Just had a re spray on the 98 vert. Went with jet black and had all chrome painted flat black in the latest makeover. Additionally I was finally able to obtain the tonneau cover from Adamesh and have painted that to match as well. Totally love the new look, however I have a question I would like to pose to those much more informed in all things convertible. Prior to the new cover I would ALWAYS put the top back up immediately after playtime was over. Now with the new cover, it is not quite as convenient to put the top back up, and I have been keeping it down with the cover on (beautiful Bay Area weather). Am I causing any additional wear or stress on the top components by keeping top down and cover on? Sounds like a silly question as I type this, but would like the opinions of those more knowledgeable. I installed the voltage reducer from Rev Sam very early since my possession.
What say you all?
Thanks,
dave

 

For the past 2 yrs, I have put my top down as soon as weather permits (usually mid May) and keep it down until it gets too cold for me in October. I use an interior cover to keep a majority of dust out.

 

I remember reading a couple of posts in which members reported more visible and pronounced wrinkles in their ragtops when they left them down for extended periods of time. I don't have any first-hand experience to offer you since our ragtop stays up most of the time. But I made a mental note of those posts when I read them. I would exercise the top occasionally just to keep all of the components in order. Of course, that may also invite a green shower event sooner rather than later. Kind of a Catch-22 situation, it seems....

 

IMO, it's OK to leave the rag top down indefinitely provided it is completely clean and dry when it's put there.

Your new tonneau may let less air circulate than the stock cover, so putting some sort of desiccant in with the top couldn't hurt if it's going to live under there for extended periods.

 

Interesting post this. I have just ordered the Adamash tonneau cover and am currently awaiting delivery. I too was wondering about the effects of leaving the top down for a period of about a week at a time. I too have been suspecting that you would end up with pronounced wrinkles as Jon89 mentioned he had read in previous posts.

Platinummaker, what is your general impression of the quality, the finish and the general fit of the tonneau cover? From what I can see from their website photos, the general finish looks very good quality. Have you noticed any potential rubbing points or concerns where the tonneau sits on top of the rear fenders on either side?

 

Thanks all for the responses. The fit and finish of the covers seem good although the body shop did indicate that they had to spend extra time in getting a good prep. I have attached a picture that hopefully shows how the supplied rubber gasket integrates with the cover and body. Overall I'm very happy with the look.
MRomanik I am curious about your cover as I can foresee my top being down much longer and a cover as yours would be beneficial. Would you be so kind as to share the details?
Thanks again. What a great group of folks on this forum.
Additionally, I had the upholstery shop line the inside of the covers with felt as I wanted to minimize any possibility of chafing.

 

I like the look of that cover but based in the North of the UK I doubt I would use it often as typically I need to be able to put the hood up regularly, and at short notice, to keep the car dry! I would love a full length tonneau cover however, so I could cover the inside if leaving the car outside for a while, just can't figure how to attach it to the dashboard.

As an aside, what wheels have you got? Can't tell specifically with the black paint on them but they look good on the car.

 

You should have no problem leaving the top down for an extended period. I have as Arden hardtop which goes on in October & comes off in May. The top on my car is fine. The only thing I do is open the valve on the pump to release the pressure.

 

Love the look!

 

For the last 3 yrs i put the roof down in April & back up in September, to protect the interior i too use a dust cover. I only drive her on sunny day's though.
Only been caught out 1X this summer when it chucked it down while i was out, i have not seen any really noticable deep wrinkles, any that are there flatten out after the roofs been up a day or 2. TS

 

where did that tonneau cover come from? Cost? that looks nice.

 

I drive a coupe so I can't offer any advice in regards to wrinkles but I just have to say that your car looks great.


Mark

 

QUOTE MRomanik I am curious about your cover as I can foresee my top being down much longer and a cover as yours would be beneficial. Would you be so kind as to share the details?

I got the cover from California Car Cover.Cost was about $95. It is held on the back by the truck like the original cover. The front is held by the wipers & velcro strips. Velcro also on the mirrors and elastic on the door handles.

 

Thanks all for the replies and comments. The tonneau cover came from Adamesh in the UK and the wheels are powder coated 18" asteroid wheels from a previous XJR I had.
Dave

 

I started leaving the black top/hood down on my 2000 XKR for the convenience, green-shower-risk-reduction, and it looks cool. Then I noticed a new crease in it when raised. Yes, it mostly disappears after being stretched into the up position for a while, but it did seem to become more pronounced when I left it down for a week or so. I'm back to raising the top every night.

 

The Adamesh fibreglass covers do eventually chafe on the rear outer corners of the body work. At the moment they should polish out but I need to find a good hidden from view solution .

 

Outstanding appearance with the tonneau! When we bought our '99, it already had what appear to be permanent wrinkles. These are not coming out. The top color is tan, and they are more visible than black. Can only imagine they were caused by extended periods when the top was lowered. No big deal, still love the car.

 

Since the pictures are a little dark, my first impression was, if it showed up in my driveway at night I'd be running around looking for "Batman" ;-))

Great looking car.

Chuck
05/XK8 Conv

 

Has anybody done a comparison of the Adamesh and Mina Gallery (and any other available brands) covers? Is there one less likely to chafe the paint of the car?

 

Here is another reason to raise the top every night. Rodents (mice) just love that nice soft foam-backed material of which our headliners are made. When the top is down, and covered by the boot cover, it makes for a snug inviting place to build a nest from chewed up fabric. CAD 250.00 later, I have a nice new headliner in place. I live in the country, so mice are a fact of life that cannot be eliminated, even though the car is always garaged.