Hey, derekcohen, glad this was helpful to you. I can't see any of your images right now (blocked at work), but I'll be sure to check them later. The Robbins top to me is excellent, of course I'm basing that on the condition and experience with the original top that was on the car. The top hadn't been very well cared for prior to my ownership, and yet it was still pretty decent for being nearly 15 years old. But it didn't repel water, the window was cloudy and water actually seemed to "cling" to it, as well as collect moisture super easy on the
inside, and driving anything over 70 started to sound like it does in my helmet when I ride my bike.
So getting a fresh top was almost like night and day after dealing with that as the norm. I will say that having a smaller glass to look through takes some getting used to, but clearly (no pun intended
) is a non-issue when the top's down. I can still see through it just fine to what's directly behind me, probably up to a good 100 feet back, and I just appreciate being able to
see through the window to what's behind me instead of feeling like I'm looking through wax paper trying to make out what the gray cube with headlights is doing behind me. The only thing I've found myself doing is occasionally ducking my head slightly to see a bit farther back down the road, but more often I simply glance at one of my side mirrors to see that far back. Again, a complete non-issue when the top is down.
Speaking of top down, the top folds fine, and the glass lays down well before any remaining part of the top gets folded on to it, so no worries about de-bonding or pressure on the glass there. But one bit of warning I will give you is about this tension strap that Robbins put on the top to keep tension on the canvas as it unfolds to keep the seam from falling out of the seal area (I'll take some pics to show you what I mean). The day I brought it home, I was putting the top up and this strap on the driver's side (held in by a plastic fastener on a plastic piece of the top's frame), came loose as one of the teeth that held this fastener (remember, plastic) failed and shot the fastener right past my head and into the passenger seat. I had saucer eyes for a few seconds
. But thankfully the top was fully unfolded when it happened, so I simply locked it down and went right back the next day to the shop. That plastic piece is replaceable apparently, but the guys at the upholstery shop simply used some serious super glue and made that sucker solid, and I'm content with that fix for now. That strap gets
a lot of tension, so I'd recommend asking whatever shop does the job for you to throw a bit of super glue onto this fastener (but not on the strap) so that this doesn't happen to you. My passenger side one has been fine, and I've cycled the top several times since then, keeping an eye on everything, with no issues. The motors may work a bit harder at first, but the top will loosen a bit over time and you'll be good. And I'm sure the straps will stretch over time and not face so much tension, but if anything plastic does break, at least you know you can simply replace those parts and toss the old ones, just make sure that glue doesn't get on the strap so you don't lose those.
That's not meant to worry you, just to make you aware. You may never even face that problem, which would be great.
Let's see, as far as rain goes, it's been rained on a few times already and it was a bit strange at first to see the water bead up on the top instead of soaking it, and I was smiling at watching the water actually flow off the glass as I drove down the highway, something the vinyl didn't let happen at all. I'm sure this is a treatment that will fade over time, but I plan on taking good care of this top and treating it with whatever's needed to maintain that. The car will be covered often, but for the times that it will be exposed to the elements I don't want it to degrade to where the original top was. And not to debunk things that Mark_T made a point of, but honestly, I have to search for the defroster lines to really see them, so I don't see them as an aesthetic problem. On that note, I'm quite happy to have a working defroster. One thing you may want to do is put the top in service position and see how they ran the defroster wire. If you can find some points to tie it down to I'd recommend you do that, just enough to keep it from wandering to the wrong places and getting pinched/broken.
I never did put my top in service position with the vinyl, as it had cracked before that, and I didn't want to make the tear worse. My first experience with the service position was after the Robbins top. I can't say access is as diminished as I thought it would be. Once you disconnect the tension cables you can raise the back of the top to where the glass is horizontal, and it's pretty decently out of the way. There's a strap that Robbins provides to ensure the top stays up, but I didn't need to use it.The clamshell felt like it was in my way more than the glass, honestly. I guess I'll never know unless I poke my head into the engine bay of a vinyl-windowed Boxster. I reached my air filter and MAF with no more difficulty than what I imagine is the norm. If you're going to be in the engine bay for a long while, you could always just unbolt the whole convertible frame from the car.
Highway noise is seriously diminshed! It's much quieter, and when it finally does get loud, the noise is much lower and less annoying, and you'll likely find yourself at a much higher speed...but I don't have to yell my conversations on the highway as much now. The glass, being a bit heavier than the vinyl, does vibrate at speed as air goes over the car, but it's nothing violent, just a bit noticeable because I notice things like that. Make sure the shop does a good job of stretching the canvas over the frame so you don't get any sagging between the ribs, as you'll probably get a lot of buffeting noise on the highway.
Ah, important one here: Make sure you get the warranty registration card from the shop and the long strap to hold the top up in service position that I mentioned before, both of which they're required to give you but may not if you don't ask. This way you can ensure that your warranty is intact should anything happen that's covered. Read through the warranty info and send that card in ASAP just in case something does indeed happen.
I think I've taken enough of your time if you've bothered to read this far. Hopefully that's enough reassurance that you're making a good choice. If you end up with a GAHH over a Robbins then it be an even better experience for you, but I don't think you can go wrong. Insurance is willing, so why say no? Good luck, and I'd love to see the results.
