Reviews for Bestop 5492335 Trektop NX Glide Soft Top in Black Diamond for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlmited 4-Door
This is my first adventure into soft tops. I waited over a year to find one that I felt offered all that I wanted, and it looked like the Glide was the best choice in terms of ease of use, various configuration options, and the fastback style. A couple of days into it, here is my feedback, and I am hoping to help make the installation process a little more informed for the next user.
Installation - Prepare for 4-5 hours and this is easier completed with a friend. I started with unpacking the box and taking inventory of all parts and hardware to ensure no mishaps later with a missing piece – I had no issues with missing parts. The instructions are generally straightforward but we got hung on installing the side bows to the header/fabric assembly. Color pictures to complement the black and white diagrams would make for an easier installation process. It was somewhat difficult to discern from the diagrams what the final product of the step should look like. An adjustable wrench and/or pair of pliers as well as an electric screwdriver are must haves for installation and the instructions don’t indicate this. We would not have gotten past several steps, including the header/fabric assembly already referenced, without an electric screwdriver. Where the screws are going into metal pieces with pre-drilled holes is where you’ll run into problems.
Installation Tips – For hardware that comes with a “right” and “left” side, ensure you are using the correct side on the correct step and installing it in the correct direction. The diagrams aren’t always clear. It is best to spend a little extra time studying the diagram and the parts before you get too far ahead. Again, another pair of eyes helps with this. The fabric is a nice, tight fit and it was very difficult to attach at first, particularly when you are hot and tired at this point in the process. I had the advantage of a warm, sunny day and kept the top and windows in the sun. They have subsequently been easier to reinstall after the first installation. This was expected.
Fit – It is a nice, tight well-engineered fit. I hand-washed my car the next day and there was no evidence of any leakage. We haven’t had a rainfall since the install, but I would be surprised to find anything different. It is a very clean final product. The fabric whips very slightly during highway driving but remains feeling secure. Noise wasn’t an issue to me at all. I was very happy with the quality and appearance of the fabric.
Ease of Use – I do not have experience with the zippered windows for comparison but window removal is pretty simple, taking just a couple of minutes tops for tear down. I can easily move to the Sunrider feature operating by myself. The only time I’ve taken the top all the way back so far is with a friend but it seems manageable working alone as well. Window reinstall is slightly more time consuming but as I get adjusted to it and the fabric stretches more, this should take under five minutes.
Generally, I’m very happy with my choice. In the two days since the install, I’ve enjoyed the Sunrider, safari top, and full convertible options with pretty easy transitioning between the options. The “glide” aspect as opposed to zippers wasn’t so much a strong selling point to me but it works and maybe this is very appealing to some. My main decision with this top involved the ability to go between Sunrider, safari, and full convertible options with the fastback look, so I got exactly what I wanted and expected.
Not an easy installation, but nice top
Overall, very easy to put up and down when going to have a sunny day or if rain is about to start. Easy to take off and re-install if wanting to go full topless. Did have a lot of issues with the screws not threading correctly into some of the holes and the instructions were a little confusing, but overall, a simple install for one person. Would highly recommend buying your own screws to use for some of the pieces of this, plus using a power drill.
Installed in about 80 deg. installation went smooth. My wife and I worked together in putting it on. We did find one bracket to be bent. I thought the top would fit better, but I think a couple day out of the box should help with that. The stitching tension was loose, so, many of the stitches had loops and didn't lay flat. While writing this I called Quadratec service and a new bracket and foam pads are being sent. I did not expect that! 3 for product. 5 for service!!!✌
Great top and relatively straight forward for an amateur to install. Would be five stars but the holes in the bow sections were drilled to small for the screws. Stripped a handful of screws before I decided I needed to widen the wholes with a drill so screws wouldn’t strip.
I contacted Bestop to order replacement screws and including shipping it’s going to cost me $25. I told them about the issue with the pre-drilled holes and they said they were aware of that issue. If so, I’d recommend sending a free replacement bag of screws instead of charging the customer for a quality issue on their end.
Other than that experience this would be a five star review.
The screws that screw into the fabric could be better the whole thing could of took 2hrs with help but the screws make it difficult because some won’t go in the hole properly
I absolutely love the top it's everything that I wanted and expected it to be the only reason I did not give it a 5 star rating is because I was offered a $100 gift card at the same time for purchase and I have not yet received it otherwise I would have given it 5 stars
No zippers
Just installed new soft top on my 2015jeep rubicon took me and son-in -law 3 hours ,instructions were very hard to read.watched video on how to install that helped a lot.other reviews were correct.looks good, a little bit tight hope it will loosen up over time no wind noise
over all a very good top, instructions needs to be better and screws needs to be a better quality aswell, a few where broken during install. it was extremely tight in the beginning but loosed up over time. When I convert back to my hardtop for the winter i will give a updated review.