**Smart Top GROUP BUY DONE** Review/Tips inside by Don W!

Ok, so I talked to the guys over at Wilhelmy-IT (Smart Top) and organized the group buy to get us a substatial discount. They sell for the following prices: Regular Price of $279 is discounted to $249 for 996 CAB unit Regular Price of $219 is discounted to $189 for 986 unit S/h is still $15. If I get 10+ interested they will give me a "discount code" for us to use after I send them the names of those ordering. Here is their website so you can research the product but I am sure most of you that are intreted already know about it. http://www.wilhelmy-it.com/ PLEASE RESPOND DIRECTLY TO THIS POST SO I CAN KEEP TRACK OF NUMBERS. I will cross post this over in the 986 forum and over at Renntech.org as well. Cheers, Dell

LV: Count me in for one unit that will fit for a 2001 C2 Cab.

i'm in for 1 "02 cab

I'm in for 2003+ 996 Cab unit.

2000 Cab, checking in.

Damn! Left out again! That probably won't work on my '04 Coupe! Dell, sorry to mess up your thread... but I couldn't help myself!

Nothing a sawsall and a table cloth can't fix.

Dell- I'm in. '00 cab.

4 more to go!

Do you think that a coordinator would be able to get one shipment from the vendor and ship out each unit individually at cost (or near cost)? A one pound package (I'd be surprised if it is more than one pound) is $3.85. With delivery confirmation it would be $4.30. Saving $11 x 10 orders is not chicken feed anymore. Now, that being said, I don't want to detract from Dell's efforts in putting together this group buy. It's always commendable for one to put the flag up in the air first. But around where I grew up, if you suggested an improvement, you usually volunteered yourself for the additional work it would require. So if you want me to handle the shipping, I'd be happy to. Oh, and by the way, I'm in for one unit. David

Way to go David. I'll check with the company and see what shipping one shipment of 10 would be vice 10 single shipments. I'll be in touch. 7 down....3 to go!!!

Since there seems to be quite a bit of interest (not even including the boxter folks yet!) perhaps you might inquire about further price breaks with increasing quantity. I remember for a laser jammer group buy (no, of course I wouldn't buy anything that might interfere with the police enforcing the laws of this great country!) there were a couple of price breaks depending on whether there were 50, 100, or 200 orders total or something like that. I remember getting a substantial discount because they got somewhat more than 200 orders together between various marque forums. Of course this is an item with much more limited appeal, but hey, if we're doing the marketing for them perhaps we deserve a bigger break! David

Most of us are not too worried about a few extra bucks and would err more toward instant gratification. Unless we get 25+ by the end of the week, then I say we already got a good deal and more forward. Agree?

I am in for one unit (cab 99). Thanks.

Count me in... 2002 C2 Cab

The website mentions a "roof-key button" on 2003 and later models. Window control with the 911 Cabrio: The Porsche 911 Cabrio has four windows which all go down upon opening of the roof. Unfortunately the two rear windows usually stay locked and can not be operated as long as the roof is not in the fully closed position. Our smartTOP allows normal operation through the window-keys when the roof is in the fully opened position. On the new 911 Cabrio (Model Year 2003) the windows do not close the way they used to on older models when the roof of the parked vehicle is closed with the key remote. Our smartTOP 996b has a special feature which allows closing of the windows the way it was on the older models. "Just keep the roof-key on the key remote pressed after the roof has closed completely until all windows are closed." What does this allow? Does it allow for open/close control of the cab top via the key fob? If so, can this function be incorporated into use with my 2002 Cab, which doesn't have such a feature?

im in. 2001 C2 cab.

The US cabs don't have this feature. Our cars have the standard two buttons on the key fob, the european models have a third button to operate the top.

Us Europeans can't attend this group buy, since we have to pay VAT (25%) and Custom clearence fee (5%). Keep us posted after you have installed the unit. We are curious (us without the SmartTop)

We are now at 9 (just one more and the order can go in!). Please PM me your full name so I can email it to the Smart Top and then I will PM you the discount code back. Here is the list: LVDell Electric Lizard shap riad washington dc porsche UNC Nick tph cydog emty

I am in for a 986 MY97 Thanks!

