Bestop and Jeep have totally dropped my case. BEWARE

[ShadowsPapa]

You know what Billy?…you seem to be a very angry young guy. You attack people who refuse to conform with the narrative that you want, in order to try to dominate the conversation.
You use “many”, “hundreds”, and “thousands” of supposed Sunrider failures, yet you provide no evidence/support.
I could claim that there are many…hundreds…thousands of satisfied Bestop customers - but I have no quantifiable evidence. But I’m willing to bet you there are MANY more satisfied customers out there than there are upset customers like you.
For me… I have two Sunriders (bought in 2021 and 2024) and I have now used them interchangeably on a ‘21 Gladiator Overland, a ‘24 Wrangler Sport S, and now, a ‘25 Gladiator Mojave. I have close to 100,000 miles of driving, including a recent 8,000 mile cross-country trip with the Sunriders - I have been through terrible rain storms, snow, wind storms on the plains, and high-pressure car washes - I have never had a drop of water leakage and/or wind leaks. And unlike you - I only speak for myself - I don’t presume to speak for others.
I don’t think you should presume to speak for others - and I certainly take exception when you presume to speak for me. You have no basis of experience to make those claims.
I’m sorry that you’ve had a bad experience with your Mopar/Jeep Sunrider - sorry you got a warped/crooked/out of tolerance Mojave or whatever is wrong with your Jeep.
- My Bestop Sunriders have been superb - best modification I have made on all three of my Jeeps.
Speak for yourself and for what you can document with quantifiable evidence

And yet, all you do is follow and insult and name calling and never ever anything of substance or helpful.
Bestop found two just like mine - in CO close enough to their base of operations that they got them in and checked things out. Think of it - two within a few miles of them. What are the odds that there are others out there?
You also have no idea how many forums, facebook pages, posts and so on I've checked out over the months. Mine isn't a rarity.

As far as what you will accept, that's up to you. Mine was riding on the door and, the front clamps were stressing the Jeep's plastic around the panel mounting area. I showed bestop almost a quarter inch of deflection. If that's ok with you, that's your thing. Bestop agreed, it was wrong.
I've had many conversations with their engineer, who also agreed - it's a problem and mine isn't alone.

I've contacted Bestop again - to see if we can take this a different direction with some aid of their advice on how I can, myself, modify things to make it fit correctly.

Yes, they've found others, right close to them, they had them in their location, and they checked things out - it's a Jeep issue. (they have documented it quite well in other messages with me - and because I'm leaning on their side of things and seeing if we can both come back at Jeep with this - I'm not going to hammer Bestop from here. I was shocked to find out how much effort they've spent on trying to resolve this issue. Wow.

As far as the sunrider product - I think it's genius. It's a good piece of engineering, but they seem, after more conversations with them today, to be shooting at a moving target with Jeep lately.

I really want it to work. It's so easy to install, to operate, I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the hotheads liner for it. That's how much I know I'd like it and want it to work.
But, Jeep made it really difficult, and Bestop has even said - there's others out there, and were using my input to find solutions and used others to help find solutions to mine. So, no, it's not a one-off thing.

I've proposed a couple of things to them today - and I'll pay shipping if my ideas for some parts work out.

It's just too bad that all of the work and effort was needed to prove - even though the dealership AND Jeep say "it's not a Jeep issue", yeah, it is.

BTW - mine never leaked, torrential rains and car washes - even with the fit issues. Amazing - I washed the bugs off the top of the windshield frame and the leading edge of the sunrider - NOT a drop inside, not along the edges, the front or the rear.

I'm 100% convinced Jeep owns this issue.
(as is Bestop)

(It's a given there are more satisfied customers, but there may be a growing number of issues, so keep eyes open. I still glean all of the forums and facebook pages to gather more info)

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[ShadowsPapa]

Your case is definitely with Jeep. Btw, the advice that I gave you was after I asked a lawyer at the girlfriend’s firm who has dealt with GA lemon law cases. He’s not a lemon law attorney, nor licensed in IA, but he’s dealt with some cases and who pressed that you need to pursue the safety angle, if it is indeed a rollbar issue, and he seconded that it’s definitely not a dealer accessory if on the monroney label and that’s a foolish stance on their part. This is all obviously unofficial advice. FYI. FWIW.

I've had some other conversation with Bestop - yeah, it's a Jeep thing.
I've made a proposal to them, and am seeing if I can have them make me another part or two (I'll do the work) to see if this can be made to fit properly.

The good thing - we got half-way there. And - it never leaked. With the seals out where they should be, I was also noting rain followed exactly as it should, nothing dripped inside, and it withstood some heavy car washing with the wand aimed at the front edge - no leaks.

With the info I now have from Bestop - I'll be following the path with Jeep, next.

