It would appear that the previous owner rarely put the top up on my new S2K - I noticed he even kept the top open in his garage (albeit covered by a nice cover), and I found out why - it was nearly opaque! I'm definitely going to have to buy a new top this summer, but I needed an interim fix.

I googled this problem and stumbled on a forum post to try McGuire's car wax. I had already toyed with the idea of using my Turtle Wax headlamp clearer, but I think that stuff is more harsh than just plain ol' high-quality wax. Using an old washcloth, I applied a generous coating, and then with my wife pushing from the outside while I buffed the inside, it was back to new again.

Anyway, just wanted to thank whoever came up with this idea.

 

wait, how does this work?

 

In my case, the plastic was not cracked or anything - just "foggy". It did not rub off with water.

I'm not sure exactly why it works. After I read about it, I tried it on a discreet dime-sized spot on the bottom, and it worked like a champ, so I did the whole thing. After the application, I thoroughly washed it with warm water.

 

Even if it it does work I hope you do not get any on the cloth top. It would leave a white mark around your window. And it may not come out. That would really bother me.

 

I used painter's tape to avoid that. It was a bit of a PITA, but it didn't turn out with any nasty smudges on the edges.

I've still been mulling over why this would work. There was a lot of "gunk" on the washcloth when I was all done, that definitely didn't look like wax. In fact, it almost seemed greasy... like something was caked on. The hard plastic tray it sits in is clean, though, so I'm still a bit perplexed why this worked so well.

Anyway, YMMV, but it worked for me - so it can't hurt too much to try if you're looking to replace your top in the near future and just need a working setup for now

 

Sounds like a good tip for those that have the early model S2000's.

 

Thanks for the find Double Helix, im gonna try this out.

 

Has this worked for anyone else? I think I am going to try it later today.

 

I used the meguiars plastx, its for headlight cleaner but it also says that you can use it on plastic convertible window.

 

I don't care about my top anymore as it is totally busted and waiting on a new one. Having said that I got lots of that crap on the top when doing mine a while ago and yeah still there with white marks all over it. Really annoying. Least of my worries with my top though haha.