Well, I am wondering if anyone else has had it done? I took my car in for various warranty issues and one of them was some fraying threads coming from in the middle layers of the top. The dealer agreed to replace it and it will be done Wednesday.

 

Have not heard yet of any tops being replaced. No one has posted that occurring that I recall. Mine is 3 years old and doing great. Yearly application of waterproof coating is a must.

 

I acquired the vehicle in October, but it was built in late 2013. Thus, the top is almost 4 years old. I had no problems with it otherwise. In fact I waterproofed it which made it look a lot better. I'm a bit worried about waterproofing!

 

What would you recommend to waterproof?

 

I use Raggtopp convertible cleaner and water proofing products. You have to make sure when using the waterproofing product to keep it off the paint and windshield - its really hard to clean/wipe off over spray.

RaggTopp Fabric Convertible Top Cleaner & Protectant Kit

 

There's an old thread about this. I've use the 303 fabric top sealer and cleaner.

You need a good horsehair brush for cleaning the roof prior to sealing it. My cheap one sheds hair, so after the roof has dried after cleaning, I use masking tape to get the hairs off.

And I use a brush to apply the sealer, so I don't have to do any masking.

 

I actually posted a DIY thread about applying the 303 waterproofer. I'm more worried about waterproofing with respect to fitment of the new top. Hopefully everything will be tight and clean. To be clear though, the replacement of the top was not caused by leaks as my top was keeping water out as if it was new. Instead it is being replaced because some of the threads of string were fraying in the middle layers and I was concerned that the up and down operation of the top would pull on them and make the threads continue to unravel. I'll post pictures of the new top when I get it back.

 

Using a too stiff brush while shampooing will pull threads out. Use only the brush that Raggtop makes. Don't worry about overspray. It does not harm paint or glass. Just do the top then wash the car. On a hot sunny day, you can do the shampoo and three coats of sealant in two hours.

 

Yes. The outer layer was in perfect condition and was repelling water well. I only used a horse hair brush from chemical brothers. The fraying fibers were from the middle / inner layers. The stitching was unraveling.

 

Mine is about the same age as yours so definitely going to have to keep a lookout for any wear. So far, no issues. I could tell that some waterproofing was applied by the previous owner but I have not reapplied anything yet. Appreciate the thread with comments about care too.

 

There was a campaign for the earlier cars to move a harness under the roof somewhere. Did you have that done? (K192, 'Folding top enhancement')

 

I did not have that campaign done. I would not have any way of checking to see if the prior owner had it done either. I'm going to assume no though.

 

Your local Jag dealer will be able to check the JNA records to see if it was done.

 

Got the car back today and the new top looks great. It obviously is brand new and it looks like it. The only thing I wasn't really expecting was for them to replace the back window which was tinted. The lack of tint compared to the other windows looks a bit strange, but man it is so easy to see out of again. I might just leave it un-tinted since it is so small anyways. Great work Alpine Jaguar in Fort Lauderdale (now an Autonation company).