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@ADB90 - Great video! Thanks for sharing. I don't have one, but I suspect the warning from JLR was because in your video, the folds of the canvas may be obstructed by the expedition roof rack. Did you try to open it with the rack on? If it went clear, maybe because all bets are off at highway speeds with the winds and noise. Your best bet would be if @The Insider joined the thread. I'm confident he would give you the best "Inside" intel on it, but he has a "day job" and only hits a few of these. Or, more likely, he wisely avoids some of them!
@ADB90 - Great video! Thanks for sharing. I don't have one, but I suspect the warning from JLR was because in your video, the folds of the canvas may be obstructed by the expedition roof rack. Did you try to open it with the rack on? If it went clear, maybe because all bets are off at highway speeds with the winds and noise. Your best bet would be if @The Insider joined the thread. I'm confident he would give you the best "Inside" intel on it, but he has a "day job" and only hits a few of these. Or, more likely, he wisely avoids some of them!
With the Expedition Roof Rack on the fabric cleared easily so I suspect it's all about highway speeds. Would be nice to get confirmation from the insider about the use of the crossbars and other roof accessories though!
Here's a video of mine showing how it operates and how far back it opens. Its a single toggle. Opening is automatic and a two-step process. The first opens the majority of the way automatically. The dealer mentioned this was for normal usage. Pressing the button a second time causes it to open a little farther. The dealer mentioned there may be buffeting at speed or depending on condition which is why they allow for both options. Closing the fabric roof requires holding down the button and the fabric roof will stop when you let the button go, allowing for some fine tuning if you only want it open a slight amount. As you can see in the video it opens just over top of the rear passenger seats, so its really the best experience when you're sitting in the back.
Other than that I've found the roof is very well made. It has a lot of cross bars in it so its very sturdy, and its very quiet even on the highways when closed. The original Defender I ordered was not equipped with the fabric roof rack and I was a little concerned with this option but it seems really well made and I've been quite happy with it overall. I would have liked to include a roof rack but it would really destroy the experience of having the whole roof opened up.
Hi, I am in the process of ordering a 110 with the fabric folding roof. Have you had any issues with a creaking noise like others have stated above? Any other cons of having the fabric proof since owning it?
if you was to do it again, would you re-order the fabric roof?
I haven't heard any noises from mine at all. Mine is on a 90 and I believe the fabric roof was new for the 2024 110.
I prefer the fabric roof over the other options as it goes back much farther than the glass roof on the 90. However you can't put a roof rack on it with the fabric roof (according to JLR - do so at your own risk) and on the 110 it looks like the fabric is the same size so I don't know if you get a larger opening between the two options.
But yes on the 90 sepcifically based on my needs and that I use the roof rails instead of a rack I would get it again.
I haven't heard any noises from mine at all. Mine is on a 90 and I believe the fabric roof was new for the 2024 110.
I prefer the fabric roof over the other options as it goes back much farther than the glass roof on the 90. However you can't put a roof rack on it with the fabric roof (according to JLR - do so at your own risk) and on the 110 it looks like the fabric is the same size so I don't know if you get a larger opening between the two options.
But yes on the 90 sepcifically based on my needs and that I use the roof rails instead of a rack I would get it again.
thank you so much for your quick reply. I will not be using A roof rack. The reason I am drawn to the fabric roof is, it appears to open a lot more than the glass sunroof. Luv the open feeling I got from my Jeep Rubicon, which had the sky one touch roof. It did get a little loud on the highway though & hard rain was a bit noisy.
As far as noise goes my defender is far quieter than a wrangler or a bronco. I've owned a wrangler. I did some noise level testing in my defender and it averaged 60-65 db during city driving which is pretty quiet. My Wrangler was much louder but I don't know what the decibels were.
For the 110 check with the dealer and confirm that the roof opens up more with the fabric or not. On the 90 it definitely does (over the rear seats) but I can't confirm on the 110. It looks similar to the 90s.
As far as noise goes my defender is far quieter than a wrangler or a bronco. I've owned a wrangler. I did some noise level testing in my defender and it averaged 60-65 db during city driving which is pretty quiet. My Wrangler was much louder but I don't know what the decibels were.
For the 110 check with the dealer and confirm that the roof opens up more with the fabric or not. On the 90 it definitely does (over the rear seats) but I can't confirm on the 110. It looks similar to the 90s.
Great information. I took delivery of my 110 a few weeks ago with the fabric roof. I love it for the fact that it is cooler. I don’t like sunroofs as I usually have the sun shade closed anyway. I am a little concerned about a roof rack for it now as I had suspected the issue was that it did not clear when opened meaning the roof rack obstructed its operation. Batter reading this thread it sounds like there may be other issues. Guess I will be finding out as I am putting a roof rack on. I am undecided which one but I will report my findings as I move forward. Here are a couple pictures inside and out of mine for reference.
Great information. I took delivery of my 110 a few weeks ago with the fabric roof. I love it for the fact that it is cooler. I don’t like sunroofs as I usually have the sun shade closed anyway. I am a little concerned about a roof rack for it now as I had suspected the issue was that it did not clear when opened meaning the roof rack obstructed its operation. Batter reading this thread it sounds like there may be other issues. Guess I will be finding out as I am putting a roof rack on. I am undecided which one but I will report my findings as I move forward. Here are a couple pictures inside and out of mine for reference.
I don't think it's about clearance. From what I've seen the LR expedition roof rack works just fine and the fabric roof has no clearance issues. It's more about buffeting caused by the roof rack at highway speeds and the potential for it to cause damage to the fabric roof.
