Hi all

2004 delivery of a 2005 MCC. So one of the very first converts around.

Had the top replaced for free summer 2008 due to wear in the corner by the window.
Noticed this wear starting to occur. Obviously out of warranty now.
Anything i can do to prevent this from getting worse?
It seems like there's something sticking up under the top that's pushing this tiny spot out a bit more causing it to rub on something.

Seems to be worse on one side than the other (similar wear, but the tiny round spot of increased wear is only on the passenger side), so i'm guessing it should be fixable.

I'm going to open it up later and check it out, but if there's any suggestions beforehand, I'd be happy to hear them.

thanks

 

There may be some adjustment that can be done. However, the first gen convertibles are prone to wear in this area (on both sides). It comes from being folded up. Also look at the rear corners of the top down near the body at the seams. This is where the area you're talking about folds against. I had my top replaced once by Mini and began to see the wear again. I now have a roughly 5" square of folded black felt that I slip in between those two spots just before the top completely folds. It stays in place while I drive, doesn't show, and so far it seems to have greatly slowed or even stopped any significant wear.

Just one of the "quirks" of the first gen convertible.

 

Yeah, i knew what i was getting into when i bought the car..
It's just a bit upsetting that the dealer won't do anything for it other than recommend i buy a new top in a year for however many millions of dollars.

How do you get the felt in? Do you put it in after you lower the top, or use the keyfob to lower and run around the car?

 

If the wind is not blowing, I just stick the squares of felt (actually a rectangle, twice as long as it is wide and folded over) over the sewn seam at the rear corners of the top, press it onto the top fabric, and it will stay there fine while I lower the top from inside.

If the wind is blowing enough to blow them off, I open the car, key in ignition, thumb both front windows down all the way, then hit the top switch to open it just enough for me to get my hand in from the outside. I then stand up, reach down and continue opening the top and stop just shy of full down. I then pop the felt in and then finish putting the top down. Yea, it's a hassle, but it's really not that bad.

Or, if your remote will operate the top, that will work as well. I have a larger than stock Optima battery in my Mini, so I'm never worried about running the battery down while working the top without the engine running.

I started doing the felt thing after I got the top replaced and noticed that a small hole was beginning to wear in the same location as the old top. Since using the felt, I've not seen any increase in the wear, so it must be working. Plus, when the top's down, I can't see the felt and the top holds it nicely in place.

If you use this trick, I recommend cutting some extra pieces of felt. Inevitably, you'll forget to recover the felt and it will blow away. Or you'll go to get it and find it blowing down the road or something. It's nice to have some space pieces. I keep them in a ziploc baggie. And the ones I'm using I just stash in the back left corner of the trunk when I'm not using them. They're always there and easy to grab when I put the top down.

Good luck! The car is great otherwise.

 

On mine I simply don't allow it to fold completely. I stop it just before the end of the cycle. Mine is an 06 and still have the original top on it. the spots are there but aren't bad. they haven't gotten worse since I've owned the car-2nd owner

 

The folding mechanism is hydraulic (not gears), so eventually the weight of the top will push down until the frame rests in the final position. Test it by lowering the top and stop within 6 inches. Let it sit there and gravity will do the work.

 

I will have to check that. thanks for that bit of info guess my method isn't really helping then

 

I also have wear marks like yours, but after applying Raggtop a couple of years ago, it made them much less obvious. The "fade" seems to have diminished a lot.

 

My top looked just like yours (several shiny spots and one or two spots where the fabric is slightly abraded) within just a few months of bringing it home from the dealer.

The good news is that it's now been almost five years and 80k miles, and the wear has never really progressed past how it was when the car was six months old. You may find that if you leave it alone, it'll still look the same years from now.