convertible top - how can I get spots out?

Going to restore a 2003 911 I just purchased that had been sitting in a driveway for 9 years never covered! The interior is a disaster from all that time in the heat and humidity. The outside cleaned up fairly well, but the top has stains in it, not sure what, I suspect bird droppings. He replaced the top just before he stopped using the car, so other than the spots the top is in great convertible top condition. The photos are AFTER I washed and scrubbed the top. Does anybody know if this can be corrected or will I need to replace it? Thanks Rick

Hard to say without knowing what caused those stains, but I've seen replacements on ebay for as low as $300, so it really depends on what your time is worth and how far you're planning to go when it comes to restoring the car.

That top looks gross. I think it's mold damage and I would replace. Have you checked/pulled the carpets? Almost certainly they must be soaked.

That is mold. One of the ways to get rid of it and eliminate it all from the top is to spray a diluted solution of copper sulfate on it every day for a couple of days. That will kill it without bleaching the fabric. The mold however may have already bleached the fabric and you can find coloring solution online. Copper sulfate you can get on Amazon. You can buy it in a diluted solution of make it up yourself. If you have leftover, it will also kill mold on the roof of your house, if you have any.

Wow if I can get a new top for under 500$ I'll do that! I just replaced the one on my 2015 and it cost me thousands (and installed) Thanks for all the ideas. Might try the copper sulfate for now. The top will be the last thing I replace. The carpets are in good shape, go figure. There was a funky strong smell, I've been letting it air out, then after researching I found something called zero odor and wow...it worked! Got rid of all the bad odors, slight chemical cleaning smell left but that should fade in time. Just like the reviews said, it is a miracle. The real damage is to anything that was plastic such as the dash, door panels etc. They are all cracked and broken. Leather parts are good. Steering wheel wood veneer is cracked as are pieces in doors. Might have those custom done with nice stitching. My biggest problem right now is ignition. When I first checked the car the steering wheel was not locked. Then as I was preparing to tow it, the steering wheel locked and I was not able to turn ignition key. I had to dismantle center console to get at the transmission cable to manually put it in neutral. Been trying different things but the key just wont turn. I know its the correct key because I can open and lock car since replacing battery. Rick

Wow that interior is munched. Hope the exterior is in better shape, and good luck with the work!

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Did you check the foam soundproofing underneath the carpets? That's usually what ends up soaked. It just doesn't... look like they would have serviced the drains.

The carpet is fine, I dont think water got in, more of a humidity issue which is very high here in New Orleans. Nothing lasts long in these elements. The outside is near pristine. I need to get the headlights redone but the body is in good shape. I'll upload some picks tomorrow. I put a new battery in today and slowly things came alive. The windows nudge down slightly to close the door then go up, instruments glow orange nicely and all the lights work. Next step is to figure out why the key wont turn, might have to change the entire part out, read about the 996 issues with that. Then the real moment of truth happens, will the engine start! Will take that slow after it not running since 2014, but I have copies of service records, looks like everything was good until that date and only 50K on the odometer, I think he just had enough after the ignition issues and the rim crack and rupture of the tire. I've always wanted to do something like this, when I was young I use to hang out with friends and we worked on our cars. We were lucky that one fellow's dad had a service station, so thats where we spent our high school days off working on Mustangs, Corvettes and a host of other 60s muscle cars. Beer cars and girls....life was simple back then I'm planning on purchasing a GT3 but don't want to give up the convertible, so this 996 will be my convertible and the GT3 my daily drive. Wife hates the convertible anyway, so she's finally on board for a new GT3!!!

I had a similar issue when I first bought mine, I could not turn the key. It was just the wheel lock. I am not an engineer so others may give a better explanation but there was just enough pressure on the lock that kept me from turning the key. I started to turn the steering wheel, just with the bit of play it had to ease the pressure and then the key turned. About a year later the ignition switch/lock failed and I could not get the key out, it was stuck in the ignition. lol that was a fun DIY project. Good luck as you rehab it.

That car takes the cake for the worst exterior/interior...ever! Just wow...

Yep but think how DRAMATIC the Before and After pictures are going to be Guess you could say this was a Porsche Rescue/Intervention Luckily the exterior is in great condition, what you see here is after a hand wash only. You should have seen it before!

I had success with removing mold using diluted Super Green with a brush.

My original top is in great condition and a prior owner replaced the plastic window, but the matching material covering the rollover protection had hard water stains that wouldn't come out. I used "Forever Black" and it now looks better than the top does. In your case, for $17, it's worth a try. I also used Cerakote on the frame. This stuff has proven itself on my plastic Jeep fenders.

You could try a fabric dye, it's fairly common on carpets but not sure how it would be on a top. At this point, you have nothing to lose if you are going to replace it at some point anyway.

Thanks for all the suggestions and information. Things are looking up, the smell is under control, turns out as was suggested there is a little moisture in car (carpets a little damp) after heavy rains yesterday. Not sure where its coming in, but will check drain plugs, wherever its coming in from its very little, just enough to get humidity on interior glass overnight. Might be as simple as the gap between small rear window and driver/passenger windows, since they are not closing properly. Definitely will need to replace those motors at some point. Next step is replacing the entire ignition switch. Wife wants "proof of life" before more money put in the "money pit" as she calls it. I agree, need to find out condition of trans and engine, but all the service records do look good. Most work was electrical and not mechanical. I made her happier by showing her picks of what this will look like restored.....she bought it! Time is the biggest problem for me, but I'm determined to bring this babe back to life and on the open road where ALL Porsche's deserve to be. Have a great Christmas and Holiday! Rick

Hey Rick. Way to go! The satisfaction felt after all the research and hard work is immeasurable. It's what incentivizes hands-on car guys. Keep it up so we can all enjoy the before/afters.