Soft top pinch point and repair?

[Old Dude]

Tried one of those (Clarke type) rubber places, Century I think but no luck with the fabric backed vinyl. I will see if I can find a Clarke rubber, or maybe even a motor trimmer.
You certainly have been around Benny, a lot of experience there.
Thanks for your help
Cheers
Old Dude

[TieNN89]

Does anyone know anything about these?

http://www.gomiata.com/bpire19.html

[Old Dude]

No Tien, have never seen them before, any idea how they work?? I'd be interested in anything that would stop the top from getting caught.
Cheers
Dale

[TieNN89]

No Tien, have never seen them before, any idea how they work?? I'd be interested in anything that would stop the top from getting caught.
Cheers
Dale

Ill shoot them off with an email

[TieNN89]

Haven't sent the email yet

but found this instruction for installing a top

If you do a search for retainers you'll that piece

http://www.miata.net/garage/MiataTop2/index.html

[Old Dude]

Hi Tien
If you look at pictures 19,20,21,22, on the "installing a Top" site you listed, it shows that retaining arm you previously posted, and picture 23 shows the stop that the fabric actually gets caught under. So I don't know if the retainers are what were looking for to stop the pinch point. But I might be wrong...?
Cheers
Dale

[Alex]

I noticed this problem a while ago with my car, but only on the passenger side. Simple solution, now i put the top down slowly while reaching across and pulling on the softtop material that used to get caught.
Takes a bit longer to get the top down but it works.

[Old Dude]

yep I do the same now Alex, but unfortunately it nipped my top before I was aware thats were it was getting caught, I only noticed it after the damage was done
Cheers
Dale

[Alex]

mine showed up as a flatish spot in the vinyl, noticed it when i was washing the car then I found the cause, it hasn't ripped or made a hole yet.

[Old Dude]

Any luck Tien
cheers
Dale

[smmax]

You guys are great! Reading this forum is the best preventative maintenance source ever.
Went and had a look and notice a very small spot on the passenger side, bugger, never use that side much.

Seems to me the culprit is the dome stop that mounts on the parcel shelf. The Top Down view picture (second picture) shows just how close the folder can get to the spot were the hole happens. The first picture shows the dome mount on the parcel shelf.


I think a permanent fix may be to raise the stop point by adding some rubber on the far side of the dome mount so that it never can squeeze the roof material at all.

Anybody tried that?

[Old Dude]

Hi SMMAX
In your second picture, the part on the top that mates with the dome mount on the parcel shelf when the top is down, on my car the top stop has a raised bit to leave a gap between the dome and the stop, to help avoid squashing the fabric, but if your not careful when you lower the top it can get caught under that bit as well and thats what damaged my top.
Cheers
Old Dude

[smmax]

Another good spot Old Dude, your right, a raised bit is there.
Seems the top part of the stopper on the passenger side on mine is more "inwards" than the drivers side. By 3mm roughly. Need to find out why.

If this only affects 2001s, what is difference on the later setups that stops this happening?

Any 03-05 guys care to take a look and report back? (Please).

[Alex]

Mine is an NB8A and I have this issue so it could be useful for the 98-00 users as well.
But I only noticed it after the BD, but then I've had the BD on since soon after I got the car so might not have noticed before.

[Old Dude]

I think it effects all of the NB's, I don't know about the NA's though.
Cheers
Dale