Sunrider owners - MY mess-up, or theirs?

[JT1]

IMO, Jeep still owns the problem. I'm seeing if I have the warranty info on accessories.

@ShadowsPapa, I think I'd cut bait and sell that sunrider to someone that can use it and buy a premium soft top out of the classifieds...

Should be pretty close to a break even, and then you have a solution that you can actually use.

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[brsnow2585]

I got my sunrider from bestop, when I have the back shell on it lines up smooth with the roof line. Your pictures show maybe a pinky width difference between your front and back top. Also, the drip rails on mine line up a lot better with the hardtop than what you got.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I got my sunrider from bestop, when I have the back shell on it lines up smooth with the roof line. Your pictures show maybe a pinky width difference between your front and back top. Also, the drip rails on mine line up a lot better with the hardtop than what you got.

These pictures are of the THIRD top tried. Fit was actually a bit worse according to the shop. Not only did the rails not line up correctly but the front edge stuck up.

Hard to imagine 3 tops not fitting correctly.
If you look back at the first pages, the drip rail of the sunrider was all but sitting on the top of the door on the right and started cutting the seal.

@ShadowsPapa, I think I'd cut bait and sell that sunrider to someone that can use it and buy a premium soft top out of the classifieds...

Should be pretty close to a break even, and then you have a solution that you can actually use.

Sorry, no way in hell I want a soft top. Not on a 25. These are infinitely more quiet than 23 and prior model years, and the heat from black is killer. (The heat from a sunrider is bad enough. Looking forward to FALL)
There's a problem here - and Jeep needs to make it right.

 

[D_JT]

Sorry, no way in hell I want a soft top. Not on a 25. These are infinitely more quiet than 23 and prior model years, and the heat from black is killer. (The heat from a sunrider is bad enough. Looking forward to FALL)
There's a problem here - and Jeep needs to make it right.

I put a mopar twill soft top on my '23 just a few months ago. Its just as quiet as the hard top. Mine being a diesel has more sound deadening than a gas. Not sure has it compares to a '25? I assume the sound deadening would be the same. As for heat? Even in 100+ degree temps here in the New Mexico desert, Its been surprisingly cool. I absolutely love the mopar soft top.

But its weird you are having issues with the sunrider. I bought one used off Facebook for my wifes JL and its been flawless.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I put a mopar twill soft top on my '23 just a few months ago. Its just as quiet as the hard top. Mine being a diesel has more sound deadening than a gas. Not sure has it compares to a '25? I assume the sound deadening would be the same. As for heat? Even in 100+ degree temps here in the New Mexico desert, Its been surprisingly cool. I absolutely love the mopar soft top.

But its weird you are having issues with the sunrider. I bought one used off Facebook for my wifes JL and its been flawless.

The sound levels inside a 2023 and a 2025 are night and day.
The 2025 is totally quieter. They spent a lot of effort to quiet inside the cabin.
This is my 3rd JT and Jeep absolutely nailed it on the sound deadening. I've noticed I don't have to have the radio up nearly as loud, and you just don't notice wind noise any more. It has to be a pretty windy day to hear it.

We've both noticed how hard the AC has to work with the black top vs. the panels on a high UV and temperature day. I've even done comparisons on the same day - remove panels and then put on the sunrider and right away, the heat inside is very different. But it makes difference, it's a scientific fact that black not only absorbs a lot more heat, it also radiates it. So on top it's absorbing everything and inside it's radiating it into the interior.
I suspect part of it is the UV - with the sun being directly overhead here it's' a more direct route to the surface than if you were farther south where the sun actually has to cut through more atmosphere to reach the surface. We get high UV warnings a lot. That should settle down now that the sun is not longer directly overhead at noon and is instead south of us.
One reason we don't buy black vehicles or a vehicle with a black roof - the heat difference (as shown on myth busters as well)

Once this is resolved, I will definitely be getting the hotheads headliner for sunrider.
My JTs have been our daily drivers, so little differences stick out a lot.

 

[brsnow2585]

I have a diesel too, but I don't notice a whole lot of difference in the noise level, unless I'm passing or getting passed by a semi, that's when the top likes to buffet around. Maybe I'm not paying close attention to the noise level. That is odd that you've had 3 that don't fit right. I took my sweet time the first time I put mine on, kept all the screws loose initially, closed myself in to finish it up. It took a little wiggling to get everything right, it sounds like you got in a production run that was way off specs. Sorry your having problems, the sunrider is in my top 2 things I did to my Jeep. I'd get in touch with best top support and ask them some questions. I had two options for material, the higher end one was supposed to be more rugged and insulated better

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have a diesel too, but I don't notice a whole lot of difference in the noise level, unless I'm passing or getting passed by a semi, that's when the top likes to buffet around. Maybe I'm not paying close attention to the noise level. That is odd that you've had 3 that don't fit right. I took my sweet time the first time I put mine on, kept all the screws loose initially, closed myself in to finish it up. It took a little wiggling to get everything right, it sounds like you got in a production run that was way off specs. Sorry your having problems, the sunrider is in my top 2 things I did to my Jeep. I'd get in touch with best top support and ask them some questions. I had two options for material, the higher end one was supposed to be more rugged and insulated better

Three tops, three very different dates of manufacture for the tops (the last one being from at least some years back).
It's not an installation issue - these are idiot-proof as far as installation. Set in place, make sure it's seated correctly, and if the bolts go in with no resistance, and screw in with fingers - it's good. If the clamp goes on the rear, it's good.
This has been going on since June. My top has been off and on now at least 6 times. Different people at the dealership have tried 2 different tops - bad results.
Bestop has been working on the issue (but you have to read back a few pages to see what they've done so far)
In other words - everything has been covered............

