Hello all, I hope someone can help this newbee. I need to open the top to air out the rancid smells that are in the interior of my car. Do I need to lower the rear windows before I drop the top? If so, do I need to lower them 100% or can I just lower them half way. I am fearful that they get stuck in the down position. I have no manual with this car, and everything I do is trial and error. Thank you for your help. Rich
Hi Rich! Yes, you need to lower the rear windows to lower the top. Personally, I would exercise the windows, up-down-up-down, to make sure they won't get stuck. There is a great You tube video on lowering the top. I'm sure if you search for it you'll be very pleased. I've got an electronic version of the T manual if we can figure a way of transmitting it. Good luck!
Thank you very much. Using an assistant, I was able to lower the rear windows. I am hopeful that I can now ( after watching the videos) lower the top. The car is full of nasty odors, and I need to air it out as much as possible. Can you imagine not wanting to sit in a Ferrari? My mechanic put on a mask when he was forced to sit in it. Somehow, it got very wet inside, and wet interior does not smell good. I intend to gut the interior and re-do it! Thank you Rich
Try to do it for the first time where no one can see you! You will make mistakes, just don't break anything! Alden
And you should have a buddy help you as well. It's important to gently guide the B Pillars away from the interfering body panels when rising and lowering the roof. Honestly, it's not the bad, once you learn how to do it.......
It is that bad. I only have at best a 50 percent success rate on getting it to retract fully down and I'm a mechanical engineer by trade! The final 10percent of travel seems to be completely hit and miss as to whether it will fully retract And I totally agree - Never ever try in front of a crowd. It is 100 per cent guaranteed not to work then.
x 1000. On mine, when lowering the roof, the B pillars can catch the rear windows (which, I think on all Mondials, don't retract fully into the recess). This caused a chunk of the B pillar to split and if it were not for the grand efforts of Ron and his new B pillars, would now be an unsightly reminder of my mistake. I also have the fabric of the roof pinching in the frame of the roof during the last 20 per cent of travel. I always pause and ease out the pinches before going for that elusive last 10 per cent which Nathan quotes. Mine appears to work best if I deliberately fold the rear window screen of the roof "into the car" (and into the hood) when lowering, although that does seem to create some marring on the screen from the roof bars. Trying to do it with the screen "rolled out" was suicide inducing. I think the best advice I ever got (from another thread on this forum) - if you feel any resistance, stop and work out what's causing it. Do not force it down.
Over time I have found the issue to be the first "rib" is not folded in the correct way and it hangs up the entire folding process right when you think you are all done. So, check the position of this rib. It's the first small one nearest the windshield (not the header). It's the one with the small curved ends. This needs to be lifted up as you begin to fold the top. Be careful to not let the canvas top get folded into the hinges or the ribs. It used to take me about 20 minutes to fold the top, cursing all the way. Now it takes me less than 5 and I'm humming. It's a bad design but you can master the process. DavidJ
Thank you everyone for your help and comments. With help from my bud, I was able to successfully lower the top. Yes, a helper makes it easier and places less stress on the top frame. The rear windows need to be all the way down, and the "trick" as I see it, is lifting the tab/rod that is positioned in the middle of the 1st section. This tab is basically in the middle of where the front door is, with the top up. I watched the video that was kindly posted for me many times, and then it sank in. Without lifting the tab, everything seems to bind. Now I can begin the fumigating process. I will I could upload the terrible smell to share!!! It smells as if it was soaked thoroughly ( like in a rain storm with the top down) and then the top and windows were closed tight, and the moisture was trapped. Absolutely horrible odor. We are going to remove the entire interior, and replace the carpets, and most likely the seat leather. I am going to use an upholstery shop to make the seat set, as they are super expensive otherwise. Thank you all kindly for the help. This will allow me to make progress. Kindest regards Rich
Rich Leather interior seat kits are sold by Rich and Famous ~$900 for the front seats plus $140 for headrests , thats actually pretty cheap considering all the pieces it takes to match the original pattern
You might have to replace the foam under the leather as well if that is moldy and smelly. Good luck.....
Yes Indeed!!!! I have thought about this. I will say, that simply lowering the top vented the fumes considerably. This poor car was neglected to the umpth degree. The top canvass actually split as it folded. The headliner is almost disintegrated. The only pieces of the headliner that are intact are the parts that are glued to the top frame cross bars. I will need a pro to make the seat foam. I have a lot of experience recovering seats, but my best work was when I was able to purchase new seat foam that was already molded. I have biologic smell killers at work ( used by my detail department) but it doesn't work on everything. Ask me about the time I locked 2 large garbage bags in the rear area of my commuter car in August. I left it locked up in there, while I drove my Miata with the top down for weeks. When I went in the car to retrieve my camera, it hit me like a ton of bricks. 6 weeks of professional detailing did nothing. I sold that car as a total loss!!!! The only way to rid the smell was to remove EVERY soft piece in the interior. I took a big loss there, and insurance would not cover it, as it was my own doing. They claimed it was insured as a passenger vehicle, not a garbage truck. Thank you all for the comments help and guidance. I will forward more pix soon. Kind regards Rich
When I was younger, I used to buy and restore water damaged cars and resell them. This was a buisness that my dad was in for a while so I learned some tricks..... If you find that your seat foam has a smell to it, fill your bath tub with a bleach and water mixture and completely submerge the foam while squeezing it like a sponge. Change the water if you need to but always end with bleach and water, never with straight water. After they dry out. You will find that they no longer smell. I have done this dozens of times with seats, carpets, etc with great results. Just be sure everything is completely dry before you reassemble.
