porscheguy05

been looking at this thread for sometime but did not get involved....

Now i am getting more interested as i have a soft window and i bet it will not be eternal...

Anyone has more to say about the GAHH roof and the reliability issues??

Have they been fixed?

Are they still craking above the window?

I have ordered an Aero II wing, and one I started doing some reading on installing it I found out that pre-2002 trunk lids are different. From what I understand, the 02 and up models have places to drill the holes that can be seen from the underside. Has anyone put the Aero II wing on a pre-02 model, and if so how did you determine where to drill the holes. If anyone has any pics or measurements that would be great. Thanks in advance for any help.

For those that have the glass replacement failing, I am wondering how GAHH is handling these issues. Have they been contacted and how are they responding?

Thanks.

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I heard back from them on Friday, the day after I contacted them and they stated that they have isolated the problem, and that it was only with some of the initial tops that went out. I bought one of the first few sold, and therefore it had that problem of seperation. They said that they are doing a series of tests on the new top and will ship me out a brand new top first thing monday morning pending the test results are still positive. I must say that while it will be a pain to replace this top again, I am very pleased with their customer service. They admited that it was there fault and accepted full blame. I will probably wait a few weeks before I install it to give their test vehicle a little more testing time to ensure that this will not happen again. I will keep everyone updated.

Mine is doing the exact same thing, but is is on the top of the window instead of the bottom. It looks like the black glue they used was not strong enough to take the stress. I have left a message with them and am awaiting a call back. I must say that it looks pretty bad from the inside and the outside. I am hoping they have aq solution as I am located in rural Ohio, far from their shop. I will keep everyone updated.

I recently bought the GAHH top, and since I live in the area, and they offered me a hefty discount if I let them take pics of my car, I let them install it.  When it was done, and I started raising and lowering the top, I noticed that there was an incredible amount of stress being put on the part of the top where it's connected to the bottom of the rear glass window.  No sooner did I notice this, than I further noticed that the window was becoming separated from the top at that spot.

GAHH told me they came to the conclusion that the tool they were using to seal the window to the top was defective, and they were having it machined.  They are going to try to fix this for me, but I wanted to suggest to those of you who have purchased the GAHH top to keep a close eye on that area where the bottom of with window is sealed to the top.  When I saw how much stress is being applied to the top when it's opened (due to the glass window,) I got the sinking feeling that it is inevitible that it's going to separate at some point.

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This is an aftermarket one-piece wheel bolt.

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The aftermarket ones in the pic do not fully seat. I found this out by ordering them and testing them myself. Only about 1/5th of the supposed seating surface actually comes into contact with the wheel for seating purposes.

No updated sensor for us 2.5 owners, as Porsche no longer supports the antiques.

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Antiques?

I DIY installed the CabrioWorld (GAHH) top last weekend (14-15 May).  I can second Porscheguy05's notes.  Other than being time-consuming it was not difficult to do.  The rear bow where the top and weather stripping come together was a little confusing.  I had to stare at the directions and the bow for a while before it all clicked.

Unlike Porscheguy05 I did remove the plastic side pieces on the top bow.  These are the ones with the plastic plugs mentioned by the instructions.  On mine the plastic plug holders snapped during disassembly, so proceed with caution.  The plastic was just too old and inflexible.  I reused the side pieces anyway.  You may use #12 machine screws to replace the plastic plugs, just cut off any remaining plastic fingers that did not snap on disassembly, and thread the screws in.  :)

The top is tight and noise free.  Actually quieter than the original plastic window top.

My top was extremely tight and very difficult to close initially.  To get it closed and tight I set the tension cables to their loosest setting.  The setscrews for these are left and right of the engine top cover.  They are large (17mm IIRC) hex head bolts.  Clockwise tightens them and counter-clockwise loosens them; you can watch the ball head end of the tension cable move up and down to double check.  Anyway...loosen them up completely and then close the top.  Once the top is closed and locked you can retighten the top cables from inside the car, just flip the seat forward on the side you are adjusting, sit on the door sill and reach backward through the roll hoop.  You'll be able to reach the tighteners easily.  I would recommend a ratcheting tool though or you will go crazy; the tighteners take a lot of turning.

