2021. Bought used in 2023. Previous owner installed the Hot Headliner on it. Noticed a broken clip on the ground the other day and didn't know what it went to. The next day I put the top back for a drive, was closing it when parked and it complained about an obstruction. Today I tore off the alien sunshade and then pulled headliner and now I know the issue. 4 of the crossrods have broken clips on the ends, and based on the way they were moving around up there, they also tore some of the stitching off from those channels where the metal hooks go through.
Did a bit of googling and there's threads out there from other owners of Hot Heads Headliner installed kits on Sky One Touch that ran across the same issue. Looks like that headliner puts a lot of additional strain on the top and my guess is that once one clip goes, it'll cause the top to retract and close at an angle which probably starts breaking the rest.
Jeep sells a kit with crossbars and clips (can't buy the clips alone from what I can see) for ~$200+shipping with only 2 clips each, so I need 7 clips so thats $800+shipping. Then, I would need to repair the stitching, and some of the bars need glued/taped back to the top. From what I see the nylon strap on either side must be released so you can thread it through, and I can't see where that is at ... looks like a job and a half and I have to hope I do it right.
The alternative is a stealership. I highly doubt Jeep will honor a warranty since an aftermarket part was installed to the top, meaning it's a cash purchase for a $5000+ top and install, right?
Curious if anyone else here has had experience with this, what they did, what ended up working (or not) and what the eventual fix was. My wife and I want to keep the Sky One Touch and repair/replace as it's one of the things we enjoy the most on the Jeep. After 30 years of Jeep ownership, I can tell you that I don't want to go back to tugging Bestops in to grooves and snaps =)
Thanks!
Did a bit of googling and there's threads out there from other owners of Hot Heads Headliner installed kits on Sky One Touch that ran across the same issue. Looks like that headliner puts a lot of additional strain on the top and my guess is that once one clip goes, it'll cause the top to retract and close at an angle which probably starts breaking the rest.
Jeep sells a kit with crossbars and clips (can't buy the clips alone from what I can see) for ~$200+shipping with only 2 clips each, so I need 7 clips so thats $800+shipping. Then, I would need to repair the stitching, and some of the bars need glued/taped back to the top. From what I see the nylon strap on either side must be released so you can thread it through, and I can't see where that is at ... looks like a job and a half and I have to hope I do it right.
The alternative is a stealership. I highly doubt Jeep will honor a warranty since an aftermarket part was installed to the top, meaning it's a cash purchase for a $5000+ top and install, right?
Curious if anyone else here has had experience with this, what they did, what ended up working (or not) and what the eventual fix was. My wife and I want to keep the Sky One Touch and repair/replace as it's one of the things we enjoy the most on the Jeep. After 30 years of Jeep ownership, I can tell you that I don't want to go back to tugging Bestops in to grooves and snaps =)
Thanks!
