Put down the top for most of the day today since the sun was out... to my dismay when I put it back up there were 2 pinches in the rear window (one above another on the fold lines). I've had it up for the past 4hours and it doesn't seem to be going away in a hurry.

Question is, is this common (new covertible owner here) and do the pinches eventually go away? It distorts the rear view slightly and is a bit annoying.

Anything I can do to help it work itself out?

Cheers,
-loki

 

Happened to me once but managed to get rid of it. Try leaving the roof up and park in the sun if you're able to.

If possible always make sure the roof is folding without creasing the window. This might mean you have to stop it half way down, jump out and smooth it with your hand or insert one of those Miata noodle roll thingies in there.

I also find that my roof get's a bit creased looking if I leave it down for too long. I find it good practice to put the roof up as often as possible when not driving the car.... IMO

 

Diddo for me...

 

I've found the best way to avoid creasing, scratches and dimples is to do the following: Get a soft terrycloth bath towel that is slightly larger than the rear window. Before you lower the top, tuck the towel inside the edges where the top overlaps the rear window at the top of the window and on either side. The towel is held in place and protects the window.

I find this system very convenient when I want to raise the top for security when parking the car for a brief period when I'm shopping or in a restaurant. Just leave the towel in place and when you return to your car just drop the top and go.

My stook is a year old with over 12K miles and the rear window is nice and clear as well as free of blemishes other than the few scratches it got initially. You'll want to protect the inside of the window by either lining the inside of the top well with a soft towel or by getting Muz's well mat. Remember, the hard plastic of the roof well will scratch the inside of the window when you lower the top without some type of protection.

 

Along these same lines, I heard somewhere that the window just zips out can be replaced without replacing the entire top. Is this true and how hard is it to do?

My car is a year old and I just can't help thinking that it does'nt look as good as it could/should. I use plexus, but still not great.

Jeff Lipack
#3419 Red/Black

 

Don't forget about the Muz Matt.

 

Wasn't there a TSB from American Honda Motors about using a towel soaked in hot water to uncrease the rear window?

Mine has a slight crease that's been there a month since it has been cold.

I'm not worried. I've got Muz's mat and Ivs2k towel trick.

Barry
'01 #52

 

Watch the rear window through the rear-view-mirror as you flip the switch to drop the top. Sometimes--on mine--the plastic window will kink vertically as it folds. Reach back over your shoulder and pop the kink out. Or get out of the car and do the same thing (karate chop the kink!). If you don't, and you deploy the top on top of the kink, then redeploy it, it looks like a big Z-shaped crease in the window if you look at it through the rear-view. At least that's what happens with me.

Mine started to do this in the Fall at about the 8,000 mile point on the odo. I think it has something to do with the cool weather or the top being dirty or not conditioned. Probably 5 out of 10 top drops will make me have to pop the kink out. It may become a warranty issue...

My rear window has two semi-permanent horizontal folds in it from where the window folds when stowed, and they mostly go away in the sun. I don't use a noodle--perhaps the noodlers don't have any optical distortions at all. The occasional Z-crease goes away 100% on a sunny, warm afternoon, and over about a day in cooler weather.

 

jlipack,

That is unfortunately not true. Our windows don't zip completely out like the miata and some other convertibles' apparently do. I wish that this were true. It would be much easier to replace when they do get screwed up, as any plastic window is going to do no matter how you maintain it.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by loki:
[B]Put down the top for most of the day today since the sun was out... to my dismay when I put it back up there were 2 pinches in the rear window (one above another on the fold lines). I've had it up for