Newbie questions (Softtop, noise, rain etc)

[HellaYellaSoFl]

So next week I'm returning my loaded Snapper Rocks Blue 2018 BMW 440i Gran Coupe and getting a HellaYella 2020 JLU Sport S (tech group, automatic, rear diff, Alpine, Premium softtop) that will be delivered by the dealer.

Think it will be any different?

I've never driven a Jeep and my local places were useless so my first drive will be after I buy it. What could go wrong?

Anyway on to some questions:

I see comments about rain leaking into the cabin. Is that really a thing?
I also see the carpets are water resistant and the Jeep site shows a hose washing the car out, so it doesn't matter if it leaks anyway?

How wet is the back going to get if the back windows are out and it rains? Does it matter? (damage car/electrics if it gets soaked)

Do the back windows roll up? How hard to store in the car? Does it come with a storage bag?

How hard is it to open the back "window" if the top is up to get luggage/groceries into the back?

What is displayed in the dash console (between the tach and speedo) if you have the 7" display instead of the 8? (the 8" descriptions show the nav system info between the speedo/tach)

This has 1-touch power front windows and speed-sensitive power locks. Is that on all doors or just the front?

The Jeep Catalog says the Alpine system has "Active Noise Canceling" but that seems to be only with the 8" entertainment system?

Any alarm systems to recommend?

How large is the storage area under the back area?

Thanks

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[cOtter]

Please do not take this the wrong way. But with so many dealers..... why would you not test drive a new wrangler before you pull the trigger and buy one. You have NEVER driven a Jeep and you are trading in a BMW. A test drive is easy. I don’t know why anyone would be willing to drop that kind of coin without driving several first. If you have never driven one, what will you do if you buy it don’t like it? Personally, my Jeep is the most fun and enjoyable vehicle I have ever driven. But, I probably drove nearly 20 before I placed the order with my local dealer. I knew exactly what I wanted and why. I could not be happier.

I hope that everything turns out great for you as well. Best of luck.

Many of the questions you have asked would very easily be grasped if you would take a Wrangler out for a test drive.

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

It will be different for sure, but it’s a different kind of fun. I had a BMW M235i 6sp convertible and Miatas before my JL (hubby had a JKUR so the Jeep isn’t completely new to me) and I love my Jeep.

First thing...be sure to give your new Jeep a proper test drive before you sign. Some have steering problems. It *will* be different from your BMW but it should track straight on a flat road and not have a lot of play in the steering. You don’t want one that pulls or wanders.

I love my soft top on my Jeep. It is louder than the M235i but that doesn‘t bother me. We drove it to Arizona and enjoyed the trip. But I usually drive with the doors off and top down, so I’m more tolerant regarding noise.

You can pop the bottom window bar out and fold the window on the top when loading the back of the Jeep.

You’ll have to buy the window bag separately. I haven’t tried storing mine in the Jeep (I have the Mopar bag).

Good luck and post pics!

 

[HellaYellaSoFl]

First thing...be sure to give your new Jeep a proper test drive before you sign. Some have steering problems. It *will* be different from your BMW but it should track straight on a flat road and not have a lot of play in the steering. You don’t want one that pulls or wanders.

I love my soft top on my Jeep. It is louder than the M235i but that doesn‘t bother me. We drove it to Arizona and enjoyed the trip. But I usually drive with the doors off and top down, so I’m more tolerant regarding noise.

You can pop the bottom window bar out and fold the window on the top when loading the back of the Jeep.

You’ll have to buy the window bag separately. I haven’t tried storing mine in the Jeep (I have the Mopar bag).

Good luck and post pics!

Thanks, I will get to drive it before the delivery guy leave in case there is a problem.

I'm wondering about the windows cause rain is pretty frequent in South Florida so I might want to keep them handy.

 

[bbq4133]

Wait, the carpets are water resistant?!

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

Thanks, I will get to drive it before the delivery guy leave in case there is a problem.

I'm wondering about the windows cause rain is pretty frequent in South Florida so I might want to keep them handy.

Some use a different window bag that fits more easily and fold the rear window.

 

[HellaYellaSoFl]

Wait, the carpets are water resistant?!

https://www.jeep.com/wrangler/interior.html

https://www.jeep.com/content/dam/fc...-Wash-Out-Interior-Desktop.jpg.image.1440.jpg

CLEAN UP AFTER MOTHER NATURE
Weather-resistant removable carpet and one-way floor drain valves make cleaning up after playing in the mud a breeze.

Weather, water. Whatever. See pic. I am so hosing it out on day 1.

 

[HellaYellaSoFl]

Some use a different window bag that fits more easily and fold the rear window.

