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JeepJets

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The hole in the shade you see in the middle does a decent job providing clearance for the middle latches. It's the rear door side latches where there appears to be a design flaw here.

@JTopsUSA would love to hear your thoughts here. Who knows, maybe I installed it wrong but that would be hard to believe as I followed the installation video. Note there isn't a step by stepguide published by JTops at the time of this post as far as I know. Just the video.
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JeepJets

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Bubba33

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I just watched the vdeo again and did not see anybody latch the rear side latches.
 

JlRubi18

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Yes my top has that, however you still cannot clear the rear door latches. My take is that contour on the top is to allow for the hard top mount and bolt to clear, not for the latches.
I have these as well and as mentioned above, that contour does not help with getting to the latches on the freedom top.
 

Man-of-methods

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JTops clearly states that the hard top is compatible. I personally don't see anywhere on their site that the rear door side handles can clear the mesh. I guess I have to cancel unless they clear that up.
 

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JTopsUSA

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Hey everybody...

As JeepJets mentioned, the curves on the sides are for hard top clearance, nothing to do with the Freedom Panel latches. On our JK product we've had people turn the latches through the mesh without issue for years. It's the same for other mesh tops that are left on under the hard top. The more holes you introduce to accommodate more latches, the more prone the shade will be to flapping. We don't consider this a design flaw. It's our standard, edge to edge fit with no gaps.

For those of you who have mentioned issues:

Have you tried to turn the latches through the mesh? If you slide the mesh between your fingers and the latch as you're turning it, it should work fine.

In the front, the leading edge only needs to flip back just an inch, so it should remain far enough forward that it doesn't droop. Can you check and make sure those side straps are tightened completely?

We hope this answers your concerns. But as always, please email us at [email protected] for personal attention.
 

Man-of-methods

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Hey everybody...

As JeepJets mentioned, the curves on the sides are for hard top clearance, nothing to do with the Freedom Panel latches. On our JK product we've had people turn the latches through the mesh without issue for years. It's the same for other mesh tops that are left on under the hard top. The more holes you introduce to accommodate more latches, the more prone the shade will be to flapping. We don't consider this a design flaw. It's our standard, edge to edge fit with no gaps.

For those of you who have mentioned issues:

Have you tried to turn the latches through the mesh? If you slide the mesh between your fingers and the latch as you're turning it, it should work fine.

In the front, the leading edge only needs to flip back just an inch, so it should remain far enough forward that it doesn't droop. Can you check and make sure those side straps are tightened completely?

We hope this answers your concerns. But as always, please email us at [email protected] for personal attention.
Thanks for the response, just another question. If you try turning the handles through the mesh, won't that stretch the mesh after time which will eventually cause sagging on your top?
 
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Thanks for the response, just another question. If you try turning the handles through the mesh, won't that stretch the mesh after time which will eventually cause sagging on your top?
You're very welcome!

We've not had anyone complain about stretching like that and we've been selling our tops for years now. If it becomes an issue for you, please just send us an email!

Thank you very much!
 

JlRubi18

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Can you guys elaborate a little more please, perhaps with some pics? I ordered one and if there are going to be fitment issues, I'll just cancel my order. Thanks
My covered up handles, both driver and passenger side, and the droop of the shade when freedom top back on.

BCE0E329-7582-4687-8340-94C58196B98B.jpeg


F896922E-F629-4FB3-9D1E-3F152D194F87.jpeg


08B16ACD-D7F6-4916-BB1E-91292CEEA8CF.jpeg


0B03D3F9-95A5-483D-AC5C-48B841603CAC.jpeg
 

Man-of-methods

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Man, I'm really not crazy about that droop.
 

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JTopsUSA

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IMG_0278.jpeg
My covered up handles, both driver and passenger side, and the droop of the shade when freedom top back on.

BCE0E329-7582-4687-8340-94C58196B98B.jpeg


F896922E-F629-4FB3-9D1E-3F152D194F87.jpeg


08B16ACD-D7F6-4916-BB1E-91292CEEA8CF.jpeg


0B03D3F9-95A5-483D-AC5C-48B841603CAC.jpeg

Looks like you have your flap folded too far back. It should only be folded back an inch. Can you see if changing it helps? This are some more pictures with the Freedom Panels on that I just found:

FullSizeRender-12.jpeg
 

JlRubi18

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IMG_0278.jpeg



Looks like you have your flap folded too far back. It should only be folded back an inch. Can you see if changing it helps? This are some more pictures with the Freedom Panels on that I just found:

FullSizeRender-12.jpeg
This looks a lot better and I will try this.
 

JeepJets

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Pushing down on rear freedom panel from the top makes it a little bit easier to latch them thru the mesh. It's still a pain in the a** and doesnt go without tension on the mesh as you force them closed. Design flaw or not @JTopsUSA I feel like all the videos skimmed this part of install by glazing over the fact this causes difficulty putting your freedom panels on/off
 
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Pushing down on rear freedom panel from the top makes it a little bit easier to latch them thru the mesh. It's still a pain in the a** and doesnt go without tension on the mesh as you force them closed. Design flaw or not @JTopsUSA I feel like all the videos skimmed this part of install by glazing over the fact this causes difficulty putting your freedom panels on/off
It was not intentionally glazed over. If you are unhappy with your top, please send us an email to [email protected] so we can get this issue taken care of.

Again, if anyone has ANY issues at all, PLEASE reach out to us via email as opposed to PMs. We have more representatives checking email and can provide faster service that way, too. I've been trying my best to keep up here, but I'm only one person.

Thank you very much!
 

EJ3CTA

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I'm really looking forward to receiving my sun shade in a couple of weeks! I placed my order towards the end of May and wanted to make a change once I saw the tactical flag top. I spoke with a representative at JTopsUSA today and was very pleased with the response I received. She was polite, courteous, and helpful. Due to high demand orders are processing slowly, but it sounds like they are taking steps in the right direction to get these sun shades delivered. Thank you!
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