Can jeeps get wet inside? We all know that those awesome 4×4 Jeeps that drive around the city were made for the rough outdoors, including mud, sand, rain, and the bush. But how far can these cars go outside? Can we drive them through water and leave them out in the rain with the top down?
Even though Jeep engineers made their cars waterproof on the outside and able to be driven with the engine submerged if they have a snorkel, the question remains: how waterproof are these cars on the inside, and how careful should you be on your adventures? Can it rain inside of a Jeep?
Can Jeeps Get Wet Inside?
The short answer is that yes, the inside of your Jeep can get wet, but not for too long. Jeeps are made so that the inside is resistant to water, but not waterproof. So if you put your jeep in water or leave it out in the rain or snow with the windows and top down, the seats and floors will get wet.
The good thing is that if you leave it open in the sun, the inside will dry pretty quickly. Some owners say an hour is enough. On cold, wet days, you could park the Jeep inside and use an old box fan to help it dry faster.
With a lot of forethought, Jeep made sure that the inside electronics of their newer models, including the push-start button, are well sealed and very water-resistant, so you won’t have to worry too much about these.
Let’s look at some wet problems that can happen inside your Jeep and how to fix them.
How to Avoid Getting Your Jeep Wet Inside
Some of the things I list here are obvious, but I decided to include them anyway because we’ve all done at least one of them.
Look at the weather.
Prevention is always better than treatment, so if you want to take your Jeep on a trip, check the weather twice and take precautions.
Don’t open those windows.
Yes, you haven’t lived if you’ve never been caught off guard by a rainstorm with your windows open. It can happen to anyone, and if you were in a meeting when it did, like I was, your seats may be very, very wet by the time you get to your car.
So, as a general rule, I keep the windows shut unless we’re sitting in the Jeep. If it starts to rain, leaving the windows open to keep the car cool isn’t worth the mess of wet seats.
Keep topping up
Yes, just like the windows, keep the top up when you’re not in the car. Even though it doesn’t look that cool, Jeeps are cool whether the top is up or down.
Get water-resistant seats.
This is a great alternative to being afraid of getting wet, and you can choose from so many different brands and styles. Best Top, Wet Okole, Cover Craft, and Seat Shield are some of the most well-known brands of waterproof seat covers that will fit your Jeep.
These neoprene seat covers, made from the same material as wet suits, are very popular because they keep you warm and are very comfortable.
Choose a cab cover that can handle water.
These are great and easy to put together quickly. In fact, it would take you much longer to set up one of these than to raise your soft top and zip up all the windows. They are small and can always be kept in your jeep in case the top comes off.
Use something like a bed liner on your floors.
If the inside of your Jeep only got a little bit wet, you can just pull out the carpets and let the interior air dry. But if your car’s interior got wet, the water could drain into the floorboards, which is hard to dry. If the floorboards get wet, mold will often grow, which will make the car always smell bad.
If you know your car will get wet a lot, you should take the carpets out and line the floor with a waterproof bed liner like Raptor, Line-X, or Rhino. If the car gets wet, you can just pull out the plugs in the floor and let the water out.
The problem with these liners is that they don’t block out much heat or noise and will definitely change how comfortable your Jeep is. If you just drive your Jeep to work, this probably isn’t the best choice. If your car gets wet, you can use the methods below to dry it.
How to Get Your Jeep’s Interior Dry
What to do if your jeep gets rained in? Even if you tried to make your Jeep waterproof but it still got wet, there are several reliable ways to dry out the inside.
Dry by hand what you can.
This is important, and it should be the first thing you do to dry your car. Use a dry cloth to wipe down the vinyl or leather surfaces, like the doors. Grab all of those wet carpets and put them outside to dry one at a time.
Make sure to pull out all the plugs in the floor of your Jeep to let any water that has pooled out. This will help a lot with getting your car dry. Once the car is dry, you should put them back in.
Utilize Nature
It’s the most fun thing for 4×4 adventurers, and it’s also the fastest way to get water out of your Jeep. On a hot, sunny day, just park your jeep outside with the top down and let the sun and wind do the work.
The sun’s UV rays also kill any mold that might have tried to grow on your wet seats. The UV rays will also get rid of any smells that might be in the seats or carpets.
Box fans can be used.
If you need to dry out the inside of your Jeep on a cold and rainy day, you should park it inside and use a box fan to move the air around, which will help the drying process. I’ve used an extension cord to get the fan right inside the car, so the air blows right on the seats and carpets.
You can also try warming up the area around you, which will speed up the drying process. I often put a simple room heater in the garage and put the fan in the car, so that the fan will blow hot air on the seats and carpets.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you out and about with your Jeep on many wet and dry adventures.
