We are preparing for our first Winter with a Jeep Wrangler soft top. No, staying warm will not be the problem... the heater works GREAT!
What's troubling me most at this point is how to remove snow and ice from the vinyl/plastic windows of our soft top when we drive from Tennessee to Ohio (and Indiana) for the holidays. (Our other Jeep had a hard top. This one does not.)
I learned a couple valuable lessons today that other Jeep owners might find helpful...
Cold temperatures, ice, and snow can all wreak havok on a Jeep Wrangler soft top. You need to be especially careful with your plastic/vinyl windows in the winter months, and take the following precautions:
- Don't raise or lower the soft top when the temperature drops below 41 degrees. The material is a synthetic which loses some of its resiliency at low temperatures, and it can actually become damaged if it is flexed in too cold temperatures.
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Never attempt to roll-up the vinyl windows or even open them at the zippers during the winter months. Believe it or not, they can shatter like real glass when they are cold.
- Before you even TOUCH your vinyl window -- from the inside or outside -- make sure you give them enough time to warm up and become supple first. Otherwise, you are likely to crack them.
- Never "smack" the plastic window hoping that the snow and ice will bounce off!
- Never remove snow from your plastic windows by hand (or by any other means, for that matter). With a soft top, patience is a virtue... You should just wait for the heater to warm the vehicle from the inside, causing the snow to slowly melt off.
- Until the snow/ice thaws and falls off the Jeep windows itself, you may have to get used to using the 2 side mirrors.
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You could use a ceramic heater with a timer (available at most hardware stores), and run it a half hour prior getting in the Jeep. The snow & ice will melt off, allowing you to see through your windows as soon as you get in.
- Some people point a hair dryer toward the windows (but not for too long). However, by the time you're finished, the Jeep's own heater would likely have had the same effect -- from the inside.
- Never pour water on your vinyl windows in an attempt to remove ice or snow. Your windows may crack.
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where can u find a hard top for a jeep 1977 cj5
What kind of hard top is that? The one that is on your black wrangler, I have the same one and need to order a new rear window. THanks MIller
Email Me mpmiller1980@yahoo
What is the best way to clean the inside of my Jeep's plastic windows?
Thanks,
Steve in Duluth, GA....
Why doesn't anyone make a Jeep soft top that is specifically designed for WINTER (i.e., fabric insulated, stays pliable at freezing temperatures, and ice-proof windows and zippers)? If there is such a product, please tell me. :)
Ahh, it's like this. The "Jeep" brand had been passed around more than the baby needing a diaper change. Jeep is now part of the Chrysler family, which was purchased by Daimler Corp a few years back. Mercedes has been Daimler for ages. So in a nutshell, Jeep is like the red-headed step brother to Mercedes.
Technically, they are owned by the same company, but, thats as far as it gets. If you see headlight wipers on his rubicon, they weren't from the factory...lol
i have a friend that has a jeep rubicon and he is bragging that the jeep is made by mercedes benz is it or any part of it made by them?Please help this guy is driving me nuts.