DING DING DING DING..........we are at 10! Just waiting for those PM's so I can sedn the list of names to Smart Top.

Hi GoodSpeed Sweden, of course you are welcome to attend the groupbuy. The normal euro price is 199 (boxster) and 249 (996 cab). The groupbuy euro price is 169 (boxster) and 219 (996 cab). All prices incl. vat and customs but exclusive shipping (about 15 euro). Regards, Sven

LVDell - Is there a way I can get in on this group buy? I have a 2001 Cab Please let me know....Thanks Will

sure thing, just PM we your info (full name).

Just got 10 names of the 11 that shown interest (missing TPH still). I will contact Sven right now and get the code and PM you each shortly. Standby..........

Group Buy complete!!! I have just sent PM's to everybody with instructions on ordering. FYI.......The special price expires on 9 August at midnight so don't procrastinate. Special thanks to SVEN of Wilhelmy-IT (Smart Top) for putting this deal together for our group buy

Thanks Dell! Mark

Very welcome!

Several months ago, I purchased what is known as the SMARTtop , a simple plug-and-play device that allows Boxsters and 996 Cabriolets, up to and including model year 2004, to operate the soft tops just like the newest models. In other words, opening and closing the soft top becomes a �One Touch� operation while stopped or moving, without having to apply the emergency brake with the car in Park, or in a particular gear. What makes this module so worthwhile is the fact that you are basically adding a unit that can, should you wish, be removed or re-installed as easily as changing a relay. It�s easy: on the 996 model you merely unplug a connector, insert one end of the SmartTop module where you unplugged the connecter�and then plug the connector you pulled out into the other end of the SmartTop module. That�s it! I was so pleased with the result that I wrote the company, and they asked me if I would share my pleasure in the form of a review. Well, there is not much to review because it has worked flawlessly. I can�t count the number of times I have opened and closed the top while moving. Another new fan is my wife, who also enjoys the easier operation. And, since the module is strictly electronic, it is �invisible� as far as the operation of the vehicle is concerned. No wires have been spliced; the vehicle is still original. But, if you should still have any doubts about the SmartTop�s effect on warranties, you can always remove it, quickly and painlessly, before visiting the dealer. The SmartTop is configured to perform the identical functions that the cars come with standard, but with added features. When the top is down, you can now raise the rear quarter windows (996s) using the window switches. (You don�t have to stick your finger in the top latch sensor anymore in order to do this.) And with all 4 windows up and with the rear wind deflector, cool weather is no longer a factor when the top is down. :jump: Here are the simple installation steps to follow on a 996: 1. Bring your soft top to the �maintenance� position, about half way open. 2. Pop the 2 �ball & socket� tie down cables just below the rear window of the soft top. 3. Lift the entire back of the soft top so it�s resting on the roof. 4. You need to remove the 4 buttons you see at the back of the exposed well. This is where a tool comes in handy, maybe a dull dinner knife. They should come off as easy as �bumper plugs.� 5. With both hands, tug on the carpeted covering so it opens up the area where the electronics are. 6. The big brown (or gray) box on the driver�s side is what you are looking for. Unlatch the locking mechanism of the plug attached to the bottom of the box, and pull the plug out. 7. Insert the top end of the SmartTop module where you removed the plug. 8. Insert the plug into the bottom end of the SmartTop module. In both cases, make certain that the module and plug are properly installed (with reference to the pins and holes), and that both the plug and module are tightly connected. 9. Replace the carpeted area against the back wall. There is a little lip that tucks under. 10. Re-attach the 2 steel ball and socket wires that hold the rear of the soft-top in place, then, either open or close the soft top and you are in business. Operating instructions: a. If you are moving at less than 25 mph, just press the open or close button and the cycle will begin. b. If you are stopped, a safety feature requires you to press the button opposite to your intentions for 2-3 seconds, and then press and release the button that you wish to activate. This safety feature prevents the top from being opened accidentally which could cause harm to bystanding persons. Here are some installation pics to make it even easier.

