Sorry if this is a newb question... But i am a newb and that's how i roll for now.

So, I just purchased a 2007 unlimited on wednesday and I purchased a hardtop from the dealer. I pick up the top on Monday. The dealer is stating that the hardtop needs to be fitted to the jeep. Ive never heard of this; I thought you just could pop it on. I was wondering if you guys had any experience with buying a hardtop after getting your jk.

They're stating it takes 2 hours of labor to get it on the first time. Am I getting ripped off?

 

I have a hard top, and no soft top. My girlfriend and I took the top off earlier this summer. It was easy (on and off) I think he's trying to get some money from you. You should show up there without the top and all hardware off, then install it with help of a friend in their parking lot. I think you will need a T-40 Torx socket.

 

I bought my hard top used. I drove to the guys house and me and my wife installed the top in less than 30 minutes. Rode with it all winter long and it never leaked. We did nothing special to install it. Not exactly sure what would take two hours. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

Yes do it yourself and save the couple hundred dollars. Take a buddy with you to help lift it on too. There are six clips in the back that you put on first then set the top on and bolt it down. Then put the front freedom panels on flip the levers on them and put the rear screws in and you are good to go .

 

Sounds likt the dealership trying to make some $$. Ask them for help adjusting your Flux Capacitor also or maybe your Clock Spring..O wait a minute there is one of those.

Welcome to to club, now empty all your pockets for the MODS!!!

 

Yes........ Stealership always have a minimum hours per job. Like everyone is saying; take a friend and the correct tools

 

Thanks for the advice guys.
Yeah I called the dealership and asked what the two hours would entail and they said "well first, we will roll up your soft top and put it away and then we will put your hardtop on. "So I'm gonna go with they just want two hundred dollars. Lol.

I can't complain though the car came with a soft top and they added the hard top onto the sale for $500 I'm pretty happy. It also had brand new tires.

 

More than likely they are taking into account that they are going to take off your soft top, unbolt it and take off the door surrounds for the soft top. I can switch mine out in less than an hour, prob less than 30 min. Its odd how some dealerships charge for something like this. Mine showed me everything and told me to come back and i needed help, never charged me a dime

 

They're basically offering to do the install for a fixed price, for the average person that can't do it in their own garage. They take the soft top off, including all the rails/brackets that have to come off so the hard top can go on. They lift on the hard top, secure it and install all the brackets and pieces. It's not rocket science, but it's a guarantee that it goes on without damage and the work is warranteed.

They also hook up all the electrical components. You've already thought about that, right? The hardtop probably comes with a rear wiper and a rear defrost. Depending on the year and options, your Jeep might not have the switches for either. If not, you'll need to buy the parts and do it yourself, or have the dealer put them in. I doubt they included these for free if they're not already on the Jeep. The connectors and wiring are there, the switches are sometimes not. Unless your dealer ordered a hard top without any of those options (is the rear glass w/o wiper and defrost even an option?).

The other possibility is that they took the hardtop off before the sale, and are selling it back to you for $500. Hardtops normally retail for north of $2,000. If the wiper switches and rear defrost are already there, chances are it was a "dual top" -optioned vehicle at one point. Make sure that hardtop they put on is brand spank-me-new.

If you are reasonably handy, you can figure this installation out yourself with some pushing, pulling, lifting, and light wrenching and use some of the money that you would have spent at the dealer buying pizza and beer for your buddy that helps you lift it on.

 

For the Unlimited, there are also two screws at the very front of the main top section, straight down into the roll bar. Then put the Freedom Top on. If those two screws are loose by the way, you'll get strange thunking noises as you hit bumps. Don't overtighten (easy to break the SMC material the top is made from), but make sure they are snug and if you get a thunking from the upper door area, check those.