Convertible Top, to glass or not to glass
Hi,
My insurance company agreed to pay for my new top. I had a small leak at the seam which I patched with some silicone, but after reading the stories here, I decided to give the insurance company a call. Long story short, they send me a check and now I have to replace the top. As usual there are 2 options: glass and plastic. I know all the cons and pros of glass top.. however I wanted to ask: Is there anyone who upgraded to glass top and regretted it afterwards? Thanks Sasha |
no regrets. go glass!!!
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I looked at doing it with my last Boxster and decided to stay with the plastic. I like the larger window. I also see no downside with the stock window.
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well, that's a no brainer: Glas
You will get very soon get used to the smaller window and not having to "karate chop" the window: priceless :cheers: |
I think there are a few factors here.
Does you Box live outside? If so, glass is a boon. Do you need to replace the whole hood / top? May as well go glass. The other question is how much does it cost you locally to get a new plastic screen sown in? For me it was £200 vs about £700 for a whole new top. My top was fine and my Box lives indoors, so I just had the new screen. I also prefer the external and view out from the cabin of the large plastic screen. So that's what I went for. Even If I have to get it replaced again once or twice, it will work out now more expensive. Guys who did the screen did an immaculate job. |
Well, I was pretty much set on glass, because it has a lot of positives
It's free (kinda, I have to pay the deductible) I live in Seattle area.. so if it's not raining, I usually put the top down, sometimes when temperature is lower then 50F It's a daily driver.. so I put the top down in the mornings and evenings and during the day it's parked with top up (you may never know when it rains in Seattle) so I don't have to worry about top cracking again.. However.. I never been inside a boxster with glass top, I saw pictures.. but I'm worried it's gonna be too closed up.. Also the restricted engine access and the fact that it's really hard to close the top... I wanted to make sure I won't regret choosing glass. On the bright side if I ever will have money to upgrade to all weather family car (997TT cab), resale value of boxster will be greater with glass top. Thanks Sasha |
Since it will cost you the same regardless of which you go with, get the one you like best. Resale will not be effected with either top.
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I am just finishing up my first driving season since I retrofitted an OEM 2004 top assembly (with glass) on my 2002, and I can't express how happy I am not to have to do the chop anymore. Living in Minnesota, I often drive with the top down in lower temps and I no longer have to worry about cracking another plastic window. Go with the glass!
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^You DON'T have to do the chop. Eventually the plastic creates a bend that has memmory.
doing the chop keeps it from developing that natural crease. So if you're doing the chop it may make it worse if the plastic is now well maintained. What wrecks the plastic is not regulary using Plexus to keep the plastic from becoming hard and brittle or not heating up the cabin if the outside temp is below 60 degrees, before lowering the top. Or in my case, when I used to park outside I once cleared off some ice using too much force and it created a tiny 1/4" puncture that got bigger. Otherwise my top is spotless and the plastic is crystal clear after a good Renovo/Plastic cleaning. I'd also like to do an OEM retrofit. Having replaced my previous convertible with an aftermarket glass top I know there are stretching issues, which I found to be extremely annoying. and I'm not crazy about the smaller window but it does look much nicer. I'd rather replace the plastic window professionaly if the OEM top is not possible but I think have plenty of time since my car is garaged and only drive weekends. |
I have the robbins top on mine with the small glass window......I did not notice much of a difference between the new one and the old plastic one, still fills up the rearview mirror and outward visibility is not bad.
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I put an OEM 2003 top on my '01. IMHO, there is no comparison. The glass window is well worth the upgrade.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/P1070303.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/P1070351.jpg |
No regrets with aftermarket glass retrofit
I think installing a 2003 or 2004 OE frame and top like Chuck W. is the ultimate solution. However you have to find one and pay for it.
With your car being a daily driver and considering the climate where you live I would think having the electric rear defroster would be a nice addition as well. IMO, the limited access to the top of the engine with the aftermarket glass retrofit tops is annoying, but worth it when you factor in the positives. The limited view with the smaller window is quickly forgotten in a day or few. I can however imagine if I drove a 986 with the larger plastic window I would love the better view. So I just won't drive such a car. That is why I refuse to drive a Boxster S also! |
Sasha, I was in your shoes (as I'm sure you know) not too long ago this past Spring/Summer. Here's what I think of the glass top I got from Robbins:
I never got the opportunity to put the top in service position prior to my original top's window cracking, so I can't complain about the engine access. I was still able to change my air filter and MAF with little contortion involved on my part. I can see where visibility would be an issue for those of average and above average height. I'm not tall (at least I don't feel I am at 5' 7"), and I have my seat lowered to its lowest point, so for me I didn't lose much visibility, and when the top is down obviously it's a non-issue. I do find myself ducking my head a little bit sometimes if I want to look farther (back) down the road, but I can just as easily use a side view mirror to see that far back and have been developing that habit more. My old top's window was foggy, so at best I saw glowing orbs and general vehicle shapes in my mirror with the top up, and forget seeing anything but droplets if there was condensation on it or it was raining, so even if the glass is smaller, to me a clear view out the back (that's easy to clean) was welcome. Also, my sister, who has a '99 and is about 5'3", can see perfectly out the glass window on my car, so she does not have an issue with it at all and wants to get a glass top to replace her plastic when the time comes. Defroster = WIN...and it plugs right into the OEM connection. Just make sure that whoever does the job for you routes the wiring in such a way that it does not get pinched, trapped, or pulled on by the top when it is in motion or when you have to go about accessing the engine bay. It can have a lot of extra slack. My true preference would have been to sew in a new window (not as easy as it seems, especially if you live in a place where the weather can be bad, you want to be sure your top is sealed), or drop in the top and roof frame of an 03 or 04 glass-windowed car, but to go that route I would have also have to change microswitches and there was some more internal work involved. The later model OEM top would have been ideal, but I needed a rather immediate solution, and the Robbins glass replacement became it, especially when the insurance got involved. As a last note, yes the top will not close or open as easily at first, but if you can leave the car out in some warm sun for a few days and cycle the top a few times it should stretch itself out fairly quickly and pretty much operate like it used to. One warning with the Robbins version of the top: there are these two little straps, and I'll have to try and supply a picture of them. They're small elastic straps that get pinned into a part of the top frame. Their purpose is to try to eliminate the top not dropping into the seal channels like it's supposed to. These straps may take a while to stretch out...they were very tightly stretched when I got mine done, and they're held in with these sort of cheap plastic fasteners, but your results may vary. Just keep an eye on them, and check that the top is in the channels when you put it back up. I always had to do this with my original top so I was already in the habit, and with the new top it has only come out of the channel once. My opinion, if there is someone local to you with a glass window replacement, check it out and see what you think of it. I recommend it, but I also feel you should weigh all of your options and make the best choice for yourself. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me, and I will also try to put those pictures up of that strap in another reply to this thread. :cheers: |
Thanks everyone for the good information!
