Taking off and on your MX5 hardtop



It’s that time again …time to get your driving gloves out, put your headscarf on and release the beast from hiding! Yes, it’s summer, the time for enjoying the outdoors. It’s been a long drawn out winter and the hardtop has done its job in keeping your MX5 water and damp free but it’s now ready to have a rest and go into summer hibernation so that you can enjoy the freedom of having your soft top up or down.

Firstly you will carefully need to take the hardtop off. Before you do, you will have to unscrew the radio aerial and also the rear windscreen heater connection. The heated rear windscreen lead is specific to the MX5 hardtop – the easiest way to disconnect it is to reach in through the passenger door and unclip it. Once you have done this, start by unclipping the main snap clips above your head on both sides, then unclip the two on the sides by the seats. You will need another person next in order to help you with the ‘slide to unclip and lift off movement!’ It is exactly that as the back chrome brackets that fasten to the car are in place using a ‘key’ slot mechanism. I would say that to begin with it is easier getting the hard top off for this part than getting it back on – but that’s not your worry at the moment! Once you have lifted it off, it is now ready to go into storage.

When the time comes to put the hardtop back on, I suggest you choose a dry day and make sure that the soft top has had a good clean if not just a really good wipe. Make sure that the soft top is dry before you put the hard top back on just so it doesn’t trap in any damp and risk of mould and also that it is collapsed before. Also, make sure your aerial has been taken off and that the brackets on the hard top are in the ‘open’ position. It is a little more difficult to put the hardtop back on the first few times you try but it does get easier especially if you understand how the mechanisms work and also if you prepare before. You will definitely need two people for this job – Start by lifting the hardtop carefully over the boot of the car and slightly drop the back side down so that it sits near to the chrome fastenings at the back. As I explained previously, this mechanism works using a ‘key slot’ system so you need to slot the ‘prong’ into it and slide it back until it is secure. Once in place, lower the hardtop completely and secure the two sets of brackets on the sides and inside top. Also, don’t forget to re-connect the rear windscreen heater and the aerial!