Icy roof issue

C

chinobeano

Member
 Dorset
The last few mornings have been glorious, perfect for an early run with the top down :driving: . However, my car lives in the shade on my drive, and as it's cold at the moment there's been a layer of ice on the car when I leave for work. I'm happy enough removing the ice from the windscreen etc, but don't feel like scraping/de-icing the roof would be the best idea!

So my question is this, if I put the roof down while it's frosty am I likely to damage it, or am I better off leaving the top up and enduring the ridicule of driving in the sunshine with the roof up?

Ta!
 
Shouldn't cause any real issue more than when wet- which increases crease marks and shiny marks
 
You may find that it sticks closed - I remember one frosty morning pressing the button and the catches releasing and the motor wiring but nothing happening :cry: Gave it a helping hand and it opened. Now I move it into the sun and let it thaw out first.
 
Hmm...glad to hear it shouldn't cause damage, although not sure I like the sound of it getting stuck very much!

Maybe I'll do the same as Marlon and just leave it in the sun for a little while before dropping it.

Cheers for the help guys!
 
The temps would need to drop to insane levels to damage the roof, could be an argument to be made for extra weight putting more pressure of the motor (assuming thick ice e.g. snow covering) but that is improbable! Paddy is wright though in the sense that the roof would be down wet/damp which isnt ideal.
 
It's been a while since I read it but I believe the manual says to avoid lowering the roof below 5C.
 
I'd never dream of lowering it when covered in ice. Way too much risk of damaging the fibres of the roof fabric as they are folded.
 
And where do you think all the water is going when the ice melts/defrosts??? The roof fabric will also naturally stiffen when frozen and will not want to 'bend' into place when folding down.
 
Mark555 said:
And where do you think all the water is going when the ice melts/defrosts??? The roof fabric will also naturally stiffen when frozen and will not want to 'bend' into place when folding down.
Click to expand...

Are you agreeing or disagreeing with openimg when frozen?

No issue at all with opening a wet roof. Just needs closing later to dry out to avoid risk of mould growth.
 
cj10jeeper said:
Mark555 said:
And where do you think all the water is going when the ice melts/defrosts??? The roof fabric will also naturally stiffen when frozen and will not want to 'bend' into place when folding down.
Click to expand...

Are you agreeing or disagreeing with openimg when frozen?

No issue at all with opening a wet roof. Just needs closing later to dry out to avoid risk of mould growth.
Click to expand...
I am agreeing with NOT opening roof when frozen :wink:
 
That's a fair point guys, I had forgotten about the min temp aspects of opening the roof!

For the record I was erring on the side of not opening it before I posted this, was just hoping I was being too cautious as I want to get out and drive!

Thanks for the help though, much appreciated.
 
The minimum temp is something ridiculous like -20 degrees. In the past I've used a warm damp cloth to melt frost before dropping the roof. Takes 5mins, if that.
 
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