nb2169

Hi Everybody:
I thought I would post what my local area upholstery shops are quoting to replace my vandalized 2007 Mustang GT convertible top as of 3-18-11. I asked for quotes for both vinyl sailcloth (OEM for GT) and canvas. The first shop quoted $1,100.00 for vinyl sailcloth including installation and $1,350.00 for canvas including installation. The second shop quoted $1,680.00 for vinyl sailcloth including installation and $2,000.00 for canvas including installation. I live in the Flint, Michigan area. If there is already a thread with this info, I apologize for the redundency. However, I could not locate any threads that were recent enough to give a present day ballpark figure for this kind of work. I hope at least some of you find this info useful.
Later,nb2169

twokidsnosleep

Must be a full moon or something, my 07 vert had it's top sliced 3 wks ago.
I got a new OEM canvas roof $1426 + $636 install. Final cost was $2062 installed. Note these are Canadian dollars, always more expensive up here even when our dollar is strong.
They also cleaned out my drain lines which were very plugged with pine needles and trapping water another $77 of labor....apparently you have to have the top out to get to those lines,brilliant.

sound wave

i feel for you soft top guys. i LOVE convertibles, but i am not getting another soft top. one car had an attempted theft where they slashed my top. the other car's top started ripping at the seams.

come on ford, make a hardtop mustang convertible already!! (crossing fingers on the 2014 re-design...yeah right)

nb2169

twokidsnosleep:
I remember reading your thread about your top being slashed. I don't think you mentioned the cost of replacement at that time. I live in the Flint, Michigan area where the ecomomy has been in the crapper for several years due to GM closing it's plants a little at a time. The high estimate was from a custom shop that also restores classic cars. I think their clientelle are the more well to do. The less expensive estimate was from a compamy that does a lot of work for local dealerships repairing interior trim and upholstery. However, when the less expensive installer found out how much less he was charging than his only local competitor, he said he was going to raise his prices. This, despite the fact he got my business as a result of having a more reasonable price. There are other installers within a 40 mile radius of my area. When the difference in prices between competitors are hundreds of dollars, paying for extra gas and spending extra time is not out of the question. Like you, I opted for the canvas top as I was told they are more durable than the vinyl tops.

nb2169

sound wave:
Thanks for feeling our pain. I guess if one is going to own a convertible these days, one must accept that these soft tops are more vulnerable to the elements and the likes of thieves and the jealous have nots. I believe I read in one of the threads somewhere in this forum that it is wise to just leave the doors unlocked on these convertibles. I am inclined to agree with that sentiment.

twokidsnosleep

Mine was an insurance claim, so I had a $300 deductible, $280 depreciation, $40 for a rental and $77 for the drainlines cleared. All tolled about $700.
Now I am not happy about that, but I did get a new roof, clear drain lines and nothing stolen. You never come out ahead in things like this really.

nb2169

I bought this car with the damage already present, so this top replacement is totally on my dime. However, unfortunately, if it should happen again, next time it will be on the insurance company's dime!

Iceknyght

My top was cut a couple years ago... Not slashed, just a cut about an inch and a half, like someone just took a knife and poked it through behind the passenger side rear quarter window... The whole top ruined with one little hole... Ugh.

The average quote I got was $950 for labor and $1,100 for the top... For an extra $300, I ended up upgrading to the cloth top. Once I submitted my quotes to my insurance, out of pocket only ended up costing me around like $500 I think...

nb2169

Too bad they don't make the tops out of kevlar! LOL!

nb2169

The damage to mine was like yours except it was more like 5 little slits like a steak knife would make. One of the holes has started to fray. Thursday can not come fast enough for me! I have heard that the cloth top is more durable against the elements than the OEM vinyl top. You said you opted for the cloth top. How is it holding up to the elements after a couple of years?

Iceknyght

From the time I got the hole until I got it fixed, I actually found some black duct tape, cut it just a little bigger than the hole and stuck it on to keep the rain out as I was using the car as a daily drive back then... Worked pretty good! The hole never got any bigger and it definitely kept the rain out!

