Top Down on a Jeep Rental

[Rbaron721]

No rental companies that I've found on St. John will let you take the top down on a Jeep Wrangler. Does anyone know of an agency that will let you? My next question is, how would they know if you did take the top down?

[Lulu76]

As far as I know, there are no agencies on STJ that will allow you to take the top off of your jeep.

Secondly, I don't know that many of them rent vehicles that have tops that come off. They seem to have a lot more Jeep Liberty/Compass type vehicles.

Lastly, St. John is a very small island, and they look out for their own. Chances are very, very good that if you did take the top of your vehicle while on island that a friendly, helpful local would call the agency and let them know that you did it. At least, that's what I have heard in the past when folks tried to bend the rules with rental cars.

I know it's probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but it's hard to get around the rental car rules. I know there are some outfits on St. Thomas that do allow you take the top of your jeep AND transport the vehicle to St. John. That might be a better option if you HAVE to take the top off the Jeep. Just be very careful, because it can do a lot of damage to a vehicle's interior to get rained on, which is why the St. John dealerships are such sticklers on this rule.

[Fowst]

This is one of the factors sometimes cited as a benefit for renting on STT. They'll allow you to take down the top/sides (I think removing the hard top on a 4-door Wrangler may be troublesome).

[jimg20]

There may also be a hidden piece of tape, seal or plastic tie that breaks when you remove the top. When you return with that broken they will know what you did.

JIM

[tjwgrr]

Those tropical downpours can pop up out of nowhere and drop significant rainfall in a very short period of time.

By the time you made it to your Jeep from the beach, restaurant, villa, etc. to put the top on, the interior would be soaked.

[Rbaron721]

Thanks for all of the input. I wouldn't want to keep the top down while I was at the beach. I would just want to keep it down while I was driving.

Thanks guys!

[bevm]

They will not allow you take the top down. But inside the jeep is a whole different story!

[Cruzan Chris]

Rbaron 721,

Some tops fold back half way ,and I would have to agree with
TJWGrr ,rainfall can be a problem . Many a time I have woken up to go to the store or somewhere and found that it had rained the nite before or something had dropped out of the trees onto the seats because i left the top open . Lesson learned , we keep the top closed and make sure the windows are rolled up .
One more thing , depending on the rental agency , they can
charge you as much as $70 to clean out the vehicle upon return . Try to sweep as much sand and debris off the floors as you can the nite before you return your vehicle .

Cruzan Chris

[jimg20]

[quote="Cruzan ChrisOne more thing , depending on the rental agency , they can
charge you as much as $70 to clean out the vehicle upon return . Try to sweep as much sand and debris off the floors as you can the nite before you return your vehicle .

Cruzan Chris[/quote]

To help us with this, we bring a $2 wisk broom from Target. It is a soft brush that we use to knock the sand off our feet. It makes the transit time a little more comfortable and it keeps the car cleaner. It also allowed us to stop carrying the jug of water that we used to rinse our feet off.

JIM

[Connie]

The last wrangler that we rented from discount car rentals had it's top bolted onto the car frame. We tried, but could not get the top down.

I've owned a wrangler before and this was definetly a precautionary measure taken by the rental company.

Even if you could take the top down, it's usually a pain in the neck to get it back on again.

[lazylane]

Oh, they WILL know if you take it down! Like a previous poster said, it is a small island. We inadvertently left our windows down once and got a message on our cell phone to roll them up!!! (someone from the company had spotted the rental vehicle) The front of the top sometimes flips back, but we have never been able to remove the top. Rains pop up frequently so it is a good idea to keep 'em closed up!!

[PA Girl]

To help us with this, we bring a $2 wisk broom from Target. It is a soft brush that we use to knock the sand off our feet. It makes the transit time a little more comfortable and it keeps the car cleaner. It also allowed us to stop carrying the jug of water that we used to rinse our feet off.

JIM

Love this idea and will be getting a wisk broom for the next trip!

[MistB'Haven]

Rented from Discount in January. They allowed the top to be taken down. We were very careful, however, to put it up at night and when we went to dinner, etc. This was a soft top wrangler two door, not the larger one with a hard removable top.

[SoulvilleUSA]

We just got back and we rented from http://rentamotion.com/ (on St. Thomas) and they were great. They dropped a jeep off for us at the airport, gave us great tips about the islands, will let you take the top down all you want, and picked up the jeep as we were unloading our luggage at the airport at the end of the week. Great service. These are real Island jeeps, the way they should be... no windows installed (except the rear window), no floormats, just 100% jeep. Mind you the jeep was in great condition, ran well, and the seats were even comfy.... there just wasn't a lot to mess up. They encouraged us to take it to St. John.