[jack8219]

I have ordered a R/L for my fiancee and she wants to know how hard is it to raise and lower the manual top. She has a BMW 330 convertible and worries she will have a hard time with the R/L. Does anyone have a series of pics showing how the top is lowered and raised including the storage area? How does the rear lid lock in place? I appears a key of some sort to lock it? She is a small woman so if it is hard to lower or raise the top I will be the one to do it!!! Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[GaryH]

My wife is 4'11" and she can raise and lower the top without a problem. Don't sweat the top. It's easy.

 

[tjfox]

There are some videos. Do a search for "top video" and you should find some threads for them.

In my opinion the top is real easy to put up and down the hard part for a shorter person is to reach to the center of the trunk to push it down to close it which is the best way to do it.

There is no key lock on the trunk. It is opened by the key fab or a button in the glove box.

 

[rick112]

Less than a minute! She might have a little trouble pushing the back part of the roof into the trunk where it snaps into place when the roof is up (It takes a little force).

 

[JohnD]

I have ordered a R/L for my fiancee and she wants to know how hard is it to raise and lower the manual top. She has a BMW 330 convertible and worries she will have a hard time with the R/L. Does anyone have a series of pics showing how the top is lowered and raised including the storage area? How does the rear lid lock in place? I appears a key of some sort to lock it? She is a small woman so if it is hard to lower or raise the top I will be the one to do it!!! Thanks for the help in advance.

There is no problem at all to doing the top. Much ado about nothing. The press equates "different" with "bad." Since the SKY is not a Miata, it's awful, of course. And the top is the most different of all, so that becomes the main drawback of the car.

The top can easily be done. Once you have owned the car for a number of weeks or months it is a total no-brainer. You learn where to push to settle it down in the trunk so the rear deck slams closed easily. You learn just how much force it takes to do the "ole!" downward motion so that the momentum closes the deck perfectly. Raising it is even easier.

You have nothing to fear except fear itself.

 

[duke15]

The top is very easy - easy enough to put it up and down often when we go in and out of stores if we want to. You have to kind of slam the trunk to get it closed properly when the top is in the trunk. Our sales guy said it gets easier as it breaks in. My wife has found that it works easier for her to shut it from the area of the trunk just behind the passenger's seat.

 

[agirltrucker]

I can put top up or down in less than 60 sec....:thumbs:

 

[deluke]

About 20 seconds, very easy.

 

[ishot3bucks]

I will challenge any AUTO top! This is such B.S....the top is not an issue!

 

[YellowSky]

i stay seated and put mine up.. pop the trunk reach back push the trucnk back and backhand pull the top in place

 

[jack8219]

thanks for all your input. i got a demo on a soltice down at my pool hall. the lady who owns it is 95 lbs. soaking wet and put it up and down with no problem. now that i have seen the area under the rear deck it is obvious that it holds nothing with or without the top up or down. i am getting the R/L to run around town and i think i can put a few sacks of groceries in the passenger seat and on the floor so this is not an issue. i think i am looking at march 07 delivery? we will see. i wish i could see a real sky in the dealership but they get them in and go out immediately so probably will see one when ours comes in. the salesguy said they have only 5 R/L's for the whole 07 model year allocated. i am #4 so hopefully in 07 we will see it. i am in albuquerque and only 1 saturn dealer here.

 

[Rick Tinley Park]

Personal best 17 seconds...

 

[sparkle4596]

I was a little worried about the top too, but no problem. My salesman helped me doing it the first time just so I didn't mess anything up but after that it was easy as pie. I do have to get out of the car then hop back in when I am putting the top up (out to get the top out of the trunk then back in to latch it inside) but some people probably don't... I am only 5'0 so my arms are pretty short. haha. It takes me approximately one minute though, no biggie at all.

 

[Dale Ream]

when lowering the roof, should you manually unlatch the little wings that plug into the trunk deck or just let them pop out when you push the button to open the trunk?

 

[GaryH]

when lowering the roof, should you manually unlatch the little wings that plug into the trunk deck or just let them pop out when you push the button to open the trunk?

Just push the key fob and let them pop up. I don't know how to manually unlatch them.

 

[Dale Ream]

I don't have my SKY yet, ordered in May, but when I went on a test drive the salesperson poped the trunk with the roof up and scared the crap out of us when they popped out. She didn't know if she screwed up or not, and I certainly didn't know. Thanks for the info.

 

[KallieKY]

Those back wing thingies just pop right up when you release the trunk. MAGIC!!

I'm have no upper body strength and the top is not an issue.
I do find that I latch the trunk much better from the driver's side, right behind the seat.

That's one of those things that you have to play with to see what works best.

I'm jealous of the guy who does it all from inside!! nice

 

[Skip]

Back wing thingies are called AFBTS. It is an acronym and search will tell you what it stands for....Skip..:lol:

 

[MOMDRAE]

I have ordered a R/L for my fiancee and she wants to know how hard is it to raise and lower the manual top. She has a BMW 330 convertible and worries she will have a hard time with the R/L. Does anyone have a series of pics showing how the top is lowered and raised including the storage area? How does the rear lid lock in place? I appears a key of some sort to lock it? She is a small woman so if it is hard to lower or raise the top I will be the one to do it!!! Thanks for the help in advance.

My 11 yo granddaughter can do it by herself. She is 4'8" and weighs 66 pounds!:thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs: