Trebor

This '06 is my first convertible. The car has 46,000 miles on it. I purchased it last August.

1. Should I be worried about the pump and the electrical bits that make the top go up and down as it is 13 years old? Have any convertible owners owned their early C6's with over 46,000 miles and enjoyed glitch free cycles (up and down - no issues) ?
I like driving it top down and each time it goes down and goes back up I feel relieved .

2. Does anyone leave their top down when they put their convertible away in the garage? Should I always put it back up when not in use to help prevent wrinkles ?

Any convertible wisdom for anything I didn't ask would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Trebor

owc6

1. 250,000 miles and (so far) problem-free cycling. Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 cycles.

2. I leave it top-down in the garage all the time. Wrinkles are just part of the beast (I'm not sure there is any way to avoid this except leave the top up 100% of the time, but then what is the point?).

NEVER leave the top down overnight if the top got wet or damp in any way during the day! Don't wash it any more than necessary. I use Tide and don't seal.

Others are bound to disagree.

tiger455

bought my 11 gs vert last year w 74000 miles . Now had 78000 miles and the power top still working good. In average I use the power top about once a month. So far so good. I always keep the top up at night in the garage though.

enventr

I leave the top up because of dust and wrinkles. I have a small problem with the widow slightly hitting the tonneau cover. I use the 2 finger method to guide the top.

cnw

Live in Denver and I leave my top down all the time, 2011 Grand Sport. No problems.

Craig

luka2sb

Mine has the same problem, Apparently there's a simple fix for this. Has to do with tightening a strap that pulls in the window, i just didn't get around to it yet.
This video seems useful:
EDIT about convertibles:
everyone says to make sure the top is up if it's wet/damp, apparently it gets mold if it's stored down wet???
In the garage i always keep the top up to avoid wrinkles.
From what i've read on the forum the mechanism seems very reliable.

hope2

Enjoy the car, top up down whatever. Certainly don't drop a wet top. I've had several C6 convertibles, never a top issue.

BADBIRDCAGE

Don’t waste your time on the strap shortening routine. It doesn’t last. If you have interference between top and tonneau use the two finger pull during top cycle.

I have used Ragg Topp cleaner and protectant on my last two convertible tops as recommended by the top manufacturer. I leave the top in whatever position it is in when I back into the garage. Up or down, doesn’t matter. 2006, original top.

windyC6

My 2006 top is moody. Cycles up and down fine about 50% of the time. When it doesn't cycle correctly it's due to the latch not coming up enough to grab the tanneau. Just takes a 1/2 cycle back through to get the latch to pop up enough. Not sure what the problem is, but definitely ain't worth taking to get repaired as of course you know it will work perfectly when you take it to any shop for a diagnosis. Some say this is due to not using the top enough but i'm skeptical to that one. And the tanneau hitting the top is quite common. May be an easy fix but the common fixes are only temporary as the straps will just keep stretching. Been several good write ups on repairs that involved replacing the factory straps with some more beefy material which sounds like the best way to go. Enjoy your ride and drop that top at every opportunity !!!

feastersss

Great video, very well done! My issue on mine is when the top is up, on the passenger only the tonneau cover is down lower than the top of the trunk and quarter panel....anyone have fix or adjustment for that?

tiger455

thanks for the excellent video。 Love this forum.

hmmmm16417

2006 vert here, bought with 39k miles a couple years ago and just turned 49k. no issues with top yet, but I have been curious hwat others use to clean it. the little scuff marks annoy me when the car is clean and occaionally get bird doo doo.

my window hits the cover as well, but it doesn't do any damage to either part so I'm not that worried about it.

owc6

This is true. Also, if you do choose to use a sealant/protectant, make sure it is completely dry (including seams) before you apply, for the same reason.

captain vette

No issues so far with my 2011 vert top

agorena123

I had a top replaced on a mustang a while back. Repair guys advised to always put the top up when parking the car for more than a day. May not affect Corvette tops, but he said in general the top material can shrink when down causing extra wear on moving parts as the top is put back up and the fabric gets stretched back out.

Trebor

My black top has those scuff marks or wear marks as well. I don't know anyway to hide them. I was at an all Corvette show over the Memorial Day weekend and I saw some early C6's that had the same issue. With age comes battle scars I guess. I did buy a good cleaning product (worked well for me) called Raggtopp. It comes in a kit with a spray wash and a conditioner that helps protect the top. I actually had hoped the conditioner would darken those scuff marks, but that did not happen. I got my kit from Autogeeks but Walmart online has it as well:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Raggtopp-...xoCJv8QAvD_BwE

OlyC6

From the video... the "tip" about the "jig to keep the top from closing when hydraulics release..." A basic Tie-down strap (1 hook at front... 1 hook at rear // snug-up) works great to keep the rear window part of the assembly from dropping down.

Trebor

Great source of information here. Thanks to all responders. I found old threads going back to 2013 regarding the tonneau cover hitting the window. Some of those threads were people saying they bought a 2012 GS and the problem showed up less than a year later. I understand stretching the strap idea, but wonder how long it would last since the new hole for the screw doesn't have any extra sewn in material like the original screw hole had from the factory. My plastic tonneau cover is hitting the window too. I didn't know it was until I read the replies and and saw the videos. I went out into the garage and stopped the top in the upright position and watched it go up and down. Seems more of a going up issue for me. But there doesn't seem to be any damage from this: no scratches or scuffs. And it appears to be a just small tap. What is the potential damage if left unattended?

Jeff T.

I adjusted the straps on mine last summer and do not recall any "extra" material around the original holes.

So far so good though!

enventr

The strap system is a bad design as well as the creases ! When I had my C4 Vert nothing to go wrong with the manual top plus the top was not creased. Hopefully they did a better job on the C7.