mx5cartalk.com

Hey Guys, long time reader, first time poster. I'm currently giving my 98 NB some love and doing it up with host of fixes (new wheels, new front bumper etc) after owning it for 8 years, one of which includes repairing the soft top.

It appears the soft top has previously had a tear repaired (before I got it) and that repaired tear is now coming apart. I've emailed a few car upholstery places in Brisbane and so far there have been no takers. Anyone have any recommendations for a place to get it repaired in Brisbane?

The repaired tear that's now coming apart...

I think people like the leather doctor, mobile guys that come to your place would do that sort of thing. They did a repair for me on a leather lounge and were brilliant.
I had a talk to the guy and asked if they do cars and he said yes, unfortunately he's on the Gold Coast but I'm sure they are in Brisbane as well. They do invisible repairs, not sewing patches on.
Cheers
Dale

Thanks for the speedy and helpful reply Dale! I found a guy from them that's near me in Spring Hill, so just shot an email of to them, hopefully they'll be able to help me out.

Thanks again,
Dave.

I've had trimming work done at All Car Interiors at Windsor/Lutwyche and have always been very pleased with the work. The fact that each time I have been there, there has also been at least one vintage Rolls or Bentley suggests that he does good work.

I actually contacted John at All Car Interiors just prior to posting, he suggested getting the roof replaced for a new one which would run about 1200. Seemed a little extreme to me as the current repair on it seems to have lasted a number of years. He was a nice guy to deal with though and was one of the few who didn't turn me away as soon as I mentioned Soft Top.

Yeah he is a good bloke, and would help out. If you decide to get a new roof, they are available after market in various colours and also material. I'd get a cloth one if I ever had to replace mine...

How did you go Darius, did you get it repaired

cheers
Dale

Just had it done yesterday. I was pretty happy with the result at first, but upon a second glance under the garage lights last night the repair appears even more noticeable than it did before hand. The guy who did it though was a really nice bloke and he said that his aim was to make the repair more durable than aesthetically pleasing as he couldn't offer a warranty on it as it was an external vinyl repair.

On the other hand, the old repair that was coming apart had a few years for it to fade and match the surrounding colour of the soft top, so I couldn't really expect an invisible repair. At least it's fixed though, so I won't have to worry about water dripping on the noggin in the future. I'll grab a pic tonight if I can.

Thats good that you don't have to worry about water dripping on your head now

Who did you end up getting and was it expensive

Cheers
Dale

Old Dude wrote:Who did you end up getting and was it expensive

I ended up getting the leather doctor to do it, he charged 120 which was fine by me and was done in about 45mins.



As you can see the repair mark is visible and appears shinier than the rest of the roof. This weekend i'll give the roof a few coats of armourall and see if that helps blend it in a bit better The guy who did it was extremely nice and he said that the roof probably didn't have long left anyway as there's cracks appearing on the underside of the roof. So looks like I might be up for a new sof top soon, although I really want to get some new wheels first

Looks good!

Forget Armourall though, buy some Aerospace 303 protectant. Waxit at Lawnton sell it and so do select Autobarn stores. There are two versions though, so make sure you get the one for vinyl, not cloth.

Looks a lot better than it did. did he put the same texture finish on it as well?
What NMX516 said the 303 is good stuff.
Cheers
Dale

NMX516 wrote:Forget Armourall though, buy some Aerospace 303 protectant. Waxit at Lawnton sell it and so do select Autobarn stores. There are two versions though, so make sure you get the one for vinyl, not cloth.

Thanks for the tip NMX516, i'll head over to Autobarn this Saturday and pick some up. If the rest of the roof is nice and shiny, shouldn't be too noticeable.

Old Dude wrote:Looks a lot better than it did. did he put the same texture finish on it as well?

Cheers Dale. He put a slightly different texture finish as it was a lot stronger using that compound, rather than a similar texture that would have turned out weaker. Overall it was a pretty good result for a relatively cheap cost!

Thats great Darius, it looks good,
I think the 303 will blend it nicely, it is hard when you have natural fade and given time that will happen with the repaired section as well.

cheers
Dale