I was thinking of something along those lines but I haven't had time to come-up with more refined ideas yet that would be feasible and clean from the inside.
to be continued...

 

Keep plugging away at the problem, my Einstein friends. I'm useless in such matters, so I defer to your collective genius.

 

it just happens that I'm quite familiar with product design so I enjoy finding solutions to such problems . . . though admittedly time is the biggest issue...

 

As I've said time and again, I became a lawyer by process of elimination. God gave me no other marketable talents.

 

Just wondering if anyone that had their Roadster top replacement have had any subsequent issues.

 

As I said in my earlier post; there was still contact after the replacement top was installed. New top material was less fuzzy in texture so I don't know if that will just delay evidence of wear marks or not.
I did cure the problem though. The 2012 Mini Cooper Roadster S convertible top wear marks are now the concern of someone else. The car has been replaced by a new 2014 Mazda Miata MX-5 power retractable hard top.
Enjoyed the Mini and may come back to one some day.
I hope Mini does get the problem corrected for you all.

 

Some news...

I had my car at the dealer for regular service today, and asked them to replace the top. They called back later in the day telling me that there is a bulletin on this, and that they were ordering a top and frame. Should be here in a couple of weeks. I have a 2012 with a full manual top and I didn't get chance to ask if the bulletin applied to other years or to the semi-automatic top as well.

I'll update this thread as I have more news.

 

Yes please do so. I'd be very curious to know if they updated all top since then (ours being build this last July 2013) or if they just wait for people to complain. So far I have seen the area that could rub but I can't say it is getting terribly damaged yet. However it is still in contact with the rubber seal so

Need more details

 

Well, the new top came in unexpectedly early, so I drop the car off on Monday April 14th to get it replaced...

 

So the entire assembled frame comes with the replacement?

 

In my case yes.

 

I'm just putting this out there but, I'm not certain that I would have enough confidence in the dealership's ability of completing the task of a complete top replacement.

 

I'm a little nervous too, but they have been dealing with the regular convertible for years, and I have my original warranty plus their warranty on the repair work to fall back on in case of issues. I know others have had it done, and there's a tech bulletin which hopefully should detail the process, so fingers crossed...

 

Anybody know the service bulletin number?

 

I was hoping spiney might be able to get his hands on it...maybe snap a spy pic of it with his smart phone while he's getting the work done.

 

Ok so slightly off topic but does anyone have any idea if this would be covered under extended warranty, I'm out on original.

 

Fingers and toes.

 

It doesn't look like it is, at least under what they are advertising today here. It explicitly says the drive motors are covered on the XL package, but says nothing about the top. Check your particular documents though.

Having said that, in many cases if there's the right kind of bulletin on the defect you can often get work done outside the warranty period either free or at much reduced cost. We got a $2000 transmission repair on our Beetle that way. It's worth checking at the dealer that you go to for regular work and hopefully have a good relationship with.

 

You've got to take quite a few detail pictures inside and out of the older one and of the new one once installed to see how different it is, how different it sits in, etc...

 

I tried to take some interior pics of the spot where the wear is happening but there's really nothing to see. It's about 1" behind the hard section at the front where the lock handle is. This is the best I could do.


It's at MINI right now being done, should get it back today/tomorrow.

 

Sorry I should have been more clear. I was thinking overall pictures of the roof top, its frame, its fabric material, etc... to see if there is any sort of differences to any of the parts they are changing. But I wasn't very clear so it's my own fault

The reason is I'm not convinced they have changed any thing and they may just replace the top to keep y the customer, you in this case, happy. But I'd love to be wrong and know what they have change...

You can always probe them as to what changed exactly but I doubt they would know. Often the shops are pretty uninformed has to what the MINI UK engineers and designers are doing...

 

I actually got a Roadster as my loaner, production date 11 2012 according to the sticker on the door jamb. It has the semi-automatic roof, and doesn't touch the seal when folded, so either the semi-automatic top is different, something changed between my build in Feb 2012 and this one in November of the same year, or some cars are worse than others...

 

Well, ours was build last july 2013 and I'm pretty sure it touches so this will be interesting to see if it is different. It is very possible the fabric may not be cut to perfect dimensions all the time or that tolerances are big enough that sometime it touches. Of course, let us know

 

More (non-)news...

They got two guys ready to pull the top off my car, and had two other guys open the box for the new top and were all ready to swap places when they figured out that the new top was for the semi-auto, not for the full manual like I have. They had ordered the part based on my VIN, but apparently something pulled up the wrong one. The correct one is supposed to be there on Friday so I'm in the loaner until then. More news as it comes in...

 

Shame you couldn't just take the opportunity for an upgrade! but I guess that would require you to pay for a full motor assembly ding$ ding$ ding$