Thanks....maybe I'll just remove them then. LOL.

Thanks for starting this thread Boxaboy. I have a 2003 top on my '01. My top looks pretty good and I would like to keep it that way. I just removed those two pieces. I keep the top down 99 per cent of the time. We'll see if not having them mounted causes any issues.

Did you guys have any problems with the top not wanting to close? I still have to lift the bottom of the glass a bit for the top to fold down right

I tried the top manually without those two parts. The top went down way better without them so I reattached the rods. The top goes down way better but the glass still does not want to fold down properly all the time

Can the tabs be easily reinstalled if needed?


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Cool to hear that the top goes down easier. I really never had any problems with the top going down though, and never had to adjust the glass. How did you guys remove the tabs without dropping the tab or the torx screw down below the top? With my luck, it falls down, and I won't be able to find it. LOL. The only thing I can think of that those tabs are for, are to help keep the top ribs from banging against each other when driving (up and down motion) or side to side movement when cornering. You guys that have removed them, please let us know if you end up seeing any metal to metal marks on the rib that has the tab removed or if the top seems like it has play when in the down position. I'm thinking the best solution is to remove the tabs and then cut off the part that sticks out (sanding it smooth), and then reinstalling.

EDIT: A good pal of mine, Maurice (1schoir) who is very knowledgeable about these tops has told me he'll look into it more and let me know, but he recalls that the tabs are there to prevent something from moving behind the rib. Maybe something might inadvertently be caught behind it, catch, and then block the top from going back up? Who knows. Keeping the tab there for now till there's a definitive answer on what those things are for. Can't be there for no reason (besides putting a hole thru the top).

Hey boxtaboy,

Could you ask him if he has ever seen or has any ideas of what would cause the glass to not want to fold down. Show him the video from this thread. http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/59226-convertible-top-operation.html

Sure, I'll actually ask him to check out this thread and see if he can help. Stay tuned.

Yes, a single screw holds them in.

I don't recall having a problem getting the screw or the tabs out.

Just checked mine. No bumps on the exterior or scuffing on the interior related to the tabs. With the top up, the tabs are not near the fabric on either side. I'll snap some pics when I get a chance. I do have some external scuffing on the top, but not related to this issue.

The bumps on my top disappear after a few hours. The tabs also are not close to the fabric when open, but for some reason, right after I put the top back up after having it down, those bumps appear. Try putting your top down for a few minutes and then up, and see if the bumps are there.

I get those on mine. Guess I'll be removing them soon. :o

I'll check it out. Probably will but some Gorilla tape in just to be safe.

F_it! I had those annoying bumps appear in the top fabric even after applying the gorilla tape, so I just removed those suckers just now. The tabs are easy to come out with a T20 torx screw, and can be returned if really needed. I see no need though. Removed them, put the top down, drove around to see if I could detect any extra movement in the top, pulled back into my house and put the top back up. No more marks on the roof fabric and I can't see any difference in the way the top works. Done...

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...psocudwo4l.jpg

I just spoke with Hans, a friend of mine at the Porsche factory. He said that one of Ferdinand Porsche's great grand nephews, Gunter, was responsible for the IMSB in the 986 and 996. Because he was related to Ferdinand they couldn't fire him. So, they moved him to work on the cab tops. Those tabs were his idea. Last Hans heard, Gunter was moved to work on the 2014 GT3 engines. But there was this issue with engine fires. Wonder what Gunter is working on now?

Now that's funny! ;)

Too funny, Chuck!


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Applied the tape to both sides. On the driver side it had worn completly through and the passenger side was very worn, almost translucent. I took the tab off the driver side and will monitor operations before doing the other tab.

Glad it wasn't just me.

I may be wrong, but you might want to consider removing the other tab as well. If you leave one tab there, when the top is folded, the other side may be tilted, and cause something in the frame to not sit right. I'd keep both sides on an even plane. JMHO. You can always return both tabs if you want in the future. Oh, and after removing the tabs, I also removed the tape. There's no reason to have any additional stiffness in the fabric while it's moving up and down, and no longer anything pressing on it.