Never thought to Ask?

KrazyJeeper · #1 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 04:09 AM

Ok, fellow Jeepers. As I was cleaning the inside of my windshield tonight, I had a few moments to ponder. I hear many Jeepers on here talking about never having a top on throughout the year and then I started to do the math. Anyway, how many of you purchased your Jeep New? And if you did buy new, did you immediately start to leave the top off? Not trying to create any probs, but I was just wondering, because my TJ has less than 25,000 miles on it and I really never gave it a thought. I generally leave the top off until the two months of winter we may have here in Texas. I just usually keep the drain plugs out and let the sun do the rest. I drive my XJ almost 80 percent of the time so maybe I am not paying close enough attention to the TJ, I have noticed it gets very dusty and I am starting to rethink this open top thing year round. Your thoughts? Take Care, KJ

Sparky-Watts · #2 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 08:51 AM

I keep the top on, but take out the windows and take off the doors, so it's like I have an elongated bikini top on. Yeah, I get a lot of dust, and the occasional rainshower, but I just wipe the dust off the guages from time to time so I can see them, and rock on.

I just put the doors and uppers on yesterday for the first time in I don't know how long, because it looked like it was going to rain, and I was going to the doc, and didn't want to be all soggy and drippy when I got there......

A little dust never hurt anything......

OutOfStep · #3 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 10:20 AM

Mine has less than 25 K on it as well and I keep the windows and doors off nearly year around, I maybe put them back on for 2 weeks in a year. It's really dusty here so everything gets covered in dust. It all cleans right up though with a wet rag, the dash still looks factory new (at least it did the last time I knocked the dust off of it sometime in March).

I would worry more if it rained a lot here, but in the nearly 4 years that I've had it, it's only rained on me about five times, and of those, only two were the type where you wish you had wipers on the inside of the windshield.

happy024 · #4 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 10:49 AM

I'm like Sparky I usually keep the top on and everything off. Mainly becuase driving home in rush hour traffic and temps in the high 90s I just don't want the sunn burning me up. I just keep a towel handy to wipe down the dash when needed.

KrazyJeeper · #5 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 02:54 PM

I started carrying those window cleaner cloth in the little bottle, every once in awhile when the sun is aiming just right, I can't see nothing out of my windshield. I had to use my T-shirt one day. I think it's the humidity down here and it has that dry mineral look so it's not just dust. I would like to get a cheap bikini top one day.

OutOfStep · #6 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 09:14 PM

I always just use the squegee at the gas station

Sparky-Watts · #7 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OutOfStep

I always just use the squegee at the gas station

I found a little squeegee at WallyWorld that is about 6" wide, has a sponge on one side and the squeegee on the other side....perfect for clearing rain off the inside of the windshield or off the rearview mirrors.

88Wrangles · #8 (**permalink**) 07-22-2006, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky-Watts

I found a little squeegee at WallyWorld that is about 6" wide, has a sponge on one side and the squeegee on the other side....perfect for clearing rain off the inside of the windshield or off the rearview mirrors.

Ya, those are really handy to have. Usually pretty cheap too.

bsnider · #9 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 01:23 AM

Great Idea On The Sqeg. I Was Cought 3hrs From Home With No Top Or Doors In A Thunder Storm. At 65mph Everything Stayed Dry Except The Inside Of My Windshield, And My Shirt Sleve From Wiping It Off. What A Ride That Was.
As For The Dust Your Kida Screwed. I Bought A 90 So It Was Predusted, And Its Not Prety Enough To Clean Off.

Gone&DoneIt · #10 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 03:16 AM

After a all night rock crawling run last night I will have no choice but to leave the top off mine! I ended up sideways in a wash and slid right into a rock outcropping smashing the hell out of my rear quarter panel where the channle runs to attach the top to. So, until I replace the metal its topless for me.

It was 114 today,... this is gonna S-U-C-K!!!!

KrazyJeeper · #11 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 05:04 AM

Better buy a wide brimmed hat! One with a squiggy attached would be nice. LOL!

Sparky-Watts · #12 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsnider

Great Idea On The Sqeg. I Was Cought 3hrs From Home With No Top Or Doors In A Thunder Storm. At 65mph Everything Stayed Dry Except The Inside Of My Windshield, And My Shirt Sleve From Wiping It Off. What A Ride That Was.
As For The Dust Your Kida Screwed. I Bought A 90 So It Was Predusted, And Its Not Prety Enough To Clean Off.

I've been caught a few times in some pretty heavy toad-stranglers without the doors and windows, only the top over my head, and I gotta say, I was pretty surprised that if I kept moving over about 45 mph, I stayed fairly dry, except for the spray that was sucked back into the cockpit with me, and it wasn't much.

BTW, nice looking Jeep.....I was hoping to get a red one when I was looking, as it's my favorite color, but just couldn't find one that was worth buying.

Snitty · #13 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 09:40 AM

Mine stays on most of the year. I have a sunrider style top so I can flip it back whenever I want. I don't sit in the back seat too often, mainly when I'm cleaning out the junk that has accumulated over time. I leave my door uppers off through most of the summer. The rain really doesn't get inside very much. If it does, its nothing that an hour of sun won't fix.

88Wrangles · #14 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 06:15 PM

So if it's mostly just you're worried about...how hard is it really to simply dust off the dash and guages real quick?

Looks of vehicles are really important to me, and my daily drivers are just about always kept spotless...meaning cleaning the dash and everything else inside about everyother day; which, really only takes a couple minutes to do and I don't see as a big deal.

That's just my $.02 though.

Sparky-Watts · #15 (**permalink**) 07-23-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88Wrangles

So if it's mostly just you're worried about...how hard is it really to simply dust off the dash and guages real quick?

Looks of vehicles are really important to me, and my daily drivers are just about always kept spotless...meaning cleaning the dash and everything else inside about everyother day; which, really only takes a couple minutes to do and I don't see as a big deal.

That's just my $.02 though.

I was that way with my Camry. I had a little sponge-looking cleaning pad that had a light oil in it to pick up dust (but didn't leave any oily crap behind like Armor All) and I'd use that on the dash, console, doors, seats and anything else with the leather on it. Each day when I'd get home from work I'd do that and use a "California Duster" to wipe the dust off the exterior of the car (it was black and showed every speck of dust). Just spending 5 minutes a day doing that saved me a ton of money and time in car washes and detailing.

I wash and wax the Jeep about twice a year, and wipe the dust off the guages when they get hard to read, but that's about it. Except in the winter, I'll wash the salt out from under the Jeep as often as necessary.

KrazyJeeper · #16 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 12:17 AM

Sparky, wait til you get your lift and put them big ole meats on the rims, you'll get more than mist. I need to look into those extended flares, with 33s I tend to get alot of splash on me and the funny thing is it mostly comes from the rear tires. It's better if it's an inch of water versus a small amount.

Sparky-Watts · #17 (**permalink**) 07-24-2006, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrazyJeeper

Sparky, wait til you get your lift and put them big ole meats on the rims, you'll get more than mist. I need to look into those extended flares, with 33s I tend to get alot of splash on me and the funny thing is it mostly comes from the rear tires. It's better if it's an inch of water versus a small amount.

The 31's have always thrown their fare share of water, even before the lift, because they stuck out about an inch and a half or two inches past the flares.