14 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCH996 hardtop experience
Leading reported evidence
Check sealing
Suggestion or failed attempt
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Also check all the sealing on the hard top, my rear seal had shifted somehow and I had to pull it off and replace all the VHB holding it in place.
Leading evidence: 'Check sealing' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Check sealing' (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.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
I also put a clean towel between the folds to protect the plastic window.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Also check all the sealing on the hard top, my rear seal had shifted somehow and I had to pull it off and replace all the VHB holding it in place.
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.
14 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T063944Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
So I searched the forum for something on mould (fungus, white stuff) accumulating in the folded down softtop when driving with the hardtop under winter conditions (meaning the colder season, not necessarily snow and ice) as well as permanent creases in the top fabric from extended storage in the down position, but I did not find anything.
Reason I am asking is because my experience with the Saab 93 convertible and miata convertible is just this, mould and creases in the fabric. Since I am now the proud owner of a 996 (and 951 and 928) I was considering having a hardtop for the winter months in NC. So what is the experience of the forum, can you "safely" drive around with the top folded and hardtop on for 2 months or will there be issues? Car is garaged.
Thanks for reading,
Anders
Hey, good timing, I just put my hard top on for the winter.
I haven't heard of mold problems, however you should make sure all your drains work correctly and also only fold the soft top down (for the winter) when its clean and dry. Also check all the sealing on the hard top, my rear seal had shifted somehow and I had to pull it off and replace all the VHB holding it in place.
I did my hard top early (it hasn't really rained here yet) as I didn't want to risk the weather getting rainy and my soft top not being totally dry. My garage is open and a little leaky so not ideal.
Agreed. I've never had a problem with mold or mildew in my detached, unheated garage. When I'm putting the top down for the winter, I stop it about two thirds of the way and make sure it folds nicely. I also put a clean towel between the folds to protect the plastic window.
For what it worth, I�ve never had a hard top on my Porsches. The heat in the cabin seems to be adequate on the 996. I live in Chicago where it can get quite cold.
Same here, I just bought the car and found a leftover hardtop that I bought and am painting. Even with just the ride to the paint shop I could tell it felt better.
That was my experience too from the miata hardtop, now the miata softtop is the thinnest simplest and much more noisy than the saab softtop that is thicker and has an inner lining, so the difference soft-hard will be more noticeable in miata than in a 911.
And the look is different, I like the the hardtop version of the 911, looks really good just as the soft-top looks really good but a bit different.
Good to know. I�ve looked around for a hard top, but never could find one in good enough condition. And then there was also the problem of where to store it. I could have built a shelf or pulleys in the garage I suppose.
I was lucky. The previous owner bought the $600 Tequipment wall mount and included it in the deal. You could probably fabricate something simple. It just hangs upside down with the bayonet mounts resting in U-shaped holders. There are DIY plans around for building a hoist for it.