 

[NC_Overland]

I've had some other conversation with Bestop - yeah, it's a Jeep thing.
I've made a proposal to them, and am seeing if I can have them make me another part or two (I'll do the work) to see if this can be made to fit properly.

The good thing - we got half-way there. And - it never leaked. With the seals out where they should be, I was also noting rain followed exactly as it should, nothing dripped inside, and it withstood some heavy car washing with the wand aimed at the front edge - no leaks.

With the info I now have from Bestop - I'll be following the path with Jeep, next.

Good. As you should.

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

And unlike you - I only speak for myself - I don’t presume to speak for others.
I don’t think you should presume to speak for others - and I certainly take exception when you presume to speak for me. You have no basis of experience to make those claims.

Yes, but...

sorry you got a warped/crooked/out of tolerance Mojave or whatever is wrong with your Jeep.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Bestop had things twisted around. I thought maybe, ok, they are done on their part.
Then I dug through my emails.
Their sequence of events is twisted and wrong and I have email, documented proof.
They sent me a different top to try - it was modified to compensate for the Jeep issues.
I tried it on, it was horrible. The front sat so high I could see light between it and the front seal, further, it was not possible to latch it without getting out and pressing down really hard on the front, then latching was a real effort. You could not unlatch it without taking the bolts out of the sides because the latch wouldn't let loose completely with all of the pressure.

They said that they used the Colorado Jeeps to help resolve my issue - when in fact, they used my issue to resolve the Colorado Jeeps.

I told them how the top they sent me was much much worse, They responded "perplexed" it would take some time to think and they'd get back to me.
NEVER HAPPENED.
Next thing I know they sent similar tops to Colorado to help 2 Jeeps out there.
I never heard back on that either although I was told I'd hear how that went.

So twice, Bestop dropped the ball.

Tavis	Sep 2, 2025, 3:21 PM
to me, Crystal

Hi Bill,

I truly appreciate the assistance you’ve been providing us. That said, I’m still quite perplexed by the behavior of the top. This is something I need to reflect on further, and I want to reassure you that I haven’t forgotten about it. In fact, I even placed the returned top onto one of our JLs here in Michigan, and it looks good.
I completely share your frustration. Please allow me some time to think this through, and I’ll be sure to reach out to you again soon.

Best regards
Tavis Lutzka

Tavis,

I'm more confused than ever after trying the top this AM.

Sat it on with no shims at first - hmmm, sits way too deep at the front corners. I expected that.
So I used two 1/8" shims on each side, set it in place, looking good, left side maybe a bit TOO high, but let's see. At that point, it was not bolted down, just sitting there.
So I figured it was sitting better along the front edge of the doors and the door seals, let's put the bolts in and snug them.......
As I did, the front corners RAISED UP! Not only that, but the entire front edge raised way up. I could see light from the inside out to the garage lights.

I tried to latch it before putting in the bolts, after shimming and setting it in place just by hand. Once I got the bolts in, it wasn't possible to unlatch it without getting out and pressing down really hard on the front edge. One time, I had to remove the front bolts to get the clamps relaxed enough to be able to slip the hook part back down.

Removed the bolts, hand settled the thing in place - looked not too bad. Front edge was a little bit high maybe. Bolts back in, front raised way up again. So much, I was not able to clamp those two front clamps. And you could see between the Jeep's seals and the front of the sunrider.
So I took a shim out of the left side, and tried it with just one. I figured if it was going to lift when bolted in place, it might be ok.
It didn't matter what I did, no shims it was sitting way too low although putting the bolts in did lift it some, but the front clamps were difficult to use.
It was if there was some angle to the mounting points that was forcing a twist on the rails that raised them up - but it also forced up the front edge and it wasn't possible to clamp it without really pushing down hard and using both hands. Even then, once I did get one clamp set, I had to unbolt it and relax tension to be able to unhook the clamp.

Bill
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Bill	Sep 2, 2025, 5:45 PM
to Tavis, Crystal

I have an open stall in my shop now so can deal with things even if it's really cold outside and so on. It's more climate controlled. (and far better lighting than my garage)
Bill

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My attorney says
"Bill, I suggest you sue both the dealer and the manufacturer in small claims court."

That was his exact response.
The problem is - the dealer is correct in that they can't do anything without Jeep's approval, so I can't see there being any fault on their end. Jeep must pay them for warranty work, and if the dealership can't do anything Jeep will pay them for, it ain't gonna happen.
I feel the dealership's hands are tied - if Jeep won't approve something, they are sort of stuck.

So far, I can't find legal proof that the items on the window sticker are actual options and not accessories - even though they are listed in the options column.
If I get an attorney to actually state that as a legal fact, then I can force Jeep to work with whoever it takes to resolve this.
I know we say it is, but that's not a legal fact, just what makes logical sense.
Jeepcares finally got back with me and I'm hoping it means they actually open a case again.

