Does it hurt the top to leave it down for long periods of time?
Say 2 mo's.

 

I've heard you should always store the top in the up position so that it retains it's proper shape. That said, my mother's '99 is almost always down... been that way for 8 years now. No issues w/ the top at all. It may have to do with the material. Maybe older vinyl tops needed to be stored up vs. the softer canvas of the C5/C6.

 

I've left mine down for a week at a time without any issues...I have a black top. I also use Raggtop on it.

I would think the lighter the color the more the crease marks might show if it's left down for long periods of time (just guessing outloud).

 

I would say my top is down 80 percent of the time. After being stored for a few days, I do notice creases developing but one good day in the sun and they disappear. Of course, I have only had the car since early May....just broke 2000 miles. Being in Cali with my C5, it stayed down 98 percent of the time with no issues.

 

My top has only been up one time since June, no problems here. The only thing you would not want to do is put the top up or down when the car is very cold...like below 30 degrees. It needs to be warm enough to have everything be nice and flexible. I think the top should certainly be left up when storing for the winter.

 

I have an '07 vert with a cashmere top. She' a garage queen. When I put the top down, I put it back up prior to putting her back in the garage.

I use Ragg Topp products, and have noticed that the "greasy looking wrinkles" that comes with putting the top down is resolved. Not 100% resolved, but it's much better than not using the products. It seems the wrinkles are not as deep, and they smooth out faster.

Leaving the top down all of the time should be OK. Although common sense tells me it's better for the top to be in an "unwrinkled/unstuffed" situation. IMHO

 

I can only speak for my black top, and I know that the lighter colors are a little more particular about how they are treated...

 

Thanks for the info, the previous owner always told me to keep the top up, now at least i can keep it down for a while at least

 

I tend to agree with this. I don't think it does anything permanently bad to the top to leave it down. But the creases do seem to come out a little quiker in my gray top when it's up most of the time. Left down for a week or so when I first got it, it took a long time for creases to work out.

 

It is probably better for wrinkles to store the top up, but I have seen cars that had the top in the down position for over 20 years with no ill effects when it was raised.

 

 

One more thing I have never heard anyone mention but seems logical to me. Leaving the top down does create wrinkle but it lessens stress and stretch on the fabric. I failed physics but I bet two identical convertibles, one with top down all the time and one with top up all the time, the one that had the top down will be a little tighter at the end of the 20 years.

 

I find it keeps dust out of the interior better when you store it with the top up. Certainly, my garage is a little dustier than some of the "dream" garages I see in other posts. YMMV.

 

Good thought....and of course there is the sun exposure if it ever goes out of the garage (many here don't though)

 

That could be true.

 

Excerpted from http://www.1aauto.com/1A/ConvertibleTops/Chevrolet, find the following…

Do you have any tips for convertible top care? A convertible tops' (and actually automobile's boats and planes in general) biggest enemies are the sun and dirt. So keep you car and top clean and covered. Invest in a cotton cover to throw on when you have to park the car. This investment will extend the life of you top, your weather-strip, your interior and your paint. Do NOT leave your top down for an extended period or if it has gotten wet. The top can wrinkle and mold can grow. If you have a plastic window(s) be VERY careful when cleaning. Use highly diluted car wash to clean a plastic window and a very soft sponge or cloth. Dry a plastic window with a soft towel or chamois. A bristled brush is great for the vinyl on the top but will INSTANTLY scratch a plastic window. If possible unzip the plastic window and put it down first, cover it with a damp towel this will prevent scratches from the top when it is lowered. For cleaning we have used Meguire's vinyl cleaner on our vinyl tops and we like the results. DO NOT USE strong household detergents or cleaners, they can clean too deeply causing the top to dry out and crack. DO NOT use Armor All unless you can keep the top covered from the sun. For cloth tops use mild soap and a medium bristled scrub brush. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions and recommendations when working with any cleaning agent.

 

Thankfully there is no vinyl and no plastic window...

 

here is my experence. owned 2 C5 verts. top on the 02 was always left up (6,200miles). top on the 04 was always left down (4,200miles). both were tan tops. no difference. remember, these were manual tops with lots of room when down under the waterfall. now, the 07 - 3,300 miles now and never driven with the top up, always down. i always put the top up in garage because i noticed at the factory on the buyers tour that the power tops are really crushed and tight when down. they told me to always put the top up when not using the car. so my top has been cycled about 250 times now. still shows wrinkles when down for 30-45 min. at a time. i don't feel comforable leaving it "crushed" in the down position for weeks/months at a time. FWIW.