Sunrider owners - MY mess-up, or theirs?

[rle737ng]

That Mojito is beautiful though.

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[Mad Jasper]

Be honest, blunt if necessary. It was a heck of a struggle and my back is killing me, and holding bolts to get them started - NOT fun, took longer than it should have (unboxing to full install, 1 hour, should have been half of that)

I have been all over my "processes", the "instructions" and thought and thought and thought, but I can't see any other possible way that the Jeep's own seal and weatherstripping (esp. that corner seal) can go.

The door pretty much rubs the sunrider on the passenger side. closing the door shoves the rubber seal in and the top of the door is hard against the sunrider. If it wasn't for that other seal there, it would likely take paint it's a hard fit.
The left is really tight, too - but not as tight.
You can see the sunrider shoves the Jeep's own seal downward. On the right, closing the door shoves the seal in and bends it inside. There's zero - 0 - clearance for that seal. I have to hold the seal, slowly close the door until it's amost latched, then give the door a shove to get it closed without shoving that seal to the inside.

I think the thing rides way too low on the roll cage (as I call it)
But any higher - it would leak at the windshield?
It also had a horrible BOW. I had a hell of a time getting the back down to get that rear clamp installed. I had to stand on my power steps and hold down really hard with one hand on the top and then use that clamp to wedge and pull down the rear of the sunrider. There's a crazy amount of tension on the thing.
I seriously thought the clamp back there was going to break. Before I clamped it, there was a gap big enough to put my hand through.
If it's this bad of a deal - it's coming off and getting shoved in a corner.
No way I'm going to struggle to get the rear back in place again next time, and the way it is now,
I'm seriously considering getting help and yanking the thing back off anyway - I don't want the paint on the doors damaged, or the Jeep's door seals messed up and this is really screwing with them.

anyone else have this? Did I mess up?

anyone else have a HUGE gap at the back where it almost took two people to shove the top down and get that rear clamp in place? Yeah, it was bowed a couple of inches upward and that's before I even bolted the sides in place! It was seriously bowed JUST SITTING THERE!

In short, I"m not happy with the fit or quality - and that rear bow, wow, how does anyone else get that rear clamped in place?
Do your door top edges actually touch the sunrider?
Does it shove your Jeep seals down and distort them badly?

Right door would likely rub if not for that bit of rubber there - I had to hold that in place while closing the door otherwise the sunrider forces that seal down so hard, the door catches it.

Sunrider shoves the factory seal down so far the door hits it and shoves it inward.

Because the sunrider shoves the seal down the door catches it and pushes it in, instead of being where it should be, deforming and distorting the seal.

See how it shoves that factory seal down?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Do your door top edges actually touch the sunrider?
Does it shove your Jeep seals down and distort them badly?

Almost touch. The top of the right door really pinches hard on one part of the rubber. Much movement and it would wear paint, or start touching.
It pushes the seal on the right more than the left - on the right, it pushes it down enough the door hits the seal and shoves it in, folding it in the process. Will eventually cause the seal to crack and fail, or distort it so bad if the top were removed, it wouldn't go back to shape.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Yeah, they made major changes to the seals in I believe the 2022 model year. Maybe even more with this 2025 - I've not really compared. But I know my 2020 was quite different from later ones.


Maybe I need @Bestop to take a look.
If there's not a simple solution, it's coming back off when I can get some help as it's really screwing with the Jeep factory seals and the bow at the rear was just crazy.

Yeah. That’s not right. Call bestop. It takes almost zero pressure to install the rear bracket. And painted door edges have never been close enough for concern.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I’ll take some pictures if you’d like when I get home.

 

[rhaney02]

Yeah. That’s not right. Call bestop. It takes almost zero pressure to install the rear bracket. And painted door edges have never been close enough for concern.

Since it was supplied by MOPAR, I would suggest seeing what the dealer says first.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I’ll take some pictures if you’d like when I get home.

Yea, please.

Since it was supplied by MOPAR, I would suggest seeing what the dealer says first.

Charles (a dealer tech) suggested that as well.

It may take both them and Bestop working together, but yes, it came with the truck as a MOPAR accessory, so - it's their baby first, I suppose. I assume they'd warrant it if there was anything necessary in that area.

