My S2000 was broken into two weeks ago. The top was slashed and needed to be replaced. The service rep at the dealership says that when I get the car back I will have to wait a month to lower the top. He says it needs to be stretched out before the top is lowered or it will not want to close. The tops of the new cars at the dealerships have already been stretched due to the amount of time it takes to get the S2000 to the US. Has anybody else heard anything like this?

 

same thing happened to me. I haven't heard of such a thing though. when a shop replaced my top they didn't warn me of any such procedure.

any one else have any ideas on this one?

 

While it's true that the tops are tighter when they are new, they are also tighter in the cold and looser in hot weather. You should be fine lowering the top. Think of it this way: they didn't install the top fabric with the top closed and they were able to close it. You should be fine. However, avoid lowering(or raising) the top in cold (< 45F or so) weather if you have a plastic rear window. The plastic gets brittle and is prone to breaking rather than bending.