Compatible Mazda Miata Convertible Top with Plastic Window & Attached (Pre-Installed) Rain Rail, 1990-2005 - (Tan)

My 16 year old son wants my manual Miata (2000 Evolution Orange manual) when he starts driving in August. After 20 years, my soft top was in tatters. I bought this top and he and I installed it in about 5 hours. We'd read so many install horror stories about how hard it was to put on we were worried. But is was not that bad. There were a lot of tight fits and you have to use a little ingenuity (especially with the rivets), but we got the old one off and the new one on with no major problems. The biggest challenge was getting the top closed because the new one is so tight. It was then that we also realized that the latches had deteriorated and needed to be fixed. But after all, it is finished and looks 100% better that before. Plus the rear window is much larger than the factory glass one. It has not rained yet, so I don't know about how waterproof it is, but it is relatively quiet when the car is moving. Good top for he low price.

We'll see how long it lasts. But so far so good. It was difficult to install by myself, so it should be easier with help. The fit was extremely tight as you can see in the second photo. I did experience some water leaking in during heavy rain on the passenger side rain rail. But that may be because I didn't tighten down the rain rail bolt enough. The PVC window is clear and larger than the factory glass window. I expect it to start yellowing eventually due to UV light exposure. The top has been on the car for about a month and a half. Instructions are vague but using YouTube or online forums should make it easier. Took me all afternoon to tear out the old one and install the new one. Overall very pleased as it really restores the look of the car.

Not an easy install but no replacement top would be. Been on for well over a year and still looks new. Price was beat we found. Took me about 8 hours to install with help from a Buddy.

Installation was not bad. Just takes some patience. Had my wife help me. Took about 6 hours. For removal cleaning and install. It was the first time we have installed a top. If we had to do it again we could knock off at least an hour due to lessons learned. Everything lined up and the fit is great. The top was well packaged and arrived quickly. It did not come with instructions, however there are some very good YouTube videos.

Taking off the old top was hard but installing the new one was easier. It was quite tedious and took longer than anticipated. After installation, there was some leaking after it rained and there is a spot close to the windows where air is getting in- this can be rather loud when driving at higher speeds. Rain leaks are no fun, especially in Florida where it rains a ton. The material had to be stretched a bit and attachment latches had to be adjusted, but it fit nice and snug.The aesthetic is wonderful. It looks new and the vinyl gives my miata a clean and clear look. I am still happy with the product, I just wish it didn't leak every time it rains.

Let me preface this by saying that I usually love working on my cars. It's my hobby and stress reliever. However, the soft-top installation definitely did not leave me stress-free.Logistically, the top arrived timely, boxed well with minimal folding. There were still 2 notable folds, and we'll get to those later.Removal of the frame from the car is fairly strait forward. Make sure to get all the bolts off the rain rail, and the 2 press in clips that also hold on the metal 'tops' on the edges of the door frames. Once the soft-top frame is off the car, and the old top removed from the frame, installing the new one is essentially reverse from removal. There are plenty of tutorials on how to do this, but they all seem to do it differently. Read up, and figure it out as you go along.Some notes are that rivets can be avoided if you want by not installing the 'ghost' rivets under the metal weatherstrip frame, just make sure the weatherstrip frame very secure; you can use a pair of zip ties in lieu of rivets on the small flap. This area holds no tension and is not visible, so I went with 2 black zip ties back to back instead.After the top is back on the frame, hoist it back on the car, secure the 3 frame bolts, and take a break. Gather your patience and strength. Not kidding, this part took a few hours of grunting, working one nut at a time, and mainly just not having a good time. Several choice words were said during the course of this step.Installing the rain rail to the car was the most difficult part by far. The rain rail is stiff as a board, is hard to work with, and is a victim of the 2 aforementioned folds. These folds became creases in the rain rail that made it really difficult to stretch out enough to go over the bolts. You can't just slap it on the car and bolt it on, oh no. I started from the edges and worked to the middle. First without the metal frame, then once the top was affixed all the way around, i installed the metal frame pieces one by one.**A heat gun made it possible.** Using the heat gun on the rain rail and massaging it into place while wearing some mechanics gloves did the trick. One section at a time. After it was all on the bolts I hit it with the heat gun one more time, let it sit 30 minutes to re-stiffen, and then installed the metal frame over it. It still needed some heat gun treatment during the final bit. Just be careful not to heat anything but the rain rail.After that, the next hurdle was latching it. I left it taught with a few shop manuals on it overnight to help stretch it. The next day I loosened the top latches as far as they would go, and just couldn't get it close enough to latch. Finally after some massaging (i.e. 10 minutes) by pushing from the back of the car onto the rear 2 frame pieces, and by having someone sitting in the car pulling it forward, we finally got it latched. I'm going to let it sit in the sun a day or two before tightening the top latches further.All in all it is a difficult job that can be done with some minimal tools, an abundance of patience and free time. Feel free to get rivets if you so choose. It doesn't seem to be an issue without them. Do not forget the heat gun, or at the very least, let it sit in the sun on a hot day right before installation.All said it is done, it is a great looking top. I'll update the review later on if there's anything noteworthy that comes up.

So this was my first time to install a top on my car. My old one was 11 years old and the reason real was cracked everywhere as was the material on the top. I had replaced the back window once. So I decided to get this one because it was a one piece.It didn't come with instructions, but it didn't matter I don't need those. I let this thing sit in the sun for about 6 hours before I started to take the old top apart. I left everything in the car and installed the top on the car. Took about 2 hours to get the old one of and this one installed in it's place. Very painless since the top was already hot.Great product, great material, the top looks better then I expected.