306 Cabriolet Roof Replacement

[505604]

Calling all 306 Cabriolet owners, past and present!

I knew that it was going to come to this, sooner or later, but I wasn't expecting it quite so soon. I was cleaning (attempting to clean) some rust marks from the rear vinyl screen. Apparently, I pressed on the screen a little too hard. And I now have multiple cracks right through the vinyl. See the photo attached.

One option that was presented to me on Friday is that if I remove the fabric from the frame (that's already sounding like a nightmare!), there is an upholsterer not far from Wagga Wagga who will replace the vinyl screen for about $250, fitted. Sewn into the fabric. And I then replace the fabric onto the frame. Another nightmare!

However, given the poor condition of the rest of the roof, I don't think that it is wise for me to spend money replacing just the rear screen. Given that my wife wants to keep this car as her daily means of transport, it would be much more cost-effective to replace the complete roof.

• Who here has had the roof replaced?
• Where did you purchase the roof?
• Who installed it?

I have read about people doing the job themselves but that is not a task I am capable of. I know motor trimmers who won't do such work!

And if you have read this far, I have one more thing to talk about.

There has been some discussion here about getting a replacement for the now-impossible-to-purchase rubber that has perished on almost everyone's cabriolet. I know that I mentioned someone in England who said that he was prepared to pay for the tooling costs to get a silicone replacement made. Unfortunately, nothing seems to have come from that. But if there is interest here, now, I will start doing some investigations about a replacement. But I need to know how many people would be purchasing such a replacement.

Regards,
Andrew

 

[pink panther]

I think I read somewhere on this forum, that the back window of these cabriolet's has a hidden zip around its perimeter designed for just such a problem. Mathew is the man who will know. The rubber above the windscreen on my 306 had big cracks on its lower edge and I tried old sump oil to close them up and stop the rubber crumbling. It did help the crumbling problem. I have made a better repair with a roll of EPDM rectangle rubber from bunnings which is 1.5 mm by 15mm for 5m about $10, and which fits perfectly along between the screen edge and the soft top. I used masking tape and Sikaseal black appliance sealant to fill the cracks and adhere the rubber strip. The sikaseal is for ovens /fridge/microwave rubber repairs, which should withstand the heat of our sun. Just a suggestion for your problem. Paul

 

[Matthew]

Yes the later model has a zip around the window there is more to it than that, sticking the surround back on

 

[michaelh]

I replaced my roof and hydraulic hoses in 2021. The roof was ordered through a Melbourne firm called Prestige Softtops. They’re made to order and are excellent quality.
I had it fitted at Sydney Motor Trimmers. Would highly recommend them.

 

[505604]

I replaced my roof and hydraulic hoses in 2021. The roof was ordered through a Melbourne firm called Prestige Softtops. They’re made to order and are excellent quality.
I had it fitted at Sydney Motor Trimmers. Would highly recommend them.

Thanks, Michael.

That's the only Australian roor supplier I have found, so it's good to know that you're happy with the product! I try to avoid going to Sydney, but if I have to go there to get a good job completed fitting the new roof, then that's what I'll have to do. (Yikes! I just looked them up - they're practically all the way into the city!)

I understand that prices have gone up and they continue going up, but to give me a rough idea, how much was the fitting, please? And how long did they keep the car?

Oh, and why did you replace the hydraulic hoses? Were yours that bad, or was it because it made more sense to do that job when the roof was 'off'?

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[KimHowe]

We have replaced the rear window on ours. At the time there was someone selling them on eBay. It was a little tricky but not too bad to do. I'd be interested in hearing about the hydraulic hose replacement - one of ours has sprung a leak and it would be nice to get it working again.

 

[seasink]

Here's a French language German company ad for a roof:

Capote Sonnenland / Alpaga pour Peugeot 306 Cabriolet année 94-02

Capote Peugeot 306 année 94-02 ✓ Excellente qualité ✓ Produit en Allemagne ✓ Depuis plus de 30 ans ► Commander chez EUROTOP !

www.verdeck.de

There are all sorts of bits on French sites, if you search in French eg

Pavillon intérieur / ciel de toit Peugeot 306 cabriolet Series 1 et 2

Pavillon intérieur O.E.M de la capote de Peugeot 306 série 2 Caractéristiques techniques du pavillon intérieur : En tissu velours noir 1 dimension à vérifier : 45cm

www.comptoirducabriolet.com

 

[Matthew]

and there is comptoirducabriolet on the Goldie.

 

[Whippet]

Here's a French language German company ad for a roof:

Capote Sonnenland / Alpaga pour Peugeot 306 Cabriolet année 94-02

Capote Peugeot 306 année 94-02 ✓ Excellente qualité ✓ Produit en Allemagne ✓ Depuis plus de 30 ans ► Commander chez EUROTOP !

www.verdeck.de

Hi.

This mob must really be the "big boys" if they require glue to keep it on while on the job.

Cheers.

 

[seasink]

One of the risks of translating words with more than one meaning!
English is full of them, so why not French?
"convertible roofs" is another way of putting it.

Amuse yourself by translating "capote anglaise"

 

[dunky]

I'm surprised there isn't an upholsterer in Wagga or even Albury that would be able to do this job.

