Drive-thru Carwash with Sunrider

[Billyj7175]

Hello,
I was looking for some feedback on those folks who run with the Sunrider top.
I like a clean vehicle and I have a monthly, unlimited plan at a local drive thru carwash that I typically run through once a week. I like the idea of being able to just flip the top up and down rather quickly, but I have concerns on whether it would survive repeated trips through the carwash.

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[MPMB]

I would not take it through the car wash. It's very good at water resistance, but it's not water proof. We had 3" of wet Yellowstone snow on ours, and as the truck was warming up, the bottom of the snow melted and dripped through.

If you were to take it thru the carwash, I would apply a water proof spray on it every few months.

Worse case is it doesn't hold up and you buy a new top every 2 years or so.

 

[Gregj]

You will be fine with the car wash, I had one before we got the Sky One Touch and it went through the car wash weekly with no problems.
Gregj

 

[Alfonz]

My sunrider did great, it was having the doors off that caused all my problems.

 

[Billyj7175]

My sunrider did great, it was having the doors off that caused all my problems.

I'm new here...what problems were you having regarding the doors?

 

[MPMB]

I'm new here...what problems were you having regarding the doors?

I think you need to up your morning caffeine intake.

 

[Erievon]

Is this a brush wash or a touchless pressure wash? Neither are particularly great for it, but I'd not want to take any soft top, even the little sunrider through a brush wash, that abrasion can't be good for the fabric.

Touchless wash, ehhh. It will very likely leak around the gutters/door frame but overall it's not too terrible for it. The reason it will leak is because that seal is designed to keep out rain, not a high pressure spray. It's designed to channel water to the side gutters and run off. The chemicals may over a long period of time degrade the fabric, but if you keep up with a fabric protector application every once in a while, should be ok.

 

[BourbonRunner]

My sunrider did great, it was having the doors off that caused all my problems.

Look at it like this: You managed to get your Jeep washed, do your laundry AND take a shower all at the same time. That's efficiency in action!

You see a problem, I see a solution.

 

[Alfonz]

I'm new here...what problems were you having regarding the doors?

In all seriousness, during the summer when I have the sunrider on, I use the brush wash and had no problems, except for a small leak on the passenger side one time, but that was because the window was not ALL the way up.. But i used once a month or every 2 months. When it got cold, I put my freedom panels back on.

 

[Charles 236]

My sunrider has been through the drive through car wash many times. No problems so far.

 

[KidBobot]

The Sunrider should/will hold up.
But ? that ppl use the drive-thru car washes regularly for their rides...

 

[Zero_Accel]

The Sunrider should/will hold up.
But ? that ppl use the drive-thru car washes regularly for their rides...

I'm very guilty of using the drive-thru washes on my Jeep.

BUT.... I bought mine used and the paint already had drive through swirl marks from auto washes from the first owner in Minnesota. The desert pinstripes that I've added from the mesquite tree's that populate our southwest desert trails have NOT helped.

So I run it through the automatic wash. I do ceramic coat it afterwards, if anything, the paint should resist fading.

 

[JRobes]

Touchless wash, ehhh. It will very likely leak around the gutters/door frame but overall it's not too terrible for it. The reason it will leak is because that seal is designed to keep out rain, not a high pressure spray. It's designed to channel water to the side gutters and run off.

I've taken mine through touch less washes a few times with the Sunrider on, and it does sometimes leak a bit of water along the sides of the Sunrider since it just snaps into a channel when closed, and that channel isn't waterproof. It's very minor though and depends if the carwash sprayers are angled just right.

TLDR: yes leaks a bit sometimes, but not enough for me to knock the product.

 

[Erievon]

TLDR: yes leaks a bit sometimes, but not enough for me to knock the product.

Agree 100%. Not a knock on it, I understand exactly why and I'm ok with that. I don't have a sunrider, but I do have the soft top on Wifey's JL and it does the same. Just don't want anyone surprised or alarmed by it.

 

[Lunentucker]

I have done it a few times. Zero issues.

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