I havn't used mine yet... Too lazy ;p

Plus I live in Seattle, rain can come at any time ;0

 

No way would I leave the top down while going into a mall. I've left it down while going into a local convenience store, one that's got an all glass front so I can keep an eye on it. I've also left the top down in our driveway or the driveways of some of my friends but then again, I'm familiar with the neighborhoods in these cases.

I guess there are harder covers out there to install and uninstall than our S2000's but it's still just enough of a pain to make it not worth the trouble in most cases.

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, maybe I have a false sense that I live in a decent place (nah, I used to do this when I lived in S. Fla in another car) I don't mind leaving my top down pretty much anywhere when I'm 99.99% certain it's not going to rain. I don't leave anything in my car and lock my glove box. It's a convertible and if someone is malicious enough to want inside the car they will just cut it, which trust me from experience is a lot more frustrating than pretty much anything else they may do including stealing the whole %$#! thing.

I use my tonneau about half the time, when it's not rainy I may have it on for a week or 2 at a time never taking it off. It does look a lot better and protects the top. I admit it was used a LOT less before I had a garage.

 

I use mine when it's warm all day. I don't go to any bad parts of town or anything so I feel safe leaving my top down all day. If I'm going to a mall or something, I put the top up though b/c I don't want my seats to bake if I'm gone for more than half and hour.

I wish Honda would have put just a little more money in the 04 and made an automatic boot like everyone else. Or at the minimum, make the top fold like the Z4 so the top becomes the boot.

 

I use the tonneau cover on most occasions - looks good, keeps the top clean and only takes about a minute to install or remove. That being said, I am usually driving for a good portion of the day - not a daily driver running errands. If I am only driving for a short distance I will skip it for convenience sake. I believe that there is a difference in the covers for MY04+ compared too earlier years - do not know if it makes any difference in installing or removing though.

 

It's useless just like the cup holder. It's just there but you can't really use it for what it's intended for. I don't know why Honda didn't put more thought into this when they designed the car

 

Never used it again after day one. Back in the bag in the attic. The whole interior gets dirty when the top is down. Why does the top need to be kept clean at the expense of not being able to put it up and down on a whim.

 

On the '01 and earlier it will keep your plastic windows in better condition. On any year it keeps the wind from beating the crap out of the top and keeps the wear on the top to a minimum. As far as the entire inside getting dirty with the top down it is one less thing to clean and cleaning the inside of the top sucks. If I am parking to go inside somewhere I will throw it in the passenger side of the car rather than the trunk because it's easier.

I understand people not using it but it really isn't that bad to use once you figure it out. I had mine replaced by the dealership because the first one wouldn't stay in place. The second one has worked fine since I got it.

Mark

 

I wonder... if you have the 02+ with the glass window, will you still get wind damage? How long have you people that don't use the cover driven without it and can you notice any damage to the top due to it? Do you go on express ways a lot without the cover?

 

the very first thing I did when I bought the car was research the best most cost-effective alarm that had the functionality I wanted for a drop top. The radar dome.

The Viper 791 has options out the yin-yang, one of which is the radar dome. In essence it is an invisible dome of alarm protection over your open convertible. Some sticks a hand or foot or bird wing into this dome and it will chirp then warn then go into full alarm. On days where my top is down and I am not in view of the vehicle, I simply engage the alarm. This alarm also has the responder unit which is a call phone looking key chain thingy that tells you when it is warning and alarming and goes as far as to tell what sensor went off and how often etc etc. This alarm will set you at ease for a lot of situations ie: parking at the mall (it has a 1.5 mile range on the responder signal reception) Leaving the top down etc etc

The cover is worth it on nice nice days. Being in FL rain can happen in a blink of an eyes so I use it for group drives and very sunny days when the danger of rain is minimal.

Hope this helps
RoB