premium soft top noise

[whiteglad]

My soft top was very noisy, with the front panel vibrating from the wind plus speed (75 mph) about 6-8 months ago on a trip. It is usually quiet with little wind noise, but has been giving more wind whistle on the highway lately. On a recent trip, the noise, drumming, vibration at 70+ mph got severe in the windy conditions on a Nevada highway that conversation or listening to the radio was impossible. This went on for at least 50 miles.

My dealer would like to help but the noise does not happen under their test drive conditions--not much wind and very little highway driving.

Jeep Cares set up a case for that plus the steering box. The dealer replaced the box immediately with no difficulty. The Jeep Cares case manager said I would have to start a new case for the soft top, which I have done.

I found two threads on the soft top noise issue:
Premium Soft Top Replacement (not a recall per se) | Page 2 | Jeep Gladiator Forum - JeepGladiatorForum.com

and
Premium Soft Top Noise | Jeep Gladiator Forum - JeepGladiatorForum.com

My request for feedback and comments is this--who has had this Star case repair (replacement of the top) performed, how hard was it to get Mopar to approve the repair, and what was the outcome on your Gladiator?

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[iadslgladiator]

I had this problem and honestly the dealer was never able to resolve the problem. I ended up trading my jt in on one with a hard top so I didn't have to deal with it anymore. it started as an occasional mild hum but developed into an obnoxious violent vibration.

There is a service bulletin out on this problem and the dealer should not have any trouble replicating the problem. Mine would do it pretty consistently at 65ish and if there was a headwind it would do it at about 45mph.

Mine sat at the dealer for several weeks while they replaced parts and more parts and I think they eventually tried replacing everything but after their last attempt and the problem still persisted and I just gave up.

I've been a jeeper my whole life so I don't have high expectations of "creature comforts" in a jeep, however a top that vibrates so bad you can't hear anything else and shakes the windshield and rear view mirror so bad you can't see anything out of it is a safety hazard.

I hope they get yours fixed but I really doubt they can.
I think its really a complex design/ physics problem that can't be fixed by replacing parts.

 

[olegs]

Out of curiosity.
Is this with the windows up, down, certain position, or always?

 

[whiteglad]

Usually have windows up, but lowering them doesn't help.

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