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 Jeep 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.
2 Important Steps:
I like to help people find unique ways to do things in order to save time & money — so I write about “outside the box” ideas that most wouldn’t think of. As a lifelong dog owner, I often share my best tips for living with and training dogs. I worked in Higher Ed over 10 years before switching gears to pursue activities that I’m truly passionate about. I’ve worked at a vet, in a photo lab, and at a zoo — to name a few. I enjoy the outdoors via bicycle, motorcycle, Jeep, or RV. You can always find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
