by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
There are all kinds of things to love about spring. Of course, the warmer weather is a boost to the soul after so many months of slogging through freezing rain, snow and cold snap after cold snap. At least for most of us, anyway.
There is baseball for those into sports, a bevy of other outdoor activities that entice people with or without kids, and it is a great time to get back out into nature to explore things a bit more comfortably.
Spring is also a rebirth. A time for many to take stock of their Jeep and begin thinking about what they want to do and where they want to go with it as the longer, warmer days beckon for attention.
For some that may mean performing modifications like new bumpers, a winch, suspension lift and the like to build that Jeep up a bit and get it off the ground. For others, it can be simple cleaning or adding interior products.
Spring can mean a lot of things and cover a lot of loves.
So here are some ideas that are both on the easier side, as well as the wallet friendly side, to help cure those winter blues and get your vehicle ready for the months ahead.
Seat Covers
We all love to imagine sunny spring days, a gentle breeze and the sweet smell of flowers no matter which way you turn. But while a great image, in reality not every spring day can be full of sun and fun. It is bound to rain at some point, and when it does then your seats could be in danger if the top is off your vehicle, or the windows are left open. Really, though, rain or shine those factory Jeep seats are under assault any time the top is off the vehicle.
So if you are still sitting on uncovered factory seats, then this season is a great time to get some highly protective seat covers. Whether your choice is weather absorbing and comfortable neoprene, highly breathable polycotton, easy to clean ballistic nylon, vinyl or great looking and soft leatherette, these covers will allow your Jeep seats to last longer and give you a little more insulation for the ride. Not only that, but covers are also easy to remove and clean when needed. Perfect for anyone’s on-the-go spring Jeep lifestyle.
A final benefit to adding protective seat covers inside your Jeep's cab is the ability to customize to nearly any look you want. Most covers have numerous color schemes that can match, for example, accent bezels you have done to the dash area or paint job you've done to the vehicle’s body tub. Or, perhaps, even the respective colors of your Jeep club. It's all up to you.
Cleaning Products
It is never a bad idea to give your vehicle a good once-over, or two. And perhaps spring is the best time of all to get that accomplished. Winter can be hard on a Jeep because of the harsh weather conditions and grime build up, not to mention road salt or other chemicals, as well as whatever you track into the vehicle.
So as the days turn a bit warmer, those with power washers at home, or a good hose and some time, can give the vehicle a nice bath and interior cleaning with proven products from Mothers. They pretty much have everything you need to take your car from winter dullness to spring readiness thanks to car wash solutions, instant detailing spray, interior all-purpose cleaner, back to black trim restorer and tire shine, ceramic prep and cleaner, wax and leather care.
If you can’t, or don’t want to, wash at home, take the vehicle to any nearby self wash location and spend some time with your Jeep. Touchless car wash places are ok, but why leave things to chance taking that trip down a conveyor belt. Why not make sure yourself that you get the vehicle as clean as possible going into warmer weather.
Additionally, get all the trash out of the vehicle that you never had time to remove in the cold weather, and take out any floor liners you have and spray them off to remove all the mud, salt and other debris.
Those with soft tops should pick up some Bestop Cleaner, Fabric Protectant and Vinyl Window Cleaner and make sure that soft top looks as good as new headed into the Spring. Constant winter temperature changes and grime can quickly aggravate that soft top fabric, so utilizing Bestop's protectant can extend the life of your soft top. Also, soft top plastic windows are easily scratched and can get cloudy, so spending a bit of time on those with a vinyl cleaner will get them looking just like new.
Floor Liners
The factory carpeting inside your Jeep is pretty competent at handling water should some find its way inside your Jeep. But dirt, grime, mud — all that other stuff isn’t very friendly with said carpet.
So the perfect solution going into these warmer months is picking out a nice set of floor liners to block out all that nasty stuff, and extend the life of your carpet.
Aftermarket floor liners simply fit over the existing carpet in the driver and passenger foot area, and are also available for back passenger footwell coverage as well as cargo area protection. What that means is most exposed carpeting areas now will have a ‘shield’ designed to really keep just about anything off it; rain, snow, mud, dirt. Not to mention those liners will also keep your feet from rubbing against the carpeting and prematurely wearing out the material.