Which/where? Thanks

 

[RagTopDeluxe]

Which/where? Thanks

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/soft-top-window-storage-bag.12573/page-3

 

[nostatic]

I see Carvana in someone’s future...

 

[HellaYellaSoFl]

I see Carvana in someone’s future...

Carvana? The car vending machine people?

 

[HellaYellaSoFl]

Still hoping to hear about cabin leaks with the premium soft top, any cabin concern if it gets wet and if the Alpine system (with the 7" screen) has "Active Noise Canceling"

I did find good interior pics of a similar one and see it does have power windows in the back. I think the kids will be disappointed.

Insurance will be $10/mo cheaper, gas mileage will be 13% less but the price per gallon will be ~13% less.

 

[limeade]

The soft top and interior don't leak. What you've been hearing and are referring to is the poor design of the rain gutter that is along the top edge of the roof/door. Water accumulates in this gutter, and due to it's design, allows the water to spill into the Jeep when you open a front door. This occurs on both hard and soft tops.

If the gutter would've been a tad longer and included a downward angle, the water would self drain before the door is opened. I hardly get any rain where I live so it's a non-issue for me. But being in Florida, you may want to search for a fix. Someone on this forum did a pretty decent and cheap fix for this issue.

I too recommend at least one test drive (you should actually take several) if you've never owned a Wrangler before. They are unlike anything else on the market, there's good characteristics to them and there are not so good characteristics. Coming from a BMW, I'm betting you will think the steering and handling will be horrible. A BMW is built to handle and ride very well at any speed. The Wrangler is built to be an off-road vehicle which can be driven on pavement. Therefore, it's steering and suspension architecture maybe described as "archaic" by non-Wrangler owners. However, the suspension and steering system can be easily fixed and upgraded even by novice owners.

My best advice is to understand exactly what you're buying and to "adjust your expectations" from what you've been used to driving.

I love my Wranglers and everything about them which makes them a Wrangler (even the not so good characteristics)!!

 

[limeade]

Carvana? The car vending machine people?

It's a joke in reference to another thread.

 

[Fsttanks]

So next week I'm returning my loaded Snapper Rocks Blue 2018 BMW 440i Gran Coupe and getting a HellaYella 2020 JLU Sport S (tech group, automatic, rear diff, Alpine, Premium softtop) that will be delivered by the dealer.

Think it will be any different?

I've never driven a Jeep and my local places were useless so my first drive will be after I buy it. What could go wrong?

Anyway on to some questions:

I see comments about rain leaking into the cabin. Is that really a thing?
I also see the carpets are water resistant and the Jeep site shows a hose washing the car out, so it doesn't matter if it leaks anyway?

How wet is the back going to get if the back windows are out and it rains? Does it matter? (damage car/electrics if it gets soaked)

Do the back windows roll up? How hard to store in the car? Does it come with a storage bag?

How hard is it to open the back "window" if the top is up to get luggage/groceries into the back?

What is displayed in the dash console (between the tach and speedo) if you have the 7" display instead of the 8? (the 8" descriptions show the nav system info between the speedo/tach)

This has 1-touch power front windows and speed-sensitive power locks. Is that on all doors or just the front?

The Jeep Catalog says the Alpine system has "Active Noise Canceling" but that seems to be only with the 8" entertainment system?

Any alarm systems to recommend?

How large is the storage area under the back area?

Thanks

1. Remember a Jeep is a truck with solid axles and does not drive like anything you have ever had. You are turning the hands of time back technology wise in the suspension workings. It will drift based on the “crown of the road” just a fact with solid axles. It will have more body roll then you are use to so take it easy until you get the feel for it. Oh and it stops like a heavy truck.

2. Its a soft top...it will leak at some point in its life, usually the second year of ownership....LOL. Even the hard tops leak though often not as bad. It is what it is and you learn to live with it. The instrument cluster can handle being wet though try not to make this a routine thing.

3. The carpets and floor boards can handle a fair amount of standing water, but try to dry them out as soon as you can because they can and do mold if left wet for too long.

4. The Alpine system if memory serves comes standard with the 8.4 screen. Personally I find the noise reduction feature a joke. It basically raises the radio volume to drown out the wind and road noise. You of course have to have the radio on for it to work. I don’t think you will find yourself using it much. I turned mine to basically “off”.

5. Speed locks are on all doors at least it is on my JLUR.

6. The factory alarm system is about as good as any other in a FCA product. Being a soft top it is easier to get inside without it being activated so keep to the “out of sight out of mind” rule and you should be fine. Oh and the alarm does not cover the engine bay nor does the stock hood lock, so don’t be surprised one morning to find you battery missing....LoL

7. Even with all its little nuances not found in other vehicles in its price range or at lower, cost you will soon come to love it and wonder why it took you so long to buy one.

My .02

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