986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post

RandallNeighbour · 11-06-2006, 10:36 AM

CJ, you make good points. Buy the plastic window top.

However, I've watched my mechanic (for a little while anyway) change a top from a buddy's boxster. He bought his top on eBay too. There are at least three aluminum support parts you will have to tear off your old top and glue to your new top (in an exact position to keep the new top from wrinkling or folding poorly before you can install it. The eBay sellers don't ever tell you this, and their tops do not come with the aluminum parts attached like the very expensive ones come from Porsche.

My mechanic said he's replaced two tops (at the dealership for big money) from guys that have never done it before and screwed their replacement top up so badly they had to buy a second one and let someone else with experience do it. He also said that it typically requires a second set of hands during a couple of phases of the installation.

Best of luck on doing it yourself, and please help the rest of us by posting pics of the removal of the old top, gluing the aluminum pieces on the new top correctly, and installing the new top. Everyone here would love to see what is entailed.

11-06-2006, 10:36 AM	#13
RandallNeighbour Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 7,243	CJ, you make good points. Buy the plastic window top. However, I've watched my mechanic (for a little while anyway) change a top from a buddy's boxster. He bought his top on eBay too. There are at least three aluminum support parts you will have to tear off your old top and glue to your new top (in an exact position to keep the new top from wrinkling or folding poorly before you can install it. The eBay sellers don't ever tell you this, and their tops do not come with the aluminum parts attached like the very expensive ones come from Porsche. My mechanic said he's replaced two tops (at the dealership for big money) from guys that have never done it before and screwed their replacement top up so badly they had to buy a second one and let someone else with experience do it. He also said that it typically requires a second set of hands during a couple of phases of the installation. Best of luck on doing it yourself, and please help the rest of us by posting pics of the removal of the old top, gluing the aluminum pieces on the new top correctly, and installing the new top. Everyone here would love to see what is entailed. Last edited by RandallNeighbour; 11-06-2006 at 10:38 AM.