Additionally, these days liners aren’t just some generic carpeted overlay that sits there and covers the factory carpeting. Most liners are custom designed to exactly fit your specific vehicle, and are available in a multitude of materials like rubber, thermoplastic and high density tri-extruded—as well as carpeting—that all are able to trap and hold water or debris in place. Plus, they are simple to remove and clean when needed, which makes things so much easier than continually removing drain plugs to get water out of the vehicle. Or breaking out that scrub brush to attach muddy carpet stains.
Headlights
Spring ahead means longer, lighter days as the weeks go on, but there will always come a time to use those headlights on your Jeep. Whether heavy fog, rain, or just simply the night, having powerful headlights that provide excellent illumination is certainly important.
So for anyone still rocking those factory halogen headlights, it is definitely a great time to swap over to replacement LED headlights.
Not only do LED headlights have a better light output and less battery draw, but they also throw a more accurate beam which resembles actual daylight. This helps keep you safer and makes for less driver eye strain than your current factory halogens. Plus, LED headlights have an almost unlimited lifespan.
Additionally, LED headlights these days are more affordable than ever, and most brands out there utilize plug-and-play installation, so simply remove the front grille, pull out the current lights and replace with your superior LED versions.
Finally, once those lights are installed, make sure to spend a few minutes and adjust them correctly. It is not a tough process and oncoming drivers will certainly thank you.
Declutter / Storage Options
Spring cleaning. If we asked how many people will be spending at least one weekend in the coming few months pulling stuff out of the garage, or porch, we’re sure it would be a bunch. Well, the same can go for your Jeep in this warmer weather.
It is a great time to declutter that vehicle and explore options that will give you more storage room for whatever you wish to carry. We’re talking products like under seat metal locking units, replacement lockable center consoles, locking metal glove boxes, cargo security enclosures and even tailgate locking boxes. All heavily constructed units that will deter a potential thief from poking around too long.
Many of these applications can be installed without drilling and, once in place, cannot be opened without a key, while others (like center storage consoles) may require drilling for proper installation. Regardless, the heavy gauge steel in many of these storage solutions withstand abuse and have room for most, if not all, of your valuables.
Additionally, seat back MOLLE storage units, or canvas ones, that fit in the roll bar area as well as the rear cargo section, can provide excellent cargo storage spots for extra stuff you may need in the vehicle.
Not only do these units help declutter your vehicle, but they provide excellent security add-ons for those really nice days when you want to take the top off and drive open-cabin style.
Top Alternatives
No one says that you have to wear that soft or hardtop all year long. Sure, those colder months are pretty demanding on having one of those tops, but the warmer spring, into summer, months are definitely more flexible.
For many, that means taking off their soft or hardtop and adding a bimini top, as well as cab curtain and back tonneau cover.
If you are not sure what those are, it is pretty simple.
Easy and painless to install, a bimini top sits right above your head while not obstructing side or rear views. This means it can also help reduce wind noise while still allowing an acceptable amount of airflow through the cabin.
Many of these brief tops attach with a channel to the windshield frame (similar to a full soft top) and then utilize hook and loop straps to wrap around multiple roll cage points. This keeps the top secure and helps eliminate any flapping. Additionally, depending on the brand, you can even choose the type of material as some match the factory fabric, while others offer vinyl or mesh.
There are also top coverage options that include just the driver and passenger, or longer versions that cover nearly the entire length of the vehicle—great for four-door owners who travel with extra passengers.
Cab curtains can be made of that same material and attach similar to the bimini top around roll cage bars, then hang down behind your head to help enclose the cabin. Tonneau covers then seal up the rear cargo area, similar to the way you can cover up a truck bed.
When those three pieces are installed, they give the vehicle an almost a truck-like appearance with an enclosed cab and flat bed. However, while this does enclose the cabin to a point, it is important to note this is not a waterproof solution. So if you get caught out in a storm, don’t expect element-free protection. Still, when you know the days are going to be dry for awhile, this kind of ‘soft top’ solution is a fun and nice way to enjoy your drive.
