Has anyone had any problems with leaking on the OEM hardtops? I want to buy one this winter along with another friend of mine and he heard about if you take it on or off to many times that the seals will go bad and leaking has been a problem. I do appreciate any info. I can get. Thanks again.

 

I've got my hardtop 3 weeks after I got my car. No leaking. But yet, theres like no rain in California.
Let me know if you have any additional questions...

 

It's not the taking of the top off and putting it back on repeatedly that makes the seals go bad. It's people who don't take care of the seals as routine maintenance. They are NOT maintenance free as some would have you think.
I've had my hardtop now for one whole winter through -35*C temps. The seals are fine and the top has not leaked yet. The summer previous to this, when the top was new to me, I had that thing on and off more times than a bathroom light switch. If the top is adjusted properly and if the seals are conditioned on a regular basis, you should have no leaks for a decade or two.

 

I have had my hardtop since I bought my car.
The only leak that I have found is the seal underneath the back window...
When the hardtop is on it leaves a gap between the car and the hardtop.
I took a hose and sprayed water into the gap to see if it would leak and all I got was a little trickle down in the middle, and It ran down on my plastic window.

No big deal.

I hope everyone understands what I just described.

 

how do you condition seals?

 

Use any silicone grease. Honda sells one but it's kinda pricey. GM sells it as "silicone emulsion". That's what I use. If you have some rubber friendly silicone spray this will work good too but you need to do this more often (like maybe every month instead of twice to three times a year with the grease). Spray the silicone spray onto a cloth and wipe down all the rubber seals till they are wet looking but not dripping.

 

First, you won't find nature throwing water at your car at this angle.
Second, this can be adjusted. Your tops rear seal is not pressed down hard enough onto the car's rear plastic lip. What needs to be done is the top's side trim pieces must be removed and the brackets loosened, the top physically pushed down and the brackets tightened.

 

I don't have the OEM hardtops, but I do have the Honda original that came with my car when I purchased it. So far there is no leaking and the seals are just fine. If you properly condition them, you should have no problems for at least the extended warranty time (7 years, 100K miles). Just remember not to take your car to a car wash or else the hot wax and other factors will tend to damage your seals over time. So be patient, and wash your baby by hand every other weekend or so and detailed about 2 times a year.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Brbugsy
[B]I don't have the OEM hardtops, but I do have the Honda original that came with my car when I purchased it.

 

lol...I just noticed that OEM was original Honda ware...my bad.