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Bestop Sunrider Issue

Cthehentz

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Is there a way to tighten the latches? passanger side is super tight and the driver side is super loose.
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jludave

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Clubs
 
Is there a way to tighten the latches? passanger side is super tight and the driver side is super loose.
Yes. Lower your sun visor. There are 2 screws covered by felt pads where the latches connect to the vehicle. Remove the felt pads (they can be re-used) to get to the screw heads. Loosen those screws a little at a time and you should be able adjust from there. I'm not sure what the bit size is. You should only need a small amount of adjustment, so don't go nuts fully removing the screws. As I said, just enough to get some play so that you can adjust.
 

Cthehentz

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Yes. Lower your sun visor. There are 2 screws covered by felt pads where the latches connect to the vehicle. Remove the felt pads (they can be re-used) to get to the screw heads. Loosen those screws a little at a time and you should be able adjust from there. I'm not sure what the bit size is. You should only need a small amount of adjustment, so don't go nuts fully removing the screws. As I said, just enough to get some play so that you can adjust.
Thanks, I was able to get it a little tighter but not as tight as the passenger side. Will test drive tomorrow.
 

jludave

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@Bestop, my new Sunrider arrived today. I will have to wait for the rain to stop to get it installed. Looks like that won't be until Monday. Next rain after that might be on Thursday. Fingers crossed that the door rails with this replacement top fixes the leak.
 

Cthehentz

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The little adjustment made to the driver side seems to have worked eliminating wind noise. This is by far the best thing I have added to the Jeep... Little photo after running supplies up to mom.

IMG_5736.jpeg
 

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Not to just be a testimonial to how well the Bestop product is but merely tell my experience with it. I installed mine during my first week of JL ownership in January 2020. Other than the tiny cable S pin placement it was an easy install and I have had no problems with it. Best mod I've done so far. Been able to open it up on a few nice days to enjoy some sunshine before the world closed down. I have driven with it on the highway 75 mph in freezing and above freezing temps. I find it noisier on the highway when its really cold. Drove thru a heavy snow storm and day after when lots of slush/water blow back and have had no leaks. I did get a loud flutter once while on the highway when passing a semi. Both latches seem to be at the same tension.

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jludave

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The rain let up and it was just warm enough outside so that I was able to get out and install my replacement top. The install was fairly easy and went a bit faster since I had the process down from my initial top. The top is tight as a drum, both latches require equal effort to open and close and the door rails are both nicely seated into their respective seals. We got a little bit of rain in the late evening and I actually sat in my Jeep to check for leaks. I didn't see any water coming in from where it did with the other top. So far so good. I think the rain continued a bit overnight, so I'm going to go out in a little while and check to make sure everything stayed dry. It didn't rain as heavy as it did when I first saw the leak, so I'm still going to keep an eye on things.

I want to thank @Bestop and the support/customer service team. Their help and responsiveness during these crazy times has been fantastic. They did what was needed to make things right. I certainly was not expecting a full replacement top, but that was what Bestop felt was needed to resolve my leak issue. I want to make clear that my experience was unique and that I have nothing negative to say about the product nor the company. The Sunrider for Hardtop is a great product and I look forward to years of its use.
 
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Just an update...I want to thank @Bestop and Nick Trujillo for taking care of me and having amazing customer service even in this crazy time. I got my new top sent to me. It’s installed. And everything is right in the world. Thanks again @Bestop. You just got yourself a customer for life.
 

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Just an update...I want to thank @Bestop and Nick Trujillo for taking care of me and having amazing customer service even in this crazy time. I got my new top sent to me. It’s installed. And everything is right in the world. Thanks again @Bestop. You just got yourself a customer for life.
Thanks for giving Nick a shout out. I'll share this with the team. They'll really appreciate you taking the time to recognize their efforts!

