Front Seat Latch and "Puddle Bow"

[MacAttackTJ05]

I've officially joined the TJ club again! I just purchased an '05, which I've been dying to do since I traded my first '05 TJ in a few years back. From what I've been able to tell it's in great shape...no frame rust, no shake/wobble, engine bay looks clean. However, my first go at the state inspection failed because my driver's seat is not securely latched in (and I've had issues with latching my back seat in too). Is this a common issue? Any easy fixes I can do at home?

Also, you can see in the below pic the extra bow extending over the roll bars. After reading through the forum it sounds like the only purpose for this may be to avoid rain collection when the top is on...any other ideas? I didn't like it at first but it's growing on me. Thanks for your help. I've learned so much already just reading through old posts.

 

[glwood]

You may have to remove the seat to see what the problem is with the latching mechanism. Believe me, it's much easier to diagnose with the seat out of the vehicle.

The top arch bar looks like an aftermarket add-on version. Do you know what soft top you have? The main purpose of the arch bar is, as you say, to prevent puddles, but it also keeps the top tighter to flap less on the highway. Not everyone is a fan of the looks, however...

 

[MacAttackTJ05]

Thanks so much. I think it might be time to rip that seat out then. I don't know exactly which model the soft top is, but the arch bar has definitely reduced highway flapping when the top is on. I'll keep you posted on the seat latches. Thanks for the reply!

 

[05wrangler]

I have a 2005 toooooo[emoji481]


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[Rob5589]

Looks nice, love the blue. Pull the seat and see what the deal is. Mine has the fold and tumble rear seat and it can be a pita to get latched. I really have to slam it down to lock it. I have a front bow on mine but it is no where near that tall. Just slightly higher than the rear bar.