Hey Guys,

I'm seriously thinking of getting a 2002 or 2003 Honda S2000 and just wanted to get opinions from other Honda S2000 owners on the build quality of the factory convertible top. How are they holding up after all these years? Are people having any problems with water leaks, wind noise, or any convertible top motor issues? Or anything else that might be something for me to be concerned about?

Or is the factory convertible top holding up really well for older S2000's and no complaints there?

Thanks for your help,
Mike

 

sorry, i apologize in advance...
but if youre so concerned about windnoise, water leaks, tears, rear window funk buildup, why not just buy a hardtop and get rid of all the issues listed above?

 

it will depend on how it's been looked after. Check for worn or thin spots particularly on the inside around the metal bars. There are heaps of simple options to tighten the roof up (new elastic, change the clamp grip etc.), but if there's a hole, then it gets pricey.

 

great car... shitty convertible top.....

get the hard top
/ thread

 

I may do that eventually, not ruling it out. But just wanted to see what to expect with the OEM soft top.

 

Depnding on mileage and maintenance I doubt ull look at a shitty s and c a good top on it or a well maintained s with a shitty top unless it's high mileage. It's really not that big of an issue.

 

from my experance teh s200 top wears much faster than other convertiable tops. Usually if the car is a DD the top should last 3-5 years at most before it needs to be replaced. Also if you actually go top down a lot like i do it also wears the top much much faster.

most ap1s in general are not on the origional top anymore.

 

My 2002, bought new, has never had top problems. No leaks, no wind noise, motor works fine. I don't use it to death though, so I'm sure that keeps the motor from wearing out. The seals are still fine, and the color is still good. It got a couple of bleach-y looking white spots a few years ago, and I filled them in by dotting the spots with a black sharpie until they were covered. Looks just like new! I never bought the hard top, and my car sits out in the sun every day five days a week. Who would imagine that a piece of cloth baking daily in the sun would last for almost nine years?! That's why I love me a Honda!

 

I sold my '03 S2000 in January of this year, and it had been in the family since 9/05. The top was constantly going up/down, and I didn't notice any excessive wear or leaking until about two years ago. So if you look at the car and the top is still good, and you take care of it, it should last for quite a while. Never had any problems with the top motor either. But it is LOUD at 100mph+, top up or not.

 

I have a DD 02 with 84K on it with the original top and the top is still in good condition. It depends on the care you give it. i clean my top once a week. it is getting some wear marks but no holes so far.

 

I have an 04 with 27K on it and the top is like new. Garaged, washed daily, and well cared for. I see no reason to need a replacement in the foreseeable future.

 

Washed daily? Seriously?

 

When you go around shopping for an S2000 you will see horrible tops and well maintained ones. Mine is only 2 years old but I'm keeping it fresh to death with RagTop soft-top protector every time I wash the car.

 

^^ this could be over the top also!

i use a similar product once at the end of summer, and once at the beginning of summer. My roof is 6 years old and looks like new. DD too.

 

Mine is 6 years old now and sat in the sun everyday for about 4 of those. I only wash the top like I do the rest of the car and its good as new

 

^ This.

Not to mention it wears on your window regulators too.

 

8 Years going on 9 and still on the OEM top. Sure, it's been patched 13 times but it doesn't leak(I simply use Black RTV) the top is ONLY up when it rains heavy so I could care less how it looks. When it's down nobody can see it, and 99% of the time it's down.

3-5 years before the first wear or tears start appearing is about normal. Keep up on maintenance and research the wear of the top and you can prevent a good deal of it. A replacement top is $830 from Honda, $530 through Robbins(OEM Quality) and $465 through EZ-On. You'll end up paying $600-$900 for labor if you're not installing it yourself. EZ-On and Robbins are recognized as acceptable OEM replacements and unless told, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

-Froth

 

yup, its a little hard to tell the difference.

 

the build quality of an s2000 is 2nd to none for a mass production car. i'd definitely say that they are built VERY well. first off, they weren't cheap, and 2nd off, how many other 9,000 rpm production cars are there running around, especially ones capable of going well in excess of 200k miles without requiring open hear surgery.

and as for the top, i have an 01' that has been very well taken care of and garaged. i got it 2 years ago with 38k on it, and it now has just under 75k on it, and i'm still on my original top with NO tears or rips of any kind, does not leak a drop, and looks just about as good as newer ones. can't tell it's age at all.

it all just depends on who owned it and maintained it. luckily i bought mine from a little old lady that never drove it, and i have maintained it very meticulously and i'm very **** about my cars. that's my .02

 

its actually pretty easy to tell the difference if you know what you are looking for. On an OEM top the glass is set on the outside of the top and on the non OEM the glass is on the inside of the top

 

I have an 00 with the original top It still looks good. I use vinyl cleaner on it and it keeps it looking nice. I only have 46k so maybe mileage has more to do with it.

 

Bought my S in '04(but its an '03) still has orginal top, only thing I had to change out were the elastic straps, they cost $20 from modifry and are very strong compared to stock straps, no rips or signs of wear so far 8 years later(knock on wood)

 

dont get it, its a P.O.S.

 

Those little cars are unbelievable. SOO much fun to drive, sound's good stock, hard top makes it look sexy, and built well. My only complaint about the Honda S-2000 is that its so small I will never be able to own one for myself. At the max seat adjustment I look over the windshield
But I have still gotten to spend a very nice amount of time driving a few of the different years that were made and loved them all.

My friend actually survived a very brutal crash that involved rolling 18 times on a freeway. Because he was a smaller guy the car basically crumbled around him leaving a small untouched pod. He was really banged up and spent some time in the hospital but I think his survival had something to do with the quality of the cars build and being very lucky.

 

The quality of the soft tops are honestly very poor. Every top I have seen does get damage just from every day use. Obviously new ones don't fro the most part because it comes in time. Mine was so well maintained but it still went to ****. I opted for the hardtop. Every other part of the car is great, I just think it's poor design. I don't know too many Hondas that are convertibles so maybe it's from lack of experience?