fivenote

ok...hold the phone... you mean the fabric is supposed to ride over top what I'ver been calling the rain gutter? Mine is always inside. I thought that's how it worked. Here's picture of mine. Is this my user error? Great if it is!

What does yours look like?

Uafan

Mine leaks in the exact same spot. It's not just a little bit of water, it's a decent amount. I have the rugged ridge a-pillar switch pod in that area too, I'm afraid the wires are going to get wet..

Paganzo

The photos you posted are what I believe to be the correct way. What I was explaining was the half inch of fabric that drops into he gutter can sometimes roll over and almost sit on top of the door surround. When I get home from work in a couple hours I'll take a photo of what I mean.

fivenote

Ok, sort of a bummer. I was hoping i had something wrong that would explain the leak. Mine is dripping from the end of the gutter channel and straight into my doors.

I sent Bestop these pics and called them. They are having someone look at it and call me. A few more have reported the same leak on the two forums where I posted this.

jhol111964

I'm glad you posted those pics. The NX has a rain gutter, that the 1st gen doesn't have. I think [which is pure speculation at this point], that's the problem. I'm guessing, but it appears the gutter is somehow interfering with even compression and sealing of the door gasket, leaving a section unsealed. I suppose they added the rain gutter because of complaints with beaded water dousing passengers when opening the door! Is the gutter removable or replaceable?

DrtyJeepr

I haven't had any rain since I put mine on last week, so I had to go hose it down after I read this. Mine looks the same with the drip edge stopping a couple inches short of the windshield but I didn't have any leaks there. I did however get some water around the top corners of the back doors. The drip edge stops a couple inches before where the side and top pieces zip together. I think that's where the water came in. It wasn't much, but I had small puddles on top of flat section of the door surrounds where they sit on the body. Good thing I don't ride in the back I guess.

fivenote

I think I found and fixed the leak. At first I thought it was coming in at the door weatherstrip just after where the gutter drips it onto the door, but I tested that and it doesn't leak there.

Then I found this... If enough water comes down the gutter, it makes a right turn at the gap between those two foam pieces. The piece of header foam that you put on your trektop header mates there when it closes, but doesn't seem to fill that gap. I poured water down the gutter with the top closed and open and watched it enter that spot. When it comes in it spreads out and leaks over the door handle, front seat, and a-pillar.





another angle and the result...





Here's my fix. I got rubber foam weatherseal at Home Depot. It's very similar to the foam used on the top. I cut a small piece and filled the gap. I retested by pouring lots of water down the gutter. NO LEAKS! The real test came when I pulled out of the garage into a torrential thunderstorm. Still no leaks.



I'll pass this info on to Bestop on Monday. When I spoke to them Wednesday they were interested in finding the cause and providing a fix. Meanwhile I hope this info helps some others. If you're not having leaks, can you post pics of what this section looks like on yours?

Thanks again for the helpful posts on this problem!

jhol111964

Good sleuthing. They are lucky to having paying customers who double as trouble shooters

JKPier

Hmmm. I installed the supert nx todaynand it rained right after. My daughter in the back (jk) yelled "its dripping back here!). Indeed it was. Seems it dripsmin at the back end of the rain gutter, running down into the back and dripping down the rear support rod.

Ugh. I'll have to contact Bestop on this.

JAustin

I installed a Supertop NX on my JKU this week, and this morning washed it for the first time. Mine leaks, too, although not in the back like JKPier's does.

I wasn't trying to force water into the interior, but wasn't trying to avoid it, either (garden hose / low pressure spray nozzle). I was just washing the vehicle "normally." (I've had a 1st Gen Trektop on it for about 9 of the past 15 months, so this isn't my first Bestop / soft top experience.)

The result: I had quite a bit of water running down the interior of the front doors, over the door handles and on down, getting the carpet pretty wet. It was worse on the driver side than the passenger side, but I also washed the Jeep on a slight slope, such that the driver's side was higher than the passenger side, so perhaps that was a contributing factor to the variance.

(I also got a decent amount of water in the tub, but in all fairness, I really soaked the back window, including up under the flap that covers the zipper. I have a plastic mat back there, so the carpeting was protected. In the future, I'll clean under the flap with just a damp rag.)

Anyway, thanks to FiveNote's troubleshooting, I'm going to try the weatherstrip solution, but will also contact Bestop and report my experience, and see what kind of solution they offer.