Rookie here. Potential invasive rain question

[GalvestonGumbo]

Hi friends. I have a new base 4-door jL. Love it. Fabric seats, 3.8 with a manual trans. I have the factory soft top. I would really like to always keep the top folded all the way back. I don’t care about rain on me or the seats etc. hot out or cold out, I don’t care. Just want open air year round. Really why I bought it. I live in Texas. Can you share your knowledge with regard to the electronics in the dash, switches, center display, gauges, etc. Can they be drenched by rain storms and inclement weather and still function properly. I guess the question is, are the electronics ”weatherproof”? This forum is really terrific. Thanks very much for your help.

Sponsored

 

[kah.mun.rah]

The biggest issue I have had is getting water into the steering wheel assembly, ruining the clock spring. Everything is designed to get mildly wet and I have been in a lot of rainstorms to the point of having to pull the drain plugs in the floorboards, but complete drenching could always lead to issues.

 

[Tr4ckD4ys]

I once had the car filled with water all the way up to the transmission shifter. Pulled the drain plugs, let it dry and it still ran perfectly. I don’t recommend this though. It is not water”proof”, but water-resistant. If you want peace of mind get on of those ponchos for the dash.

 

[Sparty]

This is what the Jeep is designed for.



....with that being said, the Jeep is also designed for (just to name a few):

* A functional manual transmission and clutch that won't explode
* Engines that don't blow head gaskets
* stock suspension that doesn't introduce death wobble
* Dual batteries that don't leave you stranded
* Body panels and doors, hoods, etc that don't corrode.


My point is that I never really minded the Jeep getting rained on, or even sitting out in a storm. However, the more opportunity for a defect to be found, the more of a chance of it happening. Additionally, it just introduces more wear and tear on the vehicle. Kind of like leaving a grill out year round without a cover.


When I lived in an apartment and didn't have a garage, a Rain Gear cover worked wonders and gave me a piece of mind

 

[Walker Texas Wrangler]

Raingear as mentioned above would be a good edition. If you live in Galveston (Humble here), you already know that salt air will corrode everything it gets a chance to. Enjoy your ride!

 

[hamiamham69]

Let us know how this works out for you. Seriously I’m curious. I know here in the Northeast we have something called morning dew and bugs. If I accidentally leave my top open - even without any rain - in the morning my interior will be sopping wet, infested with bugs, and starting to smell like mold/mildew.

 

[BillyToronto]

I always have some large heavy duty garbage bags in the jeep, that can be put over the seats in a pinch.

Me, I really liked the look of a bimini top and tonneau on my 2 door TJ, working towards that look on my LJ now.

Billy

 

[Murphydog]

Sounds like you want to keep the soft top installed, just fully retracted? Here in the PNW I get lazy about putting the windows back in June-August. However I do put the soft top back in place when I am not driving or overnight. Primary reason is to keep bird droppings from the interior, but also to keep any passing showers off the seats and dash. Putting the top up or down only takes about 30 seconds and keeps most of the interior protected.

Now if serious rain is forecast I will put the windows back in, I don't want all that road spray in the back of the Jeep.

 

[Opus]

Me, I really liked the look of a bimini top and tonneau on my 2 door TJ, working towards that look on my LJ now.

Billy

That's the way I run mine in the summer. Yesterday I got caught in a torrential downpour on the way home from work. Between the top and the tonneau, though, I stayed pretty dry and no water on the electronics.

 

[Wbino]

Just to clarify, It's not invasive rain when you purposely leave the top off.

 

[GalvestonGumbo]

Thank you all very much. I think I should have been a bit clearer. The jeep will be garaged. My main concern is water intrusion while driving. Perhaps a bikini cover that I can put on in a few minutes on the side of the road if it pours. Two more questions if I may. 1-any tops you might recommend? 2-I have noticed that when looking to buy some accessories, the descriptions for jL say that up to 2023 will fit, but not 2024 or 2025. I thought all the JL’s were the same. Sorry for the dumb questions and thanks again for the help.

 

[hamiamham69]

Personally I would remove and store the side windows and the back window in your garage and - on the off chance of a downpour - just fold the roof back up.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

Me, I really liked the look of a bimini top and tonneau on my 2 door TJ, working towards that look on my LJ now.

Billy

When we had our old '88 YJ soft top we would take the top off in April and install the bikini top. It would remain that way until about October. But then we lived in the SF Bay area in California, where it's illegal to have rain so we didn't worry about getting wet.

 

[Murphydog]

If the soft top is on, it pops up easier and quicker that installing a bikini top for a rain shower

 

[GalvestonGumbo]

Thanks very much for your insight everyone. Can you tell me what‘s Different between 2018-2023, and the 2024 and 2025. Thanks also for enlightening me on the meaning of invasive, I have learned a valuable life lesson.

Sponsored