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

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

Or do you always put the top back up, to save jealous people using your car as a trash can? Or stealing your leather seats?

I generally leave mine down - but I live in sub tropical Australia where crime is very low compared to where you live in the UK....
Most people here often forget to lock their front doors at night - what $$ cost do you put on that for quality of life - and no I don't live in the Styx ??

We almost always put the top up if we are out of sight of the car. If we can see the car and are close, we might leave it down.

I mostly leave it down and put the windows up. Nothing within reach inside. And I try to park it in a spot that I can see from inside the place I am at. Parking garages I always put the top up.

I put mine up, but not as protection from people.

My 1st conv was an MR2 Spyder. Stopped at a parts store one afternoon. Wasn't going to be long and it had a manual top that I didn't want to take the time to put up as I was only going to be in the store 5 min. Came out and based on the deposit, some mamouth robin had pooed on my windshield post. So close to being a disaster.

And the robins in my neighborhood are no better. They strafe my driveway on practice runs, just waiting for the day when I leave Punkin out with her top down. Think I'm exagerating? Spring of 2012 I bought a silver Caymen S with the intention of reselling, so Carmen had to sit in the driveway as she was the odd man out. I was going to take her to work one morning and was surprised to find this:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1373113951.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1373113975.jpg

They don't mess around. You give them a shot, they take it.

Depends on where I am, time of day/night, how long I'm going to be gone, what I've got in the car to steal, etc. If I leave it down I put the windows up and insert the red clip and generally feel pretty safe, though I try not to be gone too too long when I do this. The biggest fear I have is some dirtbag tossin' a half-finished Coke in there but I've been lucky to this point. I've not had problems (knock on wood) with birds, long as I'm not parked under a tree. In my experience that's where they tend to nail you...

What is the red clip frodo ?

As you probably are aware, as part of the security system there is a motion sensor in the Boxster, though I don't know if it's in every model year. Anyway, it only works if the top is up. The red clip inserts into the mechanism above the rear view mirror where the hook from the top normally is clicked in to place when closed. The clip "fools" the car into thinking the top is up, and so the motion detector is activiated. If you reach in and move your hand around inside the car with the clip in place, you'll get the security response (horn honking, etc.).

Ebay's got them, though they're pricier than they used to be. I don't even remember where I got mine, but it was just a buck or two.

Ya depends where I am too. Out here in the country it is generally OK. I never do on my 981 though, it just attracts too many haters.

Took the 986 to walmart the other afternoon and left it down. In general though it only takes seconds to put the top up.

Off topic on the way home (in my 986) I stopped at the auto parts store, this totally country lday employee came out and asked "Is dat dar one of dem nu 911s", I replied nope just a dirty old Boxster. She even noticed my zinc coated rotors, at that point she became kewl :).

Thanks
Great info .

IN DALLAS ?!?!?!? :eek:

No way.

TO

I never leave the D-mobile unprotected !

sometimes, depends on where i am and if i can keep an eye on it from where I will be in the bar, shop and restaurant.

if i can't see it, don't trust the area or if under a tree, i put the top up

I've got the humps, so...
 

Too much of a hassle to remove the humps and put the top up. Once summer finally arrives in Seattle (about July), I leave the top down (until the end of summer, August 31st). I've got the red clip and there's nothing in the car worth stealing.

I leave my down constantly, even overnight in the downtown where I live. I had my volume knob stolen but besides that I've never had a problem.

Generally I put mine up, except if I can keep a constant eye on it.

Here in LA leaving the top down while the car is unattended is like putting a "Please Rip Me Off" sign on it.

Only once in a blue moon. Takes just seconds to put up, so why risk it? People are nuts . . .

Yes I do
 

If the circumstances warrant it yes. It depends on weather,location, and duration. I usually go windows up, red clip in,lock. Never have had a problem. I don't leave anything worth taking in there. I frequently find an admirer upon my return and have met some nice people. The vast majority have no idea of what they are looking at but they recognize and respond to what the designers intended. I keep things preserved with Wolfgang's on the leather and 303 on everything else This unit rarely goes anywhere with the top up. Yes it requires a little more effort. My triple black looks and even smells like a drop top roadster should and I don't mind sharing that experience.

