MC I have a ‘99 Boxster and I heard the convertible top is prone to failure and expensive once it does go. Is there any way to get more life out of a ragtop? –Ed
Hi Ed . Glad you came to me because there is no factory-supplied maintenance regimen for those.
I have found that some parts of the mechanism can vibrate loose. When they do, the mechanism can get out of index, bind, and bingo, the game is over (and you lose).
I suggest an annual inspection of the top to check for loose parts and a lubrication to keep things moving freely. Incidentally, when the top fails, the body sometimes bends. You can tell this has happened when the “clam shell” no longer fits flat.
The youngest Boxster that I have seen with this problem was only two years old. I was stunned at such an early failure until the client told me that he had left a two liter bottle of pop in the back when he put the top down. Big oops! $2,500 later, it was back to normal. –MC