GuthNW

I understand that there are a number of different factors that can contribute to the demise of a soft top: is it stored indoors or out in the elements? how old is it? is it treated with anything to clean an protect it?, and on and on. So here's my question, for an S2000 that is basically used as a weekend car, garaged when not in use and the top is kept clean and protected as part of a regular cleaning/maintenance regimen — how long might I expect the top to last before leaks develop? For a car that is 12 years old, I'm surprised at the condition of the top on our S2000 (then again it also still had the original battery when we bought the car) and I'm wondering just what to expect in terms of longevity when ti comes the the convertible soft top.

I've seen the photos of the common areas of failure (the tears/splitting that occurs near the peak of what would be the "B pillar" if the car were a hard top. I'm wondering if these develop "from the inside out" and if I might be wise to insert some sort of cloth tape to the underside of the soft top in those areas to take the brunt of the wear and tear. So I'm posting these thoughts for the larger S2000 community here seeking your combined wisdom in such matters. What has your experience been like when it comes to the soft top and what advice might you offer on such matters?

Thanks in advance!

GuthNW

By the way, I just installed some Modifry replacement soft top straps this weekend as the old straps had lost pretty much all signs of elasticity.

shrykhar

Random thoughts:

Treating the top with 303 Aerospace or Raggtop will definitely help - vinyl will dry out and crack eventually.

I don't think tape will really stick well enough to the underside of the OEM top. I tried something similar and it fell off not long later. If you do this, you'll need some very strong adhesive.

The middle support bar and the soft top elastic straps might be one reason for tears. I could be wrong, but it seems like the middle bar puts tension on the top when the straps lose their elasticity because it's not in the right place and sticks up further than it should.

I also try to help the top when it opens and closes. There's a youtube video of some guy doing that, and he might be right in that that the last jerky motion puts more strain on the soft top material.

Finally, I'd just keep an eye on soft top wear on the underside. I noticed that one of the corner spots was showing friction wear but hadn't worn through completely, so I went to a car upholstery store and they put a reinforcing patch about 8"x8" on the underside.

MrFunk

I'd say 10 years out of a soft top is average. Mine has a couple very small tears.

GuthNW

Thanks guys. From what I've been able to determine, it seems that the area at each end of the middle support bar where it bends is the main point of failure. When the top is lowered and raised the middle support bar is designed to slide back and forth. With the top material stretched tightly over the support frame, there's a fair amount of friction that occurs in this particular area. That's the area where I'd like to add some additional material on the underside of the top in order to serve as a preventative measure. I hadn't thought about seeking out an auto upholstery shop — great suggestion.

Overall the top is in really good shape, especially given its age. I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible. I'm sure that the top must have been treated on a regular basis before we took ownership of the car. I've already applied some 303 protectant as part of my cleaning routine. However, I'm not sure how frequently I might need to do so.

j0oftheworld

If you "assist" the top by lifting at the handle near the rear-view mirror you can nearly eliminate the tension from the area you described.
Seen that on a youtube video and it helps.

GuthNW

Okay, I can follow that logic. Good to know and much appreciated.

riceball777

Some one like you which drive so little and parks in a garage the top should last 20+ years. But for someone like me that drive the car every day and goes top down everyday and parks the car out side in the hot sun 100% of the time i normally do through a new top like are 5-6 years. i'm in my 3rd top. But i have been driving the car a lot less and have has a nice garage to park in for the past few years i can really tell that my current top will last 5x longer than it normally does. but i dont really worry about this stuff. When it gets old and starts cracking just change it. There like $450 on ebay and just read the write ups on here on how to change it. Its not that hard if your a car guy.

lane_viper

In the life of my 02 the top was replaced 1 time so far (one top replacement in 15 years not too bad). I went with the Robbins Hartz cloth for the replacement top, and it came with reinforced sections built in. The seams were sealed with tape, and the spots where the old top had to 2 most common holes, now have an extra layer of top material. Seems most have caught on to the common wear spot in these tops.

Top was less that $500 and still looks like new and is over 3 years old.

Car is garaged.

Conedodger

My 2003 still has the original top and it appears to be holding up well. The car is stored 6 months out of the year. The other 6 months it is driven on average, about 5K miles. (70K currently) Not daily driven, garage kept.

I just replaced my OEM battery last year.