The new top is a huge improvement.

Thanks also to Porscheguy05 for posting his notes and experience, it was a big help.

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No problem. I am glad that your install went as smoothly as mine. My top was also tight, but after letting it sit for a day or two with the top closed it is now at the same taughtness as the original. What I mean is that it does not require any undue pulling to get it to latch. I only need to use the center latch now. I like the idea of loosening the adjusters, but I did not think of that. Now I need to get the wire that goes from the rear defroster hookup point to the defrosters themselves. I may do some testing on the harness connection and find out which wire is triggered by the front switch and hook it up myself rather than order a wire from the factory. A wire is a wire, after all. I will let you know what I find out.

Troy

Best of luck to you both with your DIY painted in the garage look.  I'd love to see the quality of your work and then compare it to a professional job.  As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Just remember, perception is subjective and therefore what you think is a good job compared to a job done by the professionals is just that.....your perception.

I think Gundo said it best...."You can get a very good result with a modest amount of effort. But if you really want a Porsche quality result, Bumperplugs.com is the way to go"

This post is not to endorse (although I would rec'd him) Eric at bumperplugs specifically, just making the point that I didn't say your perception of "good" is bad, it is just not a professional look.  Because if it was, then you would be doing this as a business.

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I do agree, and in most cases the average individual cannot do as good of a job as a professional. Maybe I should not recommend someone try this themselves as I have been doing such tasks for the past 10 years, but have not worked out of a shop. It has always been on the side for me. I guess to me it seems to be a simple proceedure, but in reality it does take skill to make it look perfect. On a side note though, there are people that can do a job as good as "Eric" and not own a business doing such. That is like saying a person cannot be a marksmen without being in the Military or being a police officer.

Is there a check engine code for no gas cap? I drove about 15 seconds before I realize I didnt put the cap on. Next day I realize I have a check engine light. Havent check the code yet, just curious if this may be it. By the way, I did a search on this..still standing by for the results.

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My wife has done this twice, and both times a check engine light came on. THis is normal. Both time I had to reset the light with the OBDII reader, but it may go out on its own eventually, I am not sure. If you do not have a code reader, go to Autozone and they will hook you up for free and just ask them to read the code and explain to them about the cap. THey will confirm your diagnosis and reset it for you for free.

there are some things that you just don't take on....this is one of them.

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That's crap... Many people have done it with great results.

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I agree. I have done this myself and nobody can tell that it is not factory. Painting plastic is different than painting metal, but it is not a mystery. I used a plastic bonding primer, regular sandable auto primer, sanded and reapplied several times to get a smooth finish as opposed to having the pebble grain look to it. Then I applied the appropriate color silver and then a glossy topcoat. I have not had any peeling or any problems at all.

porscheguy - thanks for answering everyone's questions.  I just placed my order through cabrioworld last night, so hopefully my experience turns out as well as yours.

for those asking questions about top installation/removal, just wanted to chip in that a $25 subscription to alldatadiy.com gets you fairly comprehensive instructions (on that and a lot of other things).  I'm not affiliated with them or promoting them, but I just thought I'd throw that out there, since those are the instructions I plan on using

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I also subscribe to the AllData Service, and think it is great. It gives me access to all 18 volumes and all TSB that the dealers have. I am getting ready to renew, and as long as I renew without letting the subscriptoin run out it only costs $15.00 to renew.

Hey guys thanks for the ideas.

It's not the gas I'd think - it's been a few tanks worth and still having the issue. I only ever put Chevron Premium in the car.

I had thought about plugs and filters but figured it would run bad all the time if that were the case. As is, when its warm it purrs.

