Keeping the Top Down

I was just wondering what the longest amount of time was that you left your top down?

Mine has been down for about 2-3 weeks now and I was just wondering if leaving it down and under the cover for extended periods of time
can do any harm to the canvas or hydraulics? One of my friends who owns a 911 will never leave the top down when the car is parked more then a few days and tells me I shouldn't either, but I guess I'm just too lazy to take the leather boot off and I dont' really trust using the top every time I park the car as it's known to be problematic. The dealer has told me the exact opossite, that they have customers who rarely move it other then to put the top up in winter and down in summer.

Any thoughts??

Petey

 

I know it's not the same...but on my '69 Firebird I put the top down in May and it stays there until September. Only issue might be wrinkles / creases in the fabric, but at least for mine those always disappear once it's up and baked in the sun for a while.

 

I hav a customer with a 993 cab and 355 spyder. He never has the tops up, only time they get operated is when they come to the shop and I check out the cars. Sometimes the 355 gives a little trouble (seat pots normally) and I take care of them. So they are operated maybe 3 times each a year and thats just a couple of cycles each time!

 

As long as Im not the only one who does that, I'm cool with it.
Thanks so much for the input guys, you just made me feel a lot better

Petey

 

As a recent owner of a spider, my service manager recomended to cycle the top at least once a month to keep everything working properly.
Also, don't forget to check the fluid level in the reservior behind the hump between the seats. Mercedes hydraulic fluid is a good choice.

 

I have heard this theory also.

 

I leave my top down for weeks/months at a time ('93 911) but have thought of what youre asking about. I had a couple of maintence items in the 7 years I've owned the car related to the top- new motors to lock the top on the windshiled (known part to be replaced w/updated motor in my case) and one new cable- but really those items would have likely needed the maintaince regardless of the cycling...the 355 potentiometers (spelling?) are an added complexity I don't have, but I still think you'd be fine leaving the top down for a long while.

Another f-chatter (TTG) has a 355 fiorano & he leaves the top down for the whole summer. The only thing I have (and I'd think you'd have with a 355) are some wrinkles when the top is put up after a long period of being down- either they seem to flatten out in a few days, or if your impatient and want them flattened sooner just leave the car in the sun for 30 minutes or so...

I don't know that I'd leave a top down for the whole summer, but I guess some people do...but I wouldn't worry about putting the top up every night. The once a month recommendation sounds reasonable.

 

Mine goes up every time i wash the car, which is once every couple of weeks, minimum...

How do the guys that leave them down all summer keep their cars clean?

 

I wouldnt mind cycling the top every 3-4 weeks at all, but every night seemed excessive to me.

I've just recently had the top aligned, rams redone and new a Hydraulic Motor installed so the top should be fine for a while.
I'm just paranoid about it. Seems like instead of "Cost per Mile" it should be "Dollars per top cycle" ....

 

I leave my 348 top down for months at a time. Since I have a manual top I can tell if the fabric has shrunk
As I try to raise the top.

No big deal. The solution is just to dampen the fabric top to make it close without tearing anything.

 

The top on my car was left down for around 2 years with the last owner, when I purchased the car it needed a new top cover as a hole had developed from a crease rubbing against something. This would have been avoided if the top was cycled every month or so, by doing that it would have shifted the crease and the wear would have occurred over a larger area.

I put my top up every time it goes in the garage, except when I intend to use it the next day and its going to be good weather. I think it helps to move everything as regularly as possible, that might just be wrong, but it can't hurt, besides I like to spend as much time with the car as possible.

 

I rarely put the top up (3-4 times a year) except if I drive it when it's cold out or caught out in the rain.

 

The top on my 355 stays down for months at a time as well. I haven't noticed any problems with it.
I had a 993 cab as well that did develop a small hole at one of the creases. Interestingly enough, I never patched the hole and even though I got stuck in a couple of torrential downpours, the top never leaked. I miss that old car.

On the 355, I haven't noticed any crease issues.