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I bought my first ever Porsche in Oct. 2020. It is a near perfect 2008 Boxster with only 35K miles. The PPI found the normal maintenance of fluid changes had not been done nor spark plugs also the serpentine belt should be replaced. After purchase and driving it for a couple of weeks I took it to a local recommended Porsche/BMW shop. They recommended I wait on the spark plugs till 40K since the car was running fine. The shop found the tops left push rod ball cup needed to be replaced, which I authorized. The top now has creases and slight abrasions equally on both sides.
Here is my question and concern - the top material was in "perfect" condition prior to this service. So much so that even the Porsche dealer service rep at the time of PPI commented on it to me! Did they cause the issue when in Service Mode? Should I go to a different shop for future work? When I picked up the car I admittedly did not notice anything different. I think in November I noticed in the sunlight creases and rubs equally on both sides. Oct and Nov are prime top down months in North Carolina, so I did have it down a lot. Finally concluded the shop must have left something loose and the top was rubbing when down. So I just took it to them. Nope, said it is older and was likely rubbing on itself since I was driving it more then perhaps the previous owner. Suggested I put a microfiber cloth in the creases when down to prevent further rubbing.
Is their explanation plausible? Should I do a top treatment to prevent any further damage?
Thanks for any and all perspectives - absolutely LOVE the car!!
(Sorry, I think my photo is too large)
I have the same abrasions on my top, and have learned to live with them - it's going to happen to every owner at some point, it doesn't take much to create pulls in the top fabric. The important thing is that you don't have a full tear.
This definitely looks like abrasive damage to me - it IS uncanny that you noticed this right after the shop worked on it, but there's no way you can really prove that they caused that damage. I also don't buy that the top was rubbing on itself when down - the top mechanism on the Boxster is usually very secure and the tonneau locks down on top of it.
My advice would be to check the top area for any foreign debris or abrasive touch points by slowly retracting it, clean it out if necessary and then call it a day. As far as top treatment goes, I usually use a soft (as soft as you can get) detailing brush with some foam based automotive fabric cleaner (I like AMMO ****, Raggtop is also good), and then spray Porsche's waterproofer aerosol on it.
This definitely looks like abrasive damage to me - it IS uncanny that you noticed this right after the shop worked on it, but there's no way you can really prove that they caused that damage. I also don't buy that the top was rubbing on itself when down - the top mechanism on the Boxster is usually very secure and the tonneau locks down on top of it.
-Ryan
From the pictures - that is not rubbing... that is someone or something stretching it out. Maybe try steaming it or pouring some boiling water on it and leaving it in the sun to dry.
I don't think there's any treatment you can do that will prevent wear like that. The stuff thats out there is to protect it from fading, dirt or staining. It's plausible that the previous owner didn't put the top down much resulting in slower/less wear. I've had a couple Miata's and the latest ones have the same issue with rubbing/wear in that spot. I don't know anything specifically about Boxster tops, so not sure about any common issues on the 987. Top wear/repair/maintenance is one of the reasons I went Cayman, one less thing to worry about. I do miss top down drives on a summer evening though, can't beat that!
I bought my first ever Porsche in Oct. 2020. It is a near perfect 2008 Boxster with only 35K miles. The PPI found the normal maintenance of fluid changes had not been done nor spark plugs also the serpentine belt should be replaced. After purchase and driving it for a couple of weeks I took it to a local recommended Porsche/BMW shop. They recommended I wait on the spark plugs till 40K since the car was running fine. The shop found the tops left push rod ball cup needed to be replaced, which I authorized. The top now has creases and slight abrasions equally on both sides.
Here is my question and concern - the top material was in "perfect" condition prior to this service. So much so that even the Porsche dealer service rep at the time of PPI commented on it to me! Did they cause the issue when in Service Mode? Should I go to a different shop for future work? When I picked up the car I admittedly did not notice anything different. I think in November I noticed in the sunlight creases and rubs equally on both sides. Oct and Nov are prime top down months in North Carolina, so I did have it down a lot. Finally concluded the shop must have left something loose and the top was rubbing when down. So I just took it to them. Nope, said it is older and was likely rubbing on itself since I was driving it more then perhaps the previous owner. Suggested I put a microfiber cloth in the creases when down to prevent further rubbing.
Is their explanation plausible? Should I do a top treatment to prevent any further damage?
Thanks for any and all perspectives - absolutely LOVE the car!!