Wow! Thanks Don for a great informative write-up. I am sure those that just participated in the group buy will be very appreciative. I know I am. Cheers to you my friend

GO SOX!

Is it too late to get into this group buy? If so, can a new group buy get started?

Hi Sven Thanks for your offer. I thought it would be sent from the USA and not from Germany. Can you give me more details on how I can attend this groupbuy? Thanks in advance. Greetings

Hello, the same way as all the other groupbuyers. I am in a hurry..sorry more details from dell please! Regards, Sven

Dell, very nice of you to organize the group buy (too bad I already had one). I would like to add a step to the instructions that were given earlier in the thread. The SmartTop module comes with a velcro strap. Loosen (not remove) the 2 screws holding the "brown box" (as labeled in the instructions) and slip the velcro strap behind it. Wrap the strap around the brown box and the SmartTop module (after it is plugged in) and secure. This will prevent the module from becoming loose as you drive. Trust me on this...it will save you from having to manually remove the top to redo it later.

Just replied to your PM with the details. If ANYBODY else wants in on it they have just a couple days left until the group buy expires.

Thanks a lot, Dell. I owe you one

You're very welcome. Glad you could get in on the group buy. Cheers,

Thanks for organizing this. How long did your contact say it would take for delivery?

Not sure about the delivery times. You can call them direct to get an update (they are located in Kansas). Post back here what you find out if you call.

The 996 group deal shipments will go out tomorrow, the 986's went out yesterday.

Thanks for the update.....did they say how long? I am guessing just standard ground shipping?

He said on Monday or Tuesday, which was surprising to me but anytime next week is good for my needs.

Don, Great write up, thank you very much. Sox suck. Rob

That's it Rob.......No soup for you, 1 year!

i am in for one....2002 cab.....anyone know what the install is like?? is it a DYI or professional needed...if professional how much and what about the warranty???

This is going to fun down the home stretch.

Did you read the post? My bad...it's not in French.

trozen....not to be rude, but have you read ANY of this thread?

Rob, I think George can go ahead and make vacation plans for OCT since threre is NO way the Yanks are making the playoffs. 5 out in the East and 3.5 out in the Wild Card and no signs of improvement. I hate to say it, but this might be the first $200M "lottery team".

If it's not too late, I'd like to order one for a '03 Boxster S.

PM sent......

I might be interested for my 02 996 cab -- too late to participate? Sorry, missed this thread...

PM sent Led!

I'd like to get in on this group buy too! Sorry for the late response...

Dell you should be getting a commission.

I'm telling ya! I got nothing but the overrated respect from my peers Just kidding, I enjoy doing anything to help out 'round here. I should have negotiated the deal with Smart Top that I did with my wedding (my tux was free). I have to remember that for the next group buy! Unfortunately I only got the same deal as everybody else. FUNCARS.....PM SENT.

Dell, thanks for organizing! I'm all ordered. Speaking of which, did anyone get confirmation email from the wilhelmy-it site after putting through the order? I got confirmation of the payment on paypal, but nothing from wilhelmy-it...

ok....so i missed looking at the page button.....just got too excited....can i still be in? can you send me a PM for it??? thanks

TROZEN....ping me and I will get you the info.

done....

I wish I had a CAB just to get in on the group buy.....

I'm sure we could arrange it Dave! Trozen....PM sent. FYI.....I got mine in the mail today! Installing tomorrow. WAHOOOOOOOOO!

