Holden Astra Convertible 2005

[Carole]

Hi All

Bought a 2005 Astra Convertible and love it! Joined the forum to learn how to take care of it. And chat with others.

Carole :D

[oneightoo]

welcome, nice buy :)

what do you need to know about your car?

[maloo97]

Welcome to the site!
Where abouts are you from?

Make sure you post pics in members ride's section!

[CNBLU]

Welcome and congrats on the new purchase

[guy 27]

Welcome to oa.

[Nurb608]

Welcome to the site, and as has been said, get some pics up :D

[hazrd]

allow me to introduce u to this:

:picsorban:

purely comical ;) welcome!!

[9090GO]

Welcome to OA :)

[imay]

Ah, another fellow Astra Convertible owner! Welcome.

What part of the country are you busy cruising topless?
Pix . . . or at least a bit more info.

Any problems you have, don't hesitate to drop a line on here . . . someone is sure to be able to give you advice (not always the advice you want, mind you:))

[btm]

welcome and congrats on the purchase

[Ash VXRoz]

Welcome! Thats a great looking car!!

[boorny88]

welcome to the site and as said before pics up of the lovly car

[Carole]

Hi again

Firstly, I need to know how to take care of my roof, i dont want any problems. Should I be silicon spraying the clips and the bits that move?

[Carole]

Hi Im from Newcastle NSW.

[Carole]

Hi OMG i love my car! Newcastle!

[Topdown]

Hi welcome to the site, to answer your question about taking care of your roof. Use 303 Fabric Convertible roof cleaner. You can find the link for it here:

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/303_products/convertible_vinyl_roof_cleaner_kit

If you have a handheld cleaner such as a dyson, use it to get the dirt off the roof then spray the cleaner and work it in and leave for about 40 mins then use the protector afterwards. Leave that to dry for another 40 mins in the sun then you can test it by running a bit of water. You'll know that its working when the water hits the roof and beads instantly and runs off.

Good luck with your car :)

[imay]

Contrary to what a lot of people say about the right v. wrong way to look after a convertible roof, the following advice comes from a very good friend who is a "Coachbuilder" by trade (not too many of them left). This guy specialises in veteran, vintage, classic, and exclusive interior restoration and retrimming. This is his recommended cleaning regime that I use on mine:

Get bird droppings and tree sap off the fabric as soon as possible! Carry a damp chamois at all times.
On cleaning day use a vacuum cleaner on light suction to remove as much dust as possible from the roof weave.
If you know your roof is watertight, don't be afraid to use a high-pressure water wash ONLY at the local car wash. AVOID using any detergents/cleaners/re-colors etc., as these will break down the waterproof qualities of the canvas and could well have a detrimental effect on the material. They may make it look all black and pretty, but these roofs are very expensive to replace and I'd prefer not to take the chance. Let the material fade gracefully.
The system I personally use is: Vacuum the roof, park the car on the front lawn (on garden watering day) and give the roof a good water drenching while brushing (not scrubbing) with a soft bristle brush. Wash the rest of the car (using our allowed bucket system) and leave the roof up to dry in the shade/garage. Clean the car and water the lawn in one!
This roof cleaning only needs to be done every few weeks.

Thing to remember: Your roof IS going to fade. Live with it. However, if you use the convertible in the correct manner . . . the roof will be down more than up, so therefore the fading should take a looooonnnnggg time.

By the way . . . same system goes for cleaning the leather upholstery. DON'T bother using all these fancy/expensive/smelly/slimey leather treatments as they just clog the leather pores and then, being exposed to the direct sun, harden within the leather and promote cracking and crazing. And it usually transfers to your clothes anyway. Again, let the leather age/fade/wear gracefully.

Find someone nice to share the front passenger seat and, drop your top and enjoy the convertible for what it is . . . a different experience. And don't let me catch you driving roof up on a perfect 'vert day!

Good luck!

[imay]

Use 303 Fabric Convertible roof cleaner. You can find the link for it here:

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/303_products/convertible_vinyl_roof_cleaner_kit




Careful this product. This is a: Convertible Vinyl Top Kit cleaner. Our Astras have a very good quality CANVAS type material. As mentioned in my above post, some of these cleaners can/could have a very detrimental effect on the roof material.

Believe me, you don't want to see Holden's bill for replacing one of these roofs!

[Carole]

Contrary to what a lot of people say about the right v. wrong way to look after a convertible roof, the following advice comes from a very good friend who is a "Coachbuilder" by trade (not too many of them left). This guy specialises in veteran, vintage, classic, and exclusive interior restoration and retrimming. This is his recommended cleaning regime that I use on mine:

Get bird droppings and tree sap off the fabric as soon as possible! Carry a damp chamois at all times.
On cleaning day use a vacuum cleaner on light suction to remove as much dust as possible from the roof weave.
If you know your roof is watertight, don't be afraid to use a high-pressure water wash ONLY at the local car wash. AVOID using any detergents/cleaners/re-colors etc., as these will break down the waterproof qualities of the canvas and could well have a detrimental effect on the material. They may make it look all black and pretty, but these roofs are very expensive to replace and I'd prefer not to take the chance. Let the material fade gracefully.
The system I personally use is: Vacuum the roof, park the car on the front lawn (on garden watering day) and give the roof a good water drenching while brushing (not scrubbing) with a soft bristle brush. Wash the rest of the car (using our allowed bucket system) and leave the roof up to dry in the shade/garage. Clean the car and water the lawn in one!
This roof cleaning only needs to be done every few weeks.

