Glass Roadster Top - New Group buy (May 2013)

[JohnnyLounge21]

After not receiving the top after 15 weeks and definitively receiving word that I will be moving to Southern California (in late December) I have decided to not take delivery of the top. Mrfiat was very cool about it and refunded me immediately. This may be something that I revisit after a year or so - but with my new geographical situation, I doubt that I will be getting one as much as I loved the way it looked. There's just too many opportunities year round to have the top off and I'd hate to feel constrained to leave the top on for weeks at a time.

Good luck to future buyers! If you're in a more multi-season area of the country, this is the top for you!

 

[ibcs]

Received my glass top from MrFiat.com yesterday for the roadster. Absolutely, love it. Very high quality and not too hard to install. First time takes about 15 minutes after that I'm sure it could be done in less than 5 minutes. It's great to be able to see the sunshine and the great outdoors through the top during cold weather. Obviously, it would be much nicer to have no top on, but at 40 degrees the top is very nice. One added bonus is that the air noise was dropped considerably after installing the clear glass top versus the rag top.

 

[Rik]

I have seen others post issues with a solid and waterproof seal. How is yours in that regard?

 

[ibcs]

I have seen others post issues with a solid and waterproof seal. How is yours in that regard?

The seals seem outstanding once I figured out how to get it installed. I have not driven in rain, but will report back with my experiences. I can't believe how muffled the wind noise is compared to the soft top.

---Kent

 

[Rik]

I'm in VA and get a fair bit of rain/sleet and definitely want to learn from your OH experience. If I recall right, it was $3,100 + 100 shipping? and how long did it take to receive it?

 

[eeenmachine]

I get a lot of creaking going over bumps in the road, do I have mine on too tight or loose or do I need to lubricate the mounting points?

 

[ibcs]

I get a lot of creaking going over bumps in the road, do I have mine on too tight or loose or do I need to lubricate the mounting points?

I've noticed the creaking sounds, but they only occur when going out of the driveway or over speed bumps. I will update as I get more experience. The cost was $3290 including shipping. I placed my order on 8/19/13 and received it on 11/13/13. Their were quite a few orders ahead of me. Originally, it does have quite an odor, which I'm still trying to air out. Leaving the windows down while in the garage. Can't figure what the smell is, but I'm sure it will dissipate with time.

---Kent

 

[7racer]

I just installed mine like 2 hours ago but haven't taken it for a spin.

No smell with mine, but mine was a later production? I usually only drive in the dry so no water test but that will come with the next car wash.
Will try to see about the creaking. I have mine tightened down pretty tightly but ftw, my OEM CF hardtop creaked too...it took some tweaks to get it to stop.

 

[wiztecy]

The creaking could be certain pinch points where the top meets the CF covering of the rollbar in the back. Double check your clearance there. I was the 1st one who started this glasstop experiment and had to customize mine to make it fit. i.e.: sanding the rear of the glass top where it really connected / overlapped the rollbar CF and I also had to extend the original door seals of the top, the were 1/8" - 1/4" too short towards the rear which allowed water to drip inside the Roadster when it rained. I cut the seal and expanded it using styrofoam and some really good heavy duty black gasket maker, like the silicon stuff but thicker and stronger. Worked well and no leaks, I keep my Roadster outside all year since I don't have a garage.

As for the smell, I didn't have that. My top was sitting for some time @ MR.Fiat. Either mine didn't have the smell or it had time to offgas.

I don't use my stock Roadster top anymore, I put it on every once in a while for a change of look and lines. Makes the car look longer. But I typically roll in the summer with the soft top since I can just pop it off and toss it in the trunk, no top which is preferred, mesh top if its really sunny or a slight chill and I still want the sun/wind environment, and once temps start dipping down in the fall I throw the clear top on. The Roadster is small in the cockpit so putting on the stock hard-top or soft top really limits my visibility and cuts me off from the outside environment which the Roadster connects me more with each day and its always a pleasure capturing the moon at night above me while on a drive.

 

[adiggs]

... I also had to extend the original door seals of the top, the were 1/8" - 1/4" too short towards the rear which allowed water to drip inside the Roadster when it rained. I cut the seal and expanded it using styrofoam and some really good heavy duty black gasket maker, like the silicon stuff but thicker and stronger. Worked well and no leaks...

Wiztecy - I think the problem you are describing here, that the seal runs short towards the back, is one of the same problems we are having with our glass top. Compared to the soft top seal, which runs to the back and then wraps around/over the vertical door seal, the glass top seal runs up to but not over that vertical seal.

I'm thinking the fix is to snip off the end of a soft top seal (I've priced them with Tesla service) and then glue/attach that to the end of the existing glass top seal.

If you have any other notes, pictures, or details for that bit of engineering you had to do, as well as how the back corners perform now, that would be a big help.

I think I have some pictures somewhere that will help make this more clear.

