Hey all,

I recently got my soft top replaced by my Honda dealer after reporting a Right-Rear tear forming due to the defect reported in the 09-33 service bulletin. However, I've noticed a couple issues which I'm going to take it back in for them to look at:

1. The top doesn't seem to be sealed completely on the sides (here is an image of the location ), I can actually fit my hand in that pocket and touch my fingers on my other hand which are inside the car. I wouldn't want to think of what will happen if it starts to rain, can anyone please confirm if that side is supposed to be sealed or if that's how it should be?

2. Every time I make a right or left turn, it sounds like there is something loose in the rods right above me which move from side to side.

3. My windows no longer make a sealing sound when I pull them up, my original top used to have spacing along where the soft top and window meet at the top which the windows would seal into and make a sealing sound. Now they just press up against the rubber piece of the soft top.

4. This is not an issue but more of a difference from the soft top that originally came with my 07 S, the material is not as dark, it's definitely a thinner material.

5. Unrelated to the soft top, but now my dome lights don't work correctly, they flicker and sometimes don't even turn on when the switch is set to ON.

I would appreciate any info from your experience regarding the soft top on the S, mainly I'd like to know if your S has the issue I described about being sealed on the sides.

Thanks!

 

I recently replaced the top on my '01 and I might be able to shed some light on a few of the issues. The weatherstripping where the window meets the top comes off and is reinstalled. There is some play in the weatherstripping mounting so it may have been reinstalled somewhat out of alignment with the window. That should be fixed by adjustment. If they replaced any of the straps that connect the bows together the rattling noise could be the leftovers of the rivets in the hollow bows. When the rivets are drilled out half of the rivet remains in the hollow bow and has to be removed manually. Seems like they shouldn't have had to replace any straps for your install. The top should be very tight all around when it is up. If there is any looseness at the bottom it may be that the rear bows are not in the right position. Does the top seem at all lower above the rear window than it used to? The dome light does not need to be touched for the top replacement so that should be unrelated as you said. Seems like the install was not done in a quality manner. Good luck.

 

You should remove the dome light and clean out the contacts. Below is a link for the diy fix for the dome light.

DIY dome light fix

 

The top appears to be at at the same height as before above the rear window. Thanks for the info, will definitely come in handy.

Thanks for sharing, I will look into this.

 

It's rivet pieces left in the tubes. Take the end caps off and use compressed air or drive around with the end caps off and they'll eventually fall out.

 

A couple of follow-up notes to my earlier reply. I checked my new top near the body between the edge of the door and the curve towards the trunk and I too can fit my hand between the top and the body. The OEM top was tighter than this. However, the appearance is the same as OEM and I think the extra space will just aid the drainage of water and debris into the gutter system. Regarding the rivet leftovers in the bow, if you have about 4 feet of coaxial cable used for TVs, it works quite well for pushing the leftover rivets out of the bows. Of course the cable can't have any fixtures at one end. Good luck.