Just got done installing the Smart Top. Wow! That is so convenient to have. It took me a grand total of 10 minutes from beginning to end and that's including a quick top up/down operational test backing down the driveway and back into the garage. And the best part is there was NO splicing, cutting, modding, etc. and if I ever want I just remove the box and the car is stock again. Best part is that the car can be going up to 30mph for one-touch operation and NO e-brake required! Kudos to SmartTop (wilhelmy-it) for a great product. At little pricey but hey, so are these cars. My only complaint is the shipping charge of $15 that everybody (except us) pays when the package arrived with a grand total postage charge of $3.03. Other than that no complaints at all. Great working with the folks at Smart Top (Sven) and speedy shipping! If anybody has ANY questions at all about install, etc., feel free to ask away since I have now installed mine. The only snag I ran into was moving the white camlock release over since I couldn't find the "nipple" the instructions were referring to. I just used one of the wifey's compact mirrors and placed under it so I could see better and lo and behold there is a little tab that needs to be pressed up for the white camlock to move over. Other than that, no other snags and like I said less than 10 minutes total.

Dell - even though I couldn't benefit from it, Great job on the group buy! As they say in the backwoods "you done good!" Oh, BTW, check out page 3 of RLandis "Lease" thread, neat Idea he has for his wife's BMW.

Thanks Tim! I'll make sure the next group buy includes something for you guys with coupes. Don't let me forget to organize the group buy for the clear bra that Jim requested.........

Jim + clear bra = oxymoron!

That is one of the great conflict mysteries in science! Tim, I think you have discoverd a formula similar to the theory of relativity. Genius beyond your years

I received my unit today, fyi.

I received mine today, and just installed it. Thank's LVDell for doing this! You are right that tap was a BITCH to get off! I was about to say F**k it and break it off when it finally moved over. Anyway's after that, the whole thing took 2 min. after the 20 min. messing with the white tab! Thanks again!

Kevin....you are cracking me up! That is the MAIN reason I posted my install trials and tribulations and the trick about using the compact mirror to see the tab. But like you said, once you figure out where the tab is to depress (what Smart Top calls a "nipple"....by the way, what possessed them to call it a nipple?) then install is done in 2 minutes. Cheers,

FYI I called wilhelmy-it yesterday, and they said that the group purchase response was so overwhelming that we depleted their 996a/b stock. They received more yesterday, and all remaining orders were being shipped by end-of-day.

Wow! I knew we went way over the 10 I prommised them but I had no idea we depleted the stock. YEAH FOR RENNLISTERS!!!!! Time for Wilhelmy-IT to step up and become sponsors of this board.

Got mine today, and it was in the car within 15 minutes of being delivered to the door. Dell, kudos to you for organizing the purchase! One question for all: do the front windows close when you one-touch open your roof? Here's the scenario: everything all closed up. Pull away and hit the open roof button. SmartTop takes over, drops the windows, then the roof, and then the front windows close again. I was hoping that the front windows would stay down.

hello, that's right, after opening the roof the windows will close, like if you hold down the button without the smarttop. If you would like to keep the windows open, you can interrupt the progress by hitting either the open or the close button after the roof has opened. Regards, Sven Most of the 996 customers are "windows closed" driver...

Thanks for the quick response!

The website states that: NEVER drive faster than absolutely necessary while the roof is in motion, wind resistance increases drastically with higher speeds! Particularly NEVER operate the roof while accelerating! Once triggered within the permitted speed range, the automatic operation completes even at higher speeds than permitted , thus resulting in damage of the roof This didn't seem to work for me. As soon as I went over 30mph the operation of the top stopped. Any reason why this would be?

Rob, were you at WOT???

Hello, do you have a smarttop996-B installed? Regards, Sven

Don't know what that stands for, so probably not.

I hope so, that's what I orderd. How can I tell?

WOT=Wide Open Throttle="flooring it", "pedal to the metal", etc..

Nah, doing 32MPH... I'm a speed demon.

Hello, just looked into your order, yes you have ordered and received a smarttop996b so that's why the roof operation stops. Your car is able to operate the roof while driving as factory default. The smarttop996b does not change the factory behavior in this case. Regards, Sven

Does anyone's work while their car is in reverse?

