Howdy! I have a 2005 350z roadster that has recently been in a mild hailstorm.

Unfortunately, the top received one or two small holes, and because the top is original to the car, a replacement is likely in short order.

I have never had to have a convertible top replaced before, and do not know much about the pros/cons of the different types of tops available (ie cloth vs vinyl, specific manufacturers, etc).

Although I want an OEM replacement, I am going to guess that my insurance company will not want to replace the top with one from Nissan (the local dealer quoted me ~$5,000 installed), so I am looking into other solutions.

I live in central Texas where the weather is (generally) nice- snow/ice isn't really a thing here, and it generally only rains once every couple weeks or so. That said, the car is parked outside 99% of the time in direct sunlight as I don't have a garage, and it is really only washed once a month or so (bird droppings and bug splatter being the only exceptions).

I am currently thinking that vinyl will be the best solution assuming it is the easiest to clean and lasts longer in the elements vs cloth. I believe that I currently have a vinyl top (it is original Nissan branded), so I imagine that a new vinyl top would not be much different than the current one.

If anyone could recommend a brand and/or material for a new top given my situation, or offer any advise for dealing with insurance, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

$5,000 is insane!

I know you want vinyl, but I've heard good things about the Robbins Haartz stayfast cloth top. I think the Robbins Twill vinyl looks pretty similar to OEM if you want to stick with vinyl.

Whatever route you take, just be sure to maintain it and protect it regularly in that unforgiving Texas sun.

And if you're ambitious, here's a DIY: https://my350z.com/forum/350z-roadst...l#post10733896

 

$5k is insane.
OEM top is two-ply vinyl layer bonded to a twill fabric. Courtesy of Jennifer2.
If your interested in the top replacement guide with pics you'll have to PM me because of it's length of space this forum won't let me post the link.