General 500C risk of roof getting slashed?

[Riverwave]

Hi, I'm new here and don't yet have a 500C. But I'm seriously thinking of it, and all that fun in the sun! BUT I don't have a garage, so my car will be parked kerbside. My partner did have his company Audi A3 keyed once in the street where we park it. Has anyone experience of parking a 500C roadside and risks to the roof? cheers

 

[Noxide]

It's the same with any convertible car unfortunately. We had soft top MX-5 that got parked in some dubious spots and there was never any problem.

Thing is, if they don't slash the roof, they'll key the paint or a tyre or something. If they're that intent on doing damage.

Why not get a sunroof one? Best of both?

 

[g8rpi]

There are two risks that may result in a slashed roof. First is vandalism, second is theft. Not much you can do about the first, but to reduce the second, never leave anything on view in a soft-top. Some people will slash a roof on the chance that even an old carrier bag is hiding something valuable.

Robert G8RPI.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

The question that no one can really answer is 'what is your street like', where I used to live I wouldn't dream of parking my cabriolet, but where we live now I have no problems leaving my car out and my neighbour's Maserati Grandcabrio lives outside.

Generally it's very hard to break into a convertible through the roof these days fare quicker and easier to break a window.

As the 500C roof isn't a conventional convertible the likelihood of this sort of attack is also considerably reduced

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Hi, I'm new here and don't yet have a 500C. But I'm seriously thinking of it, and all that fun in the sun! BUT I don't have a garage, so my car will be parked kerbside. My partner did have his company Audi A3 keyed once in the street where we park it. Has anyone experience of parking a 500C roadside and risks to the roof? cheers

Slashing a soft top just 'because it's there' is always a possibility but not, in my view, likely enough to set against the pleasure that owning one can give.

As for theft, they like to be in and out quickly and the design of the 500C makes it difficult - first they'd have to cut the roof, then climb on the vehicle and force their way through the framework and then get out again. Unlike some low-slung cars like the MX-5 you can't reach anything from outside.

As Andy says, they're far likely going to break a window and that can happen to anyone.

 

[John202020]

With a new car, that's what "protected no claims" is intended for, IE someone damages it and you have to pay, like the guy who drove into the back of me, turned round and drove the wrong way up a slip road, in the dark turning what was left of his lights off, just wished a huge lorry was coming down it.

 

[jrkitching]

With a new car, that's what "protected no claims" is intended for, IE someone damages it and you have to pay, like the guy who drove into the back of me, turned round and drove the wrong way up a slip road, in the dark turning what was left of his lights off, just wished a huge lorry was coming down it.

Unfortunately these days even with "protected no claims", it will still cost you some money if you make a claim. You'll have to pay any excess, and your insurer will almost certainly load the policy for the next three years because you've made a claim. You won't have as much freedom if you want to shop around at renewal time as you'll still have to declare that you've made a claim and other insurers will similarly load their quotes.

If you've made any claim in the past three years, even if it wasn't in any way your fault and you've protected your no claims bonus to within an inch of its life, at renewal time, the very best deals in the market simply won't be available to you.

 

[Riverwave]

Thanks. I thought the sunroof was fixed and doesn't open? We looked at a sunroof 500 yesterday and that is what we were told by the dealer. We also find the sunroof cover annoyingly in contact with hair!

 

[jrkitching]

Thanks. I thought the sunroof was fixed and doesn't open? We looked at a sunroof 500 yesterday and that is what we were told by the dealer. We also find the sunroof cover annoyingly in contact with hair!

The lounge comes with a fixed glass roof as standard, but can also be ordered with an opening sunroof at extra cost.

Headroom is an issue for some; if you find the standard glass roof too low, it's unlikely you'd get on with the opening sunroof option as that takes another inch or two off the headroom.

That glass roof blind is fragile and expensive to replace; if you're buying a used car, make sure it's faultless before purchase.

