How to Prolong The Life of Your Plastic Jeep Windows

Written by Lynnette on April 14, 2006 | Comments (1)

When you buy a Jeep with a soft top, you have one more thing to add to your regular maintenance schedule:

Cleaning & protecting your soft top and windows

How often?

Any time you can visibly see dirt accumulated on your vinyl windows, you should wash them.

It is important to take every precaution to protect your soft top and vinyl/plastic windows -- if you want them to last a long time without cracking, scratching, fading, yellowing, or fogging.

Think of it this way:
Vinyl is a man-made material with natural oils in it. That's what keeps your windows supple and quite flexible. Once the natural oils dry out, the vinyl goes downhill quickly and begins to fade and crack. Scratches are usually the first sign of aged plastic or vinyl Jeep windows. Next comes fogging and/or yellowing. Then cracking.

You see, the sun's ultraviolet rays (UV rays) are your soft top's worst enemy. Longterm exposure to UV causes the polymers in the window to break down and appear cloudy. Without a protectant, your windows will noticeably begin to fog or turn yellow. Using a UV protectant religiously and generously will significantly extend the life of your soft top and vinyl windows.

It is important to use products made SPECIFICALLY for soft tops and vinyl or plastic windows. Other products (while often cheaper), contain harsh detergents and chemicals that will fog or discolor the windows. And, over time, common household cleaning & polishing products will strip the natural oils, harden, and ultimately crack your Jeep's soft top and windows.

For that reason, you'll want to use the following steps for cleaning and protecting your Jeep soft top and Jeep windows.

Tomorrow's posts...
Part 2: How To Clean Jeep Windows & Which Products To Use
Part 3: How To Protect Jeep Windows & Which Products Work Best