Questions for cali top owners

[Ken]

What kind of lubricant do you recommend?

[Mallard]

PTFE based
silicone if you cant get PTFE

dont use wd40, it will dry out and offer no protection atall

Regular oils will thicken with dirt and gime over time and make the problem worse

[Ken]

I'm not sure what PTFE is.. Do you have a brand that you use that I could grab at someplace local like Autozone?

[Mallard]

www.adtech.co.uk/PDFfiles/grease.PDF

http://www.adtech.co.uk/grease.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teflon

[Mallard]

And just for ****s and giggles

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2953

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by Mallard

And just for ****s and giggles

don't you mean "shiggles"?

[Mallard]

fo shiggle

[Ken]

Oh, so teflon based. Alright =P

[thesk8nmidget]

hahahaha

[Ken]

So after having that thing tightened next to the motor, it didn't really change anything

The roof still looks the same, and that thing is so tight that it wont move anymore..

I'm really not a mechanic, and never having done anything similar to this before I don't want to take the risk of taking it off myself, but I'm running into a problem finding someone (other than the local dealer, who'll say I need an entirely new one and try to charge me 3 grand + labor) who's willing to work on it

No one around here (including my current mechanic who I'm incredibly happy with) has really any experience working on them, and don't really want to risk taking it off and having something go wrong and then having to replace it, since their price price is still around 2k for a new one..

Any other suggestions?

Oh, and Mallard.. when I initially had the car in a rain storm, the cloth running down the a-pillar was damp, but they cleaned out the drains with some kinda air hose, and now that doesn't happen anymore, even when it's been sitting out there for a few hours in the rain

Still think the problem with that leak is under the roof if that's the case?

[Mallard]

no, if you have cleaned the drain holes and the car doesnt leak then i think its job done

but, if the roof cant drain faster than it fills up, then there is the problem stated as before

[Ken]

Well, I still have the problem with the leak as described earlier, but what I'm saying is the a-pillars don't get wet like they did initially.. so if the leak is still happening, would it still be underneath the top?

Or would it maybe be in the door sealer or something?

[Ken]

Anyone?

[Mallard]

dude, try looking for yourself...?

the only way to know is to try and find out. Use the info available and test for results!

Have you had the roof off at all? or even looked under the lining?

seriously have a go at what i said before. Roof off, and run a fine bead of silicone on the seal, then roof on again

100% this works.

I had the same problem, and we have just had the wettest winter ever , and i didnt get a drop in the car .

[Ken]

I'm not a mechanic, and I don't have the tools to work on this stuff myself

Even if I did, I don't have the experience to be confident that I could:

a) Take the top off without damaging it
b) Put it back on without making the situation worse than it is

So, diagnosing the problem before I pay someone to do any work is important, especially with a problem like this.. the only way I can really do that is to ask other people who've had similar experiences

I was just thinking maybe since the a-pillars aren't getting wet when it rains (yesterday was heavy downpour all day), it might be some kind of door issue instead of the top.