Maverick787

I guess so I just put mine out mine up for the second time to see!

Suicide Jockey

Chris, as others have noted this is not uncommon and as you have indicated the circular spots are the result of the round pads on the underside of the rear deck lid coming into contact with the roof when stowed. This is how the roof is designed. I don't have these circular marks and I'm betting this is the reason why:

When I lower the roof I make sure to press it down firmly as far as it will go so it is folded tightly and sits down low in its recess area. The lower the roof sits when stowed, the less contact the roof has with the circular pads when the deck lid is then shut. The mistake (if you want to call it that) many make is they lower the roof but they don't fully compact it so it ends up sitting higher than it should when the rear lid is closed over it. When it's high, the trunk lid has to press the roof down lower and when it does the circular pads exert pressure on the roof top, thus leaving the marks.

My guess is the first owner of your car (and perhaps you, too) didn't routinely fully compress the top and press it down into the recess. You don't need to be shy about it. Once the roof is lowered, give it a good push down and you'll notice it lowers an additional inch or two (or more) and the lower it goes the less contact it will have with the trunk lid, and thus the circular pads.

Rest assured your roof is not damaged and doesn't need repair, replacement or a "dye job." Friends who have had these circular marks tell me they can be "brushed out," and some have said they disappear over time after the car is washed so I don't believe the marks are permanent, but, again, I don't have them so I can't speak from firsthand experience. They will probably continue to appear, unless, as suggested above, a conscious effort is made to ensure the roof is fully recessed and stowed as low as it will go before the rear deck lid is closed so as to minimize pressure on the roof from the lid above.

You can tell if the roof is sitting sufficiently deep in the hold when you close the rear lid. If the lid doesn't close relatively easy and you have to really push down on it to get it to latch, that's because it is having to compress the roof more than it should. My rear lid closes easily without me having to exert much pressure.

Give it a try. Hope that helps!

Suicide Jockey

I'm on record as being a huge fan of the 987 top and would not have been disappointed in the least if the 981 came with the same roof. Having said that, I love the 981 roof. The fit, the finish, the quality of materials and the snugness is top-notch.

As evidenced by this excerpt from the April 2015 Porsche press release from the New York Auto Show where the 981 Spyder was introduced, Porsche set out to make the 981 roof a) easier to raise and lower, b) stable at top-speed, and c) able to sustain the rigors of automatic car washes for those like carrerafanboy (sorry Chris, couldn't resist )

The hood of the new Boxster Spyder

Purist lightweight design hood with simplified operation

The newly developed, manual lightweight design hood of the new Porsche Boxster Spyder continues the purist design of the previous model with its characteristic open fins and rear lid with two distinctive streamliners. Operation of the hood was simplified and is faster, which enhances its everyday practicality.

Lightweight design prioritized over convenience

In the previous model of the Porsche Boxster Spyder, the hood was designed as an extremely lightweight emergency hood. Its everyday practicality was compromised by its manual operation in 15 operating steps, its limited suitability for automated car washing and a recom -
mended maximum speed of 200 km/h when the hood is up.

Along with intelligent lightweight design, another top priority in the specification for the hood of the new Porsche Boxster Spyder was to correct the mentioned limitations of the previous model and upgrade the new Spyder hood to the level of other Porsche hoods. This meant no restriction on top speed when the hood is raised and the ability to run the car through an automatic car wash like the normal Boxster.

The newly developed, lightweight Spyder hood frame features a lightweight design consisting of magnesium, aluminum, plastic and – where necessary – high-strength steel. By using a polymer rear windscreen and omitting a hood drive system, insulation, rooflining and heavy acoustic hood material, weight was reduced an additional ten kilograms compared to the already lightweight Boxster hood. The specified targets of permitting automatic car washing and driving at top speed are fully satisfied by the use of full-fledged seals and by tying the hood cover material to every cross-bow.

The hood of the new Boxster Spyder

The optional mesh-type wind deflector is inserted between the two roll-over bars. It reduces air draft when the hood is down and increases everyday practicality while preserving the purist, manual overall concept.

Simplified and faster operation

Hood operation is still manual, but it has been simplified significantly on the new Boxster Spyder compared to the previous model. It is no longer necessary to disassemble the hood from the vehicle due to the full-fledged, lightweight hood frame. The time needed to raise or stow the hood has been reduced from three minutes previously to under one minute now. This is accomplished by reducing the number of operating steps to fewer than half of the previous number, combined with more intuitive operation. Moreover, the electrically activated hood latch and the two pressurized gas springs of the hood frame reduce the manual operating forces required to raise or stow the hood.

Clearly, considerable thought went into the 981 top as Porsche wanted to avoid all the (undeserved) flak it took from the automotive press over the roof of the 987 when it was first introduced.

While the 981 roof is an improvement technically over the 987's in several respects, there's no denying how special that 987 roof is, the likes of which we will probably never see again, thus making the 987 utterly unique.

Maverick787

Nice recap, and data points! ^^^^^

Milehigh981

texasviany

I get these exact same marks. They buff out for me. I spray on water and buff it with a towel.

spyderphile

carrerafanboy: As Nick and others have pointed out, it is completely normal for the top to have those markings. Don't sweat it. And, I wouldn't worry about those wrinkles from those flaps when the top is left down as well. Being a soft top, it is expected to have those "characters"! :-)

Nick: Good to hear you don't get these markings. However, not sure pushing down the top all the way is the cure. I do that as well. After lowering, apply enough pressure at the center to eliminate any slack. I still see the markings. If the top had been left up for a few days, when lowered, the trunk lid doesn't come down all the way; leaves little more than an inch up. I have to push it down in a more pronounced way.

I suspect, some tops are built/assembled/aligned/whatever than the others. Yet, I wouldn't worry about it.

p.s. How do you find the time to respond with such details and excerpts almost every single time?? I barely have the time to check the forum once a day or other.

Archimedes

Way too much mental masturbation about Spyder tops if ya ask me. It's a freakin convertible top, one that should rarely be up anyway. That's the whole point of a convertible. They all look like *** when they're up anyway, who cares if there's a shadow on it?

And please, I love the 987 Spyder, but anyone who thinks that's the better top should haves der heds examernd...

Dalema

Also, keep the bumps clean - helps show the imprint less.

Jamie140

When you say 'looks like ***', here's how I imagine mine top up.

Crazy Eddie

ROTFLMAO !!!

Maverick787

Was doing some looking under the read cover, and the culprit is 4 cushions the rest on the top so you don't have the top banging against the soft top. I put my top up for a week while the car was garaged, and the circles were not as pronounced ......there pressure marks nothing more. All good, and I would say the longer the top is you will see them. Clean the top they disappear slightly.

DannieK

I agree with everyone's comments. I had that on my Spyder. When washing your car use a good canvas convertible top cleaning material and a soft flexible boar's hair brush. A few light brushes in the right direction will blend in the affected spots. Do the entire top in the same direction. Let it dry in the shade and they're gone. Eventually they may come back but compressing it exactly in place will prevent or minimize the problem.

Tergosa

So has anyone put microfiber or something in between when folding the top down to reduce the spots and has it helped?

Noah Fect