89 Cab convertible top problem

Hi all-

I'm a new owner of a 1989 Mondi T, 21k original miles. In love. I'll post more re the car a little later, but for now...

I can't get the top down. I'm able to get it to where it's about a foot back from the windshield but then it seems to catch on the guides in the back. Almost like something is in the way of the guides towards the engine that wont let it go back further. Any idea of how I can fix this? I watched videos on youtube, but I'm "stuck".

Thanks!!!

 

Make sure your rear windows are down and you lift the bar located approximately parallel to the headrests. It should have ‘hook’ and when you lift it up, it should allow the top to fold back properly.


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Will this help the top slide down further on the guides? Both sides are hitting something further down on the guides near the engine.

 

Hopefully something you see in this video will help:

 

If the top material binds in the mechanism sometimes it won't go back further. Make sure the material isn't getting pinched.

 

I’m able to get the top as far back as this. The top is hitting something in the rails back here (shown in pic) like something is blocking the sliding of the top backwards. As well, my leather has gotten scratched up, in pic.

Ridiculous that a top is this difficult/faulty on any car.
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hmmm, something is definitely not right. Mine only takes about 2-3 minutes to foldback. let me take a video of the mechanism this weekend, maybe it will help stay tuned.

 

The bar circled in this image has to be lifted up prior to attempting to put the top back. It's in the video posted above.
If the bar is not lifted, the top won't go back properly.
Let us know if this helps.
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Hi guys, thanks much for your help. I lift the bar with the curved end upwards. Windows down, the rest of the folding parts start folding down, and it goes back as far as you can see in the pic. The long pieces that slide down on either side of the trunk seem to be hitting something back in there, you can actually feel it. Like there is something blocking the rails.

Does anyone know of a reputable top shop in Los Angeles?

 

Bring the top all the way back up to the position where it would be latched. Lift the curved bar up first, then try to pull the top back.

In the picture above, the bar mentioned is not lifted. If it's in the position as pictured above, it's not going to work properly.

 

UPDATE: I took the car to a top shop today. Seems that whomever put the top up last (previous owner) put it so that the lateral bar (in back) somehow got inverted, causing the top to have a very sharp appearance, too angled. We fixed the problem in 5 minutes.

Easy breezy, boot is on now, and I’m going to get the top reupholstered because it’s very fragile, dry rotted I think. They’ll see my original window is since it’s in mint condition, no fogging or scratches. Gotta keep that pony!

Thx for the advice guys. Glad to be part of this community

 

I had a similar problem for a while on my 1990 t. There are two screws/bolts (located near the outer sides of the rear seats) that hold the frame of the cabriolet roof. These can come loose a bit. When they are loose, the frame is not really straight and it becomes very difficult to put the top down. With the loose screws/bolts tightened, it then all works perfectly again.