(Sorry, I think my photo is too large)
I bought in early Dec a 2007 Boxster S- it had very little marks on the roof - I've had the roof down quite a few times in the last month and have noticed new marks similar to this - I think its due to more frequent use.
By the way who are you going to use for maintenance ? I'm in Union County so am local too.
Strange. If that went from un-noticeable to that, I'd be suspicious. Not clear... is it like this only on one side now? And is it on the side that they replaced the push rod ball cup on? If yes, then wonder if they need to do something to the top during that part's replacement to stress it more?
I bought in early Dec a 2007 Boxster S- it had very little marks on the roof - I've had the roof down quite a few times in the last month and have noticed new marks similar to this - I think its due to more frequent use.
By the way who are you going to use for maintenance ? I'm in Union County so am local too.
We should set up a local Boxster meet !
I'm hanging cabinets in the garage next weekend - we can meet at my place haha.
Have you (or someone else) driven on a particularly rough road lately? Continuous vibration from driving over a really rough grooved or chip-and-tar type pavement when the top is stowed could cause these abrasions to appear "overnight."
When I had a 2015 BGTS, I noticed "pilling" in about the same location shown in your pics. Examined the top going up/down and noticed a part of the folding roof mechanism would rub against the fabric when going up/down that seemed to be causing it. Didn't do anything about it as it seemed "normal." Later, after I'd sold the car I seem to remember coming across a thread where it noted there are some plastic "shields" that attach to the metal folding roof frame that are prone to falling off. Presumably, the plastic shields are to protect the roof. Might want to try searching for that or see if you can get an eye on a parts diagram to confirm/refute my memory. Could also look down in the mechanism with the top halfway up/down to see if there are any plastic parts that haven fallen off.
Traded for a 2016 Spyder and don't have the issue with "pilling" on it. The creases and fold marks sort of come with the territory in a rag top.
DrBillyD nailed it. The plastic shields that attach to the arms on the top must be missing. They may have taken them off to work on the top. They're there for exactly this reason. Let's see if I can find a diagram showing them..
The snap onto the long arm, no extra fasteners required. They might be lying in your convertible top compartment if the sloppy mechanic who removed them left them there. If they're not there I'd be all over that shop asking exactly where they are. The wrinkles will probably become much less evident once the top gets a bit warm from some sunlight. The fabric actually has a rubberized membrane bonded to it on the inside, and that can take a "set" - which will release once it's warmed up. A hair-dryer on a low heat setting might also help. Don't overheat it! The membrane is what keeps you dry.
My personal advice... if the problem is that the shop forget to install that shield, I'd take it back to the shop and show them they they did not do the work correctly and that it caused the wrinkles. I would not try to 'fix' it yourself first because then they could turn around and blame you for not doing it correctly or causing additional damage or... If the wrinkles (wear?) are permanent, I think they owe you a new top.
100% behind audi49 on this one. Take pictures, take screenshots (of the above post) etc... to prove what you're case. Don't touch anything without a picture first. For that matter, take a video of you taking anything out or touching anything. In the end, don't fix it yourself... and document everything. Digital pictures are "cheap" as are videos... take more than you need, because you can't take the pictures "you need" after the fact.
DrBillyD nailed it. The plastic shields that attach to the arms on the top must be missing. They may have taken them off to work on the top. They're there for exactly this reason. Let's see if I can find a diagram showing them..
The snap onto the long arm, no extra fasteners required. They might be lying in your convertible top compartment if the sloppy mechanic who removed them left them there. If they're not there I'd be all over that shop asking exactly where they are. The wrinkles will probably become much less evident once the top gets a bit warm from some sunlight. The fabric actually has a rubberized membrane bonded to it on the inside, and that can take a "set" - which will release once it's warmed up. A hair-dryer on a low heat setting might also help. Don't overheat it! The membrane is what keeps you dry.
Well it seems a lot of agreement on this part not being put back on! The creases rubs are equal on both sides. So I will take the additional advice to not fool with checking the top myself - but take back to the shop and let them take it apart to see. The shop did suggest that with the top down in cooler weather the folds can rub against each other and more so on rough roads. They also followed saying with warmth the creases should smooth out.... Again - since I bought a perfect top and now it is not after only 3 months of ownership makes me ill! Let alone what it does to my future resale value! Thanks everyone
01-04-2021, 01:46 PM
Boxster Top Now Has Creases and Rubs - Why?