 

[Riverwave]

Thanks. We've seen a couple of cars keyed over last five years always in the same place. Now we don't park outside that house. The road is a residential one, but it's on the way from a housing estate into the town centre. The Fiat dealer we saw yesterday advised against ever buying a soft top if parking on street. But not sure how great the risk really is. So far no one on this forum has had a problem with a 500C, but again don't know how many Forum members actually park continuously on street.

 

[Riverwave]

Thanks for that info.

 

[jrkitching]

The Fiat dealer we saw yesterday advised against ever buying a soft top if parking on street.

Actually I'd go further than this and advise that folks should only buy a ragtop if you've a garage to keep it in, and preferably a dehumidified one at that, particularly if you plan on keeping it for a long time.

However careful you are about keeping the roof fabric properly conditioned, it'll never be as durable as a tintop and water & UV damage will get it in the end. If you're trading it away after three years or so, this is more likely to be an issue for the subsequent owners. Secondhand softtop convertibles need to be carefully inspected as hood fabric faults are unlikely to be covered by any warranty.

Personally I'm a fan of the fixed glass roof - it definitely makes the car feel more spacious and airy without most of the disadvantages of a ragtop. But be aware than many insurance policies won't replace the glass unless you make a full claim under the accidental damage part of the policy, with all the usual implications for loss of no claim bonus/accident loading - they're often specifically excluded from the replacement glass cover.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Actually I'd go further than this and advise that folks should only buy a ragtop if you've a garage to keep it in, and preferably a dehumidified one at that, particularly if you plan on keeping it for a long time.

However careful you are about keeping the roof fabric properly conditioned, it'll never be as durable as a tintop and water & UV damage will get it in the end.

I have to dispute that, especially on a fiat they have a terrible reputation for rust around sun roofs and water leaking past seals, maybe not on the 500 as yet but as they get older I don't doubt these problems will appear.

The fabric used on modern convertibles with modern chemical treatments mean they will last for years. When I bought mine I sent a message to autoglym asking what to do to treat it and was told not to bother for a long while as they are very well treated from the factory

 

[44sunsets]

However careful you are about keeping the roof fabric properly conditioned, it'll never be as durable as a tintop and water & UV damage will get it in the end.

Yup I used a California PopTop cover and then a Sila Concepts 500DOME cover to protect my roof -- it's parked out in the open in my apartment parking lot 24/7 (I have no garage). I wouldn't even have considered a 500C without a cover like this.

It's unbelievable how many times the car covers have saved me from bird poop as well.

I have to say I like the 500DOME cover much better -- the California PopTop disintegrated into a powdery mess around 2 years after initial use. And it required you to secure it with the boot hatch as well. The 500DOME simply uses velcro on the door handles and some elastic hooks that latch on to the front wheel wells and the rear bumper. Longevity remains to be seen but it's working really well so far (I've had it 6 months), and it's heavier and cheaper than the PopTop as well.

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Yup I used a California PopTop cover and then a Sila Concepts 500DOME cover to protect my roof -- it's parked out in the open in my apartment parking lot 24/7 (I have no garage). I wouldn't even have considered a 500C without a cover like this.

It's unbelievable how many times the car covers have saved me from bird poop as well.

I have to say I like the 500DOME cover much better -- the California PopTop disintegrated into a powdery mess around 2 years after initial use. And it required you to secure it with the boot hatch as well. The 500DOME simply uses velcro on the door handles and some elastic hooks that latch on to the front wheel wells and the rear bumper. Longevity remains to be seen but it's working really well so far (I've had it 6 months), and it's heavier and cheaper than the PopTop as well.

I have a FIAT full car cover which I use if I'm not going to drive the car for a couple of days or more. In hot weather I'll put it on daily though it does take several minutes. We're about to have a carport constructed which will be just long enough to cover both 500C's but I still intend to use the cover. The only problem is you have to whip it off quickly if it starts to rain, it's not waterproof and it's not recommended to leave it on wet.