Top up or down when garaged?

[efahl]

I always put it up to keep the crap out of the interior.

The top also get five 1.5" circular marks right over the center from the rubber feet on the clamshell when you leave it down all the time.

[Chills]

Originally Posted by efahl

I always put it up to keep the crap out of the interior.

The top also get five 1.5" circular marks right over the center from the rubber feet on the clamshell when you leave it down all the time.

Mine gets those circles too, and my top is 5 months old. I leave my top up if I'm not going to be driving it for more than a week.

Plus it keeps the interior cleaner.

[rick3000]

The circles are just from the heat of the engine, and should usually disappear in a few days.

[Bambino Don]

Originally Posted by Chills

Mine gets those circles too, and my top is 5 months old. I leave my top up if I'm not going to be driving it for more than a week.

Plus it keeps the interior cleaner.

So funny i have those marks aswell , i wondered what they were from and now i know,

[70Sixter]

Mine is always garaged with top up and stretched tight.

Whatever you do, make sure the top is completely dry before putting it down. My hardtop goes on for 3-4 months a year with no disasters. I make sure it is clean and RaggTopped.

In the garage it also helps rubber gaskets if you leave windows cracked a bit. Doors ajar too, but make certain interior lights are out or battery will not be happy.

[Chills]

Originally Posted by Bambino Don

So funny i have those marks aswell , i wondered what they were from and now i know,

lol, yeah I didn't know what they were from until I saw it on the board. If you leave the top up for a couple of days they go away.

[jwilson95]

I have the top down while driving whenever possible. That is why I bought a Boxster vs. a 911 coupe in the first place.

As far as the top up/down in the garage, it is mostly dependent on when I think I'll be driving the car again. If it is the weekend, I usually leave it down.

The wife always complains about dust/spiders, etc. so lately I have been putting it up most of the time and now that it is getting colder, it is up all the time.

The only thing I worry about with the constant up and down is the wear and tear on the top motors, joints, cables, etc. and how costly it will be to repair, so every tiem I can "save" a up/down operation, then I do it.

Personal preference rules the day!

[OldBlevins]

I left mine down for a couple of days in cool weather once, and it needed a little help stretching out to make the hook connection when I put it back up. Probably not a big deal, but I do tend to put it up now when I put it away.

One thing I would suggest is when you do put it down, halfway through the process, get out of the car and give the rear plastic window the old "karate chop" to make it sure it folds up nice and smoothly.

[boxstershorts]

Two things:

Material outgassing, aging, drying out: This happens are a different rate depending on humidity, temperature etc. Materials shrink when this happens although hardly noticeable over the course of a few weeks. Better to shrink with top up than down.

Flow: Materials tend to relax to relieve stress over time. If in compression, in tension, in bending, they will permanently deform and lose their elasticity in local areas. This will permanently deform your top. Better for it to happen when the top is up than down.

I recommend to store your car with top up (fully stretched) for the top to last longer.