I'm wondering what sort of lifespan we can expect from our roadster soft top hoods? Has anyone got any experience of this?
It looks like they're expensive to replace if you have to. I've seen a lot of prices around the £1000 mark for a good quality replacement.
Thanks for any info.
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
Pre-facelift E85 3.0i SE with manual gearbox - written off by insurer
Some accessories for sale now and in the future.
Some accessories for sale now and in the future.
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
I expect most e85 owners are still on their original hoods and some are 20 years and 150k+ miles, so these hoods are good. If you have got a worn out one (more likely as a result of accidental damage, then used ones are readily available For less than £300 and they are easy to spruce up.
2003 Maldives Blue 3.0i auto
Previously: Maldives Blue 2.5i manual (its back!) and another, and a Monaco Blue 3.0Si coupe
Previously: Maldives Blue 2.5i manual (its back!) and another, and a Monaco Blue 3.0Si coupe
- Chris_D
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
It's a fabric hood that is subject to potentially 100's if not 1000's of duty-cycles. Anything with that sort operational lifecycle is going to fail at some point, either by the hood degrading from the folds or the pivot points deteriorating.
It's going to age faster than the bodywork for sure.
I'm convinced the potential lifetime of the hood can be extended by using a hardtop in winter and covering with a car cover in summer to protect from harmful UV rays.
To that end, the hood will probably outlast me, rendering the exploration of this hypothesis totally pointless.
Being in South Cheshire I would suggest that the chemical fallout from Frodsham, Ellesmere Port etc will have a contributory and accellerated detrimental effect on your hood.
It's going to age faster than the bodywork for sure.
I'm convinced the potential lifetime of the hood can be extended by using a hardtop in winter and covering with a car cover in summer to protect from harmful UV rays.
To that end, the hood will probably outlast me, rendering the exploration of this hypothesis totally pointless.
Being in South Cheshire I would suggest that the chemical fallout from Frodsham, Ellesmere Port etc will have a contributory and accellerated detrimental effect on your hood.
E85 3.0i roadie (03) 'Benny'. E93 320d M-Sport Cabrio (11) 'Bob'.
'Always different, always the same.' John Peel on The Fall.
'Always different, always the same.' John Peel on The Fall.
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
Thanks for the responses Chris_D,Zedebee.
Mine's looking great and wondered whether anyone had experience of their hoods wearing out and like for like replacement costs.
I'm a good way south of Frodsham and Ellesmere Port Chris_D, in fact I'm almost in the Midlands .
Mine's looking great and wondered whether anyone had experience of their hoods wearing out and like for like replacement costs.
I'm a good way south of Frodsham and Ellesmere Port Chris_D, in fact I'm almost in the Midlands .
Pre-facelift E85 3.0i SE with manual gearbox - written off by insurer
Some accessories for sale now and in the future.
Some accessories for sale now and in the future.
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- Lifer
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
There’s some cost info on Jock’s thread here, although Jock replaced his roof for cosmetic reasons as far as I know.
viewtopic.php?t=138924
The most common roof failures are related to the motor (relocation to the boot helps with this) or a break in one of the wires in the loom that run above the passenger window. Both are repairable and neither warrant a new roof.
As Chris says, the longevity of the roof fabric itself is likely to depend on its exposure to the elements and the number of roof cycles, but I haven’t heard of any that have actually failed.
viewtopic.php?t=138924
The most common roof failures are related to the motor (relocation to the boot helps with this) or a break in one of the wires in the loom that run above the passenger window. Both are repairable and neither warrant a new roof.
As Chris says, the longevity of the roof fabric itself is likely to depend on its exposure to the elements and the number of roof cycles, but I haven’t heard of any that have actually failed.
2003 Maldives Blue 3.0i auto
Previously: Maldives Blue 2.5i manual (its back!) and another, and a Monaco Blue 3.0Si coupe
Previously: Maldives Blue 2.5i manual (its back!) and another, and a Monaco Blue 3.0Si coupe
- jock156
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
Yeah, replaced for cosmetic reasons
- Rockhopper
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
I'd fully expect it to last the life of the car. Mines close to twenty years old and its still in perfect condition. Good used ones can be had for a few hundred pounds. I use all purpose cleaner, a scrubbing brush and my jet wash when it starts looking grubby - nothing else.
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
A few years ago, my brother had his soft top vandalised on his Honda S2000. we used a guy in Swansea, highly recommended by MX5 owners, and well worth the drive for a day out in Swansea.
https://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/good- ... s-swansea/
https://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/good- ... s-swansea/
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E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan
The Z4 hoods do look very well made. It amazes me that they can survive 20 years in our climate.
Cheers Special Kay, from what I've heard he does a roaring trade.
Cheers Special Kay, from what I've heard he does a roaring trade.
Pre-facelift E85 3.0i SE with manual gearbox - written off by insurer
Some accessories for sale now and in the future.
Some accessories for sale now and in the future.