Do you leave your top down when in shops, in a bar, at a restaurant?

[tomc88]

So this red clip. I see what it does.

But with the motion sensors active and hood down,
How susceptible is it to false
alarms?

[black_falcon]

Two days into Boxster ownership, I watched some young thug stray off from his group of friends and pull my door handle. Called the Police and he ended up going to jail for warrants.

Depending on where the car is parked, I've been leaving my top down with windows up providing I won't be away from the car for an extended time. I'd hate to see the top mechanism break prematurely because I'm always using it unnecessarily.

At the end of the day, I've owned Porsches long enough to understand there is always an element of risk involved. They're a magnet for attention good or bad, and it's just part of ownership.

[southernstar]

tomc88, as you seem to have deduced, the little red clip snaps into the spot on top of the windhshield frame where the microswitch is located for determining whether the top is open or closed. It depresses the microswitch and fools the car (and therefore the alarm/immobilizer) into thinking that the top is shut. False alarms - I suppose if a bird flew in the interior, although that is pretty unlikely, especially if the windows are up (and I always leave them up). Certainly I have never had one. Yes, it will activate if someone reaches in or throws something into the interior (and it should), but that is no different than if someone tried to yank on the door handle to get in a car with the top up.

As I see it, if someone wants to damage your car, it is pretty easy to key it, slash the top, etc., etc. I really don't see any increased risk of damage unless, as has been pointed out, it starts to rain. If there is any risk, I close the top. In addition, if you are going to be away from the car for more than an hour or so, I always close the top just to reduce the impact of the sun's rays.

Brad