Ok, here goes: I just replaced my top, $1697 installed, by a great local shop and they did a terrific job. Labor was about $800, about 8-10 hours for my shop (who does this for a living). I'm in Maryland -- Bay Country Upholstery in Annapolis did the work. Other local estimates ranged from $1500 to $2300 installed. Don't pick lowest price, pick someone you trust to will it right the first time without refitting.
The top comes in two pieces and they are generally priced separately: the window section and the top section. I looked online and found prices from $500-1200 for the set (new, not installed), so be sure to look around. Good quality sets were $800-900, without installation. The head liner is sold separately; I kept my original, since it was in fine shape. I did find places that would be willing to put in just a new window, but the labor and cost to do so was almost the cost of replacing the whole top.
You'll have a choice between the more expensive ($100-300) German fabric (like the original) or the American, or other cheaper types. I can't remember the differences, but I seem to recall the German has three layers bonded together and the American had two. I also thought there was a difference in the proportions of materials (poly vs. cotton). I decided on the German, to keep it as close to original as possible. (The fabric and backing are identical to my old top) Others on this forum have chosen the American and are happy with it. If you check some online sites, they'll explain the differences.
I've been told Robbins was the original Porsche manufacturer. Mine came from GAHH in California, near Robbins. Both high quality. There are differences in the quality of workmanship in tops, like: Some don't put a lip above the window or have a weird lip, so water doesn't drain to the back properly. Some use different types of plastic for the window. Stitching is actually different, and some use cotton threads (which bleach out over time), some use poly or a blend. Some don't fit as well as others; they all make their own patterns. My installer likes to work with GAHH (they only make luxury car tops) because he said they always fit perfectly (he's had others that he's had to really work hard to fit) and it's high quality, and in his 30 years in business he's never had a problem with them. When he checked the Robbins price for me, it was just an ooch more than GAHH.
Some surprises: Because the fabric is new and will stretch over time, it's a seriously tight fit to close and lock the top, but that's how you want it initially. Also, when folded up, my boot cover now fits very tight because the top fabric is stiff. I ended up with the boot cover's two corner tenaxes pulling away from the fabric, ready to tear the fabric. The shop had some of the fabric on hand so they did a nice job of putting a reinforcing corner 'patch' on the boot cover and moving the tenax fasteners out for a better fit. It blended in great, looks like that's the way the boot cover always was meant to be.
First mistake I made was drying the freshly washed window with a super soft terry cloth towel, like I always use on glass. Drat! It put minute scratches into the window. I now only use a microfiber towel (one that I bought to dry my crystal stemware), no more scratches.
I also bought a $4 polar fleece throw and cut it to fit in the window when I fold the top down. Per my shop's instruction, I make a small roll where the crease line of the window is (about 1/3 down from the window top), to eliminate a hard crease line. The throw also separates the plastic so the window doesn't scratch itself. A pain to remember to stop halfway when I put the top down to position the throw , but after two months, there are no new scratches on the window and no crease line.
A major recommendation from my shop is to always put the top up when I'm not driving the car (it's garaged) to keep the fabric and window fitting properly and minimize creases in the fabric and window. They also recommended that I clean the top and window with just regular car wash liquids, not to use special purpose convertible top cleaners or sealants, not to use a brush (too harsh on the fabric) and to rinse well. They also said not to use Windex or other glass window cleaners on the window, it can damage the plastic over time; just use regular car wash liquid. (I use a microfiber wash cloth, it doesn't scratch).
There are issues with buying just the window section (color match, stitching color match, installation time/effort) or with buying a used top -- first, hope that they de-installed it without damaging the edges; my shop had to cut some small parts away to remove it. I was thinking of selling it (navy blue) but it has a 2" tear in the top section and the window is badly fogged; it will be in Hershey for Anchorman to test out window cleaning and de-fogging products this weekend. Also, most of the original tops have stretched and shrunk in ways you won't know til you try to install it; mine was shrinking away from the windows, allowing some water in. And the #1 top 10 issue: they tend to look like 70's leisure suits with that white top stitching (original stitching color bleached out over time)!
See my thread on this forum "Naked Cabriolet" in the technical section for photos and other people's comments as well. Will dig out some before/during/after photos and post here.
Good luck, Steve! Hope this helps.
