I have a gray braided string that sticks out of the joint in the convertible top side rail above the drivers window of my 2005
Boxster S
. I'm sure it's been discussed before but I don't know to even begin to search for this. I keep seeing topics about some sort of elastic. This string is not elastic, it's just a braided string. Can anyone point me to a thread that deals with this issue? Thanks!
Can you take a picture of what you have and post it?
If it's above the window, it's likely a sign of a degraded top... which is expected after all these years. You may want to open the top and take a look at what fits in that groove, and take a pic of that too.
That gray braided string/rope is what passes through the elastic loop to keep the canvas taut when raising the top. In most cases, the elastic gets stretched out and limp which causes the canvas to come to rest outside of the trim rail when restoring the top to closed condition. Since your gray string is hanging out completely, it seems as though the elastic has let go completely and needs replacing. There are numerous videos on YouTube and as many methods to repair. I did my fix a couple of years ago. Took 15-20 minutes per side and about $3 worth of elastic purchased at a craft shop. Some use a sewing method, I used a heavy duty clamp type stapler to secure the elastic around the gray string for my repair.
I know there are several threads about it somewhere here. It's not the elastic one
@WTFChuck
discussed. This one has something to do with the headliner, but what - I've never actually been able to determine.
Big clue for finding things here - Google search is much better than our built-in search. The syntax to use in Google is site(colon)planet-9.com search phrase lets see if I can show an example.
The reason I have the : in text in my sample above is - our forum software interprets that as a smilie emoticon.. but you can see the syntax used in the copied example.
The very last result there - looks like what you need:
https://www.planet-9.com/threads/boxster-roof-pleat-cord-failure-and-diy-fix.247669/
Well - that thread sorta has a bit of an answer.
Most of that thread is about a different string - used on the 981 and newer tops. We 987 owners don't have that one to the best of my knowledge.. but what Jeff
@jjrichar
gave you is a photo with the string shown, and a hint as to what it's purpose is. See the photo he has of the inside of the top - with the arrow pointing to the string that we don't have. To the left in that photo you'll see another string just laying on the inside of the top. That's the one we're concerned with. That one goes into the edge of the headliner helping to pull it tightly in place when the top is closed. It's normal for it to be somewhat loose when the top is open.
My added comment is in red. That string normally goes through a tubular channel sewn into the edge of the headliner. Mine isn't particularly tight, but the only effect I see from that is when the top is up, the back corner of the headliner isn't taut - it's a bit floppy - but since I'm facing forward driving the car it doesn't bother me. I ignore it. I'm not sure where the end attachments are, but if you can purchase a replacement string, I guess you could splice the new with the old and pull the new one through the channel somehow.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. And Welcome to
Planet-9, the Friendly Helpful Porsche Forum
where good people are welcome!
That’s why pictures of these issues are needed to home in on the specific problem. Based on the OP’s description, I was guessing it to be the tension string that is held taut by the elastic when closing the top. My pic with the highlighted area shows a ’gray braided string’ mentioned by the OP. Apparently there is more than one ‘gray braided string’ involving the convertible top. For any fans of the ‘REACHER’ series on Netflix, “details matter”.
Thanks guys. I'm away from the car right now, I'll get photos up as soon as I can.
Indeed - pictures help... your photo shows the top-tension elastic, and the headliner tension string. One of the two "strings" in your picture is part of the headliner tension string.
What I see in your photo:
My comments in
YELLOW
When the top is closed these pull the rear corners of the headliner down. My drivers side one is stilll doing that, the passengers side not so much. They run through a sewn in channel on the outer edges of the headliner, from somewhere down below in the back to the front of the headliner. Since it hasn't annoyed me, I haven't paid any attention to it.
I have a thread, rather long one on the other part - the top elastics.. let me see if I can find a good photo of the top tension thing/elastic in it..
The thread (long, but detailed):
https://www.planet-9.com/threads/987-boxster-roof-elastics-replacement.253021/
And using a photo from it - both are identified:
The tricky bit is - there are no exploded diagrams showing these items in detail, and where they go and where they hookup... I think we need
@jjrichar
to get a flooded 987 that he could dissect and document like he did for the 981.. Maybe we can start a go-fund-me thing?
Quickly chiming in here. I too had one side (passenger's?) where a silver cord was detached on a 987 soft top in very good shape whereas the driver's side seemed fine.
I'm pretty sure that the cord's end was connected to a swatch of fabric that apparently had been
glued
to the underside of the soft top -- and the fabric came loose. This was apparently how it came from the factory.
Interestingly enough, I didn't see any loose stitching anywhere at that cord end. My thought was that the glue had dried out and fatigued over time, and that there were reasons why it hadn't been stitched to the top at the factory. Thoughts were for aesthetics (stitching might have looked ugly), too costly or cumbersome to stitch, and potentially unnecessary if it only required a low amount of tension during folding. Makes sense if it's just pulling in a single fold.
Again, this might not be the same silver cord as in yours. I did see a different one that I think went across the top, which may have been similar to what
@jjrichar
shows in the 981.
As this location was extremely hard to reach and I would not have been able to glue it back in to match the other side, I reeled it in and wound it up so it wouldn't get damaged (I think it starts near the door sill), and just left it for a future repair if/when I ever take the soft top off the car. Didn't seem mission critical.
Not to take over from the OP, but I have this same issue / question. I have some honey-do tasks to take care of this morning, but I'll take some snaps of what it looks like on my car and upload them later today.
[Image-only or quote-only post; no author-written text.]
