New top and installers needed - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

It happened. I was trying to get one more top down drive before the season ended and my rear window has split. I’m looking for recommendations for installers in the Baltimore/Columbia MD area. Also any opinions on the glass vs plastic window versions from Gahh? I feel like I want glass for the perceived durability but I’m not sure the retrofit actually works well. Opinions please!

for the price of a new top + the installation fee, I'm sure you'd be at $2k, right? Why not just get a used 2003/04 top assembly? Theres one on ebay right now for 1200, and I'm sure if you search junkyards / facebook marketplace around your area you could probably find one cheaper. Yes, the tops are old but the original fabric is quite durable

Trust me....(but these are just my suggestions, from experience) 1. Bite the bullet and find a local shop that HAS EXPERIENCE on replacing the top on a Boxster. Sure you could do it yourself but trust me, I strongly suggest a pro. Top w/ labor will be about $1,000-$1,400 (depending on location and labor rates) 2. Suggest you let the shop buy the top. Only a couple of choices but best to let the shop choose based on their experience. 3. Glass window or plastic window? The glass is smaller than the plastic but the glass window will never haze over, crack or scratch and never develop a crease. the glass window has defrosting wires that will plug into your cars defroster controls (most Boxsters) The plastic window is larger. (In my case I really didn't care that the glass window is smaller because 99% of the time my Boxster is driven top down and only in the summer, not year round. Just my 2 cents ....like discussions on "best oil to use" I'm sure others will have their own opinions.....good luck.

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All good advice. Any opinions on fabric? Twillio vs German A5? What about service mode with a glass top, any problems?

I can't recall which fabric my new top has, but it's the same as the original 21 year old top was.....I believe it is the German A5. But best to seek the advice of the shop you choose. Given their experience I would ask and question them. As far as the slightly reduced "service position" access with the glass window....to be honest it doesn't pose an issue for me. Once the top is in the "service position" I just use a bit of duct tape to secure the glass window an additional 2"-3", I've had plenty of room to replace the air filter, Mass Air Sensor and access the top of the engine with zero difficulty. The big pluses with the glass are: ...Defroster wires ...Easy to clean ...No aging, fogging, hazing or cracking ...Slightly better sound deadening ...Looks better (IMHO) Let us know what you decide and how it works out, no matter which you choose.....

Robbins and GAHH both make glass window tops for '97 thru '02 986 Boxsters. In general the task of installing one is much the same though Mathew Johnson was kind enough to provide these supplimental notes. Here's a little review of my install of the Robbins glass window top: Removing and installing a new top is really not that difficult. In hindsight, I can see why everyone says that if they had to do it again, it would be very quick (6 hours or less). - The Robbins top is very good quality material, but the glass window does make it a little odd getting into place, since it weighs a lot more than the plastic. Extra hands help, but it can be done solo. - Get the back centered, it will bunch up and cause the mechanism to drag on one side if it's not straight. The rear most bow should have a marking at the center. Line up the center seam of the top with that. - The smaller 'tab' or flap on the inside of the top is the one that gets wedged into the top most slot in the back bow. Use a wooden dowel or something similar to push the plastic 'wedge' strip in there.. Again, be sure the top is straight. - The plastic deals in the B pillar? Just buy new ones. $45 from the dealer. Just do it. The old ones get brittle and things just break on them. You'll probably bugger at least one of them up while you're figuring out how to remove them. (the four part numbers are 986-561-560-01, 986-561-670-03, 986-561-559-01, and 986-561-669-03... neither part included the four push pins... so I've got to look them up, and replace them. The top will hold the parts in place temporarily, but having the pins in there guarantees a little security) - Get about 8 to 10 small clamps. Use these for clamping the sides of the top to the aluminum plates to let glue dry. - If you want to use double sided tape, get some good upholstery or automotive tape. Office stuff just won't cut it. Trust me. - When unscrewing the four screws on the sides (after removing the little retainer with the phillips screws), there ARE four screws, the back one is just covered by some of the weather stripping. BE SURE TO GET THE LAST SCREW... or you could bend up the aluminum plates. I bent mine up a little, but was able to reshape it. - When you're attaching the aluminum plates to the top, do this with the top off, laying on a flat, clean surface. Use an awl to punch the holes in the material so that you'll be able to see them when you're getting the top on the car. - If you use glue to attach the plates, use your clamps and let the glue set for the MINIMUM amount of time needed. - When installing the top, line up the sides (the aluminum plates) and screw them in first. Then stretch the material over the front of the frame, and glue it down. Use your clamps to hold it, and again, let it set for the minimum amount of time. - At the base of the B pillar, when getting the screw in place for the cable termination, put the screw through the cable eye, the lockwasher and the tab in the top, then use a pair of needlenose pliers with one hand to stretch it into place while you use a screwstick in the other hand to line it up and screw it in. When all is said and done, the top will be TIGHT. When trying to close mine for the first time, the hook was about 2" away from the socket on the window frame. It took myself and a buddy to pull the top down enough to get the hook in. Close it slowly to let the material stretch a bit. If you have a heat gun, (not a blowdryer... they'll overheat too quickly) heat up the area around and aft of the B pillar to stretch the material. Once you have it closed, let it sit in the sun during the day for a few days. Today, almost a week later, I put the top down, and when I put it back up, I had to pull it forward a little to get the hook in the latch. The rear window works by not attaching the top material to the bow behind the B pillar. In the OEM top, there are two 'tabs' that slides into the 'primary' bow (the one that's just behind your head) and bow behind it. When the top opens, the rear bow collapses to the front, folding the top material, forcing the plastic window to fold. With the Robbins top, the top does not attach to that rearward bow. It is allowed to slide forward to the primary bow, giving enough material to fold over and allow the glass to sit down in the top compartment. Visibility is changed a little bit... given the top of the glass is probably 2" lower than the plastic window... so it almost feels like I'm looking downward out the rear window... but the glass is CLEAR!! It's a little bit of a tradeoff, but over my old top with the very foggy rear window, it's a HUGE improvement.

