42 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHSmart Top or Not Smart Top
Leading reported evidence
Install these
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
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0
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0
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1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
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1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
BTW, it wasn't until today, almost 2 months after I installed these, that I figured out a little trick to consistently getting the RemoteTop to work properly the first time.
Leading evidence: 'Install these' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check before cutting, you are looking' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Suggestion
Snip the pink and grey wire (other years may be a different colour wire please check before cutting, you are Looking for the speed sensor wire)
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Suggestion
Thanks for the link I'll check the relay solution out when I get some time.
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Suggestion
Something to do with disconnecting the battery on the early versions.
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Suggestion
Are there recommended dealers from which to purchase this mod?
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
BTW, it wasn't until today, almost 2 months after I installed these, that I figured out a little trick to consistently getting the RemoteTop to work properly the first time.
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Suggestion
The $75 solution, RoboTop, appears to have had issues the first run with intermittent failures, it's been reintroduced AFAIK, however I have not heard much of anyone getting it, I also don't like to cut OEM wires even though this is a easily reversible operation in this case.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
42 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Outcome without a verified action link
I paid $294 (not $600????) in 05 and it has worked great since installation.
Hey All you Cab Lovers. Its Summer time and we all like to let the top down..............I have an aftermarket Smart Top I never installed.............Any good/bad reviews/experiences before I attempt to install the Smart Top.
Easy to install. I really like the feature that allows you to let top up or down while driving. Very handy in parking lots. Really glad that I got one.
I love the one touch option and the ability to open and close while at slow speeds. One of my favorite mods. I also did the remote top which was great until it failed after a year or so. Something to do with disconnecting the battery on the early versions. They have modified them now and one of these days I am going to replace it. The ability to open and close with the remote when you are leaving or returning to the car is great. No need to sit in the car while it opens or closes.
i also have both SmartTop and RemoteTop, great functionality that should have come from Porsche factory to start off with, which I believe is now the case with newer 99X cab models.
FYI, to anyone who wants to operate the top while driving, there is a simple DIY on RennTech.org that allows that. Not quite the same functions as Smart Top, but it's free. I did mine after getting stuck in slow moving, bumper-to-bumper traffic in a construction zone with no shoulders when it started to rain.
My 2004 let's me open and close the top while moving. I can also open and close the top by turning the key in the door. I thought Porsche included this in the mkII cabs...might my car already have a SmartTop?
-Eric
I think those functions became standard at same time as the facelift in 2002 when the cabrio gained a glasswindow.
My 2003 also have them and I don't have the SmartTop.
That's normal for the MKII. The smart top, doesn't require you hold the button down. Just hit it once and it goes through the complete cycle. It also adds automatic door lock and unlock. The doors lock when you start moving, and unlock when you remove the key. Handy for us city dwellers.
does anyone have just the remote top? I would love the one button from the smart top but my 04 can already open/close while moving. Being able to hit the key and having the interior alarm on while the top is down seem like worthwhile mods though?
I have an 04 as well. If I could only have one of the two, I would choose the SmartTop. The one touch feature and the door lock feature are a lot more useful every time I drive it, than the remote feature. I do like the alarm being on with the top down in the RemoteTop.
It's pretty smart marketing. Both products feature both nice to have and must have features. The two together are excellent.
BTW, it wasn't until today, almost 2 months after I installed these, that I figured out a little trick to consistently getting the RemoteTop to work properly the first time.
I was having problems either pressing the remote button too long or not long enough, and ended up having to relock or unlock before attempting again, finally figured out today that if I pressed the button on the remote and let go as soon as when the turn-signal lights come on, then it seems to work 100% reliably, as vs. trying to estimate what 3/4 of second is that is required.
I had the SmartTop enabled with this function but found it to be a nusience as it triggers too easily outdoors in my experience, so I ended up disabled it after a few days.
Agreed, I ended up working up a deal with the vendor buying both and saved a few dollars.
Put the windows up and it takes care of the problem. It will only go off if someone actually reaches into the car.
I think the glass actually acts as a bit of a barrier to the motion sensors.
Interesting, I might try that sometimes. It doesn't matter to me normally as I would close the top if I was away for any lengthy period of time, I only leave the top down if I was going into the store for a minute or have direct sight of the car at an outdoor patio or similar.
Hi,
i just completed the DIY mod, took 5 minutes and cost nothing. really easy
1. unclip the back of the hood and flip it over.
