GAHH - Talk about fast service! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

ddb · 06-08-2006, 02:09 PM

Hake, et. al,

I contacted Rob from GAHH and he put me in touch with Jack, also at GAHH. Jack contacted my installer by phone (who he knew) and gave my installer some areas to check that could potentially be causing my problems.

While looking around my top my installer discovered a small pin that had broken or was just missing. I don't know how to describe the mechansim where the missing pin is suppose to be located, so I'm attaching a couple of pictures. One is from the passenger side and shows the pin in place. The other shows the missing pin. These areas are approximately to the left of your head if you are in the drivers seat and to the right of your head if you are sitting in the passenger side.

A few weeks ago I ordered the needed part, but unfortunately my parts guy ordered the wrong part. Just today I picked up the correct part. I will install it this weekend and hopefully find out if this was the problem, or not.

I will let you know the final outcome soon.

ddb

slogans7 · 06-08-2006, 03:04 PM

Hope you get the problem resolved without too much more hassle. I didn't have the problem with Velcro straps fortunately, so maybe it is those pins.

RandallNeighbour · 06-08-2006, 07:43 PM

My factory top has some elastic bands that are secured in place with that pin. Your new top doesn't look like it has any retaining bands. Are they elsewhere or unneeded?

Porschekid · 06-09-2006, 05:36 AM

I will have to check for those pins... the straps dont have the problem as much as my previous top but I am having an intermittent problem with my canvas on the passenger side going over top the plastic guard instead of inside of it... I then have to open it up again and guide it to the proper location.

CA_Boxster · 06-13-2006, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddb

Hake, et. al,

I contacted Rob from GAHH and he put me in touch with Jack, also at GAHH. Jack contacted my installer by phone (who he knew) and gave my installer some areas to check that could potentially be causing my problems.

While looking around my top my installer discovered a small pin that had broken or was just missing. I don't know how to describe the mechansim where the missing pin is suppose to be located, so I'm attaching a couple of pictures. One is from the passenger side and shows the pin in place. The other shows the missing pin. These areas are approximately to the left of your head if you are in the drivers seat and to the right of your head if you are sitting in the passenger side.

A few weeks ago I ordered the needed part, but unfortunately my parts guy ordered the wrong part. Just today I picked up the correct part. I will install it this weekend and hopefully find out if this was the problem, or not.

I will let you know the final outcome soon.

ddb

Interesting. I had one of the early tops and just recently (after about 18 months on the car) The right side would occasionaly go outside the plastic rails on the right side when I raised the top. I couldn't replicate it at will so I was never able to have it checked, but it did happen often enough. Coincidentally, that (early) top recently had the glass separation problem and my installer replaced it immediately with a new GAHH top a couple weeks ago. I was checking it out this weekend and saw those pins. They're not in there very tight. It's extremely easy to pull them out. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they could fall out on their own. Are they supposed to be that loose?

RandallNeighbour · 06-13-2006, 06:56 AM

Can anyone tell me if those pins screw out or just pull out? I don't want to damage them by turning when I should be pulling or vise versa.

Marc Gelefsky · 06-13-2006, 07:38 AM

Well, I hope they get it sorted, I am having a GAHH top installed this week,

ddb · 06-13-2006, 01:10 PM

All,

I replaced the missing pin this weekend (on the passenger side). Unfortunately it didn't solve the problem. Like most of the accounts I've heard, the problem with my top closing on the outside of the groove happens predominantly on my passenger side. It closed correctly immediately after installing the missing pin, but failed to close properly the next 2 times.

There isn't much holding the pins in place. They don't screw in, but are simply held in by pressure from the contact with 2 little tabs that are part of the piece behind the hole where the pin rests. You can simply pull them out, and easily reinsert them. The good news is they are only 70 cents or so, if you are missing one.

I don't know if my original top had the elastic band Randall, but my GAHH top definitely doesn't. When I was trying to describe to my parts guy what I needed, we looked at a Boxster in the service bay, and it didn't have the elastic bands either (I don't know if the top was original).

The parts guy told me he's seen the problem before and has watched the service technicians partially lower the top and push the whole top assembly on one side until the top raises correctly.

I'm not sure what to try next. I will have another look this weekend. If anyone has any solutions or ideas, please let us know.

Thanks,

ddb

CA_Boxster · 06-15-2006, 10:55 AM

When I asked my installer about the top going outside the rail on the passenger side he said that they do add an extra piece of elastic in order to help pull the edges in. I interpreted that as his shop adding something extra, but since I'm apparently not the only one whith these bands I guess it's something in the GAHH top. I don't know if the OEM top had them.

The tops are great, but those little pins are weak with how easily they can be popped out. It's nothing anyone will notice unless there's some problem that makes them start poking around (or they happen to be reading one of these boards), but once you know they're there it does seem like a cheap part.