I did mine over the weekend, came out perfect. Had the same spots on my '01.

Went to fabric store, they were out on Sunbrella in black so I got some good black Canvass and some Fabri-Tac (fabric cement).

Measured pieces, at least one inch past the tear on each side, unlocked the latches on the top (so top fabric wasnt tight).
Applied generously the glue all over on side of the patch,placed them in the corrisponding spots on the inside of the top, let them dry overnite with the latches undone.
Came out pefect, cant see the glue inside or outside.
It is a pain to get the patches down to the corner where the rip is so I put another patch above it cause glue hit the area above it.
I also wrapped canvass around the bar that typically rubs the top where it wore down in the first place.
Cost me $6.20 (cheap!)

 

Thanks for the info man! I ordered a yard of sunbrella online, and will use fabric cement as well to apply it. Glad to hear it turned out well!

 

Not sure if you'd want to follow what I did to mine, but here it is anyways. Keep in mind this fix was for a huge tear.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=780754

 

Instead of buying umbrella fabric, buy a piece of duratek vinyl used on boats; any upholstery shop should carry it. It's much stronger and will last much longer.

 

I'll assume that's a typo?

"Sunbrella" is a brand of fabrics used in boating as well (I believe it's acrylic). I'm not sure how it'll compares to the fabric you mentioned, but people say it's very tough and should work well for outdoor applications. I went to a local fabric store and had trouble finding a plain black piece of fabric that looked like it would be tough enough to last, so I just opted to order a yard of sunbrella online (was $20 shipped from the link I posted above).

 

Hey guys, I'm buying a mint 2004 with no issues but I wanted to prevent this from happening.

I've seen people using rubber, the marine fabric, old sunroof material, filing burs, applying teflon and the like.

I have not yet seen a post indicating "XX years later and it's holding up great!"

I'm getting better at using google to find threads on here, but I still haven't seen a definitive, tried and true method.

I was also wondering if harder but flexible plastic pieces had been tried? I'm thinking something LIKE the material those flexible three ring binders were made of when I was 15 years younger or so.

Is there a general consensus on a solution that lasts a long time? Perhaps this marine fabric is indeed the way to go, but I am unfamiliar and am leery of using a flexible material, but if it works for years... it works for years.

I'm also planning on replacing the elastic straps while I'm at it as I've seen people report problems from those being worn.

I was surprised no-one had stepped up in the aftermarket to make sturdier tops. I know Robbins makes their replacement, but I've never seen anything that implied it was reinforced or more durable. Clearly I have no clue how difficult producing this item is, but there's a lot of issues and a lot of people that would pay for piece of mind. Honestly, coming from a group of friends that primarily owns German cars I was half expecting to find custom plaid soft tops and the like.

Other than replacing the elastic straps, filing burrs on the frame and latches, and reinforcing by the frame and latches, is there anything else I SHOULD do?

 

I've found that if you patch the area with a small patch or piece of tape, you end up causing it to catch one of the metal bars that slides across that area when the top is going up or down.

When you put the top down, the bar stops right at the spot of the tear/patch and puts pressure on the spot while the top is down, causing the rip to enlarge. If you just have a worn spot, it turns into a tear because of the pressure.

If you patch the top, use a patch with a smooth surface that the bar can easily slide across, and make the patch long enough that it covers the full travel of the bar so there are no edges to catch on.

I'm getting my softtop replaced this weekend and I'll be preemptively patching the entire area and sanding the rough edges of the top mechanism as well.

 

My solution was to apply rubber window sealant on both inside and outside. so far it lasted me 9 months, through rain and snow.

I have tried duct tape, medical tape(those that the athletes use to tape their ankles or what not), any sorts of tapes inside of the car but they all peeled off by the frame rubbing on it within a month.

3ring binder covers sounds good but how will you deal with bending? it needs to be bent and i don't think binder covers will bend in.

When you do replace the whole cover though, make sure you file down that area of the frame. I know the main cause of the rip is from the rattling and rubbing while the top is kept down.

 

I read another post that listed www.topsonline.com and a cabrioworld site that I couldn't open, so I guess people are making them with more options now, colors and materials.

My thought on the binder covers was that the old ones were thin, hard, yet flexible plastic. I hated that kind, they were hard to carry around.

It seems to be that if I found a material LIKE that, it could be flexible enough (pardon my ignorance, I don't have the car until next week, so I haven't had time to become intimate with how it folds when it's down.) The plus to this material was that the surface was still rather hard, which I would think would allow the bars to slide easily.

But this is entirely speculation, it may be really hard to glue it to the vynil fabric for all I know.

 

I ordered "Sunbrella Outdoor Canvas Black" and "Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive-4 oz." from Joann.com for a little less than $35 after shipping and taxes (online tax ).

My top has the same marks on both side, not quite holes yet, but definitely noticeable. Hopefully all will go well.