Hi all,
I have 2 small splits in my soft top both sides 50mm appx. Back from the door glass low down and disappearing behind the body work which Richard on here informs me is pretty well nigh impossible to repair successfuly, so I guess the hunt is on for a good quality replacement. A few thoughts of mine:
Who is the best for quality ?
Is mohair better ?
Is it worth going for a type 1 with removable panel ( someone mentioned somewhere that it’s good for motorways hood up window out), also I believe some have larger than standard windows, do you have any experience or thoughts on these points?
Thanks in advance,
Kind regards Dave
Ps it’s s mk2.5 with glass screen currently
I believe BAS hoods (after OE Mazda) are overall best quality, whether vinyl or “mohair”. Though I think all NB-FLs came with “Mohair” as standard…
Some like Mohair for its appearance, and that Mohair doesn’t shrink link Vinyl. Others, like me, prefer vinyl, because of its appearance, and ease of maintenance. Vinyl might shrink, but it doesn’t have a rubber layer that rots, and requires routine reproofing. Mohair seems a bit stiffer to foold. A zip out window is nice, but you’ll lose your glass heated window (there are NA hoods with a zip out glass window, but these hoods have a distinct saggy appearance, because the glass is flat, but the NB glass is actually very slightly curved. The only hoods I know of with a bigger (deeper) window are the cheapie trade hoods. They can leak through the zips. Moss, in the US, still do a 3-window hood (Robbins or someone).
Some of the Mohair hoods use stitched panels, that can unravel. So look for those that combine welded with stitched. Like BAS. MX5parts hoods are generally BAS, and are a bit cheaper than buying from BAS International directly.
Hi sas9961. That’s great info much appreciated. I had the hood down with my new (to me ) hardtop on from 1st June to about the 22nd when I put the soft top up it seemed really tight initially I guess that must have shrunk as you mentioned and I wonder if that resulted in the splits in the 18 year old hood? Don’t know what I could have done not to stretch it short of leaving it unlatched.
I think I will want to have it fitted but I don’t know who in my area fits the BAS ones, I live near Southend on sea Essex. I am starting to think vinyl may be best for me and can’t make my mind up about a zip out at the expense of heated glass I will give it some thought. At the risk of embarrassing myself what’s an FL’s ? thank you again for the comprehensive info much appreciated, any thoughts opinions or advice greatfully accepted.
Kindest regards Dave.
NB-FLs - NB facelift
Obvious now you’ve told me 
MX5 Parts confirmed they only use BAS hoods, they recon and recommend the mohair as far superior for only £200 more! they do seem to be a good company though, and the £460 vinyl and £660 mohair are fitted prices, do you think that’s reasonable or are there better companies to try ?
Its a good deal if you can make the trip to where they are, but it might cost you £50 in fuel. So compare what you can get in Essex for £50 more.
BAS is at:
Maybe if you contact them, they could reocmmend a fitter local to you. Fitting costs I suppose will be in the region of £150. Note, MX5parts will charge extra for any other bits they find need doing, but other fitters might include things like the side tensioning cables, as a matter of course.
The splits behind the “b-piller” are common enough, and not something to get too worried about right away. With a hood thats been lowered for a while (eg while a hardtop is on), you might find slackening the catches a little will help.
