Hard top going through auto wash

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No issues so far with either my 2013 JK or my 2022 JL

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[Murphydog]

I just remove the antenna when I take my weekly trip through the car wash.

Gregj

This!

 

[Nitehawk92]

Taking a soft top Jeep through an automatic car wash could be an issue, but not a hard top. It isn't the soft top, but the soft top windows that can be negatively affected by the auto car wash. I have never known anybody that routinely goes through the auto car wash with a soft top. It would probably take many car washes before you notice the difference. Now I have been told by several people who do ceramic wax that if you have ceramic wax put on your Jeep, auto car washes can reduce the effectiveness and life of the wax...

 

[mmayer813]

I got my new 2024 wrangler with hard top but I heard from folks that it is better not to go through auto wash. I wonder why? Any reasons? Did you guys

I got my new 2024 wrangler with hard top but I heard from folks that it is better not to go through auto wash. I wonder why? Any reasons? Did you guys experience any problems? Thanks for sharing

I have a 2021 Rubicon and go through auto wash weekly or more with no issues. As someone else mentioned, you may want to replace the antenna with a short (9") one as the factory antenna can whip around and hit the windshield.

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

Car washes are generally much better now than they were 10 years ago. My Jeep has only been hand washed a few times since I purchased it 4 years ago, all other washes have been at automatic washes with “soft” brushes. The only damage on the hardtop is from small tree branches while off-roading.

As a side note, hinge and panel corrosion will occur regardless of what cleaning method you chose.

 

[five9dak]

I take my soft top through an auto wash about once a month or after every winter salt event from thanksgiving to Easter each year. Sometimes a high pressure spray makes it through a seal. It's a wrangler, its fine.

I do have a shorter soft antenna.

 

[Gregj]

Taking a soft top Jeep through an automatic car wash could be an issue, but not a hard top. It isn't the soft top, but the soft top windows that can be negatively affected by the auto car wash. I have never known anybody that routinely goes through the auto car wash with a soft top. It would probably take many car washes before you notice the difference. Now I have been told by several people who do ceramic wax that if you have ceramic wax put on your Jeep, auto car washes can reduce the effectiveness and life of the wax...

I take my usually weekly trips through the car wash regardless of which top is on the Jeep, that includes a regular hardtop, the SOT and a premium softtop . No issues with any of them. To keep the windows in good shape on the softtop I use Plexus on them regularly.

Gregj

 

[swampflyer]

3 years through car wash no issues. Just keep a wrench in the glove compartment to remove and reinstall the radio antenna.

 

[Recce]

2022, hardtop, 2 door Willys: super-high-pressure "touchless" PetroCanada washes will leak on me where the freedom panels meet in the middle and also at the top of drivers door. Nothing major. The washes with soft brushes are fine.

 

[Covet]

I got my new 2024 wrangler with hard top but I heard from folks that it is better not to go through auto wash. I wonder why? Any reasons? Did you guys experience any problems? Thanks for sharing

I have put 2 with hard tops one pained one not and 2 with sky one touch tops through the robo-washers with brushes and without many times - no issues. Well... one, with brushes hard top is loud inside!!! Not as bad as hail storms, but loud. Back to your question, no issues

 

[racerdude90]

I took mine through once and the only bad thing that happened was the wash missed more dirt than it did with my previous vehicles. I figure it was due to the Jeeps shape. It kind of left stripes of dirt like the brushes didn’t hit certain parts of the jeep.
I don’t use them just because of the bad wash but not because they messed anything up. If it worked well i’d totally use them because I am lazyyyyy. I wash by hand which means I rarely wash my baby Poor maggie.

 

[Halxen]

What did the "folks" that told you this information say was the reason?
...
I'll answer your question anyway. Absolutely, under no circumstances, bring your 2024 Jeep Wrangler into the auto wash. You will 100% guaranteed destroy your hard top along with posing serious risk to the rest of your Jeep.

? But why? What was the reason it will 100% guaranteed destroy your hard top?

 

[Mgdstar]

Automatic (brushless or not) carwashes aren't great for your paint. But then again, neither is traipsing around offroad, so it's probably a wash (pardon the pun).

I generally hand wash mine (well, powerwash) but I enjoy the process, and I'm *super* nitpicky. However, if I've been off-roading recently, I *will* usually pull into one of those self-service ones to wash most of the mud and muck off, and then finish it at home.

I do the same, but never use the brush. In Big Bear Lake the road crews use lava pebbles in the winter to improve traction. These pebbles are jagged and get in the brushes and will scratch the paint.

 

[five9dak]

Taking a soft top Jeep through an automatic car wash could be an issue, but not a hard top. It isn't the soft top, but the soft top windows that can be negatively affected by the auto car wash. I have never known anybody that routinely goes through the auto car wash with a soft top. It would probably take many car washes before you notice the difference. Now I have been told by several people who do ceramic wax that if you have ceramic wax put on your Jeep, auto car washes can reduce the effectiveness and life of the wax...

I polish my vinyl windows once a year and it restores any damage the autowash does.

Set them on a table on top of a bath towel. Hit them with the same cut buff and machine polish you would your paint.

 

[Da Capt]

I got my new 2024 wrangler with hard top but I heard from folks that it is better not to go through auto wash. I wonder why? Any reasons? Did you guys experience any problems? Thanks for sharing

The people u heads this from do they even have HT jeeps? I’ve never had a issue besides the antenna smacking things

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