Delayed MOT passed again with no advisories....and as a bonus it was a lovely,crisp, top down day ?

Great stuff! Driving a B top-down on a crisp autumn day, with the heater on full-blast, free from mid-winter worries about salt on the roads, is one of life's great pleasures!

What always gets me (perhaps it just my car) is just how much nicer the experience is with the roof down. It just seems quieter, more refined and looses all of the imperfections.....

I agree. A much nicer driving experience with the roof down. Perhaps having the roof up accentuates/amplifies the squeaks & rattles, whereas with the roof down, all you hear is birdsong, and the exhaust's eager rasp? It's also quite claustrophobic with the roof up, whereas with the roof down, your headroom is only limited by the proximity of the nearest star.

I was thinking it was only my car that had squeaks and rattles, now don't get me wrong regards the various noises when the hoods up, I'm quite tall so seat is full back position, so the back of the leather seat rubs against the seatbelt cover. And at a certain speed I get a nice whistling noise through the passenger window. So my car is always so much more enjoyable with the hood down.

I’ve not got too many rattles now....as it tends to irritate me, certainly a whole lot better than when I bought it....tightening up bits of trim, silicone grease, foam strips etc....but just when I think I’ve got them all a new one appears! General engine noise is higher too with the hood up, but not really in a good way....perhaps a slightly fruitier exhaust is the way to go.......;-)

I can certainly recommend a fruitier exhaust! The Novitec system on mine is great - it makes a lovely throaty burble at lower revs that hardens into a snarl, and then a wail, as you press on. It's a fantastic soundtrack to accompany any journey (apart, perhaps, from motorways, where the drone gets a bit wearing after a while).