SOFT TOP

[kenmud]

Hi please can anyone tell me, I am thinking of buying a suzuki jimny soft top. Are they ok to run all the way through the winter, it would not be garaged but left out all over winter, I have read somewhere that the softop plastic can crack in cold weather does this happen on the suzuki jimny convertibles, can you please let me know.

Cheers ken (doncaster)

[colin]

dont know about the soft top but jimnys are ok in hard top form.
use mine every day plus for laning. :D

[Bunnie]

on our vit we originally had a plasticy type roof which we think was possibly the original roof, have to say it was cracked and falling to peices ie the back window was swen in and it wasnt even attached properly.

Id suggest by all means purchase one but it may be worth forking out for a denim style one. ours has been on for bout 6 months now and its sooooo much nicer than the horrible plastic thingy

have piccy to prove it...

this is her when we picked her up:


and this is her now:



its well worth the money
(ours is a best top too)

[kenmud]

nice jeep  how  much for jimny

[dew1911]

Could you not pick up a Hard Top to use when it gets cold?

[Bunnie]

I found this on the best top site: http://www.bestop.com/images/products/51361-01.jpg

As for prices i couldnt see any thing so youd have to contact them.

[Evilgoat]

Thats not her now, too many bits missing :)



Tires (general Grabber AT2's), Snorkel and Soft-Top all came from Devon 4x4 was quite a resonable price at the end of the day, just warn your fitter that he might have problems with the Suzuki steel rims :)

Oh, and if you Speak to Tim to order tires, dont tell him tires are for a zook, he'll laugh at you a lot.  :shock:

[kenmud]

Thanks for all your feedback, on the new suzuki jimny soft tops I have read up on some cars that in cold weather the plastic windows can crack. I know over a few years they do get tatty and old, but do the plastic windows get brittle in the freezing cold and if I was to go out and buy a new best top would the same thing apply, cant really afford a £1000 for a new hard top but would love one, hope you dont mind me asking all these questions just trying to do a bit of homework before I go out and buy one, nice pictures of the jeep by the way...........thanks ken (doncaster)

[Evilgoat]

The problem is normally the PVC the cheaper tops use. The UV part of sunlight ages it and unless treated it starts to break down. Other thing to look at is all the fixings, the vit has one missing even with the new top and You'll need the rear pole if the Jimny has it for the new top.

if you take care of these things they wont suffer so bad, dont leave it covered in crud, cover it in thne the winter etc. If its gonna go offroad, keep the old top for doing that, ours has taken punishment from scratchy lanes.

[Bunnie]

will rabbits old top even go back on?

[Evilgoat]

Dont see why not.

[kenmud]

The problem is normally the PVC the cheaper tops use. The UV part of sunlight ages it and unless treated it starts to break down. Other thing to look at is all the fixings, the vit has one missing even with the new top and You'll need the rear pole if the Jimny has it for the new top.

if you take care of these things they wont suffer so bad, dont leave it covered in crud, cover it in thne the winter etc. If its gonna go offroad, keep the old top for doing that, ours has taken punishment from scratchy lanes.

HI, wasnt sure what you meant by REAR POLE for the jimny, what do you treat the tops with? and are replacement tops easy to fit? have to get a convertible as kids want one really bad!!!!!! how long before they start to rot do you get a good couple of years out of one? On the new jimnys its not PVC its like a material type of top is this good?

[Evilgoat]

HI, wasnt sure what you meant by REAR POLE for the jimny, what do you treat the tops with? and are replacement tops easy to fit? have to get a convertible as kids want one really bad!!!!!! how long before they start to rot do you get a good couple of years out of one? On the new jimnys its not PVC its like a material type of top is this good?

Hi, I dont know how the Jimny top works. On the Vit theres a pole in the bottom of the rear window that clips into the tailgate, the bestop we have needed this to be reused from the old top.

Replacement top went on in about 2 minutes after we changed the pole over, otherwise its the same as the original to fit, plus our aoriginal was in a trully bad way. The one we have is basically denim, I think before the winter I might put some fabric treatment on it, but the docs taht came with it just said keep it clean and use seam sealer when needed on the seams.

[kenmud]

put some fabric treatment on it, but the docs taht came with it just said keep it clean and use seam sealer when needed on the seams.

Hi, what fabric treatment do you use? and what seam sealer would you recomend?

Ken (Doncaster)

[Evilgoat]

put some fabric treatment on it, but the docs taht came with it just said keep it clean and use seam sealer when needed on the seams.

Hi, what fabric treatment do you use? and what seam sealer would you recomend?

Ken (Doncaster)

I havent looked into it just yet, its not been on there that long. Bestop can probobly reccomend something. Seam Sealer is the stuff that came with my tent ;)

[kenmud]

thanks for all your help  nice one all of you

[Grinch]

Sorry to bump and old thread ut my good lady and i jhave jsut bought 2 soft top jimny's.  Well i bought mine, she fell in love and found another one for her :D

Apart from the scary stickers about the rood not holding passengers inside the vehicle in the event of an accident  :shock:   the books do say the soft top should not be folded or opened in temperatures lower than 5' C  im assuming this is due to the PVC becomming brittle and cracking.

the roof is made of a canvas backed vinyl by the looks of things, and whilst the mark1 versins are messy with theu removable side windows theu do appear to be quite tough.  Im looking at a monsoon roof (www.monsoon.co.uk) as the replacement when mine needs doing as it converts the clip and bar system over to press fasteners which is a more secure fitting (not in terms of anti theft tho)

Both our Jimnys are second hand and around 5 years old, and the roofs  are in excellent condition on both.

Matt

[kenmud]

Hiya,

Thanks for getting back to me it was in the handbook about the plastic being brittle and also on other websites, I was advised by my local suzuki dealer to put a cover over it in the frost, I just had visions of my 2 kids poking out the plastic windows if there was frost on them.

What I am going to do is buy a soft top convertible model and my local dealer says as part of the deal he will do me a geniune suzuki hard top for £500 which I dont think is too bad, cause once I dont have the soft top anymore, I can sell the hard top separtely.

As for your soft top if its the 4 part soft top with the big side windows you can pick them up from breakers yards, and monsoon do a good replacement top and if your local you can go to the factory and see them being made.  I think this is my best top to get a hard top and put it on in the cold that way it will save me looking out the window wondering what the weather is going to be like, wasnt really bothered about the soft top just bothered about the glass cracking, in the past couple of months have got to become quite an expert on soft tops (blow my own trumpet) by asking questions on websites which is great fun as well.

Thanks for all your advice merry xmas enjoy your jimnys.

ken doncaster