 

[brsnow2585]

That sucks, sorry to hear. You're right, the installation is stupid proof, the clamps on the roll cage and the back wedge....... You'd have to actively be trying to screw that up. It's sounding like your Jeep might be out of specs if they can't get multiple tops to fit on a single Jeep

 

[DanJT]

Yikes! Service advisor just sent out pictures of the NOS (new old stock) sunrider they found and the fit is far WORSE. In fact, the right front edge sticks up while the side rail gap above the door disappears going forward and the left side looks like the rear end of the rail is sticking way above the roof rail. The right side also doesn't seem to fit well at the rear. It's worse than the one my JT came with.

sorry you are going through this elevator of trails SP.. hope you can get tis resolved soon.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Makes you wonder if you're the only guy with a jeep branded Sunrider.

It's not the Jeep brand only. If you look back over the thread I post pics of Bestop brand sunriders that do about the same.
So I've proven it's not just mine or the Jeep brand.

Mine is being used as a test case as it's among the worst, but I've found record of Wrangler owners showing the same situation. In one case the owner GROUND the sunrider rails to make it work.

Anyway, bottom line - we need to ignore the tag/brand on them - it happens with both.

 

[Trollboogie]

It's not the Jeep brand only. If you look back over the thread I post pics of Bestop brand sunriders that do about the same.
So I've proven it's not just mine or the Jeep brand.

Mine is being used as a test case as it's among the worst, but I've found record of Wrangler owners showing the same situation. In one case the owner GROUND the sunrider rails to make it work.

Anyway, bottom line - we need to ignore the tag/brand on them - it happens with both.

Yeah that's true. I wonder how much tolerance is allowed in the cage. Being that the Sunrider mounts to the cage but the freedom panels sit on the windshield frame and the front on the hardtop. Yes, I realize the there is a bolt on the front of the hardtop to the roll cage on each side. But the top is sitting on the cab not the roll cage. If your windshield frame is in the correct place the freedom panel spacing won't be affected. If the cage is too low then you get your problem.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yeah that's true. I wonder how much tolerance is allowed in the cage. Being that the Sunrider mounts to the cage but the freedom panels sit on the windshield frame and the front on the hardtop. Yes, I realize the there is a bolt on the front of the hardtop to the roll cage on each side. But the top is sitting on the cab not the roll cage. If your windshield frame is in the correct place the freedom panel spacing won't be affected. If the cage is too low then you get your problem.

That's sort of what I'm wondering - even though the measurements of mine mirror what the measurements of my wife's 2023 JLU are.

The panels are a perfect fit.
Nothing leaks, and NO wind noise, it's very quiet. Doors fit and seal great.
The hard top sits perfectly fine. Windshield frame sits fine.

But 3 sunriders?
The oddity is also that each of the 3 seemed to fit differently.
But the worst is almost always the right front corner.
The last one sat really weird at the rear.

 

[Trollboogie]

That's sort of what I'm wondering - even though the measurements of mine mirror what the measurements of my wife's 2023 JLU are.

The panels are a perfect fit.
Nothing leaks, and NO wind noise, it's very quiet. Doors fit and seal great.
The hard top sits perfectly fine. Windshield frame sits fine.

But 3 sunriders?
The oddity is also that each of the 3 seemed to fit differently.
But the worst is almost always the right front corner.
The last one sat really weird at the rear.

That's is what is strange about mine. I bought it new for my 2021 JT and it worked great no leaks no wind noise. Put it on my 2024 and it has wind noise. No leaks, but if out did the water would just run out the drain and I wouldn't know. So works on one JT but not the other.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

@Bestop - it's WORSE than the dealership let on!! And worse yet, they left this really nasty one on my truck instead of putting the original back on with your test parts.

@JeepCares - you'd better be letting the dealership know this is ON THEM and you should contact them to make this right and make sure they still have my original. No delays crap. If they no longer have my top - GET IT.

There's more to this story.. I don't know why I didn't catch this instantly, but instead of putting mine back on - they let the third one - the worst of them all on my truck.
So I'll be going back to the dealership on Monday insisting they put my original back on it, and if they don't have it - they WILL find and put it back on.
For one thing - this one LEAKS LIKE A SEEVE and has horrible wind noise. You can easily slip folded paper through the right front area between the top and the windshield. In fact it doesn't even rest on the windshield seal AT ALL on the front front corner.
And now the left side rides on the top of the left door - cutting the left door seal.
They kept my top and kept the test/experimental mounting pads that Bestop sent to me as well! They kept the mounts, shims and bolts.
Now I'm not only having to battle Jeep, but Bestop and the dealership!

Left side rides the door, cutting the seal more than it was already.

I had the left side of the other one sitting pretty good, really - with the Bestop experimental/test mounting pieces - but not any more with this one -

Rail rides a little low as seen here below - and yet there's literally a GAP between the sunrider and the windshield seal - a gap you can slide things through, paper, coins, whatever, and IT LEAKS WATER! (rain)

The front of the left rail rides the door

I slid this in easily - and folded a piece of paper and slipped it right in with NO resistance (above and below pics)

 

[rhaney02]

That's is what is strange about mine. I bought it new for my 2021 JT and it worked great no leaks no wind noise. Put it on my 2024 and it has wind noise. No leaks, but if out did the water would just run out the drain and I wouldn't know. So works on one JT but not the other.

I definitely think he has an issue with his JT, not the assembly with the THREE different Sunrider tops that have been tried on his Jeep.

I wonder if these THREE different tops have been tried on other JTs. or JLs. There's something else going on with the assembly of his Jeep.

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