Thanks

 

[wiztecy]

Here's my writeup of the fix from another thread:

---------------
So I had some time and did modifications on the top:

1) Shaved the rear of the top approx 1/8". Was hitting the rear CF rollbar cover. Use a file and power sander.
2) The door seals leaked right at the rear top of the doors which was the rear of the top's seal. It should have had a little overlap over the Roadster's native rear cabin doorseal and upon compression mate to make a perfect seal, which it didn't. Visium (by way of Mr. Fiat) told me to re-adjust the top to reseat the seal but that didn't help.

I ended up cutting the top's seal and expand it to overlap the Roadster seal slightly which it needed. The the top's seal had a U shape which the Roadster's vertical door seal needed to compress and push into to create a tight water seal. It appeared to be short about 1/8-1/4". In order to expand the seal I put some styrofoam inside the seal's cut I made earlier. I then used "Great Stuff" gasket maker, which worked "great" actually, and placed plastic wrap over the work to smooth the gasket maker.... Curing for 5-10 mins then closed the door. Returned in the morning, removed the wrap, sprayed water on / over the top and it sealed perfectly with no leaks.
----------

Below is a pic that shows the original gap causing the leak between the cleartop door seal and the rear Roadster door seal. You can see the glossy vertical line towards the rear side of the seal. This is where the seal was originally cut and bonded to smaller piece of the door seal which cups the Roadsters vertical door seal. That is where I made my incision and split the seal. You'll need to put some rigid filler in there which will take up that error in the gap then coat the inside of this door seal to make a bond. I laid plastic wrap over this seal area to it cured in a nice smooth professional manner. The wrap pulls off after its cured.

Will post pics of my seal with the mod when I get time.

 

[Botbldr45]

Nice work!! Please post pic of completed modification.

Just checked my top at the spot pictured above. Mine is different. It appears to go all the way back to the vertical rubber seal. Too dark in garage to take pic tonight. I'll get one up in the morning. Mine doesn't leak.

 

[7racer]

wow..I'll have to check my clearances to the CF roll bar. So far no squeaks. Haven't done any water testing but first wash should tell me about the leak status

 

[ibcs]

It appears that the latest version already has the seal extended. See picture on unmodified glass top.

 

[wiztecy]

The pic above does appear to have the seal extended, but is it enough? Top looks good, the bottom doesn't look like its overlapping the Roadster's door seal. I guess it doesn't leak so if no leaks its good and enough It does have to go pretty far, if you pull the overlap of the seal you'll see why due to the notch to cup the Roadster's seal. Attached is my mod of my seal, hopefully you can see the difference in length.

 

[Botbldr45]

Here are some pics of the top I got with the first group buy and leaking is not an issue.

 

[Rik]

interesting how botbldr45's top ends where the soft top (just prior to cf diffuser) does, whereas wiztecy and ibcs top goes over the CF diffuser. makes me think the fabrication is not consistent... and explains why wiztecy shaved some of the rear edge off.

- - - Updated - - -

botbldr45 <-- what are those floor mats you have there? looks like yours wraps over the support beam area as well.

 

[wiztecy]

FYI, Mine was the earlier / 1st Roadster Cleartop experiment. I knew they'd fit the Roadster and really surprised nobody went for this idea before me. I passed on the issue of being off on the seals and the top to Visium so it looks like they made changes. The cockpit / top size is *exactly* the same as the Lotus so its not a brand issue, just off on the finishing numbers.

Bob's cleartop seal is clearly putting pressure on the roadster's vertical door seal, that's what you want. Pressure to make the seal.

Looks like Bob's mats are just winter / rainy weather mats that he found to work. I don't think its hard to find a piece of heavy rubber to cut to the footwell footprint. Sure bulk rubber can be bought on amazon.com and there's your custom mat's. Just buy a nice set of cutting shears.

Love the tree reflecting off the Cleartop on Bob's 1st pic!

 

[Botbldr45]

Floor mats are "Marvin the Martian rubber mats that are too long and wide so I cut them to fit. Left them long so when I get into car I always hit the mat not the carpet. Works for me.

Pretty sure I got them on amazon

 

[adiggs]

Good morning all - I wanted to update the thread with our updated experience with the glass top over the winter. Sometime along the way, many months back, we put on the glass top during a week when the weather was clear here in Oregon, and it hasn't come off since. I've had it sitting outside in the parking lot at work through some pretty heavy day long rainfall with no leaks at all.

We didn't do anything to change the behavior.

I believe the issue boils down to how we were testing the roof for it's water tightness - putting too much water at the corners in a short time (not rainfall quantities, but low levels of water hose quantities), was too much. As a consequence, I'm cautious of where the water goes while washing the car with the glass top on, but otherwise I don't think about it at all.

And rain falling on your head while driving home from work - magic.


If my experience was holding anybody back on the glass top, I hope this will clear that up.