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Are Freedom Top Headliners Worth It

ssiegler

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Does anyone have any thoughts on factory installed hardtop headliners? Do they actually make a difference with temperature insulation and with sound dampening? Are they worth the $550 price?

I know you can buy them aftermarket? How difficult are they to install yourself for someone who extremely un-handy?
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iki4life

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Does anyone have any thoughts on factory installed hardtop headliners? Do they actually make a difference with temperature insulation and with sound dampening? Are they worth the $550 price?

I know you can buy them aftermarket? How difficult are they to install yourself for someone who extremely un-handy?
I ordered it. Supposedly it makes quite a difference with insulation and sound. Also, I hate the white roof look, and the black headliners will limit that, giving it a more posh feel so aesthetics is another reason to order if you dont like the white roof.
 

JaybearWL

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I hate the white roof look.
I know color preference is pretty personal, but I can't imagine hating the white roof look - makes it feel so much more spacious in a vehicle that derives much of its identity from its open-air-ability.

Main downside is I have little kids who are going to destroy anything that will show a mark.... you oughta see my wood floors at home after years of little boys power-sliding in the living room on their riding toys.
 

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Matthew/E36

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Test drove today and unimpressed with the fit. Looked nice but edges seemed loose about 1/2" on a few areas without really looking for problems. Im sure they will be fine, but aftermarket are surely that good or better?
 

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Paint it sky blue and it will always be a nice day. :sun::sun:
 

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Sadly gonna have to do something with mine, the JL white looks cheap compared to the JK. My girlfriend said she thought it looked like styrofoam, her word not mine.
Having drove a Sahara the other day, my first impression was that they looked lighter (Jeep claims 20%) so they did appear thinner. And my gut tells me that because of that they did seem to allow more road noise/wind noise in the vehicle. I'm not sure if that is true because I've been driving a normal vehicle for the last couple of weeks and! May only felt that way because zive gotten use to normal wind decibels . But having researched Hotheads, but never really seeing the value in JK (I didn't buy them) I'm thinking on JL, it might be the first thing I buy. Hotheads always seemed like they were higher reviewd, but maybe Mopars have gotten better, we'll see......I will say that JK freedom tops were heavy AF. Lighter just might be a good combo and with liners for asthetics & quietness might be a no brainer...
 

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Having drove a Sahara the other day, my first impression was that they looked lighter (Jeep claims 20%) so they did appear thinner. And my gut tells me that because of that they did seem to allow more road noise/wind noise in the vehicle. I'm not sure if that is true because I've been driving a normal vehicle for the last couple of weeks and! May only felt that way because zive gotten use to normal wind decibels . But having researched Hotheads, but never really seeing the value in JK (I didn't buy them) I'm thinking on JL, it might be the first thing I buy. Hotheads always seemed like they were higher reviewd, but maybe Mopars have gotten better, we'll see......I will say that JK freedom tops were heavy AF. Lighter just might be a good combo and with liners for asthetics & quietness might be a no brainer...
People have plastic dipped the inside of the tops as well with great success. The current JL tops surface is already prepped for the plastic dip treatment. Options, I love Options!
 

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Dynomite1371, I have no past headliner experience, but you may want to drive one with them. I thought the fit was lacking for a $500 or whatever factory option. Also, they seemed to be just panels stuck in. Fine and good, but it is not really a full headliner or anything. A lot of white (odd color???) of the panels shows up. Also the panels are a bit smaller than the cavity they are in, so there's extra white/gap all around...really wish they would have sized them to the exact size and not left so much space...for a factory fit option.

Maybe I'll have to see them again, but that was my first impression.
 

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RussJeep1

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Does anyone have any thoughts on factory installed hardtop headliners?
I don't think they're worth the price. I like headliners in principle but I think better options for less money will become available in the aftermarket if you are willing to wait.

If from the first day of JL ownership one is subjected to extremes of temperature, particularly on the hot side, and the aftermarket has yet to produce their wares, then paying FCAs price might be worth it.

Additionally, if you are financing the vehicle you can pay for the headliners over time--which will cost you more $ outlay over time, and more $ even adjusting for the present value of the $--as all loans are--but allow you to control your monthly fixed costs.

Do they actually make a difference with temperature insulation and with sound dampening?


Yes, but my example comes from the FCA JK headliners, which I hear are thicker and might be able to dampen sound more than FCA's JL offering. Then again, I simply don't know enough about the new materials I hear are being used in the JL headliners to offer comment.

Are they worth the $550 price?
IMHO, as discussed above, only in select situations. Additionally If the owner is not particularly handy, the may want the headliners coming preinstalled by FCA.

I know you can buy them aftermarket? How difficult are they to install yourself for someone who extremely un-handy?
Having good fine motor skills is a plus, more than knowledge of mechanics I think. Only you can judge the cost of your time, convenience and relative aptitude in such matters.

My opinions may differ from yours on many of the factors that go into getting them at purchase (or not).

Good luck.
 

loco

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Does anyone have any thoughts on factory installed hardtop headliners? Do they actually make a difference with temperature insulation and with sound dampening? Are they worth the $550 price?

I know you can buy them aftermarket? How difficult are they to install yourself for someone who extremely un-handy?
I looked into after market headliners and the installation instructions say that you need to remove the top , and put the headliner on while the top is upside down so gravity will help seal the headliner. I decided to order the headliner on the new JLJP Sahara I ordered instead of going thru the after market installation. The after market cost for the headliner is around $300 and if you are getting a below invoice price it is not unreasonable to have the factory install at a cost of $480 total.
 

Mid-life Wrangler

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I don't think they're worth the price. I like headliners in principle but I think better options for less money will become available in the aftermarket if you are willing to wait.

If from the first day of JL ownership one is subjected to extremes of temperature, particularly on the hot side, and the aftermarket has yet to produce their wares, then paying FCAs price might be worth it.

Additionally, if you are financing the vehicle you can pay for the headliners over time--which will cost you more $ outlay over time, and more $ even adjusting for the present value of the $--as all loans are--but allow you to control your monthly fixed costs.





Yes, but my example comes from the FCA JK headliners, which I hear are thicker and might be able to dampen sound more than FCA's JL offering. Then again, I simply don't know enough about the new materials I hear are being used in the JL headliners to offer comment.



IMHO, as discussed above, only in select situations. Additionally If the owner is not particularly handy, the may want the headliners coming preinstalled by FCA.



Having good fine motor skills is a plus, more than knowledge of mechanics I think. Only you can judge the cost of your time, convenience and relative aptitude in such matters.

My opinions may differ from yours on many of the factors that go into getting them at purchase (or not).

Good luck.
Good info, the only thing I would add is that in addition to rolling them into financing, you would also save whatever % under MSRP/invoice that you negotiated for the purchase of your vehicle. For some that’s close to a 13% savings. There still may be some cheaper aftermarket options, but the MOPAR headliners might not be found cheaper than that for some time.
 

JHJLUR

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I looked into after market headliners and the installation instructions say that you need to remove the top , and put the headliner on while the top is upside down so gravity will help seal the headliner. I decided to order the headliner on the new JLJP Sahara I ordered instead of going thru the after market installation. The after market cost for the headliner is around $300 and if you are getting a below invoice price it is not unreasonable to have the factory install at a cost of $480 total.
Not my experience with Hotheads, installed them with the top on, followed prep instructions and they’ve been good for over 4 years.... only thing is I wouldn’t install them on a cold top, wait until it heats up a bit.
 

Zoobie

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I put the Mopar headliners in my '15 JKU, and I found they made a nice difference in temp and sound. Are they worth that much money... hard to say.
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