[lbpesq]

A warning to anyone using the wind deflector. At first it seemed the top could go up and down with the deflector installed. Unfortunately, I found this wasn't true. I put my top down for the cruise up Hwy. 25 on my way back from Paso Robles (great time!). I was admittedly lazy and decided to run the 60 mile stretch without hooking up the boot which also requires undoing the deflector to get the boot on. This was the first time I had lowered the top for any extended period of time without first uninstalling and re-installing the deflector. When we got to 101, I put the top back up and found that it had torn in the same place on both sides! After I got home I checked it out closer. It appears that when the top is lowered with the deflector installed, the lower part of the deflector, (the half that makes a screen "shelf" behind the seats), restricts the top from seating all the way down, causes the mechanism to push harder into the top material and results in very clean 2 inch long tears, (almost like knife cuts), on either side of the top! Yuuuccchhhh! So now I guess I'm in the market for a new top. Boy, that wind deflector was expensive! Oh well, at least I can see about following Flash's lead and getting a zip out window. (Flash: how did that work out once you drove at speed with it open?).



Any suggestions on where to get a new top would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to find one in dark blue.



Bill

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[flash]

that sucks - yes, you are supposed to remove the deflector to lower the top - the only reason any of us can leave it in is because we have the chassis brace installed, and we modify the deflector legs to make the horizontal section sit in a different place



the zip out window will not help that situation, and will cost you more in premium over the normal top cost than the deflector cost - cool, but not cheap

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[rxter]

I've been top up top down several times this week with the brace and the deflector. I don't have to remove the deflector to put the top up or down, but I do have to release the legs and let it sit down in the back. It now takes a good 5 minutes to change the top position, and I have to be very careful when the top clears the deflector, but it seems to work OK. Clearly the deflector is not the best design. FWIW I've found a fair amount of wind still gets through as well. I am back to the drawing board on this one when I get home.

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[flash]

a fair amount of wind with the widows up and the deflector in place? weird - it's pretty calm in my car

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[lbpesq]

My deflector worked quite well, so long as the windows were up. I took the car to the top guy yesterday (a really nice guy who did the top on my Miata two years ago and has his shop about 1 mile from my house). He pointed out that my top was pretty worn anyway - it's on its third window. I'm doing my homework now on new top alternatives: German Sonnenland Cloth, Sonnendeck, Haartz Twillfast, Gahh, etc. Any recommendations gladly accepted. And next time I'll loosen the deflector and get it out of the way when I put the top down!



Bill

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