And if you are wondering about the complexity, https://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/replacingthetop-adiy

A great reply....and (in my case) so glad I had an experienced professional do the work for me...lol. I dropped the car off one morning and picked it up at 5pm that same evening....easy peezy! But IF you have the time, PATIENCE, and the desire to DIY and save a few hundred dollars, go for it. Let us know what you wind up doing and how it all worked out for you.

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Super helpful info. I’m still shopping around and considering doing it myself. Not sure if the parts need to be replaced as none of the YouTube videos highlight breaking but I don’t rule out needing to replace them. This definitely makes me consider doing it myself because I’d be worried a shop might not properly repair or replace any parts that get broken on removal or install. Has anyone experienced this issue? Also still waiting for a call back from an installer who is discouraging German A5 and says to go with Twillfast presumably because the install is a bit easier. How does Twillfast really hold up? My OEM too is decent after 23 years so I’m inclined to go with German A5 or German A5 acoustic to keep the same OEM look and feel.

I would say: go with the top your installer recommends because both are good tops and you want to go with what your installer has used before. (that assumes he's experienced with that top and Boxsters. You really don't want to hear any "excuses" from your installer why his final work wasn't "perfect" so go with what he recommends......or find an experienced installer who has.

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So I ended up getting a Gahh top with the glass rear window. I also got the German acoustic. Top up it is much quieter and looks factory. It looks fabulous with the glass window. I paid a local shop to install. For me it was a question of time and I just don’t have a lot of time lately to do these projects. The shop claimed they had previous experience with boxsters. When I called to a quote they wanted me to come by so they could look the car over. The tech immediately checked out the condition of my b pillar parts. Mine were ok but the installer recommended that I get parts. So glad I did because it made removal and install a lot smoother I was told. Top fits tight like from the factory. Thanks for all the advice folks.

So what was the total costs, parts and labor?

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The top cost $1700. Labor was $1400. B pillar parts $150.

WOW!....that's almost twice what I paid (Chicago area) $1,700 all in. But sounds like they did a great job. Enjoy it.

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I did shop around and received similar quotes. Labor costs are high in Maryland and there aren’t many places that do this kind of work. The other shop I called was probably good but the place I went with gave me a positive feeling. Their immediate questions and concerns showed a level of knowledge and experience with the boxster that others did not.

Sounds like you made a good decision and best of all you'll (hopefully) never have to do it again.....drive safe.

I had a 2000 Boxster with the plastic window and now a 2004 with glass. I liked the plastic window better because visibility was better to the rear. Also and bit more intangible, the increased sense of being in a greenhouse with the daylight coming in. The glass window is a bit of a porthole. I did have to replace the top once on the 2000 when the rear plastic cracked. I am in Vermont and there is a top-notch installer nearby in Richmond, Vermont who specializes in tops and interiors for those in the "old car hobby."

In my case, I didn't mind the reduced size of the rear glass window at all. Since 99% of my driving my (summer driver) 98 Boxster is on sunny summer days the top is always down all summer long (garage kept). In fact, I try to wait till the seasons change in the Midwest so I can lower the top only once or twice a season. The top's gears and micro switches are all 26 year old original parts so I tend to "baby" them by as infrequent open and closing as possible......that's just me.

Sorry/not sorry, $3K+ simply is ridiculous for a cloth top and installation. Could have bought an overpriced hard top for that kind of quid. I removed my failing vinyl window and blacked it out. Tomorrow I'll finish with silicone. One day I'll replace the window, or top, but presently am uninspired to remove the top and bring it to have a new window sewn in. $.02

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Having a new window sewn in was an option but my top had also shrank or was not fitting properly around the clamshell. The new top fits well with no gaps, wrinkles, or popping out of alignment when raising. I’m sure I could have installed it myself but time is money. You can also get the cheap tops from eBay but good luck getting someone to install it. When I called around about installation and asked about bringing my own top I was told that unless it was a top from specific resellers they would not quote me for the job and would charge straight time or not do it because there were too many unknowns. Book time for a top is 10 hours. Yes some people can do it in less time especially if not their first time. The math maths.