I usually keep mine on. most restaurants have a no shoes no shirt policy :)

I left it down once...just once. Never again. Spiteful people suck. :(

I've never had a problem with the top down while parking. I just don't do it overnight or in unsavory areas. I HAVE had a problem on the toll road while driving and some Ford truck driver toss his spittoon contents out the window at 75mph limit...seriously - wth????

I had a lot of problems with jerks in my then new 350Z (back in 03). First, many people thought it was a Porsche - even with the giant Nissan logo front and rear. (What kind of Porsche is that? was the most common question I received). Then I'd park way out in a parking lot only to come out of a store with two ancient beat up cars on both sides of me....many slots away from any other car. They just did it to be jerks.

Always top up and locked. And someone talked about the nasty birds dropping bombs, ya Im always cleaning up after them.

If I'm just running into a store I'll keep the top down. If away from the car longer I'll put the top up, but that's usually because otherwise the black interior just gets too hot.

As far as locking it...never. What's the point? If someone wants something from inside my car I'd rather them open the door to get it versus cutting the top.

No, I may have the worse luck but used to leave my windows down and somehow a bird crapped in my back deck carpet.

I will leave it down for short runs into a store (or a restaurant, if I can see where it is parked), but make sure that I have the little red clip in place (which by the way, is still available very cheaply from Pelican). This activates the interior motion sensors if your car was equipped with the optional alarm system. And frankly, removing bird crap from the cloth top is probably worse than from the interior surfaces, especially if you wipe if off quickly. I always carry some clean microfibre cloths and wet wipes in the car, although blessedly, have not had to use them yet on the interior.

Brad

Always leave it down. Once it's warm out the top only goes up if there is a down poor. With the top down I can't see anything inside the car that someone would want. With the top up I worry about people cutting the top or the back window. To me that would be the bigger headache. Steal the seats? Man I'm glad I don't live where you are. That thought never crossed my mind. lol It would be easier to pull off a nice muffler lol Then top up or down won't matter much.

Always put it back up. Not because of crime but because the weather here is so extreme and harsh. The wind howls constantly and stirs up lots of dirt and debris. Just easier to keep interior clean by putting the top up all the time.

When is a restaurant or bar etc., I usually put the to up. But not for fear of thieves.

1) I live in Central Florida. We get sudden rain. Suddenly here, suddenly gone.

2) As so many have stated, no bird poo in my car please.

If it is a quick trip, Circle K, Subway, gas...Leave it down.

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?

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.

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

I only leave the top down if I can see the it otherwise, not a chance!

If during the day and short period top down, if after sundown top down.

But no way with the Texas sun do I leave it down while away for more than 15 minutes, never had any issues with people as where I live most cars around me are of more value.

top down makes it easier to steal your headlights. If you live in an area where Porsches are common, theives know HID/Litronics can fetch big money and are simple plug and play parts.
There was a rash of Litronic thefts in So Cal a few years back... a place where lots of people leave their tops down. use the clip.

I rarely leave my top down. Usually only if I can see the car. As for the red clip, don't rely on it. On my 99, you can put your hand in the car, wave it around, and maybe about 10~15 seconds the alarm will sound. I've also had it sound in a mild wind when it detected the placard I had hanging from the mirror spin in the breeze. Go figure. :)

How so? (HOPEFULLY not a stupid question!)

Reach in, open the door to access frunk lever, pop the frunk, rip the carpet from the sides, slide the headlight removal tool in hole, slide them out, and gone.

Yeah, but the trunk (frunk) release lever is electronic...in mine (a 2001) anyway. I can't really say I've physically tested this, but when you lock the car, isn't the manual lever-controlled trunk (frunk) release disabled??