I'll borrow an odb2 scanner - i was under the impression that if there is no check engine lights there wont be any fault codes to read. Hopefully this'll point me the right direction! The engine coolant temp sensor sounds like it could be the culprit - but wouldnt that be the same sensor that drives the coolant temp gauge? The gauge works great, or seems to.

thanks again!

Xaev

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In some cases the engine light will not illuminate due to a bad bulb. Rare, but it does happen.

....Please let me know if anyone has any questions.

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Any chance that you could pdf the factory convertible removal/installation instructions? I've been wanting to remove my softtop as I almost always have my hardtop on. It's the lacking in instructions that keeps me from doing it. The plastic window will form a permanent crease and eventually crack if I were to store it in the down position for months on end.... :(

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What I did was replace the soft-top fabric and window, not the entire frame and all. It sounds like you are wanting to remove the entire assembly, is this correct? What I did does not require a person remove the assembly from the car. However, if you are wnating to remove the entire assembly, I can probably look it up for you.

...Tried to take pics of the horizontal orange elements on the oem window.

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I assume the photos you took were off the 987? The rear glass looks a lot larger than the ones pictured on cabrioworld.com....

Is the top by cabrioworld double layered? I'm told that on the original tops, the S gets the double layered top while the non-S gets the single layered one.

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From the factory there is no difference in the number of layers between the S and the non-S version. They are the same top. Maybe someone was referring to the later models having the headliner.

Someone correct me if I have a bad memory, but on the GAHH site wasn't the price for 1997-2002 about $950.  Today I see $699.  If I did not dream it then maybe because Cabrio World is selling their top on ebay for $695.

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Great post guys. My window just cracked yesterday, and I think I'll replace it with this top instead of replacing the plastic...especially if I can manage the install myself (PorscheGuy - is there a lot of adjustment and alignment involved?)

Just got word from GAHH - $695 is a sale price for this month only (I was asking why the glass was cheaper than plastic).

Also, (since it was mentioned concerning the BAS top) in addition to the service position question, can someone confirm the GAHH top works with the storage/speaker box in place?

-f

No, there was not really any adjustments to be made if you follow the directions. What I am trying to say is that the front portion already has the cardboard inserts installed at the proper length, the sides already have the holes drilled for the side aluminum plates, and the rear already has the fabric pre sewn and rubber insert installed in the correct position. So essentially for myself it was plug-and-play for lack of a better term.

Also, the GAHH top can be used with the rear storage/speaker box in place. I have the Bose setup, and it does not interfere at all. By the way, I noticed that toolpants pic of the 986 with the factory glass looks identical in appearance to the GAHH glass.

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Congrats PorscheGuy! Any pictures to post? If not a detailed description of how to install the Boxster top, could maybe you point out any unclear or difficult portions of the self install per the CabrioWorld installation instructions?

Here are some pics. The lighting was not the greatest, and these are actually pictures of the originalpitures I took. Evidentely I had the resolution set too high when I took them because when I went to upload them to this message it said the file size was too big. So I pulled them up on my computer screen and took lower quality shots. I will try to get some better shots that I can actually post sometime soon.

Here are some general comments I made to questions on another forum that a member asked me regarding the install:

"Did you need any special tools to install the top?"

I needed, a T25 and a T15 screwdriver, a utility knife, heat shrink tubing and a hairdryer, a small blunt punch/hammer, 3m super trim adhesive, and about 8 small spring clamps. You probably have half of these items already, and can purchase the others for a few dollars.

"What did you feel was the trickiest/hardest part of the install?"

I would have to say that nothing was really extra hard, it was just tedious and time consuming. I would guess that maybe reinstalling the rear bow weatherstripping was the most frustrating, but just took perseverence.

"Any other tips or tricks?"

