What's this convertible top "shoestring?"

[husker boxster]

I'm not an upholsterer and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn, but that appears fatal to me since the rubber sheath is torn. Looks to me like you'd have to sew a whole new sheath into that side of the roof.

I can guess with relative certainty what caused it. The top canvas has been overlapping the top bow rather than going inside the bow when the top is moved from open to closed. This scenario puts a lot of tension on the threads of that sheath. Why does it happen? Porsche used an elastic band designed to keep the top under tension so it goes inside the bow when putting the top up. This band ages quickly, loses it's elasticity, and can break, leaving little or no tension on the canvas. This causes it to slip over the bow instead of inside it, further expanding / stretching the top so it continues to go over the bow. Eventually the seams in the top canvas will let go. There's a thread about fixing the over the bow problem, but this top has bigger issues to address before fixing the elastic band.

At the very least, you'll have an expensive upholstery bill to fix this top. By the time you'd pay for this repair, it might be cheaper to replace it. A used top might be the cheapest soln. Sorry for the bad news. I'd check with an upholster and see what they say.