Another newbie here, in Virginia

[tvdan1043]

Hey all you Jeep People! I've wanted a Wrangler since I was old enough to pronounce the word "Jeep". 35+ years later I finally met the girl of my dreams. She's a dark blue soft-top 2005 "X". :wub:

I'm a TV guy, currently working I.T. at a TV station in Hampton Roads but I've done everything from mopping the floors to directing. One thing I am not, sadly, is a mechanic. But thanks to this wonderful Internet thingy I was able to learn enough to keep my old Neon (may she rest in peace) on the road for 249k. I'm hoping I can pick enough brains around here to keep my new girl happy for a long time.

She's stock everything, and she's likely to stay that way. At a towering 5'6" the standard Jeep height is just about at the limit of what I can easily climb into so she ain't getting lifted.

 

[tvdan1043]

Forgot to mention that not only is this my first Jeep, it's also my first 4x4 and my first manual transmission and my first soft-top vehicle of any kind. So I kind of jumped in the deep end head first. So try not to laugh too hard when you hear me swearing at the zippers... I'm still new at this :scratch:

 

[TerryMason]

Allright, another local guy - I'm in VA Beach myself.

Jeeps are pretty straight forward vehicles, so you'll be fine. I have to admit though, putting soft tops on and off in the cold weather is tough - the top tends to shrink alittle and make it difficult. Just wait until the weather warms up alittle - you'll have that top off in a heartbeat.

 

[SteelHeadz]

Welcome to Jeepz...

 

[mikep]

Since I'm new to the jeep soft top myself how do you guys store the plastic windows when you take the top off? They say to roll them up but that kind of scares me.

 

[TerryMason]

They scratch really easy, and if you just roll them up, they'll be scratched up in no time.

I do roll mine, but I put a soft towell on top of them before rolling them up, and it works as a buffer.

 

[RichardD]

Hey Dan and Terry.

Good to see other Virginians here.

Dan, the 5' 6" thing is no problem, they make roll bar handles that hang down about 2 inches. Just grab on, and swing in. You KNOW you want to lift it :lol:.

I use Chapstick on the zippers, works better than the Jeep oil with the brush or 3 in 1 oil.

Be well,
Richard

 

[avan]

Once you stop next to a raised Jeep at the lights, you are going to want to lift it. :shades:

As for height being a problem getting in and out, that problem in the mind. I have seen 5 foot nothing girls getting in & out of jeeps with no problem. Even have a friend with a raised driving seat.

 

[BESRK]

Hi Dan!!

Best advice I can give to a new Jeeper is.. Join a local Jeep Club. All the clubs in the HR area are full of good people.. with a lot of knowledge.

Great way to learn about your Jeep, see what modifications look good/not so good, go on organized trail rides..etc.

 

[FishJeep]

Sweet, Im a newbie from the beach too. Welcome.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

As for your zippers, find a local dive shop and go in asking for Silcon grease, they use it for dry suit zippers and o-ring seals on compressed air tanks. I use it on my factory soft top zippers every 6 months or so and had no problems for over 8 years now.

 

[Achilles97zj]

new in va guy looking for some trails and what not any ideas
and and segetions on a good jeep club???

 

[TerryMason]

The best local club that I've found is Virginia Beach Jeeps Offroad
Virginia Beach Jeeps Off-Road (Virginia Beach, VA) - Meetup.com

They've got a trip to UWharrie lined up for this weekend as well as a separate trip to Raush. They are great people. Just join up and go with them. I won't be able to make it myself because I'm expecting my first kid to make an appearance any day now, and the wife says a 4 hour trip to a remote state park is out of the question...

 

[Achilles97zj]

thanks but i tink this weekend is out for me to but i will loookin to it