I called the shop this morning and ordered a GAHH glass top, it should be here next week. I'll post my review of "how to live with smaller window" after it gets installed. Thanks Sasha |
what's the total damage? These figures seem to vary greatly by location.
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Sasha...my 2 cents.....Glass is nice. No visibility problems.
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Forgive me if I am "Hijacking" your thread but the issue of a rear defroster caught my attention. I bought the car used and the window has the "male" connectors on it but I can not find the wiring with the female receptacles .
Anyone know where I should look or tell me how to create the connection? |
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I believe it's in the vicinity of the bottom of the driver's side roll hoop toward the outside (closer to the door). It's a small rectangular cutout in that area where the connector plugs in. The male end should plug right into that receptacle.
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If I ever dropped the top on the street I didn't bother chopping, but if I was in a lot or my own driveway, I did hop out and do the chop more often than not. |
^ keeping the top lowered for a prolonged period is bad for the canvas as well, you'll get thos weird wear marks that don't seem to go away. and like the plastic window, if its not properly cleaned/coditioned the damage is all the worse.
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Does every Boxster in SoCal look this well kept?
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Total price is 1525$, but I had to shop around.
The insurance shop quoted 1200$ just to sew in new plastic window, I told my insurance agent that it's rip-off.. and found a new shop. Insurance had no problems with the new quote. Thanks Sasha |
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...1/P1140541.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../986garage.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/P1120455.jpg |
The 03/04 tops are not easy to find, but with more people converting their cars to track cars they are coming up more often. I found my 04 OEM top on Ebay for $900 this Spring and it was nearly perfect. Then I was able to sell my 02 top with a fairly new/replaced plastic window for $550, so for me it cost $350 (plus $100 shipping) to make the swap. When I had my last plastic window replaced it cost $600, so the upgrade was a pretty easy decision.
The glass window is definitely smaller. I think it looks better/updated from the outside, and since the top is usually down it doesn't affect my view driving. :) As for the chop, I didn't always do it because when it was warm enough the window would fold nicely. When it was cooler (I live in MN) I always did it because I still remember the sound of my original plastic window cracking. |
Glass!!! I love mine and wouldn't go back. The window is a little smaller but not that bad. It seems like the glass will last a lot longer and you don't have to worry about cracking and creasing.
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I tried contacting a local wrecker for the top after I heard of an 03 getting totaled by the insurance but they refused to give out the information for the third party actually parting out the car. I ask them to simply forward my information to the 3rd party but they refused to do this as well. They couldn't be bothered. Like I was asking for somethign unholy. I was obviously dealing with employees...
You should see how little they sell these mostly front end wrecks. As little as $3K. Sell the top and you're 1/3 of the way home. Just pull parts off as you need them. |
My 2002 Boxster has been leaking from a small rip in the plastic window as well. After reading these comments, just decided to put in a claim and hopefully they will do the same and help me with a new top. Thanks for this post Sasha!
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^ that's cool that you guys actually use your insurance.
I pay my insurance in hopes of never having to use my insurance so that if I ever have an accident I will pay out of pocket so that I won't have to use my insurance so I can have a low premium on insurance I will never use. |
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If it works out for you then I'll call my insurance too. |
Ok, so it did not work. The man kept trying to convince me by categorizing it as "wear and tear" even though online, there was a "weather" category that had windstorm and thunderstorm stated. When in reality these florida storms have caused the hole to open up more and more with water leaking into my car. But I guess that's these insurance agents jobs, they get paid to, at all costs, try to avoid writing checks to their loyal $2K a year paying customers. :mad:
I have Progressive by the way. |
where can i find that oem roof?
i have a 2001 with a nice crack in the platic window as of last week
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one very minor consideration with the plastic versus glass window top came from the perspective of one of my mechanics. They prefer the plastic window because is gives them better access to the car in maintenance mode versus a glass wind top.
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autotops direct.com
630 shipped for a new top with glass window? defroster cable included. details below, is this good quality?
1997-2002 Porsche Boxster Convertible Top PORSCHE BOXSTER, 1997-2002 TOP, GERMAN A5 ACOUSTIC, GLASS WINDOW, BLACK [Vehicle Year:2001] |
I bought this one few weeks ago:
Porsche Boxster BAS BLACK MOHAIR Glass Window Hood upgrade 1997-03 | eBay Quality seems to be really good and I'm hoping that I manage to finish my installation during next week. Not a hard DIY job, but not a nice one... |
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And the Twillfast RPC > 1997-2002 Porsche Boxster Convertible Top Is it a $100 difference in terms of quality, durability, noise reduction. |
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