Roof down, what to do when wet?

Y

Yamiuchi

Member
 Colchester, Essex
Hi guys,

I dont know if this topic should be in the detailing section or not.

Had the roof down this morning (6 deg) but the roof was wet/damp, not rain drops on it but where it had been cold.

It was such a good morning had to be done, heaters and heated seats on......winner. So I want the z4 community knowledge on what other people do in this scenario. And not having the roof down, or buy a coupe isnt what im after hehe :P

Is it a case of getting something to give it a wipe with before putting it down or there a better way to do it? I guess people must have methods if they want the roof down in snow etc :-)

Wiping the glass down will help I guess, I didnt think of that this morning though. :oops:
 
I never drop the roof when the roof is wet. I was always of the understanding that it's not good for the roof.
 
yeh I did wonder about this, but got the newbie hat on, hence why I asked :-)

If thats the case its a shame when you get a glorious morning after being wet overnight, but worth looking after the top properly. :thumbsdown:
 
It's not too much of a problem though, because if it is sunny, you can drop the roof after a couple of miles usually, because the sun will have dried it out (if it's just 'mist' water sat on the top).

Also not sure on the concensus here for temperatures, but I've always applied common sense in that if it's too cold outside, it's not worth the risk of cracking the roof by dropping it.
 
Didnt realise you could crack the roof :headbang: ............. what temps we talking here close to freezing or below 0c?
 
Not entirely sure you can crack a fabric roof, have had a lot of roadsters and have never heard of it, that said if theres a thick layer of frost common sense should prevail.

The advice for a wet roof is that it is probably okay for short periods, but not long enough for it to dry out, as you might possibly get crease marks.

Glad that I don't have that problem now :D
 
I regularly put the roof down wet and have been doing so for five years+.....so long as you stick it up again when you get to work/home its absolutely not a problem.

Its when you leave it down long-term (in the garage or with a h/top on) that you'll get mould problems within the folds if it was damp.
 
The problem with cracking was more the old plastic rear windows like on mx5s or mgfs . The mohair will be fine just don't put it down frozen lol.
 
dyshipfakta said:
The problem with cracking was more the old plastic rear windows like on mx5s or mgfs . The mohair will be fine just don't put it down frozen lol.
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A good point. I am basing this on my experience of soft tops in general, and have owned 2 MX5s before, so I may have picked this advice up from there; where the cheaper MX5s have a vinyl roof.

Perhaps I'm just over cautious when it comes to that sort of thing, but I still personally wouldn't be dropping the roof when it's too cold or wet - common sense I think.
 
didn't sp3ctre have problems with his roof which BMW put down to it being put down when wet? causes the fabric to stretch and 'bubble' or something.
 
lacroupade said:
I regularly put the roof down wet and have been doing so for five years+.....so long as you stick it up again when you get to work/home its absolutely not a problem.

Its when you leave it down long-term (in the garage or with a h/top on) that you'll get mould problems within the folds if it was damp.
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I keep a micro fiber towel in the trunk/boot and if the top is wet or damp I will wipe it down to remove most of the moisture before putting it down. I've been doing this for years and like lacroupade noted that has never caused a problem.
 
Cool thanks for all the replies, the trip I did this morning was about 13 miles then roof back up, so hopefully thats ok.

I think I will go down the microfibre cloth route in the boot as suggested above, will get any moisture that is on the back window/roof off before roof action.

Appreciate the views on the matter. :thumbsup:
 
I would suggest if you do dry the roof quickly with an MF cloth, don't rub - just pat it dry.

If you rub it dry, you could find bits of fluff getting stuck in the roof, and also cause some (minimal) damage to the roof (bobbling, etc).
 
Yamiuchi said:
Cheers for the heads up IK. I didnt think of that, pat dry it is!
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Or keep a 12v hairdrier in the car to give it a quick once over.

Which will delight my brother as he's forever telling me it's a hairdresser's car anyway!

He drives a Fiat Cinquiquququiqcencnencento. 'nuff said.
 
Actually, that isn't a bad idea at all. Sounds 'hairdresser', and frankly a bit weird, but you are onto something there.
 
I have used the roof wet, especially during forum runs (otherwise the car does not come out in the rain) and have never had any issues with fabric or anything.

I obviously don't store the car wet.
 
IK. said:
Actually, that isn't a bad idea at all. Sounds 'hairdresser', and frankly a bit weird, but you are onto something there.
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:rofl: but pleeease don't let anybody see for all our sakes
 
I think it's been covered in varying ways but I see no issue at all with dropping the roof as wet as you like. The problems occur if after a few hours you don't raise it to allow it to dry and thus risk mildew and mold. If you get that it will be a problem.

I'd make no attempt whatsoever to dry the roof by heat, even though I'm sure it was a tongue in cheek comment. You'll never dry but the top few fibres and if enough heat to dao anything risk damage. I wouldn't even try to towel or dab it dry. Any excess would drain as normal down the drains.

Equally no problem dropping the roof when cold. If frozen then no way, as I suspect ice risk fracturing the delicate surface fibres, more motor strain and migght even break the rear glass.

That's my 2p worth, but relax enjoy and get that roof down whenever you can :thumbsup:
 
I think I read in the manual that it is fine to drop the roof when wet but it said should not be left down wet for no longer then 24 hours at a time. I will try and find it but may take a while.
 
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