new glass window soft top

[tuanle16]

love my top. so many compliments on it too. glad i made the switch.

[Overdrive]

I like the top very much, and don't find the smaller glass to be that much of a problem...it's certainly not a problem with the top down.

Some people complain about the visible lines on the defogger of the GAHH top glass, but I don't find them very visible at all on the Robbins top glass, and the material is much nicer than what was on the car orignally (granted, anything new would be nicer than the 14 year old top that was on the car). I changed mine out of necessity because a tear developed in the vinyl window.

[97 Boxster]

I love my top too. Blacked out my windows and it looks even better. Looks like part of the black top. Cant beat the new top. I did the install with my wife (a true bonding moment) and she always tells her friends that we installed the top (like it was fun). It was a pain in the butt but after 2 years it still looks new.

[smshirk]

Which one is best, the GAHH or Robbins or other?? I called a guy here in Atlanta that comes to you and replaces the top wherever your car is. He likes another brand best, but I've forgotten which one. It's about the same price as the GAHH. I want the glass window top but have heard about this issue with opening before. Sounds like it's not that big a deal though.

[Overdrive]

I'd say the two are pretty comparable depending on what you're willing to spend. There are some differences, such as Robbins using these small elastic straps as a means of keeping the canvas from falling out of the channel when it's closing (a known problem with the old 986 tops that can still happen even with these straps in place, just something to watch out for), and the GAHH top having more highly visible lines for the defogger on the glass.

I'm pretty sure they both offer a top of the line version of the top made to block out a lot of wind and road noise that the regular tops do not, which is especially good for owners of the cars that were made before headliners were being installed from the factory.

Honestly, either brand's offerings are going to be better than what's already on your car if it's more than a few years old or wasn't maintained properly during its lifetime.

As for this guy who will come out to install the top for you, just make sure he doesn't do a rush job that leaves you with creases, wrinkles, or sagging points in the material. That material needs to be pulled nice and taut over the frame so that when it does stretch naturally from use as it breaks in it doesn't sag.

[PaulDash]

When moving from a plastic-windowed roof to the new one with the glass window, do you replace the frame as well?

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by PaulDash

When moving from a plastic-windowed roof to the new one with the glass window, do you replace the frame as well?

if you get the aftermarket top, no. (unless your frame is messed up) the top canvas uses your existing frame.