Guy

Hey Guy

I tore down my Targa roof and shade about 6 years ago. Worked great since then but the sun blind always dropped when it reached full extension. Never worried too much about it as it looked good and worked fine.

Recently, it would gather as it retracted so I tore into it again.

I removed the deflector, and removed the blind itself. I added tension to the blind by winding the metal shaft a few times and then installed with some tension (I also did this years ago, not sure how it lost its tension).

I also inspected the "pull bows" and the shade "top bows". These are white metal and seem fairly strong. What I found was a bit surprising....all four parts were bent. This was surprising because if you compared once side against another, they seemed symetrical. Upon ordering new ones (they are relatively inexpensive). The deformities become obvious. Simple replacement and the shade stays in proper position and is nice and quiet. I have been through this top mechanism and shade mechanism a hundred times and never noticed the deformity.

So if your shade is acting up, check out these parts:

99356255400 Shade support top bow $14.00
99356255300 Shade support top bow $14.00

99356255200 Knock out lever (pull bow) $22.00
99356255100 Knock out lever (pull bow) $22.00

Hope this helps someone in future searches!

RFMASSA

Thanks for the post. My '97 Targa has had a small issue with the shade where when it is fully extended open, and if the car goes over some bumpy roads, the vibration would cause one side to slip out of the pin that is connected to the part that pulls the shade. The shade would then come off the other side usually as a result of no more equal tension, and retract back into the car with a snap!

Maybe the pull bows are causing this for me as well. If I get brave enough to disassemble it, I should replace them just in case.

I did sort of fix it temporarily years ago by putting extra outward tension on the spring pin that goes into the shade.

Thanks.

Mike J

Did you did take pictures of the "before" and "after" parts? I often forget in the rush to fix something but it comes in handy to illustrate later...

Nice work, glad you got it going!

Cheers,

Mike

Adam5oh

The only issue I've ever had with my roof is the sunshade not retracting fully. I've done lots of searching but never came across the problem before, so thanks for the post! I'm not sure if my bars are bent as it seems to function OK besides needing help to get rolled back up. I've had the deflector out before but stopped short of pulling the shade. Is the removal / tension adjustment fairly easy? Any pointers?

Thanks!

Guy

I will try to grab some pics to help illustrate this procedure and I am doing this from memory but here it goes:

Remove deflector- Raise deflector and slide glass panel open, remove four torx screws, (be sure to watch for the falling shims). Support deflector and raise the front up and slide forward off the arms and pivots.

Remove front shade tracks- with a small angle pick, carefully push out small plastic rivet pin at front of upper shade track. This allows the front rivet collar to be removed. Do this on both sides. With the tracks free, you should be able to slide out the front shade supports and free them from the pull bows.

Add tension to shade itself- with a pair of needle nose pliers, grab metal end shaft (of the shade) and turn slightly clockwise which will allow you to lift the shade up through the slot. You can now add pretension to the shade by turning the metal shaft a few times (5 to 10) and while holding the tension, slide back down slot. This should allow you to pull the shade by hand and have it return tightly when released.

I believe that covers the operation. Again, this was by memory.

Guy

I would be bet you have the same issue as me. I will add pics of the slight bends, this causes the pins to fall out of the arms.

RFMASSA

I recently disassembled the shade mechanism and sure enough my pull bows and front shade supports were bent slightly.
I had already purchased many replacement parts in anticipation of this including new plastic shade tracks.. After re-assembly all works well now. A very tedious process, which just requires patience as you well know.

Thanks again!

Tim, near Boston

Had the same problem on my car, fixed it last year while completing various other roof fixes & tunes. Roof is tight and functioning perfectly - and I hope it stays that way!

fatmike

Thanks for sharing.

I might actually go look at my sun shade. You know, I remember I opened it once when I bought the car. I don't think I've actually used it, ever.

Am I missing out? How/when/why do you guys use your sun shade? Honestly, I'm a little scared of it, but I also don't ever feel the need.

Mike

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mpruden

My car is not a garage queen and I use it all the time. Probably 3-5 times a week I'll extend it to block the sun while parked outside somewhere. With the amount of sun and heat I get in the Summer, I'll use it even more. Despite the mechanical complexity, I think the Targa roof is pretty awesome and plan to get my money's worth out of it before it needs another refresh of parts.

mgianzero

Guys - I've completely rebuilt my targa top, including replacing the cabling system that activates the glass top, as well as did the shade rebuild. I've done several repairs for fellow RL'ers on these tops. I do what I call a "refresh" of all the seals and replace any worn or broken parts. Guy, you are correct in saying the pull-bow rods can be bent. That is a common weak point in the targa shade design - not to mention a few other things.

Your description of how to repair sound accurate, but I find that pics and video really show the problem areas best. I've put together some pics and video, but can never get too much. So if anyone is near my area and needs some adjustments, maybe we can get together and also make some video of these problem areas.

I was debating remanufacturing some of Porsche's weaker parts with stronger machined aluminum or the like. Just another project I may pursue and some point.

Marc Gianzero

mpruden

Knock on wood, but my roof is working like a champ.

When it does need a refresh, I'd love to take you up on that generous offer. The 8+ hour drive would not be too fun, but perhaps there's a way to do it remotely. I'd happily help document the whole process as well.

RFMASSA

I too just use it primarily when the car is parked and it is sunny out. Once in a while I close it when driving to get a coupe feel in the car, or just for a change of pace. But with that awesome open feel you get with all that glass around you, I generally don't use it too much.

Before I reconditioned the shade, I was a bit nervous about closing it as it would sometimes come off one of the pullbows and it would snap back closed like a window shade.

I still get a lot of little rattles in the whole mechanism though going over bumps, but it is a complex top with a lot of pieces, so I just live with it. Keeping the engine revs up and listening to that great sound masks the most of the rattles anyway.

mgianzero

With an appropriately adjusted and maintained top, there should be minimal wind noise, no water leaks inside, and the glass and shade can open and close easily under most conditions.

The open glass feel is amazing. I think a lot of non-targa drivers don't realize it. When I was taking a few friends around, they all commented on how sweet the sound of engine sounds. I don't think they realize that with the targa top down, you can really hear her purr!

spyderman827

Apologies for busting in to the 993 discussion but I'm striking out in 996 land. I've what seems to be a similar issue with my '05 Targa. Shining a light into the track for the sunshade for the passenger side I can see two little metal studs running up and down the track. On the driver's side the rear one is missing. I've tried digging through repair manuals but can't seem to find what all I need to do to repair/replace that part. Trying to make the decision if it's something I can fix myself or if I need to tuck tail and head to a repair shop. Any insight you have would be appreciated. I took pics and a video of the parts in question if anyone would like.