If you have a Jeep Wrangler in snow and ice conditions, you might be wondering if your soft top is ok to use throughout the colder months. Having a Wrangler soft top during the winter season is something you need to take good care of. This seems like common sense to many Jeep owners, but not everyone out there is aware of it. While many people switch over to the hardtop in winter, there are those who like to just keep the soft top on throughout the entire year.
To answer your lingering question, yes, it is completely fine to use Jeep soft tops in the winter. If you don’t have dual tops, a soft top will still be able to keep you warm during those cold months. Jeep heaters are known to be quite good, and they also heat up quickly. One thing to note though is that you shouldn’t be treating the soft top on your Jeep like you would a regular window.
If you’re not delicate and careful around your soft top, the cold temperatures can create a problem. Freezing temperatures make the vinyl less flexible, and this can result in cracking. You don’t want to attempt to lower the soft top when temperatures drop to below freezing. The flexibility in the soft top material is what makes it able to move around freely. But cold temperatures restrict that. Another thing to be careful of is rolling up the vinyl windows in the colder months. Even if you try to zip them open, it can potentially cause them to crack, similar to how glass cracks.
If it’s winter and you happen to spot some ice build up on the soft top windows, your gut reaction might be to try and scrape it off. You have to resist that urge because using a scraper on it will create big scratches all over it. The worst-case scenario is it could even crack open, and the warranty for soft tops doesn’t cover that.
When you’re around the soft top in the wintertime, you’ll want to walk on eggshells. Accidentally bumping into it while trying to brush off snow could actually puncture the material. Something as simple as this could ruin the functionality of the vehicle.
Sometimes you see tips online such as dumping hot water on windows to get rid of ice build-up. While this tip might look like a good way online, it’s probably best to avoid it as it could cause the windows to crack.
How Do You Remove Snow And Ice On Windows?
There are all sorts of different methods out there that people use to get rid of snow and ice on windows in the winter. Some people have stated that they use hair dryers, but this doesn’t make much sense since the heat inside the vehicle does just the same thing.
Other people use covers for their vehicle and just leave it right over the soft top until the morning time. This solution might work for some people as well, but caution still needs to be exercised.
The tips for getting rid of snow and ice as fast as you can are endless, but the most efficient and safest way to do so is just cranking up the heat in the vehicle and letting it do it on its own. This strategy requires a little planning ahead of time, but at least you won’t risk the event of your soft top cracking apart. Just ensure that you’re not in too much of a rush by giving yourself about 15 minutes for the heat to melt off the ice, and then be on your way. Starting the vehicle 15 minutes ahead of time will also give your engine a chance to warm up and you’ll be nice and toasty when you’re ready to leave.
If you accidentally end up cracking the soft top windows, you’ll probably have to take it into a dealership or manufacturer that can either repair or replace it. There are a wide variety of soft tops out there, and maybe you’ll even find a better one than your current soft top and decide to upgrade.