My next step if I can muster it - remove the freedom panels (dr. says no lifting over my head over the weight of a gallon of milk) and measure some areas and see if I compare that to others.
I finally got the folks at the dealership to accept that the freedom panels will fit fine because they don't rely on the side rails at all - just the front of the hard top and two spots at the top of the windshield frame area. So there's no relationship. For a while they said if freedom panels fit then all is fine. Not true.

 

[ecidiego]

If it were me I would have Jeep pay me the full MSRP of the Sunrider and call it a day.

Use Quadratec's price. =D

 

[Sweetums]

My attorney says
"Bill, I suggest you sue both the dealer and the manufacturer in small claims court."

When there's any doubt about who is liable, you sue everyone and let the court decide who has what level of culpability.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

When there's any doubt about who is liable, you sue everyone and let the court decide who has what level of culpability.

I think I've heard that before and it does make sense.

If it were me I would have Jeep pay me the full MSRP of the Sunrider and call it a day.

Use Quadratec's price. =D

I laid that out as the final of the three option in my response to Jeepcares.

 

[ecidiego]

I think I've heard that before and it does make sense.



I laid that out as the final of the three option in my response to Jeepcares.

Ask for a Mojave steering wheel too.. sorry Bill I had to...

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This is what I sent/showed/included in my response to Jeepcares and the dealership should Jeep push back again - they have contacted Jeep again to see what's up. I said - sure looks like a factory option and not an accessory as it's even in the options column.

Ask for a Mojave steering wheel too.. sorry Bill I had to...

Ya know - for kicks, I should throw that out at them, too! (but only if they include the shift paddles with it. If I'm doing the work of swapping wheels, may as well)

 

[ecidiego]

I agree... may as well go full 392!

 

[Blade1668]

There are tarps covering farm equipment that fit better than the Supertop NX on our 2006 LJ.

I was left dead in water on a replacement half-top for mine, I've passed on a replacement skin for now of full soft-top. Just keep using the heavy hardtop.

 

[sharpsicle]

And yet, all you do is follow and insult and name calling and never ever anything of substance or helpful.
Bestop found two just like mine - in CO close enough to their base of operations that they got them in and checked things out. Think of it - two within a few miles of them. What are the odds that there are others out there?
You also have no idea how many forums, facebook pages, posts and so on I've checked out over the months. Mine isn't a rarity.

As far as what you will accept, that's up to you. Mine was riding on the door and, the front clamps were stressing the Jeep's plastic around the panel mounting area. I showed bestop almost a quarter inch of deflection. If that's ok with you, that's your thing. Bestop agreed, it was wrong.
I've had many conversations with their engineer, who also agreed - it's a problem and mine isn't alone.

I've contacted Bestop again - to see if we can take this a different direction with some aid of their advice on how I can, myself, modify things to make it fit correctly.

Yes, they've found others, right close to them, they had them in their location, and they checked things out - it's a Jeep issue. (they have documented it quite well in other messages with me - and because I'm leaning on their side of things and seeing if we can both come back at Jeep with this - I'm not going to hammer Bestop from here. I was shocked to find out how much effort they've spent on trying to resolve this issue. Wow.

As far as the sunrider product - I think it's genius. It's a good piece of engineering, but they seem, after more conversations with them today, to be shooting at a moving target with Jeep lately.

I really want it to work. It's so easy to install, to operate, I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the hotheads liner for it. That's how much I know I'd like it and want it to work.
But, Jeep made it really difficult, and Bestop has even said - there's others out there, and were using my input to find solutions and used others to help find solutions to mine. So, no, it's not a one-off thing.

I've proposed a couple of things to them today - and I'll pay shipping if my ideas for some parts work out.

It's just too bad that all of the work and effort was needed to prove - even though the dealership AND Jeep say "it's not a Jeep issue", yeah, it is.

BTW - mine never leaked, torrential rains and car washes - even with the fit issues. Amazing - I washed the bugs off the top of the windshield frame and the leading edge of the sunrider - NOT a drop inside, not along the edges, the front or the rear.

I'm 100% convinced Jeep owns this issue.
(as is Bestop)

(It's a given there are more satisfied customers, but there may be a growing number of issues, so keep eyes open. I still glean all of the forums and facebook pages to gather more info)

Bill, I just want to say that I am so happy to see this. I know it’s a pain on your end, but you are searching for a solution, not just making noise.

Far too many times, we see issues where there really isn’t any desire for resolution, just a desire to go burn someone else. It’s refreshing to see somebody actually taking the problem into their own hands as much as they can, because at the end of the day it’s about getting something you like that works.

I really hope this ends up working out for you and you have a working Sunrider.

 

[LOL WUT]

What a nightmare of a customer .

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