Thing to remember: Your roof IS going to fade. Live with it. However, if you use the convertible in the correct manner . . . the roof will be down more than up, so therefore the fading should take a looooonnnnggg time.

By the way . . . same system goes for cleaning the leather upholstery. DON'T bother using all these fancy/expensive/smelly/slimey leather treatments as they just clog the leather pores and then, being exposed to the direct sun, harden within the leather and promote cracking and crazing. And it usually transfers to your clothes anyway. Again, let the leather age/fade/wear gracefully.

Find someone nice to share the front passenger seat and, drop your top and enjoy the convertible for what it is . . . a different experience. And don't let me catch you driving roof up on a perfect 'vert day!

Good luck!
Thanks so much for all the warm welcomes and great tips on taking care of the canvas roof.

One more question, before someone tells me to post it in the correct forum. My roof has been sometimes....jamming and not going all the way up. Seems to want to stop about half an inch above the front window. I have used silicon spray which gets it moving again. Is this the right thing to do or should i be trying something else?

[imay]

You using the key fob to open/close the roof? If so, DON'T, as it puts a heck of a strain on the battery.
Are you using the console button when this happens? Engine running or not? If not, same problem, as you may not have a fully powered battery. To be on the safe side I tend to nearly always operate the roof with the engine running.
If you are experiencing these with the engine running (hence battery being charged OK) there may be an obstruction(?) which is preventing the roof closing all the way. Silicon spray (aka spray lube) is OK for a short term fix only, as these sprays tend to become dirt magnets. Clean up all the hinges, clamps and rams (moving parts you can access) and use an all-purpose grease on the moving parts only. Oh, and only use a slight smear of grease otherwise the same thing with happen (attracting dust and dirt).
Other than that, if the problem persists, just ask questions at your (gulp!) Holden dealer . . . you never know you might be lucky enough to get someone who actually knows what they are talking about.
Check the hydraulic fluid level (right hand side cover in the boot). Should be just above minimum with the roof up, closer to maximum with the roof down. Stop the roof opening/closing with the tonneau cover raised and check inside the roof bin (where if folds back into) for any hydraulic fluid leaks in here if the level appears too low. Sorry, but if the fluid is low, it's definitely a (expensive) trip to Holden for them to top it up.

The only other problem I have experienced is: with the roof half open, on the leading edge where it locks into the windscreen header rail, there is a bullet shaped locating pin on either side. These should have an "O" ring on them which deteriorates over time. Always have a couple of spares on hand, and replace them if you see any damage.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

. . . . and we are still waiting for pics I believe!

[btm]

:picsorban:

[Topdown]

Whoops my bad, I meant to post the link to the fabric roof cleaner kit. Good thing I didn't use the vynyl on my car

[Carole]

You using the key fob to open/close the roof? If so, DON'T, as it puts a heck of a strain on the battery.
Are you using the console button when this happens? Engine running or not? If not, same problem, as you may not have a fully powered battery. To be on the safe side I tend to nearly always operate the roof with the engine running.
If you are experiencing these with the engine running (hence battery being charged OK) there may be an obstruction(?) which is preventing the roof closing all the way. Silicon spray (aka spray lube) is OK for a short term fix only, as these sprays tend to become dirt magnets. Clean up all the hinges, clamps and rams (moving parts you can access) and use an all-purpose grease on the moving parts only. Oh, and only use a slight smear of grease otherwise the same thing with happen (attracting dust and dirt).
Other than that, if the problem persists, just ask questions at your (gulp!) Holden dealer . . . you never know you might be lucky enough to get someone who actually knows what they are talking about.
Check the hydraulic fluid level (right hand side cover in the boot). Should be just above minimum with the roof up, closer to maximum with the roof down. Stop the roof opening/closing with the tonneau cover raised and check inside the roof bin (where if folds back into) for any hydraulic fluid leaks in here if the level appears too low. Sorry, but if the fluid is low, it's definitely a (expensive) trip to Holden for them to top it up.

The only other problem I have experienced is: with the roof half open, on the leading edge where it locks into the windscreen header rail, there is a bullet shaped locating pin on either side. These should have an "O" ring on them which deteriorates over time. Always have a couple of spares on hand, and replace them if you see any damage.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

. . . . and we are still waiting for pics I believe!
Thankyou.....you were absolutely right. I never had the engine running when putting the roof down. I tried doing it with the engine running and I dont have any problems, works like a dream. Also put a pic up, but had trouble resizing so photo not as good as original. Thanks again for your help!

[imay]

No problems.

If you have any queries at any time, just post 'em up in the Astra section and someone will be onto it for you. Don't forget all Astras are the same except for ours having the folding roof gizmos. And there are enough convertible owners on here to give you their opinion if your problem relates to the roof.

Good luck.