foxtrot_zulu3

Hi all. I'm new to this forum, and I'm considering buying a 4 door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.

My chief concern is security and break-ins with the vehicle. If I buy the hard top accessory (which is 1600$$ more) will the vehicle be more secure and less prone to break-ins than with the soft top. I would think the soft top is easy to open, whereas the hard top can't be opened from the outside.

I'm also getting the power convience group with the power locks.

Any thoughts?

Cdash

Slice a top, break a window, what is the difference? If you got something that someone wants, they are going to get it. I just leave the doors unlocked, so my losses are limited to what is taken and not what they have to damage to get in.

chris269

This may be true but a hard top does keep the honest person honest. If someone walks by your vehicle and sees something laying out they want it is deffenitely more of a deterant if they have to break a window compared to just unzipping one. Amazingly enough I've been broke into several times and they always slash my windows. It doesn't make any since. I've broke into my jeep a hundred times( left my keys inside or something like that) and I never did any damage. Get both tops. it's worth it.

SabrToothSqrl

I have a hard top (had) and a soft top on my TJ...

Either way I don't lock the doors... the windows cost too damn much, if they want something they just open the door... but wait! THERE IS NOTHING in my Jeep that's not bolted to it...

My old TJ, I put in an alarm... motion sensor + doors + hood sensor... if they moved near it, it would chirp... reach a hand in side, and BEEP BEEP BEEP...

Now, I just dont put anything in it

The only thing that's not bolted down is my SIRIUS radio, and that I throw in the glove box + lock...

don't worry about security... else you will go nuts... just dont leave anything valuable in it, and if you do, make sure you have a low deductable

RooX

i had a number of break ins over the years in my old honda civic. THey kept pulling the door enough to open it and ended up bending it outta shape. I finally gave up, took everything of value out (lost over 2 grand worth of climbing equipment on the last one) and left the doors unlocked so that they would stop breaking windows and wrecking my door. About a week later after a huge torrential downpour i went out to the vehicle and found that some lovely person (probably a drunk) noticed the doors were unlocked, went in it, opened up all the windows, opened the sliding sunroof fully, from the smell of it, pissed all over everything, and left some underwear on the back seat.

end result. I hate people. :P

KiltedJK

I think the message here is just don't leave anything "valuable" in your vehicle (regardless of what you are driving) and in site. We've got the glove box and center console that both lock. And thank god for MP3 players and such, now you don't even have to put CD's in your car.

Rubidon

I had my Soft Top broken in to before. All the idiotes had to do is un-zip the windows..........instead they still pulled the lock. I know leave the doors unlocked. Use the center console and glove box to lock the little stuff and get a very loude alarm. Alarms a pretty cheap by them selves or treat your self with the deluxe remote start combo. You should get used to locking the little stuff any way for when you have the top removed. This is my 2cents

Robar

Locks are designed to keep honest people honest. The criminal "F'tards" that want your stuff are going to break, cut, smash, or anything else they can do to get it. Some other posts got it right when they said, don't leave anything in you vehicle that you don't want someone else to have! This includes CD's, purses, credit cards, cell phones, mp3 players, and anyting else that costs money to replace.

foxtrot_zulu3

Thx. I think I will get the hard top. My question was really about how easy it is to remove the hard top from the outside. The postings here seem to indicate that when the hard top is installed, it can only be removed from the inside, or broken from the outside to remove.

Having someone unzip my vehicle and take anything I have inside is not a good situation, and neither is leaving the car unlocked. I might not leave valuables inside my car, but what if I leave other personal stuff? Its a big step to break a window instead of unzipping the top. Normal people would not be prone to break a window.

And you're right: if a thief wants to break in, very little will prevent him or her from doing so. However, one of the cool aspects of the jeep is the availability of accessories. I was thinking of buying the locking drawer and/or console also, so that if I needed to keep something in my jeep, I have a secure place to put it. Sort of a layered defense: the hard top prevents entry by normal people from stealing the random stuff I leave in my car, and the console or drawer prevents the hard-core thief from stealing something I really want to protect.

RooX

impossible to remove the hard top from the outside.