Top Storage
Like we’ve said plenty of times, one of the best things about warmer months in a Jeep is the ability to remove the vehicle’s top and drive around in a totally open-air cabin. And while that image is playing in your mind, take a second and think about what you are going to do with that top when it is off the vehicle. That’s right, how are you going to store the thing?
Now, soft top owners do have the ability to simply fold down their top without having to remove it completely, but side and rear windows can still present a problem when off the vehicle as that plastic can scratch up fairly easily. So a nice storage bag with lined interior makes it easy to slide those windows in, zip up, and store somewhere safe like a garage or porch when not in use. This way, nothing gets scratched or torn.
Hardtop owners need a bit more to think about, especially if they want to keep that top off for most of the warmer season. Backyard storage spots may not make sense simply because of weather issues, or other potential for damage, while simply placing it on a garage floor brings a whole other host of problems.
So what to do?
Well, two top products to store that hardtop are either a hardtop storage cart that you can wheel around to wherever you think is best, or you can install a hardtop hoist inside your garage or carport should you have the clearance.
For many, a cart simply makes the most sense because it eliminates the need to figure out if a hoist will work. But, if you have the room, a hardtop hoist does make it fairly simple to pull that top off the Jeep with just yourself on the job. Normally, it requires at least two people to take a hardtop off the vehicle and position on a storage cart.
Either way you go, though, you can rest assured by safely storing the top, you won’t have to worry about glass or material damage.
Fluids
Not all spring products for your Jeep need to be something you see. Some can be just as beneficial and no one, except you, would know they are there.
After a long winter, performing a through fluid check can be essential to ensure your Jeep keeps rolling through the warmer weeks to come.
If it has been a little while since you last had an oil change, and those winter months made you not want to go get one, then grabbing some fresh oil and performing a driveway change is a nice way to learn a little more about your vehicle, while saving some money in the process.
Additionally, if your coolant fluid level looks a little low when you remove the radiator cap, make sure to add some to keep the radiator from overheating. However, always make sure to only open that cap when the engine is cool.
Spend a few minutes and remove the front and rear differential cover plugs and ensure your vehicle’s gear oil is where it needs to be. If it seems to be low, then fill accordingly and check the driver and passenger axle sides to make sure there is no leakage.
Finally, if you have an older Jeep, or one you drive a lot, it may be time to swap out that transmission fluid. Depending on how you drive the vehicle, a good rule to follow is around 60k miles if you do some off-roading, towing or use the vehicle as a daily driver. If it is not an every day vehicle, that mileage number can be as high as 120K depending on how light it is driven. Conversely, heavy off-road use can push the change schedule down to 30K. If you are unsure when the last change was, or if it has ever been changed, you can simply check by removing the transmission dipstick and dropping a bit of fluid on a piece of paper. If it looks brown or smells burnt, or even has some dirt mixed with the fluid, then it is time for a change.
Tubular Doors
Not many Jeep owners are going to leave their top on when the days get warm enough to really enjoy. After all, that’s one of the best reasons to own a Jeep — taking advantage of an open cabin when you can.
And what really makes the experience even more enjoyable is removing those doors and putting you more in touch with how those Jeep drivers of old lived.
For some, though, driving with a totally open door enclosure can be a bit intimidating. Depending on your area, it may also be against the law. So it is always a good idea to check your state regulations before you take those door off.
Or, you can look into one of today’s hottest moving items; Jeep tubular doors. They are the perfect alternative for those who want to pull off their doors, but need something there.
Tubular doors provide just the right amount of air to material coverage, and many can latch right on to existing door hardware. Some can even be outfitted with canvas bags to help with cargo storage.
Keep in mind, though, when you do remove the factory doors, so go the mirrors. Some tubular doors either come with their own mirrors, or accept the factory mirrors which makes things easy, but if not, it is a good idea to invest in either some relocation brackets or other type of workable mirrors.
