E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan

Bob123 · Post by **Bob123** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:27 am

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.

Zedebee · Post by **Zedebee** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:59 pm

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.

Chris_D · Post by **Chris_D** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:42 pm

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.

Bob123 · Post by **Bob123** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:50 pm

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

.

Zedebee · Post by **Zedebee** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:06 pm

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.

jock156 · Post by **jock156** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:13 pm

Yeah, replaced for cosmetic reasons

Rockhopper · Post by **Rockhopper** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:15 pm

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.

Special Kay · Post by **Special Kay** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:30 pm

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/

Bob123 · Post by **Bob123** » Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:00 pm

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.

Z4-forum.com

Z4-forum.com