I am starting to look for another MINI and have dreamed about a cabriolet for a very long time. However, my garage/workshop will not fit another car so the MINI will be parked outside. How well do the canvas tops hold up? I live in Napa Valley so we have pretty nice weather but it does rain and get cold in the Winter and it gets in the 90s to low 100s in the Summer. I would imagine the tops are expensive to replace so I may settle for a panoramic sunroof instead of a cabriolet but don't want to. Any experience parking outside? Thanks

 

I'd be interested to know this as well. I've only had mine for a month and it's parked on our parking pad (without a roof) and there has been quite a bit of snow, rain and ice lately. Not much else that I can do though!

 

This works well for fabric tops.

http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-fabric-guard

And this for vinyl tops.

http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303...ace-protectant

Dave

 

Already picked that up!

 

Your Top will be fine!!!! I have owned convertibles my whole life and guess what I have never had a garage. I live in RI and we have gotten abused this year with snow and ice. As long as you give some love to your top twice a year it will be fine. Love? Yes give it a treatment of waterproofing every 6 months and it will stay right as rain! I have done this to all my cars ...Porsche ..Audi ...Z as long as it's canvas it can absorb and that means it needs upkeep. There are a few products out there ..one that comes to mind is RAGTOP and they sell cleaner and protectant. I used to use a product called Fabsil which was a liquid that you paint on and that was fatastic but you had to order it from the UK and now u can no longer get it. I don't recall what I use now but it is similar and seeing as my little shed is buried with snow I won't be able to get the info even if I wanted to. Long story short your top will last as long as you take care of it.

 

+1 on either Ragg Topp or 303.
Just don't run the top up and down when the canvas is dirty. Grit will cut the fabric over time. A shop vac and upholstery brush does a decent job in between washings.

 

+1 on the periodic sealing of the roof. That is really the key. It rains (and snows) a whole lot here in NJ and I can't tell you how cool it is to see the water just bead up on the roof. Obviously in heavy rain, the top gets soaked, but when rain is over or I park inside, the top dries off very quickly.

You live in California. You have the opportunity to drop the top almost every day year-round. Even the Panoramic sunroof has nothing on the drop-top. Go for the Convertible.

 

We'll be touring NorCal, OR and WA later this spring and I guaran-dang-tee you the top will be down at every opportunity. Topless motoring is motoring at it's best!

 

Top down motoring is the best.

Just treat and clean the top if outside more often. MINI has newer Convertible top cleaner currently on Sale.


Treat once to twice a year and it will bead up when you apply the Repellent. very similar to the 303 product.

83192339689 & 83192339697 in stock right now. MINI Branded.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/83192339689/



and

Soft Top Repellent - 8oz

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/83192339697/




Cant wait for spring up north here, its too cold. Like -4 F today.

 

OK, question: are our tops fabric or vinyl? I have the black top on my 2012.

 

Fabric . The Highgate edition and special MINI tops have a small metallic thread weave in them. Pretty cool.