I like it well enough (save for the fitment at the front, especially right)

 

[heretic]

Well just for S&G I checked the best top web site and it looks like this top is a one size fits all deal.
The SKU is shared among the JT's and JK's (SKU: 5245417) So if what some suspect is true about the change in weather strip configuration then things get a little fuzzy. Mine a 24 definitely had fitment issues. The rear needed an additional weather strip to stop Niagara Falls from entering the cabin. Also grinding of the front rail to accommodate the flap relief. Both easy fixes but should not be necessary. After the "fixes" the top works GREAT and I would really miss it if I had to go back to the hard tops. So I hope something good comes from the thread so others don't have the same issues.
Best top should at least address this maybe here but who know...just my 2 cents

 

[WILDHOBO]

Well just for S&G I checked the best top web site and it looks like this top is a one size fits all deal.
The SKU is shared among the JT's and JK's (SKU: 5245417) So if what some suspect is true about the change in weather strip configuration then things get a little fuzzy. Mine a 24 definitely had fitment issues. The rear needed an additional weather strip to stop Niagara Falls from entering the cabin. Also grinding of the front rail to accommodate the flap relief. Both easy fixes but should not be necessary. After the "fixes" the top works GREAT and I would really miss it if I had to go back to the hard tops. So I hope something good comes from the thread so others don't have the same issues.
Best top should at least address this maybe here but who know...just my 2 cents

Definitely not the same sunrider for JK. different roof panels.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Yea, please.



Charles (a dealer tech) suggested that as well.

It may take both them and Bestop working together, but yes, it came with the truck as a MOPAR accessory, so - it's their baby first, I suppose. I assume they'd warrant it if there was anything necessary in that area.

I like it well enough (save for the fitment at the front, especially right)

I’m home. Going to take pictures now.

 

[heretic]

oops yes I ment JL's your right!

 

[WILDHOBO]

Yea, please.



Charles (a dealer tech) suggested that as well.

It may take both them and Bestop working together, but yes, it came with the truck as a MOPAR accessory, so - it's their baby first, I suppose. I assume they'd warrant it if there was anything necessary in that area.

I like it well enough (save for the fitment at the front, especially right)

I just exited you a pile of pictures of both sides, closed and open. The front clamps were not secured, so ignore the slight fabric slack. Just resting shut. Pretty close to door edge in only one spot, but that appears to be by design and is accounted for with this rubber piece attached to the door seals. It prevents paint contact.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Many of the pics here and in a couple of other threads on the sunrider, show the "drip rail" of the sunrider following along the top of the door pretty evenly, about like the freedom panels do.
Mine start up high at the rear and it's a very obvious drop as it goes forward. (that and pushing those seals......... doesn't seem right)

I tried to hit their torque number - 8.8 ft./lbs is 105 inch pounds - I was afraid of crushing something and quit before the wrench clicked as it just kept going and going and going and didn't feel like it was ever going to get "solid".

Will deal with it more tomorrow, I guess.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Many of the pics here and in a couple of other threads on the sunrider, show the "drip rail" of the sunrider following along the top of the door pretty evenly, about like the freedom panels do.
Mine start up high at the rear and it's a very obvious drop as it goes forward. (that and pushing those seals......... doesn't seem right)

I tried to hit their torque number - 8.8 ft./lbs is 105 inch pounds - I was afraid of crushing something and quit before the wrench clicked as it just kept going and going and going and didn't feel like it was ever going to get "solid".

Will deal with it more tomorrow, I guess.

I wouldn’t mess with torque wrenches on these. I’ve installed and removed mine probably 6 times. The good n tight method applies here.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Many of the pics here and in a couple of other threads on the sunrider, show the "drip rail" of the sunrider following along the top of the door pretty evenly, about like the freedom panels do.
Mine start up high at the rear and it's a very obvious drop as it goes forward. (that and pushing those seals......... doesn't seem right)

I tried to hit their torque number - 8.8 ft./lbs is 105 inch pounds - I was afraid of crushing something and quit before the wrench clicked as it just kept going and going and going and didn't feel like it was ever going to get "solid".

Will deal with it more tomorrow, I guess.

I wouldn’t mess with torque wrenches on these. I’ve installed and removed mine probably 6 times. The good n tight method applies here.

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