99 Soft top closing/window question

[jci-joe]

I will try to describe this as clearly as possible to avoid confusion. One of the great features of the boxster is the 12 second soft top opening/closing time. The only issue I have with my 99 since it has a plastic rear window, is that when I begin to close the window, I get out and manually push down on the plastic window so it closes without creasing the window. Am I being too anal on this or do others do the same thing. This was what the original owner did and the original window is in perfect shape. It's not a big deal, but it would be nice to just push the button and have the window close.

[C5150]

You're not being too anal. I have learned the hard way that we can't simply push the button from our driver seat to drop the top. Have a couple pinches on both sides of my window due to not getting out and "helping."

Search on the "chop" on this site, and you'll see you are not alone. This is the only thing that makes me wish I had not puchased a 2002. If only I had known about the advantages of the glass top...

[Travis]

I have never heard of anyone having to "Chop" their top...

Mine goes down perfect everytime and also in the land of perfect my Boxster brand new only costs $10.00

Yes everyone has to do the "Boxster Chop" There is even a photo of the originator of the Boxster Chop and he is a member of this board.

Tool Pants

[unklekraker]

YOu are not alone, brother! We all do the same thing

[RandallNeighbour]

I hate it so much I am about to spend some big bucks getting the replacement glass window top. It pisses me off too because my boxster had a hard top on it for much of its life before I bought it and the top is in very good shape except for a little hole in the top, directly above the oddments tray area.

[jci-joe]

Can you change out just the plastic window or do you need to replace the whole top? My top is still in showroom condition and I was told it would cost $5,000 to replace the top with a glass window.

Anyone else have an estimate on the cost to replace the plastic with glass?

[Travis]

I do not think you can replace the plastic with glass using the same top, but a new glass soft top is more around $1000.00 to $1500.00 plus cost of install unless you do it yourself.

GAHH has a nice line of tops. http://www.gahh.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_57_341_3005&products_id=1536

[Peter Serbanica]

Originally Posted by jci-joe

Can you change out just the plastic window or do you need to replace the whole top? My top is still in showroom condition and I was told it would cost $5,000 to replace the top with a glass window.

Anyone else have an estimate on the cost to replace the plastic with glass?

Iam in New Jersey. I can replace top for $1300. With glass using gahh top. 862-222-4618. Or replace plastic window for $525.00

[CJ_Boxster]

Im thinking of rigging my soft-top somehow like this to automatically pull the edges of the plastic window outward and in towards the interior, to eliminate the need for chopping.... if would look someting like this....VVV

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by CJ_Boxster

Im thinking of rigging my soft-top somehow like this to automatically pull the edges of the plastic window outward and in towards the interior, to eliminate the need for chopping.... if would look someting like this....VVV

Hi,

I don't know if that's the best idea. Doing what you propose would cause the plastic window to fold in near-exactly the same place each time. This will develop a definite crease that will eventually crack...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[CJ_Boxster]

Well thats going to be unavoidable even if i were to just chop it everytime i lowered the top cause it'll fold in the same spot anyway. Dont get me wrong, the elastic bands will not be super tight, they will be tight enough to guide the window for the first 4-6 inches or at whatever point the window doesnt need help to fold correctly. Can anyone recommend a good elastic material that i can pick up at a autoparts or a fabric store... i will need something that will not lose it bungee-ness.

[Wonko The Sane]

I don't like this issue either, but I don't find that I have to get out of the car to do anything about it? I'm fairly average height (around 6' even), and I just reach over the rollbar to push down on the center of the plastic window when the top is about 1/4-1/2 of the way down. This gets rid of the fold in the center, the same as doing the chop...


Either that, or I just have gargantuan ape-like arms, and would be more at home in the trees...

[CJ_Boxster]

when you do that, do you have your windscreen on? cause im about 6foot even and i cant do that.

[Wonko The Sane]

Yes I do have the windscreen on.. Maybe I'll shoot a video or at least take pictures, if I can figure out a way to get a good camera angle?...

[CJ_Boxster]

Well damn with the windscreen on and all huh. Well with your other super long arm, you should beable to hold the camera 5 feet away and get a wide enough angle jk jk jk

[Wonko The Sane]

Oook Oook Ookk!!

[Wonko The Sane]

Well, CJ asked for it, so I'm taking it out on all of you...

Here I am in all my Quarts-flash-enhanced pasty white goodness! All of the pictures have had their levels really heavily screwed up so you can see the black/dark bits in the dark... Which makes my pasty-white goodness all more enhanced.

The first pic is showing the the top closed all the way, and the bar (shown with red arrow) where the problem is with reaching over.



The second pic is me reaching over to "pop" the window into place with the top half-down.



The third pic is the outside view of the second pic.


It is a lot easier to do if you're not holding a camera.

Cheers!

[kabel]

BTW - great t-shirt Wonko