[veehexx]

ChilledBud, on 16 February 2012 - 04:25 PM, said:

Do you think they would have it done in 24 hours in the warmer weather?


Thanks for the update.

tricky to say really.
I guess now he has a pattern for retrofit glass screen, he can cut material ready to go before you get there. When you arrive he gets the screen out ASAP and bonds it. Then he can work on removing the remaining of the roof while the glue sets.

ofcourse, i am speculating, only he can say whats possible.
I arrived 9.30am monday, and he finished it wednesday PM. That was in January with the cooler weather and him having to make a pattern. if it does go beyond a working day, then it's all down to how long the glue takes cure.

This post has been edited by veehexx: 16 February 2012 - 04:35 PM

[champion_hero]

May have to give him a call. Like you, my car is always wetter on the inside than it is on the outside, normally getting a shower when I close the door from all the condensation on the inside!! During colder days, these turn to icicles! lol. I've been trying to put off getting a new roof for a year now, but its got to the point where I have multiple tears on both sides and it really needs replacing.

Has he had any '02's since you originally posted this do you know? My S is my daily, so would need to plan way ahead to ensure I can get to the station each day

[TahirHussain]

Thanks for all the info and the updates

For anyone travelling from far - If he can do 24hr turn around in warmer weather might be an idea to stay in a cheap hotel overnight (travelodge etc) cheaper then train...

This post has been edited by TahirHussain: 16 February 2012 - 05:10 PM

[veehexx]

champion_hero, on 16 February 2012 - 04:46 PM, said:

May have to give him a call. Like you, my car is always wetter on the inside than it is on the outside, normally getting a shower when I close the door from all the condensation on the inside!! During colder days, these turn to icicles! lol. I've been trying to put off getting a new roof for a year now, but its got to the point where I have multiple tears on both sides and it really needs replacing.

Has he had any '02's since you originally posted this do you know? My S is my daily, so would need to plan way ahead to ensure I can get to the station each day

he's done the full range now he's done mine.
both plastic and glass he has patterns for. mine was the retrofit, which completes his patterns for the S2000s.

[ChilledBud]

Well since Honda have agreed to pay for the roof I've booked with Jack.

Just had a phone call with the guy, absolute legend. Since I'm in Swansea for a wedding over bank holiday in April he'll get it done over the weekend as he's no too fussed on closing for a bank holiday if there's a job to do

If someone knows of a fairly cheap way to get a good glass rear window, we can send it to him so he can pre build it all, his turn round would be extremely quick for people then, as he will always have a spare glass window.

[ChilledBud]

In fact that's got me thinking, maybe prospective users could set-up a fund for getting a replacement rear window, surely people will save a lot not having to get trains there and back if leaving cars there for 24-48hrs? I'm happy to contribute £20 that I would have spent on taxis.

[ChilledBud]

Just had a quick re-read, does my 04 have a different stencil possibly to a 02?

[veehexx]

ChilledBud, on 23 February 2012 - 03:15 PM, said:

Just had a quick re-read, does my 04 have a different stencil possibly to a 02?

presuming the 02 has glass screen (i think it did!), then i beleive their the same.

99-01 = plastic
99-01 with glass = retrofit
02> = glass

either way, the guy in swansea (i forget his name!) has a pattern for all of them now.

[ChilledBud]

Right that's me confirmed with a new hood next week with Jack Smith.

Any further thoughts by now veehexx on yours?

[jammer2209]

I'm booked in for early May. If anyone's got a spare glass screen then i'm willing to pay fair value, otherwise i'll get a plastic screen.

[veehexx]

ChilledBud, on 30 March 2012 - 04:12 AM, said:

Right that's me confirmed with a new hood next week with Jack Smith.

Any further thoughts by now veehexx on yours?

none at all. i've had people comment that it feels warmer inside with the mohair. i dont see it myself so treating it as placebo and atmospheric conditions.
passenger side weather seal leak has been sorted too.

no regrets taking it to him at all! highly recommended from me.

[Karl_h]

Have people commented on it being any quieter than the standard vinyl roof at all?

