Soft top spot wearing question

[WI_Sarge]

I have a small spot on both sides of the jeep (same spot) that appears to be wearing through and can’t figure out why. I tried to take some zoomed out pictures showing its location in safari mode, folded back, and convertible mode. Has anyone else noticed anything like this? Fibers are being stretches out almost like if you were pushing a pencil from the underside; not breaking through but stretching that spot.

After all positions it doesnt seem like it would be the fold over or convertible mode as it isnt rubbing anything in those positions. Even in safari mode, it doesn’t rub on anything obvious when I push down on it. Its about an inch in front of the soft top cross bar. That seems to be the only culprit. Even then, the top would have to pull up very far then push inwards to rub on the end of the crossbar.

Any ideas or thoughts greatly appreciated.

First full summer with the soft top.

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[Heimkehr]

I have a small spot on both sides of the jeep (same spot) that appears to be wearing through and can’t figure out why.

Has anyone else noticed anything like this?

Yes. I determined that the wear marks occurred where the folded frame made contact with the underside of the fabric.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/soft-top-perforations-identification-etc.79575/

See post #4 for my fix.

 

[WI_Sarge]

Yes. I determined that the wear marks occurred where the folded frame made contact with the underside of the fabric.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/soft-top-perforations-identification-etc.79575/

See post #4 for my fix.

Thanks for the quick reply and I will definitely try the patch. Hopefully it can at least slow the wearing process.

How have your patches held up? Sounds like it is unfortunately a design issue and not much else to do about it.

We do leave our top in convertible mode many days in a row if the weather allows. I wonder if keeping the top al the way on would reduce this wear and only flip the top back when driving? Just to drastically reduce the amount of time the top is folded back. Be a pain, but better than wearing holes through in the first 2 summers.

 

[Heimkehr]

How have your patches held up?

They do in fact require periodic replacement, depending on the amount of time that the top remains lowered. The pressure that the frame puts on those areas of the soft top will slowly wear through the patches themselves.

Thankfully, the adhesive canvas patches that I linked to goes a long way, relative to the small wear marks that I have to monitor.

 

[Plumbean]

They do in fact require periodic replacement, depending on the amount of time that the top remains lowered. The pressure that the frame puts on those areas of the soft top will slowly wear through the patches themselves.

Thankfully, the adhesive canvas patches that I linked to goes a long way, relative to the small wear marks that I have to monitor.

Thanks @Heimkehr ! Just installed these patches today. The two sheets of material cut up into 8 good size patches, one for each spot at the end of a bow on the soft top.

 

[Heimkehr]

Just installed these patches today. The two sheets of material cut up into 8 good size patches, one for each spot at the end of a bow on the soft top.

What I've found necessary is to add a small circle of super glue micro-droplets around the perimeter of the replacement adhesive patches, in order to give them a better chance of staying in place than their predecessors did. This is because, unsurprisingly, the patches are in firm contact with the frame hardware that caused the soft top fabric itself to wear through originally.

Just a helpful tip if your patches don't want to stay in place, or begin to separate too soon.

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