Yes, you will have to re-use the aluminum molded plates off of your old top if you don't want to buy new one. As long as you are careful there is no reason you cannot reuse your old ones by removing them and using the 3M adhesive to reapply to the new top. Also, I did not remove the side slide clamping rail that you will see in the install instructions if you buy the top from Cabrio world. I performed the tasks on this piece without removing it, but others may not. I just did not have new plastic plugs to re-install them if I would have broke on while removing the rail. Maybe someone else would go ahead and order these plastic pieces and just replace them. They cannot cost too much.

"There was a guy on this board that installed his own top a little while back, and he recommended against doing it yourself mainly because he couldn't get it tight enough, so it was always flapping."

I do not know what kind of top he put on. That may be the case. With the one that I installed the only way that I see I could have messed it up was to not get the rear section centered and it to be lop-sided. The entire setup is precut with specific places the top conects with holes drilled in the fabric so you know where to put the aluminum plates for alignment. If these holes were not pre-drilled then it would have been very hard to know how tight it needs to be. I used the holes they provided and it was a perfect fit. However, I do not want to encourage someone to do it themselves and then be upset with me because they screwed it up. I am just saying that given my limited experience with tops I was able to succesfully install the top with absolutely no flapping. It is as tight as the factory top.

I got my GAHH top yesterday through cabrio world, and after receiving it and also instructions from the factory porsche manual on its installation, I decided to take the plunge and install it myself. This is my second top I have put on, so I was not going in totally blind, but the other one was on a 61 vette and was a two piece setup that required more adjustment and was a totally different setup. To make a long story short, the shop wanted 9-10 hours of labor, and in six hours of work I was done. It turned out great, and looks like it came from the factory with the glass window. GAHH did a really nice job. They use the same German material as the factory tops, and from the inside the pattern on the fabric even has the same tecture and design. If anyone is considering installing one, it was not too hard, but I would only attempt it if you have some mechanical know how. On my scale of 1 to 10 I would rate it a 5 as far as difficulty, just a little time consuming though. Cabrio World provides a copy of the installation instructions from a porsche factory repair manual, and I only paid 695.00 instead of the GAHH suggested retail of about 950.00 USD. Overall, I am very pleased and would recommend the product to anyone. Please let me know if anyone has any questions.

If it's for a pre-2003 Boxster, it can't be the factory glass.  In order to fit the old frame the glass has to be shorter.  The guy was either confused or talking too fast.

Either way, that probably doesn't matter.  Glass is glass.

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Good point. Either way, it has the same look with the black lines instead of orange. I will just be excited to get rid of that plastic rear window.

I watched the mechanic at my local dealer for a while as he replaced the top on a 1999.  I asked if the type of liner that started in 2000 with the S could be retrofitted and he said yes, and showed me the additional part that would be needed.  It looked like something that would attach to the frame.  We were talking about the oem liner.

I have not seen the GAHH liner.

This company also has a liner and I have not seen this one either.  http://www.mgracing.an/inner_covers.htm

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I ordered a new GAHH top with glass window, and I was going to add a headliner but they said that their headliner could not be used to add to a year that did not come with one from the factory. It was worth a try though.

I contacted the ebay seller and confirmed it is the GAHH top.  He said the heating element on the side is orange and the lines going accross are black, but this is not consistent as there may be different suppliers of the glass.

I see on the Cabrioworld site they have 2 different materials, as does GAHH.

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UPDATE

I also contacted this seller because he posted what you said on the ebay listing, and then emailed me that they were black. He said that he just got off the phone with GAHH who provides these two tops for them and they said that the strips across are black, and the larger ones going down on the sides are mostly black. He said that in fact GAHH uses the factory porsche glass in these tops from the later model Boxsters. You can go to the dealer and at least take a look at the glass portion. By the way, at 695.00 for the GAHH top I could not resist. They told me that the top would be shipped directly from GAHH out in California. I ordered it today and will repost when I get it. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask me because I have probably already asked them as I have been in contact with both Cabrioworld and GAHH several times with many questions.