 

[505604]

I think I read somewhere on this forum, that the back window of these cabriolet's has a hidden zip around its perimeter designed for just such a problem. Mathew is the man who will know. The rubber above the windscreen on my 306 had big cracks on its lower edge and I tried old sump oil to close them up and stop the rubber crumbling. It did help the crumbling problem. I have made a better repair with a roll of EPDM rectangle rubber from bunnings which is 1.5 mm by 15mm for 5m about $10, and which fits perfectly along between the screen edge and the soft top. I used masking tape and Sikaseal black appliance sealant to fill the cracks and adhere the rubber strip. The sikaseal is for ovens /fridge/microwave rubber repairs, which should withstand the heat of our sun. Just a suggestion for your problem. Paul

Hi Paul,
I'd be surprised if there is a 306 Cabriolet that doesn't have those big cracks in the rubber above the windscreen! Well, there may be the odd one or two around, but they would probably be owned by people who seemed to get some of the NOS from an eBay seller in Europe about 5 years ago. I wasn't one of those fortunate people.

Do you have any photos you'd like to share to let people see your repair work? Please?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[505604]

I'm surprised there isn't an upholsterer in Wagga or even Albury that would be able to do this job.

Prestige Soft Tops lists 'trusted' installers on its website and you can search for one 'near you'. When I enter my postcode, it tells me that my nearest trusted installer is in Shepparton.

Now, Shepparton seems like a nice enough place, but it isn't the first place that I would have thought of looking for a motor trimmer capable of such a job! I've spoken to experienced motor trimmers in Wagga and they have no interest in doing the job. "I'm too old to learn new things like that. Besides, I have enough work to keep me going for months." And that was after being recommended to go and speak to these particular craftsmen!

 

[liquidhandwash]

http://www.peugeotclub.asn.au/docs/Peugeot306CabrioletHardTop.pdf

The link is a bit old but worth a phone call.

 

[dunky]

That's a shame. It seems like they only want to do easy jobs. Like you, I try to avoid going to Sydney but it appears that's your only option.

 

[505604]

http://www.peugeotclub.asn.au/docs/Peugeot306CabrioletHardTop.pdf

The link is a bit old but worth a phone call.

I didn't realise that any hardtops - even as accessories - had been brought into the country via official channels.

A few years ago, I saw a good number of the storage containers for the hardtop on eBay in Europe. When I saw the price they were asking, I thought they were selling the hardtop! Nope. Just the container so that your hardtop doesn't get damaged during the summer whilst you have the soft top fitted.

 

[505604]

That's a shame. It seems like they only want to do easy jobs. Like you, I try to avoid going to Sydney but it appears that's your only option.

Shepparton, Dubbo, and somewhere in the Blue Mountains are options according to the supplier's website. The Blue Mountains place is a Mazda dealer which leads me to think that they might deal only with MX-5 soft tops. But it can't hurt to ask, I suppose.

 

[michaelh]

Thanks, Michael.

That's the only Australian roor supplier I have found, so it's good to know that you're happy with the product! I try to avoid going to Sydney, but if I have to go there to get a good job completed fitting the new roof, then that's what I'll have to do. (Yikes! I just looked them up - they're practically all the way into the city!)

I understand that prices have gone up and they continue going up, but to give me a rough idea, how much was the fitting, please? And how long did they keep the car?

Oh, and why did you replace the hydraulic hoses? Were yours that bad, or was it because it made more sense to do that job when the roof was 'off'?

Cheers,
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Yes, they’re in around Alexandria somewhere. It’s not too hard to get there with Google and time.

I had similar experiences to others here: I tried all the places in Canberra but no one was interested. The guys who did the job in Sydney were really good - the guy who did it said he did his apprenticeship in the late 90s and always lusted over the 306 Cabriolet.

I replaced the hoses because one had burst so the roof didn’t work. The replacements are much better than the originals.

I’ll have to track down the receipt for the installation cost over the weekend. From memory they had the car for two whole days.

Michael

 

[505604]

Hi Michael

I had similar experiences to others here: I tried all the places in Canberra but no one was interested.

I wonder if it’s still a case of people hearing ‘Peugeot’ and immediately thinking that the job is either next to impossible, or just impossible. (I had one such person during the week who simply couldn’t balance the wheels on the cabriolet. ’We have adapters for every type of wheel!’, was their bold claim. But almost as soon as he saw the car, he ’knew’ he couldn’t balance those wheels.)

The guys who did the job in Sydney were really good - the guy who did it said he did his apprenticeship in the late 90s and always lusted over the 306 Cabriolet.

I can’t say that I’m surprised! I didn’t do an apprenticeship of anything, but I’ve wanted one of them for a long time! The first one cost me $500 and it was a good car, albeit a bit rough around the edges. It’s just a shame that the owner didn’t tell me that he had bypassed the heater using garden hose!

I replaced the hoses because one had burst so the roof didn’t work. The replacements are much better than the originals.

The hoses? The roof? Both?

I’ll have to track down the receipt for the installation cost over the weekend. From memory they had the car for two whole days.

If professionals take two days, I wonder how long ‘owner/builders‘ might take?!?

If it isn’t too much trouble for you, that would be brilliant. Thank you!

I noticed yesterday on the Prestige Soft Tops website that they have a new(?) section called Buy It Installed. The basic idea is that instead of you purchasing the roof and then finding an installer who is willing to do the work, they will contact some installers in your vicinity (good luck with that!) and then get back to you with some quotes. If you’re happy with one of those quotes, you make the payment and then arrange for the installation of the new roof. Simple. But at what cost is that convenience?

Andrew

 

[coastal]

Hi Michael

About the hoses

Can you please describe who & how the burst hydraulic hoses were replaced/repaired?

Was it done with OEM parts, or NZed or etc?

thanks for the roof repair recommendation. I think i'll contact them for my roof, and front seats.

b.