CTCOOP

So, having had a 996 cab (bore scoring at 27k fml, although not relevant to this post) and my nice 'newer' 16k 997.2 Cab S I'm aware of the top 'what're ' marks but geez can we do anything about it? 16k miles and I already have a top that looks pretty bad??





I mean, I always have it down, 50degrees and heated seats on, auto hear set on 80, but I live in Hartford. Park with top down and take your chances...

PVP997

Not sure if this will help...I was told to always store the top up when not on use and only hose off the top to clean, no soap. I use RAGG top cleaner and sealer twice a year. Using this process, my top still looks great after 6 years.

mreloc

Any convertible's top just left down will wear out much faster. Figure in a slack position with the frame constantly moving and rubbing will wear the crease points rapidly. Although yours needs replacing, keep the new one up and tight when it's not being used.

porscheralph

I have a 993 Cab and have the top down most of the time and mine still looks new. The way the cover fits over the top keeps it from moving etc. I had a 996 turbo Cab several years ago and experienced the same issues you are having. Never found a way to prevent the wear/marks from forming. Nature of the design on the newer Cabs I guess.

ecostellodo

That's the way mine looks and it's up most of the time. It's just the way it is.

vern1

^^ true. Just the price of having a cab.

I had my 1996 cab top replaced after 18 years so maybe the 997 one will last as long. You can patch them etc once they wear and eventually it just comes down to aesthetics

Like all wear items I just factor it in to the cost of having a cab - worth it to me!!

FlaHeel

I have 79k miles on my 08 997.1 cab and my top looks that way as well. I have left it down for days at a time and was told by the dealer that is not recommended, not sure what you are supposed to do if you fit a hardtop, so with the next top I will try to follow that rule. Since I keep my top down most of the time the look does not bother me. It kills me to see people with a cab and the top up on beautiful sunny days, why pay the extra if you are not going to use it?

JW911

That looks worse than I've ever seen. Way worse than my recently sold 2005 997 with 69K miles. By the looks of some of those marks and particularly the bubbly wrinkles, I am guessing the top was folded down wet at some point and left that way for a while.

If that were my top, I would use soap and clean it very well. Get the top as soaked as possible. (might be hard to do if it has been well treated with protectant). Rub it good (but not rough and not with a brush). Try and get the fibers wet. (don't worry, there's a waterproof coating underneath). Then let is sit out in the sun for a full day or longer. My thinking is that this might reverse some of that bubbling, shrinking the top back into shape. I am suggesting that the fibers need to be well soaked in order for that to even be possible. This is a bit of a longshot, but I don't see what harm could come of it. Once dry, give it a thorough application of protectant.

Iceter

I disagree that that top needs to be replaced. There is no need to replace a top until it is worn through. It is, however, a little worse than others I have seen.

With you being in Connecticut, I am wondering what kind of weather you've got when you put the top down. As others have said, it's never goo to put it down while its wet--you can get mildew and if it is wet, put down and it dries in the down position, that will contribute to the wrinkles taking a "set". They'll be harder to get out.

My suggestions, based on my 62k mile 997 cab, and other convertibles I have owned, is to store the car with the top up, and whenever the wrinkles get bad, try to leave the top up, out in the sun for a few hours. Down here in NC, a few hours in the heat will smooth out a lot of those kinds of wrinkles.

But, don't be worried if they come back. That's just a side-effect of using your top. Every convertible top has to be replaced at some point. My suggestion is that when it's almost time to replace the top, it's time to replace the whole car with another, newer cabriolet.

CTCOOP

Thanks for all the suggestions. I find it crazy it looks like this after less than 17k miles on the car (it was CPO and I don't know how the previous owner used the top). I've only had it a month.

vern1

I don't think anyone was suggesting that it needs to be replaced now from a purely functional perspective.

I agree with your other suggestions re top maintenance

However completely disagree with your suggestion that once the top needs replacing that you suggest replacing the car. Where did that come from??? If you have a great car why would you sell it cause you need to spend a few grand on a cab top?

Take everyone's suggestions on how to treat it. My cab top has been through 5 Canadian winters of snow and ice and has the same wear marks (although not those wrinkles that look like they are from leaving the top down too much)

As I suggested if you love driving a cab its the price you pay - at least till Porsche goes with a full titanium hard top cab!!

Iceter

Mreloc stated that the OP's top needed replacement in post #3. I found that to be a little over the top--pun intended.

And my suggestion that the OP use a worn top as an excuse to buy a new 911 was purely tongue-in-cheek. I considered adding a smiley but thought my suggestion was so obviously silly that it wasn't needed. I guess you Canadians take things a little more seriously than us Southerners.

mreloc

There is not amount of chicken bone shaking that can be done that will revive this top cosmetically. The creased areas are too abraded and the lighter areas from worn fibers will not ever become dark again and will only continue to deteriorate at this point. The OP wasn't complaining about the failure of the top functionally, but cosmetically. I wouldn't be able to tolerate a wart like this on top of my otherwise beautiful car, but I'm shallow

My six year old top looks pretty perfect- and it gets used almost on a daily basis. The investment in a new top would give the OP the opportunity to start good habits with top maintenance that will provide him with a decent looking top when he ultimately sells his car. He'll either need to take the hit then in a reduced price, or now in a new top.

Iceter

New tops can be problematic. For one, they're expensive as hell--especially Sonnenland cloth with a separate headliner. The second, but probably the most relevant, reason is that it takes a master craftsman with years of experience to replace a convertible top and have it turn out as good as the original.

I have seen more bad jobs than good ones when it comes to replacement convertible tops.

St8haus

2012 with 17k miles...just did the 303 cleaner and seal on the top and very happy with the outcome. Will seal 2x per year...

As others have mentioned, DO NOT leave your top down over-night or extended periods. I put mine up when I am going in to get a coffee. It is starting to show some wear, but what is showing I can deal with.

Here are a couple pics...