What is the longest time period that you have kept your top down? The reason I ask is that I am going on my second month without rasing the top and I was wondering if I should just to air it out. It has never seen the rain and I make sure the top is dry before I put it down after a wash.

Has anyone kept the top down for a long period of time and have a problem when the finally raised it?

 

Somebody a while back posted about having had the hardtop on for 3 months and then put the top back up without any apparent problems (had to stretch out the folds for a few days, but fine thereafter)...

 

I rarely put my top up and had down for almost 3 months once. https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...3&highlight=top It has been down about 4 weeks now. No problems whatsoever other than a little temporary window creasing.

 

This intrigues me. My last car (Eclipse Spyder) had 61k mi on it when I traded her in, less than 1000 of those were top-up. Problem was, Charlotte's top got cranky after about 40k, some of the flexible metal pieces didn't like being permanently flexed, and they started doing some really wierd things, like bending the wrong direction, or not unbending at all.
The S2K roof looks much simpler, and doesn't seem to include anything that would be damaged from long periods of down-time (except of course, the window, which you're all protecing anyway, right?"). As soon as Luder finishes the tonneau cover, I'll have the guts to leave the top down all the time on my S2K, but for now it goes up when parked outside. When I'm driving however - that's a different story. Unless a storm is bad enough to have a name, I'll pretty much drive through it top down.

 

The only time I have had it up (the top that is) in the past 3 months is when I wash/wax the car. Rest of the time it is down covered by the boot.

 

Anyone know when the last time it rained during the day in Dallas? Thats the last time mine was up.

 

Last summer I had the top down for about 3 months. No problem when I put it back up.

 

April to Oct. 2000. The only time it was up last summer was when it was being washed.
It's been down since the beginning of April this year.

 

I only put mine up when washing the car.

No empirical evidence, but I think you're probably ok leaving it down like that as long as you make sure the rubber, et al is adequately lubricated (Shin Etsu??).

 

have had mine for a year now, and (like some of the others above) the top has only been up for the regular washings. after washing and drying, i drive the car around the block top up then put the top down with the boot over it before finishing the cleaning job. top looks like new as far as i can tell, and works just as well (still very tight).