2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited Rubicon

2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited Rubicon (Photo: André Deslauriers)

Ah, now for the soft top. Here is a breakdown of how much time it took me to remove and reinstall it:

Monday: 25 minutes to remove, 25 to reinstall.
I rarely read an owner's manual, whether it's a car or a VCR. But now, I had to. It said I needed a rubber mallet and a screwdriver, which I don't usually carry on me. You have to unlatch two metal clips on the top of the windshield, unzip and remove the rear side windows, pull out all the plastic tabs that fasten the vinyl to the body of the vehicle, and pull on two pins in order to pull the roof down. When I succeeded in lowering it, I was sweating, out of breath, and I needed a drink. I think the rubber mallet is used for hitting something in frustration when that top resists being lowered. Putting that top back into place was painful; you need god's own strength to pull that tight top over the windshield in order to latch the metal clips. A third arm would've been helpful, as I was too ashamed to ask for help. Zipping the transparent windows back in place requires you scrape your fingers across the hard vinyl top as well as strips of Velcro. Neighbors laughed.

Tuesday: 15 minutes to remove, 10 minutes to reinstall.
Now that I know how to take down that top, it should be pretty easy, shouldn't it? Well, for some reason, those two spring-loaded pins that have to be pulled out wouldn't, which prompted me to take out that dreaded user manual again. I thought that I may have missed a step. After tugging on that top (and cursing), the pins were suddenly very easy to pull to release the top, like if they were saying to each other: "OK, the joke's over, he's suffered enough." Putting it back up was easier, although I still had to pull like mad to latch it to the windshield.

2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited Rubicon (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123)

Wednesday: 4 minutes to remove, 7 to reinstall
Well, I admit, we were 3 people to remove it, so it came down pretty quick. I was alone to put it back up, but I managed to improve my best time because it had started to rain.

The rest of the week, with sufficient practice, I lowered and raised the top in about 5 minutes. I went through a half-bottle of hand cream.

By the way, the kids absolutely loved riding in it, and the large side windows allowed them to see very well out the sides.

2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited Rubicon (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123)

A week in this Jeep hasn't been particularly thrifty, though, as it consumed fuel at a voracious rate, 19.0 L/100 km to be exact. However, that average includes my off-road excursion, and I have driven it rather "enthusiastically". Although its fuel economy ratings are 16.8 L/100 km in the city and 11.7 L/100 km on the highway, you should expect numbers a little higher then that during summer and winter. They were probably calculated with the top up and A/C off. The best fuel economy numbers will probably be achieved during spring or fall.