997 cabriolet owners - unusual wear on the top? Noise? Would you buy a cab again?
 

Hey all,

The tear over the door is unusual. The wear and creases further back are normal. The top tends to look better if kept up when not in use. I have never had an issue and my car is an 09. I would never regret buying any convertible. If it has to have a top, it might as well have 4 doors and be useful.

Try cleaning and protecting with this. I use it, and my top looks dark black, and brand new.
Cleaner and Protectant -
Brush to apply cleaner -
My top shows similar wrinkles when I put it up for the winter, and they are minimized if not gone by the time wake her from hibernating.

Any regrets about a Cab? None. I drove a few hardtops before I chose the Cab. Honestly, besides my personal opinion that the Cab accentuates the fat rear-end, I think it's the best possible way to enjoy the car outside of a track. Nothing beats driving under blue skies and sunshine with the top-down.

I don't believe that spot over the driver's side door is a tear. I took my '09 cab in for service and asked them to lube all of the top hinges. When I got the car back, there was a large dollop of sticky grease in exactly that spot. I think when the top folds, a grease point is close to that spot. Anyway, I think that car has the same thing and someone has tried to clean it off a little over-zealously.

I live in a warm climate and I put the top up and down constantly. My car has the same wear lines. They are unavoidable if you put the top down a lot. However, you can minimize them by always storing the car with the top up and keeping it treated with 303 or RaggTop sealant.

My car has 78k miles and I've operated the top thousands of cycles in the 7 years I've owned it I have had no issues with the mechanicals or hydraulics and there are no wear spots on my top that are threatening to wear through. I even had a deer wind up on my roof and her hooves scraped it but didn't puncture it--the cloth is surprisingly tough.

The only issue I have had is an electronic module that went bad. The top still worked fine but a warning chime and light incessantly went off ("Top not in limit position"). The module is under the passenger seat and was about $600 to replace.

I have a friend with an '06 with probably 100k miles who just had to replace the hydraulic pump on his car.

HTH, James.

I agree with the comments above. I would definitely buy another cabriolet. Once you get used to driving with the top down, it's hard to consider going back to a coupe!

Guys, these responses have been fantastic, thank you for taking the time.
I don't think the "tear"/repair/light spot is a dollop of grease as it didn't rub off, feels like someone used an epoxy/heat/etc to seal it.
Knowing that there are people out there using the top a ton and some best practices is a huge help. I feel the same way about convertibles in San Diego - why not, when there's so few downsides?

Last question, what does a new top cost? Is it possible to find these used or aftermarket, or is new OEM the only real option?

Almost forgot to mention that with the top down, the Cab is an outstanding way to enjoy the sound of the engine.

I have Fabspeed's competition intake, Max- flow mufflers and 200 cell cats. I haven't listened to the stereo since. The sound is intoxicating.

My 2008 997.1 Cab is as quiet as my 2004 996 AE coupe when it comes to wind noise.

Agreed. With the top up, it's a surprisingly tidy package. My other car is a full- size Range Rover Autobiography. The Cab is certainly not that insulated, but it's nothing to complain about either.

Nope ... Not for me ...coupes always ...to each their own though ....If i was a chick maybe . I always felt that some of the lines on a 911 are lost with convertibles and coupes on the whole are more desirable and usually harder to find.

Jeez, who asked you? Own a cab? (joke, not serious) Bought my current
'09 PDK cab after owning '05 C4s simply because I had never owned
a Cab. No regrets here. Unlike my Canadian cab hater, I actually think
Cabs look purer than hardtops.To each his own. Yes I'd buy another; yes
they require more maintenance and involve more moving parts thus more
incipient issues. At the beginning of winter, I spent 2 weeks chasing down
new creaks and groans coming from the top. I ended up using liberal amounts
of Valvoline Synthetic Blend grease on all exposed joints in the partially up roof
with a paint brush. Noises gone...They are a different experience, wholly Porsche, nothing like
a Porsche Cab.

I have from the service manual the cab maint requirements. Every 2 years you have to lube a bunch of places with different greases. Keeps it quiet.

The mark above the window is normal. My 997 had it when I purchased it a few years back. After some fiddling I realized it is a transfer of adhesive coming from a wiring loom runs inside the top. The wiring loom is shielded with a sticky cloth tape that contacts the top when it is folded down. With time and heat the sticky cloth tape starts to ooze its adhesive and transfers it to the top canvas. With a stiff tooth brush and soaking the area with Goo Gone the mark will almost disappear. But it will come back unless the wiring loom tape is replaced with something else. I have yet to figure that part but cleaning it blac up is easy if done frequently.

Make sure to clean the area well afterwards to remove the Goo Gone. I used the RaggTop cleaner and protectant kit. Good luck.

AHA! Perfectly logical explanation. I have it too and have tried Goo Gone also but like you always comes back.
Used to think it was tree sap.