Yes, my does. I wish the website was specific to the fact that the functionality described does not relate to model 2004+ cars. I already had the Bahntech, which worked perfectly for one-touch operation. The only thing I really gain with this product is the rear window operation. The Bahntech also doesn't have the feature where you have to hold the button down for 3 seconds before the one touch operation will function - this to me is really annoying... I may just install the Bahntech back and sell the SmartTop. ymmv, Rob

So you were sucked up into the Smartop whirlwind. For me, it's better than what I had. I have another question, I noticed with the rear windows rolled up along with the fronts that they rattle(together or to something) when going over bumps.

I don't have that problem... I need to find out where the speed limiter is.

Hello Rob, we are sorry for this inconvenience but the functionality on the 2004+ models can be considered exactly the same as on previous models, since the 2004 original control unit allows you to go even higher speeds than the smarttop does on the older models. We would never expect anyone to go even faster than this porsche factorty defined limit while the roof operation is in progress. During the development phase of the 996b smarttop we assumed the speed during the operation cycle should never exceed 31 mph. The fact that on the 2004+ models the roof operation will stop and the fact that on the older models simply continue even though the maximum was disregarded, is a result of the technical implementation: On the older models, where we had to control the handbrake and speed signals to the control unit, we simply decided to continue a once startet operation. In either case you definitly take the risk of damaging your soft top mechanics. The soft top construction was never build to be operated at speeds higher than 31 mph and the smarttop's intention never was to give the driver the ability to exceed the maximum allowed speed during operation. Regarding the three sesconds hold down: For some it may be annoying but it is matter of getting used to it and it definitly is safetywise one of the big advantages of the smarttop in comparison to other passive solutions. We designed the smarttop to give the driver the maximal possible comfort while maintaining the highest possible level of safety. The smarttop will not only enable your rear windows but it will also close all your windows (see description) when locking the car with the key in the driver's side door lock. Regards, Sven

Sven, Thanks for taking the time to respond, it's much appreciated. Rob

Unfortunately, I was on vacation for the past couple of weeks and neglected to puchase before leaving. I was informed by Sven last night via e-mail that the Rennlist group buy ended August 9th and that I would need to find 10 more people in order to reinstate it. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to do this rallying (an don't expect Dell to do it again either), so I will pass. Frankly, I find this a bit short sighted by the vendor and it pisses me off a bit. Dell -- I thought we blew way past the original 10 that were committed to?

Totally agree Led. I am sure Sven would honor the group buy since we had WAY more than the 10 required for the group buy. But it is his call to make. His userID is "sinus". Maybe PM him?

Dell, how did you go about conjuring up a group buy. I'd be glad to post to all the forums and see if we can round up another 10. Was their some formal agreement with Sven before you started?

@LedZec As I told you in the email today, we received some inqueries about another groupbuy and I asked you friendly to post 1 (one) message to start it. I am sorry that I cannot do that for you, but that's not because I do not want to, it's because of the very reasonable anti-spam-advertising rules here. It's not our intention to refuse you the groupbuy price, sorry for the misunderstanding. Regards, Sven

Hi Sven -- How many Rennlisters bought via the first groupbuy? If more than 20, don't you already have the "next 10"? Can't you just extend a bit? I just don't have the time to tally people and collect the information, etc.

@Led I have just talked to my partner and we decided to grant you the groupbuy price, I will send you a PM with the details. There were about 15 or 16 Rennlisters who bought via the first groupbuy. @Don I will send you the details about a new groupbuy, I have received about 5 or 6 inqueries concerning a new groupbuy. Regards, Sven

Sven, Thank you for your reasonableness. I have no doubt that you will find 5, 6, likely more than 10 Rennlisters will purchase your product. Thank you for extending the group buy. I do have Paypal and will follow your instructions in the PM. Mark

Just installed the unit in my 2000 Cab. The first time I opened the top it opened one touch. BUT...It would close one touch, had to hold the whole time unitl close and now won't open one touch either. It works exactly as it did before except I have the unit installed? Anyone?

See my reply in your other thread.