the top with them.

When all our tricks weren't enough to save the old top on this Wrangler, we turned to Bestop for a Sailcloth Replace-a-Top with tinted windows. The Sailcloth is a heavier fabric, which makes a quieter interior and we have found that it doesn't stretch as much in temperature extremes. The tinted windows make it cooler inside and give us a sense of security when we have stuff sitting in the back of the Jeep that can't be easily seen from the outside.

For the last 20 years, Bestop has designed and made the soft tops for all the Jeep Wranglers. As you might expect, fit and finish was excellent for our replacement top. You need to let the top sit out in the sun before putting it on so it will warm up and be easier to get on. We normally lay the top out on the grass, but if you don't have any grass or are concerned about animals, draping the top over the Jeep while the Jeep sits in the sun works just as well and keeps the top safe and clean. If you have to stretch the top this far, let it sit in the sun longer.

We did a head-to-head top cleaner shootout ("Lose Soft Top Stains," July '06) and decided the Bestop cleaner was one of the best. Here is our method of using this cleaner: Apply it directly to the top, scrub with a soft-bristled scrub brush, let it sit for about 20 minutes, scrub again, and rinse. Do a 12x12-inch area at a time while the Jeep is in the shade and the top is relatively cool, and enjoy the results. Use the Bestop Protectant afterwards to help fend off future mud stains and ensure the waterproofness of the top.

If you really want your windows to stay clear, take them off the Jeep and stow them in a storage bag. We got this Bestop window storage bag from 4 Wheel Drive Hardware and we swear by it. Whenever we are wheeling and the weather allows it, we toss our windows in this bag. It includes sewn-in pads to separate the windows and further prevent scratches.

The two biggest faux pas related to seeing out of the soft top windows are improper storage and automatic car washes. The top windows are nothing more than soft plastic (as if you didn't know that), and as such are prone to scratching. The brushes at the car wash are bad for windows too, because they have so much dirt trapped in them; it's like hitting the window with sandpaper. So try to avoid automatic car washes, and always hose as much dirt off the windows as you can before using the sponge.

Once all the dirt is off the windows, after the Jeep itself is clean, we apply the Bestop Vinyl Window cleaner. We've found that it helps take out lighter scratches in the windows. You can use a compound like you'd use on your paint to try to buff out heavier scratches, but once scratched, the window will never be 100-percent again. If you roll up your rear window and use the elastic straps to hold it up, the resulting stripes will never go away. Putting a towel between the strap and the window will help keep stripes at bay, but still won't stop it entirely.

For general window cleaning, such as before they go into the storage bag, or if they aren't in that bad of shape after washing the Jeep, we use Plexus. It is important to stay away from normal window cleaners, as some of them have chemicals in them that speed-up the yellowing process. Plexus is designed to clean and protect plastic windows. We use it inside and out on our windows as the last step in cleaning. It also works great for gauge faces.