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I'm about ready to throw this thing in the trash. I had to run out and pick something up from the store and as soon as I shut my door, I had a stream of water dripping down from above the rear view mirror. It rained last night and earlier this morning. I did drive the vehicle this past weekend and one day during the week with the Sunrider open. I actually sat in the vehicle when it rained heavily about a week ago and saw no signs of water infiltration anywhere. I opened the top, checked all the seals and everything looked good to my eye especially along the front edge above the windshield. I'm hoping this was just a fluke and that simply opening and re-closing the top fixes this new issue. I don't know if the material relaxed and stretched enough to now cause an improper seal. The temps around here have been below normal, so I'd think the opposite would be true and the material would be tight. I don't want to mess with trying to tighten anything until I get a hold of @Bestop support. Of course this happens when they are closed for the weekend. I can't believe all the issues I'm having with these tops. This is the 2nd one I'm dealing with.
 

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four low

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If these Bestop Sunriders were made in the USA, instead of MEXICO, maybe the lines of communication would be better as well...
 
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I'm about ready to throw this thing in the trash. I had to run out and pick something up from the store and as soon as I shut my door, I had a stream of water dripping down from above the rear view mirror. It rained last night and earlier this morning. I did drive the vehicle this past weekend and one day during the week with the Sunrider open. I actually sat in the vehicle when it rained heavily about a week ago and saw no signs of water infiltration anywhere. I opened the top, checked all the seals and everything looked good to my eye especially along the front edge above the windshield. I'm hoping this was just a fluke and that simply opening and re-closing the top fixes this new issue. I don't know if the material relaxed and stretched enough to now cause an improper seal. The temps around here have been below normal, so I'd think the opposite would be true and the material would be tight. I don't want to mess with trying to tighten anything until I get a hold of @Bestop support. Of course this happens when they are closed for the weekend. I can't believe all the issues I'm having with these tops. This is the 2nd one I'm dealing with.
So i've started having issues again about a week ago. Still the same old fluttering sound but its louder. I am currently trying to rectify it myself and COMPLETELY rule out user error before I start losing it :angry::CWL:
 

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So i've started having issues again about a week ago. Still the same old fluttering sound but its louder. I am currently trying to rectify it myself and COMPLETELY rule out user error before I start losing it :angry::CWL:
Sorry to hear. I'm completely baffled by how I can be having this many issues with these tops. The one on my JKU never gave me an issue during nearly 5 years of use. Granted the top designs are different, but the JK Wranglers were known to have all sorts of issues with their various top options.

This past Monday we had heavy rain until the early evening. I went out to check on things several times, sitting in the vehicle each time while it was pouring outside. I didn't see a drop of of water anywhere. I even went for a drive when the rain let up that same evening just to get out of the house and again saw nothing. The vehicle was parked outside since then. It rained last night and this morning and, as I mentioned above, as soon as I got in and closed the door a stream of water greeted me from above the rear view mirror. I just don't understand how that's even possible if the top was closed and I didn't see any water during or after pouring rain earlier in the week.

I apologize for the long post, but I wish you the best of luck in your efforts to try to fix things yourself. I don't have the time nor the patience to do so. I have yet to speak to @Bestop as they are closed over the weekend. This is the second Sunrider I'm dealing with. If these leaks continue and I can't get things resolved, I will sadly revert to using my freedom panels and ask for a full refund.
 

jludave

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This is great to hear :like:. With temperature changes, driving, and time the fabric will stretch and contract until it settles. This type of adjustment might be needed occasionally but it should be a pretty quick thing to do when it does.

- the Bestop team
www.bestop.com
@Bestop, I have to ask at this point, since I have possibly developed another leak and others seem to have various issues. You're actually saying that these latch adjustments are supposed to be a normal part of owning these Sunriders? Do the OEM soft tops (which are made by Bestop) or the other Bestop soft top offerings require the same level of adjustment? I haven't ever heard of this requirement. Lastly, I had a Sunrider in my 2015 JKU and it required absolutely zero adjustments after it was initially installed.
 

Cthehentz

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Sorry to hear about the issues you are still having. I blasted mine with water across the top and the sides with no leaks, also took a trip across town and the first real freeway test, had zero flapping although the road noise is a little higher then with the regular tops. The only complaint I have it that the driver side latch is looser then the passenger and I did adjust it but you can only get so much out of it.
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