Hi all. I will soon be joining the wonderful world of Mini Cooper Cabrio owners.
Upgrading my '05 Mini to an '06 S convertible. Very pumped.

I have had my reservations as this is my first time getting into a convertible. Something I have been wondering although I really don't want to even think about it is:
What is the typical lifespan of a convertible top? I am planning on treating it regularly and taking as good care of it as possible, but if in a few years it needs to be replaced, would anyone know where to get a replacement top?
Can it be done by a handy person?

Also if there are any tips, recommendations or advice for a soon to be newbie it would be gratly appreciated.

Thanks,
Nick

 

If it helps, the top on my 11 year old Miata is as happy as a clam and is probably good for another 11 years. I irregularly use Meguiar's #40 on it.

The plastic rear window is another matter entirely.

 

Well first of all our tops are canvas and we have a glass rear window. I'm having some wear issues on my top after just 1-1/2 years, but this is a known problem and the dealer will be replacing it. I seriously doubt that it would be easy to replace the top yourself, but I've been surprised before with what people are capable of doing on their own.
Since we have a canvas top you will want to keep it clean and treated. I use 303 Fabric Cleaner and a good feathered brush twice a year followed by 303 Fabric Guard painted on nice and heavy. In between I simply rinse, don't use soap on it because it will attract dirt.
One thing to know is that our canvas top does not provide protection from water, rather the rubber liner underneath it does. Still it is good to keep it treated to help it repel dirt and lessen wear.
I'm sure you will enjoy going topless - it is the funnest car I've ever own and as a convertible, doubly so.

 

Yep, just had my top replaced on my '05 due to a known issue causing "whitish" wear spots. It was covered under warranty, of course. I don't know how hard it is to replace, but I do know they had three technicians working on it for several hours. So I doubt it's a DIY project.

I use Renovo fabric guard on mine, and paint it on as Chuck (Maybee) described above. Do that a few times a year and you won't have any problems with the top... it should last as long as the MINI.

This is my first convertible... I've never considered one before. But now that I've taken that step, I love it and will probably own a MINI convertible as long as they make them... or about 10 years after they stop producing them.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Seems like the concern over the top wearing is way overblown. . . I know a good way to prevent the top from wearing: just leave it down! Granted that's not always possible- beautiful top down weather yesterday (45F) but 10F tomorrow so it will have to go up. Not to start the whole "do you leave your MINI parked with the top down" debate all over again, but I often go a week or more at a time in the summer with the top never moving (safe parking at work, in the garage at night).

 

Well, I just got back from having my second replacement top installed. Both times they wore holes at the "elbows", that place above the rear windows where a slight bulge can normally be seen. The service representative said they haven't seen this on other convertibles and mentioned that I "use" the top more than any of their other customers (98% of my 50,000 miles with the top down, although I put it up at work and overnight most times). I don't think keeping the top down has prevented any problems for me.

 

I think Indydave's point would be that your top is up 98% of the time. You may drive most miles with it down, but if it's up at work and at home . . . it's probably up more than not. But i don't know if being parked with top up (when there's no vibration/stress from driving) should cause any wear.

Not saying that having it down all them time is the solution, but I can say i've had no problems with mine . . . and it is down from late Feb. through late Nov. (even at work, home, shopping centers, etc . . .).

 

My convertible was a pretty early build. I'm thinking they must have done something to fix this wear problem at very specific points. My dealer doesn't seem to know about it. "Using" the top a lot (I think they mean putting it up and down) was their sort of explanation. Since the 4th top will be on my dime, I'll be trying to figure it out for myself.

 

I think the warranty on dealer-installed replacement parts is two years or the remainder of the factory warranty *whichever is longer*.

So, if you're already on your third top, it sounds like you're replacing them more frequently than every two years. If it keeps up at that rate, it seems like your soft top should always be under warranty, even after the rest of the car isn't.

 

I've scheduled my MINI for a replacement top next weekend. Figured that since they want you to keep the new top up for a couple of weeks to help stretch the canvas, now would be a good time. Besides next month is AMVIV and I'm sure Vegas will have lots of topless opportunities.

 

My top is being replaced Monday. The MINI has 29K miles on it.

 

My top was replaced with only 1000 miles on it, but to be fair it came with a factory blemish that I was willing to live with but MINI insisted on replacing it.

You know what they say: Once you go topless you'll never go back...

 

What exactly are these "wear spots" that people are talking about?

There are definitely "pale blotches" on my top that look like abrasion or wear... should there be nothing of the sort? I mean, they don't look good, but they don't look like a huge mistake either.

 

All the tops get "shiny spots" at the pressure points... some of the earlier tops actually would wear to the point of fraying the fabric at those spots... some folks have been successful passing off the shiny spots as "wear"... and gotten a new top anyway... personally I think you're always gonna get those... comes with the territory (my sebring did it too...)

But if mine are looking bad in another year I may try to get a new lid outta it...

 

I just dropped my MINI off at Nick Alexander in Los Angeles - hoping they will consider the two holes that have developed just above the rear windows to be a warranty/replacement issue and not just wear. The car only has 20K miles on it and the top has never opened correctly. The folds cause a wear point with a sharp bit under the top to create the holes. We've had some nice weather here and I love riding with the top down but those holes are getting exponentially worse!

 

Look here.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...y.php/cat/1841

I tried documenting them at one point. Very hard to see.

That was just before they replaced my top for those marks. I waited till after winter #2 to get it replaced. Made it much nicer to treat the top in the summer when it was new.

 

I have the same discoloration/spots but in addition, there is a hole on the very bottom edge, right above the window, that has worn through.

 

I'm on my 3rd & so is a friend of mine's cabrio. Both were built in Sept of 04. So don't let the dealer give you that line of you know what My 3rd top will be 2 years old in Sept. My warranty is out in Oct. Sure hope it holds up for another year or two.

Lois

 

Update:

The dealer is replacing my top...

 

^ Congrats.

One request of cabrio owners who are taking cars in for top replacement:
Could you take pics first? This would help us see what type of wear is generally considered replacement-worthy and what type isn't.

I know this will vary by dealer --- but it'd be good to see the general trend.

 

I've uploaded pictures to my flicker account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdengle...7604574841511/

 

The top on my 06 MCSC has been replaced twice now. The second time the also had to replace the rear side windows for the crescent scratches. Both times they replaced the top as soon as there were broken threads showing in the shiny spots. Usually this issue seems to be limited to earlier builds, and the replacement tops are slightly different, but my particular car has been hard on tops. I even keep a soft brush in the boot to brush off any dust or sand before I put the top down.

 

It was suggested to me by one of the Mech's at MINI to vacuum the top versus brushing or washing it off.
I keep a small dust buster style vacuum handy to quickly clean the back off and it does an incredible job.
Brushing I'm told may actually push some of the dirt further into the fibers.

 

After seeing those pictures, you deserve a new top My tops never looked that bad when they were replaced.

Lois

 

I guess I'll start looking for holes/ware spots!
Born on date 7/04
She has about 6k mile on her now. Throught this and other threads I'm buying 303 cleaner and guard as soo as it gets hot outside.

Want it to happen now, not later.