Cabriolet Roof Issues - Help.

[insomaniac45]

Hi guys, 
Issue 1 - Is there any fix i can do to de-mist the rear window of my cabriolet? i say de-mist, have a look. 




its the 2 lines going across it. will T-Cut work? as thats what i was thinking of trying. 


Issue 2 : - 
My roof does not work, it can only be raised or lowered manually, upon inspection, the motor has no hydraulic oil, further inspection found a few pipes in bad shape,
and worst of all, the actuator that pulls the bottom of the roof up has been completely removed, and is bent at 90degrees. 

So, how easy would this actuator be to get ahold of? and are replacing all the pipes and easy enough job?

Issue 3 : - 
On the interior, the drivers side, the rear section of interior cloth on the window is flapping around, its not as bad on the passengers side, and maybe a little contact adhesive to put it back on the plastic plate properly will fix that, but on the drivers side there is nothing for the interiour cloth to attach to. Can i make something up? or is there a better way? 

any help with any of the above issues would be fantastic help for me. 

Kindest regards

Tony.

[Redordead89]

Hi Tony, never had a cabriolet 306 but have owned 15 306s or there abouts and is quite often the case replacement is cheaper than repair!
Have you priced a hard top for your car?
Loads of cabbies breaking due to all sorts of issues now 10-15 years down the line and half the breaker cars will have similar roof probs so wouldnt take chance buying the parts for the roof used ( poss can of worms!)
Hardtop!!!
I ocassionaly cringe when my kids mess with my 307 sw electric roof blind never mind a fully auto ish roof!

[tonycox_design]

This makes me semi broken roof look in mint condition. There is a 306 cabriolet forum. If I was you I'd get over there and pay a visit to a member for some repair/replacement work. They know their stuff, especially about the roofs!

[insomaniac45]

well, after watching a few videos,

I decided to try TurtleWax. Metallic car polish.

And blow me, it works. i still have partial line going across, but. it is so much clearer, and the line is very faint now. i am going to have another go at it tomorrow on the inside, but the window is almost like new

(the below photo was taken on an overcast day, compared to the original which was a very sunny day)

[Beanie]

well, after watching a few videos,

I decided to try TurtleWax. Metallic car polish.

And blow me, it works. i still have partial line going across, but. it is so much clearer, and the line is very faint now. i am going to have another go at it tomorrow on the inside, but the window is almost like new

(the below photo was taken on an overcast day, compared to the original which was a very sunny day)

---

As far as cleaning the rear window is concerned, you were very fortunate. My window was so 'fogged' that I couldn't make out anything that was behind me. I also looked at many seemingly miraculous products as well as numerous video's that appeared to easily fix this problem. I shelled out a fair bit for creams, polishes and potions as well as trying T cut and other similar type things. Nothing ever worked. I even tried toothpaste (as, believe it or not, others had said it had worked for them!) but to no avail.

Eventually I bit the bullet and bought a replacement window from an Ebay seller. It was a pain to fit but for about $200 it did the trick. Unfortunately I must have the window one or two zip teeth out of sequence because occasionally there's a slight diagonal warp that shows up. I knew that this was a possible problem with this type of replacement method but I could have removed the window, moved it over a tad and it would have been perfect but by this time my already sore back was protesting too much- as was my Mrs who was tasked with helping me on the other side of the window.

I also found the double sides tape that was supposed to re-attach the roof's fabric to the new window was useless. In the end I opted for a thin layer of clear silicon all around, which I prevented from getting on the window and also exterior of the fabric by the use of masking tape. It sounds naff but actually looks pretty good and has worked really well even in the heaviest storms (including a cyclone) for about 8 months now.

I would still recommend a replacement window if anyone can't successfully clean theirs.

---

I should add here, that while my roof wasn't working due to a burst hydraulic hose, I had to resort to lifting and lowering the roof by hand last summer. My air con doesn't work and in close to 40 degree C heat here in Oz, driving with the roof down was not an option. However, after just a few days of manhandling the roof on my own, my back really suffered.

If you're young and fit it probably won't bother you. Just don't get old and knackered like me.

