Yup modifry straps and filed hinges prevent our two most common points of damage. Never had any trouble at the latches. The strap wear is caused when your straps don't pull the bar down hard enough and it binds up when the top nears the bottom of its travel. You probably also noticed your top doesn't go down far enough anymore. New straps fix the rubbing and make your top go all the way down again.

 

While I'm here, I have a question about the TSP for this issue. The guy I bought my car from had a brand new OEM top put on by Honda because of this issue. He said the TSP was performed when the new top was put on. How can I tell for sure that this is the case?

 

Been there done that. I've found that Gorilla tape won't hold over time, especially if it's over an abrasion point. What I've found is that it tends to lose its adhesion under very hot conditions. Combine this with the rubbing of the soft top frame, and the tape fails pretty quickly.

The best solution I've found so far is OEM softop material (vinyl) adhered with RTV silicon. If the tear is over a stress point (back corner from the frame, odds are you'll have to patch FROM THE OUTSIDE to get it to hold long term. If it's not over a rubbing stress point, then patching from the inside is effective.

 

I haven't had issues with the latch area. I did start to get a hole in the other common area and I patched it up with some vinyl and some black weatherstrip adhesive (liquid form). Blends in and does a great job of keeping the water out. I'll keep doing that over the life of the top until it needs to be replaced.

 

you shouldnt need to put a pad above the front latches. the reason thoes are hitting when the top goes down is because your elastic straps are done with and are not pulling the second bow back anymore.

good job though

 

Yes.

 

Well I appriciate the feedback, I just wanted to take some precautions in the meantime while I wait for the straps.

 

That's 2 minutes and a roll of tape. That is an awful repair job, for anything really.

When I had a tear in my soft top I used actual vinyl fabric and automotive grade silicone based sealant to adhere the new fabric to the hole, this was after I sewed it up using black thread. The fabric was an excellent match to the soft top, so unlike tape which will degrade over time and with heat leaving a horrible sticky residue my solution in theory could last for a long time. Yours is a black band-aid.

I ended up getting a new soft top a month later so I can't actually comment on how long it actually would have lasted.

Sorry to hate, but come on... a repair job is only as good as the time, skill, and materials that go into it.

-Towels

 

It's not hate, it's an opinion. I do not have any tears or holes in my top, this is not a 'repair', I just wanted to take some precautions before it got any worse. I took this idea from other threads on here and reading around online.

 

The biggest solution for me has been to sand down the rough edge on the F-shaped metal bit with the big hinges visible in your pictures. These have sharp casting edges that cause cuts that start the wear through the top. The stretching caused by the bar sliding just magnifies this damage.

And I found out the hard way that just putting tape there without making sure the bar won't stick or bind on the tape will cause the bar to stop right at the small tear and turn it into a large tear very quickly.

So while I had my old vinyl out of the car for replacement, I ver carefully filed and sanded the casting flash off until it was very smooth to the touch. The new top isn't showing any evidence of wear beginning at all.

If you don't yet have a soft top hole, I suggest finding this edge and filing/sanding it away right now.