2. remove the carpet
3. find the control box
4. Snip the pink and grey wire (other years may be a different colour wire please check before cutting, you are Looking for the speed sensor wire)
5. tape the end of the wire and there you go
Click the hand break up one click and you can operate the hood at any speed.
i wouldn't recommend operating it over 20mph
Jack
This is not what the smart/remote top are for...this is only for speed sensing which 03 and up allow (up to 35mph) already.
I prefer just the Smarttop as I do not want to operate the top without the engine running.
I don't get your point. Operation of the top with or without the engine running is available without any add-ons. For cabs earlier than 03, the DIY mod gets you about 90% of the utility of Smart Top without the cost. If you need one-touch operation (I don't) there is an electronic switch for about $75 that gives you the one-touch feature. I actually like the safety feature of needing to click the emergency brake to operate the top while moving. If I want to open the top before entering the car I can do it with the key, so don't see the need for $600 worth of electronics to do what I can already do.
The $75 solution, RoboTop, appears to have had issues the first run with intermittent failures, it's been reintroduced AFAIK, however I have not heard much of anyone getting it, I also don't like to cut OEM wires even though this is a easily reversible operation in this case.
The SmartTop also closes up windows at the end of the convertible top close cycle, and allows the rear quarter windows to be raised when the convertible top is down, maybe not mandatory for everyone, but I found these to be convenient features for me.
I went another DIY route, and just modified the relay, which is nice, as it's easily reversible. Bend pin 18 over, ground pin 15, and bam, top works even while rolling at low speeds. No need to leave the parking brake a click up, either. It's been working great for me for 2 years now.
http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...en-when-movin/
These cars really should have come from the factory this way.
Thanks for the link I'll check the relay solution out when I get some time.
Sorry, but can I clarify something please..
I have a 99 and I can control the roof with the key fob and my windows close at the end of the operation. Is this not the case for others?
Even without the smart top, the top can be opened and closed via the ignition key in the door lock as you stand by the drivers door so there is no need to sit in the drivers seat Doug. Does the smart top have an auto stop to it if someone puts their fingers in the way of travel? I mean after that first one push, with the remote (or on the inside button) if something is in the way of hood travel, does it stop auto or trap their fingers?
"I went another DIY route, and just modified the relay, which is nice, as it's easily reversible. Bend pin 18 over, ground pin 15, and bam, top works even while rolling at low speeds. No need to leave the parking brake a click up, either. It's been working great for me for 2 years now."
I much prefer having to click the parking brake as this prevents accidental opening of the top.
Do you mean insert the key into the door lock, turn and hold until the top and window open and close? I think the rest of us are talking about pressing the remote button on the key fob, which is the RemoteTop features.
Not sure there is an "auto stop" other than the person holding the key to the open/unlock or close/lock position while the key is in the door keyhole will instinctively release the key if someone is screaming because their finher is trapped in the scissor mechanism.
I guess that counts as some form of "auto stop"!
With the RemoteTop or SmartTop, pressing the button quickly again while the mechanism is in motion will stop the mechanism, a "semi-auto stop" I suppose.
No I mean, my key has Two buttons. One with a picture of a key and one with a picture of the car with the roof off. If I hold down the button with the picture of the roof, it either pits the roof down or up depending on its original state. Is this unusual for a 99.
The key is a bonofied Porsche key.
I can provide a pic if necessasry
This is not a US DOT approved action...ROW, yes, but not in the US. That is why there are aftermarket devices to get around the DOT from protecting us from ourselves. You must have a ROW key fob.
For the prior response to me....the smart top is designed for one-touch activation of the top (it will also allow activation at speed, for older models). It will also allow for rear window control without any hacking of the wiring. I paid $294 (not $600????) in 05 and it has worked great since installation. (so much so I bought one for my clk as well.)
Sorry could you please define: ROW? (Noob here!!)
FYI from the uk if that changes anything
Also I do like the thought of the 1 touch action, might have to look into that one!
Sorry don't want to labour this thread anymore
ROW = Rest of World.
Yes UK would make a difference, a member here from New Zealand seems to also have this ability, so I was going to ask if you were in North America, looks like Uncle Sam was the Safety Nanny again.
Once touch operation is very nice to have!!
Are there recommended dealers from which to purchase this mod? Seems like everyone out there is between $285 and $299. I think the RemoteTop would be amazingly helpful in my new acquisition... not sure I want to spend the $$ for both.
It's impossible for me to "accidentally" open the top without first undoing the latch. Since the DIY method requires still holding down the button for the entire process, it's pretty hard to "accidentally" close it, either.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