[puggered]

1. Using car polish is not wise as it will cause the plastic to out-gas faster, meguiars plastix polish works wonders.
2. You can pick up the small roof rams pretty easy from a scrappy.
The pipes are easy enough to change and a scrappy will have, but be aware that there's 2 types of pumps, the earlier model has all the hoses on one end while the later pump has 2 longer hoses on the other end. Yours should be a late pump.
3. You can't get the plastic bit you're talking about anymore, but there's a guy on 306cab forum that makes replacement steel ones and the elastics and cords.


Beanie, The 3M tape works but you have to remove every last trace of the old stuff on both sides and clean with white spirit.

[Beanie]

Thanks puggered. I did actually try the Meguiars Plastix polish and it did nothing at all on mine but my rear window was absolutely knackered. It's a shame because apart from the fact it was impossible to see through, it was physically still quite good. It wasn't brittle like rear window often go.

In your point 3, the plastic bit you're talking about- I'm not sure if that is the same part that my Cab is missing. I need the small square (about 3" by 3") plastic square that flips up or down when the roof is raised or lowered. Do you know if these are readily available at the scrappies? I've tried breakers yards over here via email or phone as they are several hundred miles away) but they're not interested, probably because it's such a low value item.

---

Below is a photo of my rear window. I'm showing what was in effect the drivers view of it. This was after using several different products on it without any visible improvement.

However, if any Cabrio owners are reading this, don't let my experience put you off trying Maguires etc as I believe my roof was exceptionally bad.

---

---

And (top) here's a photo of my rear window when I was installing the new window.

I'm so glad I did it. For something like 100 quid, I now have a car that's much safer and I don't need to fear Plod pulling me over.

[Poodle]

Bit OT, but what colour is that, Beanie? Don't think it's one i've seen over here.

[puggered]

Beanie, There's a guy in Bulgaria that has the flaps for sale quite often, they have a habit of breaking away from the top covers, look on ebay.
Trying to find parts for cabs down here is a waste of time.

[Beanie]

Thanks Puggered. Any idea what those bits are officially called? Roof flaps?

Thanks again.

[puggered]

no official name for them as they're part of the panel lining normally. most refer to them as rear panel top flap.

[Beanie]

Ok thanks. I'll have a look.

---

Hi Poodle. What's OT? Over the top?

The colour's a sort of mauve/maroon metallic. It's actually quite nice although I would have preferred that gorgeous bluey mauve I've seen in some pics. It does seem to be a standard colour as I have seen a Peugeot 306 sales brochure that has a Cabrio the same colour;

---

Hopefully you can all see this. It's the colour at the bottom. I saw the 'brochure' for sale on Ebay and just copied the pic.

[puggered]

As a ph1 it will be Morello. later ones were ultraviolet and pretty rare

[Beanie]

Well I wouldn't call it ultraviolet so Morello it must be. God knows how they get these paint names. A bit like when you look at paint names at a hardware store. You're trying to get some paint to cover your lounge walls and it's called something iffy like 'Misty Forest' or 'Dragon's Foot'.

Thanks Puggered. By the way, whereabouts are you 'down under'?

[puggered]

I'm in the "Southern" sunshine state

[insomaniac45]

had a slight mishap with the roof cover today . the nut in the boot to lock or unlock the lid manually started spinning... I guess it really wasnt designed to be used on a long term basis.

So today i took the whole plate off, and put a roll pin through the shaft and cam bar, which should stop it from happening again. or at least hold up until i can get the whole system overhauled.
I was thinking of removing all the pipes, motor, and all the rams. then have each piece restored/remade. then once it is all done, put it all back in. The only think i may have to outsource are the production of new pipes, which should not be too much of an issue, but i would like to try and re-do them in house (if i can get the tools to do so)
I was thinking for the pipes to use braided hose. No this is not for performance lol. its for longevity in the hope they will never cause another issue. as i know these pipes are prone to failure over time. as for the rams, the majority of them look ok, but 1 is seriously bent. so i will have to find that one. but hey. one day she will be fully working again. lol.


Just been investigating how hard it would be,

£15 tooling,
£2 each joint
£2 each clamp
pipe (to be determined)

i could have all the pipes remade for under £100 all by me win win i think. i know what im doing after ive done the Cam Belt.