Sunrider question for those who have one

[antihero23]

Yeah, right - I have about $1000 invested, not to mention several trips to the dealer and hours lost and STILL mine isn't right. And - they totally stopped communicating with me - totally. They ignore all messages, not a peep.
They know damned well there are others with the same issues, they even told me of 2 in CO they took to their shop and resolved. Mine? Nope. Not a peep. Their support is OK, sometimes, if the problem is simple. But once they reach a point it becomes difficult - unless you live right next to them, they drop you like a rock. Those two in CO were damned lucky - Bestop got to SEE the issues and they claim to have resolved them. In my case, the last stuff they sent MADE IT WORSE, not better.

Well that certainly sucks. Maybe we just got lucky and caught them in good moods. Our experience with Bestop has been good.

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[BVES4]

Question; where did everyone buy their Sunrider? From Bestop or Amazon? I have a 25 Gladiator and want to purchase a Sunrider

 

[JCappy]

JCappy,
I am late to the party but just installed a sunrider top on my JLU and found your post because I have the exact same issue on the drivers side. My OCD is struggling as well. Was there ever a resolution or do I just live with the slight offset? If you find this a year later, thank you.
Tmik159

Hey Tom. Long story short, NO there was never a resolution. I went round and round with them with the same reply over and over that appeared to be a generic message that was sent out. I did finally have someone respond a few times but it was weeks between messages. They kept wanting more pictures trying to find an issue with the way I installed it looking for a way out to blame me. Did you do this, did you do that, show me a pic of this or that and it turned out that everything I did for the installation was correct. It's not rocket science. They finally sent me a new sunrider and it was worse than the original. I reached out again and nothing but crickets. I kept after them until I got the attached message. I removed the top In January because we were expecting a few inches of ice on more than one occasion within a couple of days. I have it in the basement with the edge that was sticking up folded under with clothes pins holding it down. I am hoping that this may help with it sticking up when I put it back on but I am not holding my breath. I plan on putting it on in the next couple of weeks or so and I will see what happens then. Their reply below is interesting and a cop out if you ask me. I wish you the best with yours. I will give an update after I get it reinstalled.


Update for Case CASE193620 - "Sunrider"



Hello John,

Thank you for sharing the photos of your Sunrider and for giving us the opportunity to review your concerns. I discussed this with our Quality Team, and I want to provide some clarity.

What you’re noticing at the rear, where the Sunrider meets the hardtop, is a normal characteristic of how the fabric is sewn during production. This is not a defect, nor will it cause any issues with wind noise or water intrusion. It can be present across all of our Sunriders, depending on how the stitching lays once installed.

In fact, our Quality Supervisor has the same Sunrider on her 2021 JL and noted that while a similar appearance is present, it does not impact performance. She mentioned it’s not something she typically notices, as it’s only visible from higher viewing angles, such as from above.

Please rest assured, this does not affect the integrity, sealing, or functionality of your Sunrider in any way.

We appreciate your attention to detail and the care you’ve taken to evaluate your product. If you have any additional questions, or if there’s anything further we can assist with, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

 

[JCappy]

Question; where did everyone buy their Sunrider? From Bestop or Amazon? I have a 25 Gladiator and want to purchase a Sunrider

Got mine directly from Bestop.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Question; where did everyone buy their Sunrider? From Bestop or Amazon? I have a 25 Gladiator and want to purchase a Sunrider

Good luck............. my JT is a 2025 and mine doesn't fit well.
They are all made in the same place and shipped in the same boxes so the source won't really matter. And it's not a question of version or age. My several page post here shows that.

 

[BVES4]

Good luck............. my JT is a 2025 and mine doesn't fit well.
They are all made in the same place and shipped in the same boxes so the source won't really matter. And it's not a question of version or age. My several page post here shows that.

Thank you, I have been following your dilemma and didn't want to go through the hell you went through. Appreciate your time and knowledge!

 

[Dilly’S Willy]

Sounds like they're having QC issues during manufacturing. And since it doesn't leak and is purely cosmetic, they're not looking to spend more money than they have already on R&D.

My 2021 JTW doesn't have this issue at all, and I've swapped it a couple times. Granted it came with my JT when i got it in August, the above is just my educated opinion.


EDIT: Mine now DOES have this issue, at least since I put it on again last. But my door seals are leaking even worse than with the freedom tops since they replaced the door seals. Might have pinched one because it's like someone is pouring water on my arm/seat in the carwash last night.

When this shitty weather goes away I'll take it off again, or might have to in this freezing wind/rain/snow. It's THAT bad.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Not cosmetic in my case - crappy fit. Go check my multiple page dozens of posts over many months thread. It just doesn't fit right, pinches and cuts seals and more.
They even said "that's not right".
Doesn't matter whether it came with it or not, or who you bought it from. They all come from the same place.

Box has both the MOPAR and Bestop part numbers - meaning they are coming from one source and using the same box and labels regardless of where they are sold through.

 

[JCappy]

Not cosmetic in my case - crappy fit. Go check my multiple page dozens of posts over many months thread. It just doesn't fit right, pinches and cuts seals and more.
They even said "that's not right".
Doesn't matter whether it came with it or not, or who you bought it from. They all come from the same place.

Box has both the MOPAR and Bestop part numbers - meaning they are coming from one source and using the same box and labels regardless of where they are sold through.

