Tracker Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 A friend of ours has a 6 year old secondhand VW van E/R conversion, maker unknown but seems well done. The dealer advised her to keep the roof up when not in use to make the telescopic struts last longer. She did this and now the roof no longer shuts properly. She lives in West Wales, a very windy area. My thoughts are that millions of cars have these struts on their tailgates but we are not told to leave our tailgates open! I suggested the advice was incorrect as wind, rain and sunlight degradation to the plasticised fabric, the hinges and the seals to the bodywork would be compromised by over exposure and resultant problems could far outweight any perceieved benefit. Any thoughts anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Dobson Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Tracker said: A friend of ours has a 6 year old secondhand VW van E/R conversion, maker unknown but seems well done. The dealer advised her to keep the roof up when not in use to make the telescopic struts last longer. She did this and now the roof no longer shuts properly. She lives in West Wales, a very windy area. My thoughts are that millions of cars have these struts on their tailgates but we are not told to leave our tailgates open! I suggested the advice was incorrect as wind, rain and sunlight degradation to the plasticised fabric, the hinges and the seals to the bodywork would be compromised by over exposure and resultant problems could far outweight any perceieved benefit. Any thoughts anyone? Maybe your friend could contact a reputable roofer to inspect the damage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GandJP Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 I would never have left mine open thats for sure. Sadly for her it looks like she is in ror a costly repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 Whilst the pop top manufacturer might not be known, the gas strut is probably standard part. I would have left it down to preserve the fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecal Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 Hi Tracker Sadly she was given incorrect advice , always down after drying and cleaning She needs to make sure no debris has been left and a little bit of liquid soap first applied to all hinged parts first may help with gentle closure If struts have become damaged (bent) these guys may be able to help https://www.sgs-engineering.com/gsc3130-vw-roof-strut Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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