Top up or down.....storage?

[Nomad1]

I put the OEM cover over to folding top of my car about 2 mths ago. Is this O.K. ? Will it hurt to top to stay down for extended periods of time ? The cover is a pain in the a$$ to take on /off all time.Thanks.

[Randy Forbes]

Top up for storage; definitely.

Wait a minute, WHY are you storing a car in Florida, it's just getting nice to drive topless again?!?

[Nomad1]

Not really storage,it's in the garage all week.The top still remains down,I should have asked if keeping the top down for a long time( weeks/mths),damage the top?Your thoughts.....

[rf900rkw]

Your rear window will develop a permanent crease. Mine has... I rarely have the top up. If I could figure out a way to cover the interior during washing, I would take the top off and store it in the garage. True Roadster.

[amancuso]

I dont think this matters at all to be honest. I have the HT on for about 3-4 Mos. out of the year. When I put it back up after all that time, nothing appears to have degraded or shrunk and after a few hours in the sun, the "crease" in the rear window comes right out.

[mehig]

Your top really needs to be in the up position. If you leave the top down for an extended period it will allow the fabric to shrink.....if left down for too long it will rip the seams as it stretches when the top is up again.

[amancuso]

Your top really needs to be in the up position. If you leave the top down for an extended period it will allow the fabric to shrink.....if left down for too long it will rip the seams as it stretches when the top is up again.

If this is the case, why did they make a hardtop!?!?!

[GB5416]

If you're going to leave it down for extended periods, just make sure it's dry, a folded wet top can rot.



Geoff.

[Z3Zac]

The best thing to do to prevent or even get rid of an existing fold in the rear window:

When you know you're going to fold it down, grab a towel and fold it over a few times and then place in the hood when it's at half fold in the crease that will fold together, then close the rest of the way. This will cause a softer, rounded fold down in the rear window and it will not create a permanent crease.

Hope this helps!

[mehig]

If this is the case, why did they make a hardtop!?!?!

I doubt seriously that BMW thinks this is an issue. But considering for instance my 98 Z3M...it's 14 yr old fabric. When the top is up...it does stretch the fabric quiet a bit.Once it shrinks it's not as likely to stretch as well as a newer top. I'm sure BMW just loves to sell replacement tops.

[BobSarley]

I totally disagree with the majority. I put my hardtop on in October and I drive until mid November. Then I store the car until April and leave the HT on until May. Prep is what it is all about. Make sure the fold in the rear window is a gentle roll and there is no crease. I have done this for years and my told is fine. No crease, no shrinkage, etc.

[Kyle Anderson]

The window can crack when you raise the top after it's been down a long time. Ask Sandman about this...

Never raise and latch a top with a cold window (below 50F) ever. Heat it up first or you're just asking for it to crack. Ask me how I know.

[luciano136]

Definite leave it up.

Besides, it keeps the interior cleaner as well. Even though my car is garaged, I still get a layer of dust after a couple of weeks.

[Nomad1]

Thanks for the info.....

[cleanerPA]

Always keep a soft top up if you're storing it. It keeps the fabric from shrinking, keeps all of the bows in tension and prevents creasing of plastic windows.

[resunoiz]

if you have an HT, make some scratches eventually on your rear window is the minor issues gaining in winter comfort and heating. But for a simple garage storaging, the best way is to keep top up, but not tighten to the front lockings (hope you understand my donkey english :P )

you will avoid creases of a top always down, and at the same time you'll leave it without tension on the tissue

..something like this!