I just got a hardtop like 2 weekends ago and everything seems to fit perfectly. There is no gap or anything...I have washed my car and drove it in the rain so no leaks. However, when it makes some rattling noise especially on bumpy road. Is it normal?

 

Yes....not sure if it is normal or not but it does rattle on bumpy roads. I was able to chase down the source of one of the rattles though....the striker latch (on the car itself...not on the hardtop) on the passenger side had come loose. So I removed the plastic cover on the A-pillar and was able to tighten the (2) screws holding it together. Took away most of the rattle but there is still some noise...not figured that one out.

 

No... mine does not rattle. But I would suspect maybe you're hearing the latches on your folded softtop.

 

Yeah, I think so too. The rattle is coming from behind the seats...

 

Are the latches "closed"? If not, close them. This might be why they're rattling. Also, you might be hearing a rubbing or squeaking. This will be the rubber along the inner perimeter of the base of the glass rubbing on the plastic mating surface of the car. Silicone grease this rubber seal a couple times a year will keep the noise to a minimum. Mine does it particularly when it really cold.

 

I put a small strip of thick black self adhesive weather strip inside the softtop latches. No more latch rattle.

 

Check the passenger seat belt. I've had two S2000's and both rattled. Couldn't
figure out where it was coming from until I tried moving the seat belt a bit. The
metal tang seems to want to sit against the door pillar and rattle. Move the tang
up and inside the shoulder bolster and the rattle disappears. Worth a try
since it takes, like, 2 seconds.

 

Tang? ......................That sh!t tastes nasty. I remember that stuff being served after church w/ donuts.

 

Yeah, the two "locks" behind the seats are pushed back and two front latches are locked also. One thing I notice with the front latches is that it is not as hard as my soft top latches. They feel a little loose/soft when I lock them. I assume they are ok since the seal seem to be tight and no water leaking inside the car in the rain...I will grease teh rubber seal too to see if that will help...

The guy that I bought my hardtop from said I may need to remove the panels (on hardtop) behind my seats to adjust the screws. From what I understand from reading the manual for hardtop is this correct?:

1. tighten the front latches
2. adjust the screws
3. push back the locking handles behind the seats

 

I wasn't talking about the hardtop latches. I was talking about the ones on the soft top that is folded down and is under the hardtop. If you leave those windshield latches undone, they will rattle like crazy.
The hardtop adjustment takes place initially upon installation of the hardware the very first time. Once this has been done properly, it should never need doing again. You begin by having the latch pin assembly behind your head on both sides very loose (not just the handle lever, but the nuts and bolts that hold them to the hardtop). You then put the HT onto the car and move it around till it's aligned just right (measurements are provided with the instructions). Then you latch the front windshield latches. Then you apply some pressure down on the rear (preferable from each side at the same time) and tighten the nuts and bolts. When this is done, then you latch them. This should hold the HT down in the proper tightness.
Also, when a hardtop is put on, the front windshield striker screws should be removed and permanent Loktite used to put them back. Earlier cars needed the heavy duty strikers but yours is an '03 so you should be fine.