1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I had a soft cover for my first convertible. I much prefer the hard boot. The only problem I have with the hard one is that it's bulky and takes up a lot of room in the trunk. If you need the trunk space for something else (like luggage) you're forced to drive without the boot. (BTW, if you were ever wondering what those two straps with the hooks on the ends were that are in the trunk, they clip on to the rings on the boot storage bag to keep it from moving around.)
The soft boot looks good on the car but Saab only made it in two colors, charcoal and tan. It is no picnic to get it on the car either. I find that it is much easier to get the hard boot on once you get the technique down. Additionally, the soft boot requires that you drill around 14 holes in your car to mount all the snaps. Two of the snaps go on the front seat shoulder harness cover, two go on the rear side panels in the back seat area, and another 10 go along the upper drip channel in the trunk. Then you need to apply sticky-backed velcro on the rear seat area behind the headrests. Saab doesn't supply stainless hardware, so it rusts. The velcro gets full of fuzz and the heat makes it get gooey and slide around. You also have 4 snaps mounted in the cabin that look like they shouldn't be there when the boot isn't installed. Once the snaps get a little rusty, getting the boot on and off can be a chore. For a while I was leaving the rear ones clipped and just folding the boot down into the trunk and letting it hang there. It became too difficult to snap and unsnap it all the time. I was also concerned about drilling holes in the body of my car to mount the snaps. They never leaked, but maybe I was just lucky. I don't believe that you can get them through Saab anymore, but I could be wrong.
I agree that the plastic boot is not the optimal solution, but it does look better than not having anything on the car. Additionally, the boot keeps the front panel of the headliner (the only part that gets exposure when the top is down) from getting dirty or sun-bleached.
Having the boot on when rain comes can certainly be problematic. But if there's a threat of rain, I usually keep the top up anyway.
posted by 69.204.159...
, Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:24:39, Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:19:17
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