And the bad thing is they don't give a shit if it fits right or not. It's ridiculous that they just think the customer should accept the fact that they don't fit right. They just swept my issue under the rug, case closed. I will never buy anything from them again.

 

[Dilly’S Willy]

And the bad thing is they don't give a shit if it fits right or not. It's ridiculous that they just think the customer should accept the fact that they don't fit right. They just swept my issue under the rug, case closed. I will never buy anything from them again.

This seems to be the new normal for businesses.

Bought a motorcycle that ended up having a defective engine, and they refused to honor their warranty blaming me for "not recording the entire process of changing my oil/filter and sending it to us". Idk about you, but I've NEVER used teflon tape INSIDE and engine, yet I pulled 2-3' (yes FEET) of it out of the drain plug/oil pan at the first oil change "you must have put that there!" and they banned me from sharing my experience from their social media pages even though I was polite, respectful, and still even recommended people buy their products.

Bought a Tazer on the bezos site, was heavily discounted but claimed "new". Contacted Zauto and asked if that was a legit seller (I try to support small businesses) and they instead of answering my question just linked their own stores/partners. They couldn't care less about someone not authorized selling their product without their permission, or even a counterfeit product with all their own seals and branding. They just made it seem like well if you can't buy right from us, why should we bother responding or helping.

This world is becoming more shady by the day. We need honest businesses and people to bring back what made this country great, not just another business identifying as a country.

 

[Freems]

So I bought a Sunrider a while back and installed it at the end of May. It seems to work properly and does not leak at this point. The problem I have is the back of the Sunrider does not sit flat with the area in which it butts up to the top of the truck on the drivers side. The passenger side is flush. I have sent multiple emails with pics to @Bestop with no solution. In fact it takes days to weeks for them to respond. They keep sending generic emails about calling but when you call they just have a message stating they are not taking calls at this time. Terrible service. In one email they stated that the pinch markings on the cable end need to be facing outward as it was turned over and they thought that was the issue. I took the top off and simply flipped that over which I knew would not make a difference. The cable is not twisted so that's not an issue. I have taken the top off multiple times making sure it was installed properly with the same results. In the last email they said they would forward this to their quality team which was 10 days ago and I have not heard back from them. Has anyone ever had an issue like this? If you look at the pic taken from the rear of the truck, you cam clearly see that the drivers side sits up higher than the passenger side. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks

John, on this roof top (your first picture ) look at the third roof top raised rib on the drivers side. it appears to be the start point of the unwanted raise. Is it possible that the under lying support structure for the Sunrider at that point took a hit or is damaged? Almost appears to be tweaked at that point like something crushed it out of it original shape. Might be worth removing it and put a straight edge on all of the structural component to see if anything has been tweaked?

 

[JCappy]

John, on this roof top (your first picture ) look at the third roof top raised rib on the drivers side. it appears to be the start point of the unwanted raise. Is it possible that the under lying support structure for the Sunrider at that point took a hit or is damaged? Almost appears to be tweaked at that point like something crushed it out of it original shape. Might be worth removing it and put a straight edge on all of the structural component to see if anything has been tweaked?

Yea I thought the same thing. I have removed it three times and double checked it. I did put a straight edge on it as well. Everything seems right except the material wants to pull in that area and that is what's pulling that edge up. I have it off right now with clothes pins pulling that area under and holding it for 1 months so I will see if that helps when I put it back on in a week or two. Appreciate the input and I may need to look at it one more time before putting it back on.

 

[JCappy]

This seems to be the new normal for businesses.

Bought a motorcycle that ended up having a defective engine, and they refused to honor their warranty blaming me for "not recording the entire process of changing my oil/filter and sending it to us". Idk about you, but I've NEVER used teflon tape INSIDE and engine, yet I pulled 2-3' (yes FEET) of it out of the drain plug/oil pan at the first oil change "you must have put that there!" and they banned me from sharing my experience from their social media pages even though I was polite, respectful, and still even recommended people buy their products.

Bought a Tazer on the bezos site, was heavily discounted but claimed "new". Contacted Zauto and asked if that was a legit seller (I try to support small businesses) and they instead of answering my question just linked their own stores/partners. They couldn't care less about someone not authorized selling their product without their permission, or even a counterfeit product with all their own seals and branding. They just made it seem like well if you can't buy right from us, why should we bother responding or helping.

This world is becoming more shady by the day. We need honest businesses and people to bring back what made this country great, not just another business identifying as a country.

Well said about businesses today. Sorry about your issue with the motorcycle but that definitely sounds like a factory issue. It's crazy how they want you to buy their product but don't want to stand behind it.

 

[Freems]

Yea I thought the same thing. I have removed it three times and double checked it. I did put a straight edge on it as well. Everything seems right except the material wants to pull in that area and that is what's pulling that edge up. I have it off right now with clothes pins pulling that area under and holding it for 1 months so I will see if that helps when I put it back on in a week or two. Appreciate the input and I may need to look at it one more time before putting it back on.

Is there a metal or synthetic structural piece inside of that edge? Or is it all material and stitching?

 

[JCappy]

Is there a metal or synthetic structural piece inside of that edge? Or is it all material and stitching?

As far as I can tell, it is just material that is stitched around the support bracket of the sunrider.

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