Mar48

Hey guys so the previous owner had a hardtop on the car for a LONG time, I sold it as I pretty much only drive top down but now I found a couple issues with the soft top.

First and foremost it doesn't close!!! The motor doesn't seem to be an issue as it gets it to "almost" closed with no issues and in just a few seconds, but it stops short. I did forget to take pics of the outside of the top so I will take those when possible.

Anyway here are the pics of how "close" it is:

[attachment=2968:IMG_0285.JPG]
[attachment=2969:IMG_0287.JPG]
[attachment=2970:IMG_0288.JPG]

Any ideas what might be wrong? Also, I noticed the passenger side latch or locking mechanism (whatever you want to call it the thing that is attached to the soft top) is lined up with the striker but on the driver's side the latch and striker are not lined up. So even if I could forcibly get them close it would not latch


Also, the soft top seems to have a lot of orange sh*t on it (it's like the rust for plastic) is there anyway to get this stuff off? I tried some rubbing alcohol and it did absolutely nothing. My finger nails also did pretty much nothing. It's all over
[attachment=2971:IMG_0289.JPG]

Any ideas for a good product to use?

Thanks!

Bingoig11

I had this issue after keeping the soft top open for a long time (not as far as you) so I took the soft top and pull it to attach it.
Regarding the window cleaning, I use Meguiar's PlastX to remove scratches, as it contains abrasive particles it should remove all your orange stuff on it

Reckon

^^That. It's probably 'warped' vinyl and needs to be stretched out to close properly again. Perhaps letting it sit out in the sun almost closed will help.

Hopefully somebody else will chime in with some help.

Saki GT

If the top is down for a long time, its not unusual for it to not line up and completely close when you try to close it. Leave the top up and let it relax a bit. Leaving it in the sun might help. Eventually you'll need to pull it tight and then secure it to close it.

rikhemi

I have a similar issue with mine but only with one side. It was sitting for 3 years and the driver’s side seems to line up perfectly but the driver side is off by an inch. I'm not sure if you are having the same issue but it seems to go perfectly up but at the end when it tries to close completely, the passenger side seems to struggle and never completely goes forward. I can tell by where the rubber seal hits on the side. For some reason the top seems lower on that side. I checked the bump stopper and it doesn’t hit it on the passenger side but does on the driver. Its off by like half an inch on the passenger side. Even me trying to force it shut, it seems something is holding that bottom rubber piece from lining up with the car rubber piece next to the window.

I’m driving with it like this now since it’s not too bad but would love to get this fixed. Does anyone know if the top has adjustment points for the height or bars? The only adjustment points I see is for how low the top sits and how forward it goes.

Mar48

wow thanks for the quick answers guys! I'm glad this is somewhat of a common issue.

Mine does the same where it goes perfectly until the end then if I click close again it tries to lurch it forward a little but can't quite get there. I will let it sit for awhile then stretch it out and shut it.

Will definitely give PlastX a try

Thanks again

Mar48

Closed the soft top! Just needed to be stretched like you guys said, thanks again!

BUT, the orange stuff is not fully coming out with PlastX, any other ideas? It has gotten better but definitely not even close to being clear