FAQ
My vinyl hood is getting porous, I think. Beads, of water appear inside it and it feels wet both outside and inside after heavy rain. The stitching above the glass rear window is also coming loose. And there are cracks along the sides and two holes at the base. I've patched it up for just over a year with Stormsure (it comes in a tube and is like liquid plastic - the bits I did lasted over a year) and duck tape over the holes, but...I think the car will need a new hood very soon. It is looking a bit tatty. The roof is the original one from 2003.
Mazda don't supply new vinyl hoods, and I don't want to chance a second-hand one (I want to keep this cat for as long as possible so I need a hood that will last). So I suppose it will have to be mohair, which is high-maintenance (I expect to be using Autoglym a lot).
So: I would be grateful if anyone who fits hoods (or knows of someone who does) could answer the following queries:
1. Does the mohair roof come with a glass window (like my car's original) and does the window-heater work in it?
2. Is the rain rail included in the mohair roof?
3. Where can I get it done (supplied and fitted: brand new hood, including rain rail, glass window and connected to window heater) in Ireland? Is the place in Kilkenny any good?
4. How long does it take? Ideally I would drop it off in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon.
5. Would they be able to fit a new bulb to the dashboard too (mine has gone dim - it used to light up red).
6. How much would all this cost?
7. [Bearing in mind I might not get it replaced if it's too much hassle or ineffective:] Is it possible to get a waterproofing product I could apply over the existing vinyl roof, which doesn't go greasy? (I recently used turtle wax, let it dry in, then applied Son of a Gun over it, and, while it worked, it left a subtle green sheen in the "pores" of the vinyl and seems to have smeared my windows - they've been greasy since I applied it).
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