Keeping the roof open all winter

[StevenVW]

How bad is it to keep the roof in the open position all winter (with a hardtop attached). Does the plastic rear window suffer from being in that position for a prolonged time during low temperatures?

[Newsguy]

I have done that in the past. Just don't put it back down if you raise it unless it heats up to the 60s (and preferably higher) before lowering again.

[mikefocke]

And put a clean fleece cloth between the plastic window folds so they don't rub together. After you have cleaned both sides of that plastic with something like Novus 1, 2, and 3. From an older posting:

Rear Window

We have all seen discolored rear windows on convertibles. They don't have to age like that. Mine is 5 years old and looks like new but it wasn't like that 2 years ago when I bought the car. It was discolored and cloudy. And the surface was rough.

Novus makes a series of products designed to deal with the problem (if you already have it) and to prevent it in the future. The Novus 1, 2 and 3 products consist of bottles of plastic cleaners in decreasing levels of abrasiveness. The three products are sold in a kit with several microfibre polishing cloths for about $25.
If the top is new, only use #1. But if the top is already discolored, you start with the most abrasive cleaner, Novus #3, and a clean rag (I use a cotton washcloth) and you rub it on the surface as if you are polishing the window. Do the outside of the window first, then do the inside. Keep it off the top (but if it gets on, just wipe it off quickly). Let it sit for a while. And then take another clean rag and polish it off. Then do the same using the mildly abrasive #2. And finish up with the non-abrasive #1 which is more of a polish than a cleaner. You should only have to do this once.

In addition to cleaning and polishing the surface of the window, these products seem to put some sort of oil into the plastic that allows them to increase their flexibility and thus resistance to cracking.

For maintenance, I use Novus #1 about once or twice a year.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

And put a clean fleece cloth between the plastic window folds so they don't rub together. After you have cleaned both sides of that plastic with something like Novus 1, 2, and 3.
.
.
For maintenance, I use Novus #1 about once or twice a year.

Here's my question, Mike: How the heck do you get access to the inside of your back window? I've concluded only a contortionist with a long, thin, 12-jointed arm can get to it.

[jbar1]

Removing the plastic screens attached to the roll bars behind the seats will give you a bit more room. I still found it difficult to reach all of the areas on the inside of the rear window. Maybe if I was 60 years younger it would have been easier.

John

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by jbar1

Removing the plastic screens attached to the roll bars behind the seats will give you a bit more room. I still found it difficult to reach all of the areas on the inside of the rear window.

Me too. Maybe Mike will weigh in and impart a secret technique.

[mikefocke]

With the top partially up. The inside is not going to need as many of the treatments as the outside so doing it once is enough. I was about 60 when I did mine.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

With the top partially up.

Half-up or less?