[ChilledBud]

Well here we go down to Swansea, will update the thread when I get the car back

[veehexx]

Karl_h, on 01 April 2012 - 02:19 PM, said:

Have people commented on it being any quieter than the standard vinyl roof at all?

too many variables to say.
rear tray has been removed (rattled) when i was fixing the initial leak.
people who get in the S are new to it, so the entire car is noisy to them
diff is noisy (sounds like leaking gas at 30+), but im planning replacement when i can be bothered
also need new roof catches/adjustable catches/rubber tubing as i get wind noise at 70.

what do you think about it, chilledbud - got it back yet?

[Monkeybone]

I can't really comment on mine either, mainly because since I had it replaced I haven't driven it much with the roof up! Plus my old roof had holes in anyway (hence the replacement) so wind noise was moreso than a standard roof.

[ChilledBud]

Sorry, I was going to comment as soon as I picked her up, but I was in Swansea for a wedding so time got the better of me.

The car was dropped off lunch time on the Thursday and I picked her back up 4pm the next day. They had three MX-5's being done when I dropped her off, all being done for the local Mazda dealership! I had a good hours chat with the lads about one thing and another and enjoyed watching them do there thing.

He said what a ball ache the S2000 are compared to the MX5, yet the Audi's and Minis he does are so complicated and time consuming there pretty much not worth doing, but people take them to him as dealer prices would mean a lot of the cars would be right offs.

Although he doesn't mind doing S2000's, he's not going to go out of his way to drum up any extra business for them due to the fiddlyness and time they take to fit, I told him he should up the price, but he refuses to do so as others will have had it for £260 it's not fair! The guys crazy!!

The roof quality and fit are superb, of course it's bespoke so it's not robot quality, but I prefer the fact he's made it fit to my personal roof, so any need to modify and it' been done to spec. I like the feel of the mohair over the vinyl, and I'd say I prefer the look as well.

They also managed to sort out a bloody big squeak I had, it turns out who ever last had the rear shelf out, had put it back missing most of the poppers and so it was barely being held in place, he only had a couple spare popppers and so it's only missing a couple in the least important places, so a big thumbs up there.

The roof is now a lot quieter as the fits a lot tighter, ait goes up and down smoothly and doesn't sit high like some roofs do after a few years.

So all in all 100% satisfied, and the price is just superb. The guys are worth meeting just for a laugh and a chat, and would come highly recommended.

Thanks to all who posted about his service I feel I've had the bargain of the year!

[ChilledBud]

Oh and from the 48 hrs of non stop rain we had on the trip back, there's not a single leak coming in after the fitting, but then I didn't have before either.

[adz9]

Jack Smith did the roof on my MX5 and I am very happy with that! I cant believe he is so cheap for the S2000, I paid three times that for the last one at Monsoon! Will definitely be booking the S in with him soon as its starting to go around the doors.

[finners]

Just back from Honda with a new canvas roof having paid £500 goodwill after a lot of correspondence and escalation to the dealer principal. Dealer ended up contributing £350 and Honda picked up the rest. Total would have been £1250. On balance I guess I am happy however 6 year old car, low mileage, hard top on in winter - shouldn't happen should it? Anyhow wanted to preserve the warranty hence the Honda route. This Swansea guy sounds magic for next time! Good luck all and safe driving

[champion_hero]

veehexx, on 16 February 2012 - 04:20 PM, said:

just thought i'd give the thread an update - material has settled now and it's back to it's normal tension; has been for a few weeks.
nothing to note really, which is good

i'm sure the typical leaky passenger side window has also been fixed - i've parked car front-down over the last month (indavertently), and no leaks have shown. i beleive Jack said he did adjust the roof, so this has obviously fixed it.

car is alot alot drier than it was. the old roof almost went porous overnight - like condensation across the entire inside of the roof, rather than patchy areas.

i'm still very happy with the work and the price. time will tell if the long term reliability is there, but i doubt i'll have the S in 5 years time. i dont see any reason it shouldnt last less than that though

Hey bud
How has the roof held up with this torrential rain we've had lately. Mine is desperately in need of one as theres pretty much a puddle on a daily basis at the moment, so just need to see how good the workmanship is? Its hard to tell from the pictures, but on the inside, is there loads of stitching/tape?

[ChilledBud]

I've had mine fitted for over a month now, and it's first class. The fit is perfect as it's bespoke fit, there's not been a single drop of water coming in through all this rain. I prefer the look of the mohair as well. The inside looks much like the OEM did, I've not noticed anything greatly different to be honest.

A absolute bargain at £260.