The cloth top I got still looks great! There are a few *very* faint crease marks from lowering the top, but a couple feet away, you really can't see them at all... It's a bit more responsibility to take care of the cloth, but it looks so much better than the vinyl! Of course, right as I got the top fixed, my wife and I were moving into a new home (with a garage), so it spends a lot of time in there... heck, I have only driven 3 times since November! And I am pretty sure I have only driven the car once or twice in the rain since the new top... But, like I said, it still looks great!

nb2169

My car will definitely be a daily driver for the most part. I can't afford 2 car payments and a mortgage. However, I wax my vehicles regularly and I do garage my vehicles and that makes a tremendous difference in extending the life of a vehicle. This car will generally never be in the elements for more than 10 hours out of the day. In winter I regularly spray wash the car as many times as is needed to keep the road salt fresh on my car. Can't have old salt lying on my ride!

Iceknyght

I totally agree!

If you are interested in getting the cloth, I'd try and check one out if you can first... I was able to before I got mine and knew that it would look a lot better than the vinyl... Nothing wrong with the vinyl at all, but I really like the look of the cloth better...

MadGT

Yes, these tops are very expensive to replace.

nb2169

It is funny you should mention looking at a cloth top before I purchase. Just yesterday when I was on the way to work I was running neck and neck down the road with a black Mustang GT convertible that had been converted to cloth. I like the look much better. It looks more refined than the vinyl. I don't know if anyone else has noticed on their vinyl top, but my top has lateral stripes going across the top that match up with the struts underneath that look like heat bonding. I'm not sure if that is what they are, but they are very noticable to me. They kind of detract from the looks of the car by screaming "Cheap!" to me. I am getting the top replaced Thursday and I chose to pay the extra for the cloth. The only thing that could hold getting the new top up is that we are about to get pounded with a new winter storm coming through today and tomorrow. Yuch!!

Iceknyght

Good timing! LOL!

I noticed that on my vinyl top as well... It bugged me also, but not too horribly... But I definitely kept that in mind when making my decision when I had to replace it...

A few extra days wouldn't be too bad... A little different circumstance, but I told the guy when I dropped off my car, take as long as you need, don't feel like you need to rush! I want it done right the first time!

nb2169

I have been lucky through the years as this car is my 4th convertible and it is the only top that I have had to replace. My previous verts were all pristine when I bought them. This vert is a very sweet little ride, but it was neglected. Fortunately, the previous owner didn't use it very much which limited his ability to f*** it up any more than he did! The car only had 23,034 miles on it when I bought it, but the previous owner had managed to ruin the front bumper cover, put a small dent in the left rear quarter by the rear of the wheel arch, put a very small down ding in the right side passenger door and cross paths with a jealous turd who decided to ginsue the right sail of the top. Naturally, it never occurred to him to get anything fixed. However, I only paid $19,995.00 for the car. It cost me $1,182.00 to fix the body and will cost me an additional $1,350.00 for the new top, including installation on Thursday of this week. My total out of pocket cost for this car is going to be $22,527.00. Not bad for a 2007 Mustang GT premium convertible with 26,000 miles on it (I drove it to florida and back)!

nb2169

I hear that! I hope it is a good sign that the owner of the upholstery shop told me that it would take a long time to do. I am to drop it off Thursday and he told me it would probably not be ready until Monday.

Iceknyght

That's about how long the guy I took mine to had it... Of course, I was able to time it to a vacation and drop the car off on the way out of town (on a Thursday) and pick it up when we got back (Monday)!

Wow, you have some good luck! This is my first Vert and had only had the car a couple years before having to replace the top! Of course, at the time I was living in an apartment complex... But I had the car there 2 years before anything happened to it... Not unlike my '05 coupe I had there, that had everything from the windshield wipers stolen, to being egged... *sigh*

RAGTOP OWNER 06 GT

Welcome MB2169 to TMS. Nice looking 07 vert.I've got an 06 GT with lemans strips.Bought it in Oct.last year and just love driving it. There are just no words to explain the feeling. PURE JOY!!!!!