miatatopreplacement.com

How to shop. What to look for? What to ask?
I encourage every potential customer to shop when looking for a new top and I will even give you the proper ammunition you need when shopping. Below are the questions you should be armed with when looking for your new top. And don’t compromise, make sure every questioned gets answered.

“Why do I do this? Because I know that we are detailed, we do the work the way is should be done and at the end of the day, you will find we provide to best tops, the best installations, the best service, and the best price.”

When shopping for your Miatas replacement convertible top there are three questions to consider and these three questions should be put to your installer. If your installer can not answer yes to these three questions, I would recommend that you keep shopping.

Is the top frame of the convertible top removed from the car during installation of your new convertible top?
Does your convertible top offer more than a one year warranty for build quality? And additionally,what is the brand of the convertible top that is being put on your Miata. “Ask for the name brand of the top and write it down.”
Does your new convertible top include a new rain rail? Don’t compromise on this question. Your rain rail HAS to be replaced if your top is older than a 2001.If an installer says, “ We are going to reuse your old rain rail”, walk away. Vitally important.

Question 1) Is the top frame removed from the vehicle for the installation?

To properly install the Miata convertible top, the top frame should be removed from the vehicle. The design of the top frame is much like an umbrella in that the fabric cover of the umbrella is stretched over its frame and held in place by caps at the ends of the umbrella frame. The Mazda factory utilizes similar principles on the Miata top. The Miata top is stretched over the base of the tops frames’ b-pillars and capped in place.
If your installer is not removing the top frame from your Miata, they are taking short cuts at the b-pillar. Due to the cramped working area around the b-pillar, the top vinyl, caps, weather seals and hardware are extremely difficult to install and therefore are almost always incorrect or left incomplete when the top frame is not removed before the installation. The factory follows the same process as we do. The top is installed onto the top frame separate from the car and then once the top is fitted to the top frame it is then fastened to the car.
The convertible top CAN be attached, but is very difficult if not impossible to attach the convertible top to the top frame correctly or securely. One of the two fasteners on each side of the b-pillar is nearly impossible to re-install. This almost always assures that the the weather seals on each side at the b-pillar won’t be fastened soundly to the top frame.
The installer would have to have some special tools and take a lot of time and care to get it just right and most installer will not spend that kind of time or energy to insure the correct installation of your Miatas convertible top.
There are other advantages to removing the top frame. The Miata has very simple and very important water drainage system that is also incorporated into the body of the Miata and must be maintained. We also service this portion of the top drainage system. All of your Miatas drainage components are visually inspected, cleaned with a special soap, and tested for flow. The back deck behind the seats is also exposed when the top frame is off and this back deck is inspected for rust and corrosion and then cleaned. All the top fastening studs are lubricated.

Question 2) Does your new Miata convertible top come with more than a one year warranty?

Robbins offers a three year warranty on all their tops. Most top manufacturers only offer an one year warranty, which isn’t much. These tops are to be avoided. They just don’t hold up. They may look good at the start, but they quickly start coming apart. I have seen thes. Brands like Crown, Amco I certainly don’t like, manufacturers like EZ-On are somewhere in the middle, but as an installer I the fit, finish, material, and build quality is far below Robbins quality. As an installer the Robbins top is easier to install because its components are more precisely fitted and assembled and fit better going on without any

Question 3) Does your new convertible top include a new rain rain?

A Rain Rail is plastic and rubber channel that is attached to the bottom of the rear portion of the top. This rubber channel funnels water away from the top down to the drain pool on each side to the car. The plastic portion of the rain rail cracks and leaks over time and will leak water into the trunk. If you disturb or remove the rain rail on you top you will crack and damage it.