Soft/Hard top in Melbourne

[fkngundam]

just glancing at this forum, a lot of people here seem to be from syd lol

Anyways hey peepz

just bought an mx5 just recently and although im not a nub driver (JUST come off my P's), i am a nub in driving my MX5

Recently i just read the PROPER and careful way to take down the soft top and had i have known that sooner, i wouldnt be in this problem...

okkk

The rear plastic on the mx has developed a tear in it, and although its 1cm, its still alarming that if it gets worse im in trouble...

Does anyone know how i can fix this in the melbourne area (western subz) or where i can find a replacement thats not going to rape me in the pocket

The top itself is pretty good, its just the plastic in the end?

If someone could point me in the right direction, id appreciate it heaps!

[Jace]

if you're feeling DIY and a little bit dodgy, you can replace the plastic yourself.
i've only ever read about it, never seen an end result and won't bother trying it myself until i absolutely have to.

anyway, what i read was (and i can't remember where i read it) was that you can replace it yourself by cutting out the old plastic, leaving roughly 10mm or so of old plastic behind all the way around.
then glue (the guy used Tarzans Grip; i'd get a good Loctite product...) a new sheet of clear plastic in (maybe Clark Rubber would have it).
it'll look a little yucky, but it would be watertight and ~secure~.

[Jeo]

No personal experience but other members here have always had good things to say about the MX5 Centre, and they are a forum sponsor too Even if they can't help you themselves, I'm sure they can point you in the right direction.

[Mr Morlock]

Repeating myself but plastic rear window is a fact of life for many sports cars and of course many old tourers built from the early 1900's. If you want a rough job you could simply attach a patch. Most prefer to replace the window and you need to find a trimmer to do it. Someone like Dick Richey at the MX5 factory or the guys at the Healey factory up the road from Dick's will point you to a trimmer. Lift the phone or go and chat with someone. PS only quality UV resistant plastic should be used in windows.

[wun911]

I think somone on the big forums has stuck lexan there.

Its like 1/2 the weight of glass and its more impact resistant.

Dont need the de mister beacuase its plastic so it dont fog up as easy.

Can save weight and be practical at the same time

[bensale]

I think somone on the big forums has stuck lexan there.

Its like 1/2 the weight of glass and its more impact resistant.

Dont need the de mister beacuase its plastic so it dont fog up as easy.

Can save weight and be practical at the same time

Thats an interesting idea actually. Could be a good replacement for those of us with plastic windows...

[Mr Morlock]

sure lexan - brand name ( PC) has more impact resistance to glass . However car windows are still made from glass- why? Reason is that it is relatively cheap to produce, is optically very good and it is very robust and complex shapes are not a problem- smashing side and rear windows is low risk. PC is commonly used in headlamp lenses but unless it is has a hard coat protection it will deteriorate very rapidly. All OE PC headlamp lenses are coated and this process actually is quite tricky as coating faults mean perfectly good mouldings can end up in the dumpmaster. Whilst a bit off topic simple fog lamp lenses are still often made from glass ( essentially a stamping process) as the cost is less for tooling and they do not need to be coated.

[matt9111]

I recommend speaking to Dick at the MX5 Factory in Ringwood, my girlfriends NA had the same problem, so we got him to fit a glass rear window with the demister, didn't cost too much (can't remember how much sorry). It works really well, only thing is, you always have to unzip the window to take off the roof, but it'll never go yellow or crappy looking because its glass.

Cheers

[Benny]

I would tend to stay away from using lexan.
After a short while, it will start to craze and go cloudy especially if it is in the sun.

If you only have a small tear in the plastic, just use some clear tape to cover it.
When your roof starts to get old, then replace it.
There is also stuff made by 303 and Meguirs which will clear up the plastic and make it a bit softer too and that will prevent the plastic from ageing as fast and leave you with a nice clear window.

If you decide that you have to replace the plastic rear screen, a decent trimmer will probably charge you around $200-$300 to do it as he really has to take the roof off the car to fix it.

[PUR157]

There is also stuff made by 303 and Meguirs which will clear up the plastic and make it a bit softer too and that will prevent the plastic from ageing as fast and leave you with a nice clear window.

Sorry to take this off topic but which products are you talking about Benny?
People talked about the plastic polish for rear windows before but they always added that it made the plastic more brittle

[Juffa]

Sorry to take this off topic but which products are you talking about Benny?
People talked about the plastic polish for rear windows before but they always added that it made the plastic more brittle

In my experience the Meguairs Plastic Cleaner, and Meguiars Plastic Polish kept the plastic window clear, but they cannot prevent UV damage, only delay it. Eventually the plastic window will become brittle to the point of breaking.

J