Do you close your roof?

ihadablackdog

Senior member
In weather like we are having at the moment, where the roof is down for most journeys, do you close it when parking?

I mean for trips to the supermarket etc, or on the drive at home when you know you’ll be going out again later on?

I’m tending to do so more and more unless I think its a very busy or dodgy area.

Also, does the alarm motion detection get disabled by default when the roof is down and car locked? I’ve been pressing the lock button twice to light the alarm indicator for a few seconds, but is it needed (difficult to see the red light in the sun).

Thinking of buying a smart top, then i’d probably close all the time.
 
It depends on the area for me - if it's an area I know and trust, I will happily leave the car with the roof down, but if it's going to be unwatched for a long period of time (or the area is a bit on the dodgy side) then the roof goes up :thumbsup:
 
Always close the roof. It’s what it’s there for, to protect the occupants and the interior.

Even in good areas there are unsavoury and jealous types.

And yes only the footwell sensors work with the roof folded and car locked. Try it.
 
We always close ours if we ever leave sight of it. Firstly from the fear of someone doing or trying to take something from inside. Secondly to protect it from the inevitable bird attacks that seem to splatter the paintwork when the roof is up.
 
I always keep the roof closed when unattended, too many aholes out there! I drove into Glasgow one night to meet some friends and parked it on a side street, when I came back someone had spat all over the windscreen, hate to think what they would of done if the roof was down! Guess thats one advantage of the E89 they can't slash your roof!
 
Always close it - bird crap cleans off the roof far easier than from between the stitching on the seats or from behind the back of the heater control knobs. It doesn't take that long for the roof to close on the button and I can open it on the key and have it down by the time I reach the car. Don't have gaptech or smartop fitted.

Edit - sorry :cry: not an E89 but would still close it if it was
 
It’s the dust that gathers if u leave it open, especially on the inside of the screen that closing the roof minimises.

I also used to enjoy opening & closing with a GapTec, not only coz you can slightly cure the summer heated seats but also in a slight crowd it makes a modest attention seeker
 
Yeah, bird poo is always going to be a risk but sometimes I walk back to the car worried that someone has thrown a drink or something onto the interior.

Its a gamble I guess.

Sometimes when i’ve tried opening on the key it stops halfway and wont budge till I get in, but a smart top would solve that and the 1 touch operation inside would be good.

Has anyone ever actually had any vandalisim with the roof open?
 
I'm the opposite at the moment in that I very rarely have the roof down, too hot for me so prefer roof up and air con on :-)
 
Depends where I am and how long I am going to be, if I can I leave it up, but you do have to be careful
 
I did used to leave it down if I nipped into a supermarket or something.

Started putting it up this year though, it only takes one to ruin it, insurance would probably wash their hands of it pretty quickly and if something did happen you’d be wishing you’d just put it up.
 
Yup I close mine when parked out in this weather. The Sun will wreck the leather else. :wink: when it's cloudy but not likely to rain then it stays down when parked up most places :)
 
Being a long-time owner of classic rag tops that could take the best part of 20 minutes to fit the roof and side screens to and which are unable to be to locked up, I generally leave my cars open. The roof on my E89 also generally stays open, but it is rarely driven to, or left in places which are considered dodgy. It's winter down-under at present and below 10 C degrees outside. The Z4's roof is still down, but it's under a car cover in the garage. :roll:
 
If I'm at home and know I'm going to use it again then I'll leave it down, same at my dads house but never if I'm parked in the supermarket (or similar).
It is good just walking away from it though and it closing all by itself 8) :driving: :rofl: or even walking towards it and it opening all up!
 
Always close mine if the car's out of my sight. Even in the garage at home, but that's mainly to stop the cats getting into it and leaving dead mice for me :)
 
Close it every time. No brainer.

Not just because of the flying poop squad, but you're going to be gutted if some pond life nicks your iPod / phone / sunglasses etc.

What does your insurance say about leaving your car open?
 
pbr67_zed said:
......but that's mainly to stop the cats getting into it and leaving dead mice for me :)

It's the spiders for me. Driving along when you see a big hairy out of the corner of your eye, just waking after a night's kip in your nice comfy car. :cry:
 
If I'm in Shrewsbury happy to leave the roof down with the windows up, if I'm in Wolverhampton the roof is up and a perimeter of large angry dogs is deployed around the car :evil:
 
I always close roof when car parked up. Small print of insurance policy will probably contain sentence somewhere of car being left parked secure when unattended. Roof down and unattended would probably mean not secure therefore insurance claim could be rejected. Not worth taking a chance in my opinion.
 
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