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Q&A
Q&A
How's the noise level?
- Good, it's slightly quieter than having the soft top up. The cabin and trunk area remain separate so you don't get any additional mechanical noise.
So, can you tell us more about how practical the top is? How is visibility compared to the softtop (which isn't great)?
- Visibility is AWESOME with the side windows. No more worrying about blind spots when changing lanes. The view out the back is clear and the window is much larger than the soft top. However it is also lower so taller drivers can't see as far behind them.
Does the slope of the rear windsheild shed water? Does the top need a power rear window wiper? Did it get all dirty (reduced visibility) driving in the snow & salt?
- No, infact the whole top stays pretty clean especially when the spoiler is up. On my drive back to VA it rained and was messy the entire way. I had to clean my windshield a ton of time but back window never got dirty.
How did the install go?
- Install took me about 2 hours the first time. The 2 panels come off easy. The top ships in two parts, the main shell and the hatch. You put them on separate the first time, but they can stay together from that point on. If I needed to swap back it should take under and hour in the future.
Any worries about potential damage to your paint?
- None, it never touches factory paint in any place that the factory items don't.
Rattles? A few slight ones over large bumps, mostly from the back hatch
Creaks? Only when it is cold
Windnoise? None
Is it hard to install or remove? cause i cant imagine all the work that would go into it just to have to get the top in service mode to change the air filter.
- That is easy. (1) Open the back hatch, (2)disconnect two wire harnesses for third brake light and defroster. (3) open two side spinlocks and center front latch. (4) with two folks, lift the top off and walk it back. That's it. you are now at the point you would be if you had the top down. Really only adds 15 minutes of work off and on.
Now for the bad.
- The top has a lot of adjustment built into it. Almost too much. Although I spent only 2 hours installing it the first time, I took me another 3 or 4 to adjust everything to get it exact. Now that it is adjusted, everything is locked in place and even if it is removed and replaced, none of the adjustment will need to be done again.
- There are shims that are used to adjust the hight on each side. I found the ones they included to still be too thin and this stressed the spinlocks too much. I actually broke one, and repaired it so I made a few extra shims for my own use and all is well now.
- I could not get the driver front edge on mine to line up perfect. I had a 1/16" gap that created some wind noise over 60mph. To fix this I added some additional weather stripping between the top and the windshield.
- I still get some leaking from the top edge of the hatch. It may just need to be adjusted better.
- When the top arrived the back glass was only partly adhered.
And for the really good.
- Kari, the US distributer is FANTASTIC.
- When I ordered the top he knew I needed it by winter. Production delays caused the ship date to slip so he had it air freighted from South Africa to me at no charge!
- When I called him about the window, he started to ship me an extra window so I could have the current one removed and re-glued in. He was sending the spare just in case the one broke. He also was covering the cost of having it fixed. The original one came loose enough that I pulled it off before the new one shipped so I didn't actually need it.
- He has walked me through adjustments to make sure the product is perfectly fit.
- He is also working with the factory to fix all the issues I had.
Overall it is a great product that is supported by a fantastic distributor here in the states. It is pricey, but you get a lot for the money. I really like it and it makes the boxster a true year round car in my opinion. I also like the convenience of the hatch and to be honest, I'll probably just leave it on all the time.
Pat
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