absoluTT A3

I had used the rear shelf for some storage over the weekend. I thought I took everything out of it. It turns out I left a thick book behind (it's so hard to see back there from the driver's seat). So, I decide to go for a quick open-air cruise, powered the roof down and... *POP*! I thought somebody threw a rock at me. But no... the damned window burst.

So we have these wonderful sensors to tell when the top is fully closed or fully retracted, but nothing to stop the movement upon sensing uneven stress on the frame. And upon close examination of the soft top, it seems quite clear that the window is a permanent fixture, rather than a detatchable unit--the whole thing will likely need replacing (thanks, Audi). And I just cleaned & retreated the fabric, so it was looking like new. Damned, damned, I'm so friggin' pissed at myself.

Has anyone here had their soft top replaced? What kind of expense am I looking at here? I suspect mods for the rest of this year are going to be OUT for me. >:-(

LiTTespeed

right now myself.... sorry to hear but I'ms ure you'll never do that again!

MaxHedrm

I had it done under warranty and want to say the "bill" was around $1500. :^/

TTschwing

All the Boxster guys go to this one when replacement time (Plastic window) rolls around. Very high quality from the reports and cheaper than OEM. A good trim shop could most likely install for far less than the dealer. Sorry about that Gary!<ul><li><a href="http://www.gahh.com/">http://www.gahh.com/</a</li></ul>

absoluTT A3

How did you get them to do it under warranty?

absoluTT A3

And also found this source which is a little bit cheaper:
<a href="http://www.convertibletopguys.com/cgi-local/displaycat.cgi?cat=1003" target="_blank">Convertible Top Guys</a>

I also found a listing on eBay for what appears to be the same top for only $399. They claim to be the same material as OEM.

I was hoping there might be some outfit out there that replaces just the window portion. I really think they could design these tops so that the rear window can be replaced... it's probably due to the need to make $$$.

Thanks for your advice, Steve.

absoluTT A3

it seems ridiculous not to just resolder them when considering the outrageous expense to replace the top.

absoluTT A3

The real kicker is the labor. Apparently these things are no picnic, taking about 10-12 hours of labor. You really have to know what you're doing, so this is no DIY job.

Based on the complexity and hours, it ends up being around $600 to $800 labor. Best case scenario is $430 OEM top from an eBay seller and a $600 labor cost from a reasonable auto upholstery shop.

Therefore, these rear windows are like jewels. I'm hoping I can find some protective film that is optically correct (no distortion or fuzziness) and apply it on the outside as an added measure of protection.

Anyway, I'm out the deductible... but it's not too bad. Onto the next mod purchase. :-)