Hoods for Volkswagen 181

Alpaca, reinforced canvas, vinyl: the material comes first

• Alpaca is a thick, tightly woven, lined fabric that was traditionally used for original-quality soft tops. It retains its shape, insulates against noise, ages by developing a patina rather than cracking, and is available in a range of textures and colours. It is the choice for faithful restoration.
• Reinforced, coatedcanvas is more economical and easier to maintain. It withstands washing well but provides less insulation and creases more easily.
• Vinyl is the most affordableoption. It lasts a few seasons, hardens in the cold and cracks at the frame joints.

Colour is just as important as the material: a soft top is the largest visible surface on a convertible, and a colour that’s even slightly off stands out immediately against the bodywork.

Soft rear window or glass rear window

The soft rear window, made of transparent plastic, is the original fitment on most older models. It scratches, yellows and becomes cloudy over the years, and it is almost always the reason why a soft top that is otherwise still in good condition has to be replaced. It does not cope well with being folded when cold.

A glass windscreen does not yellow, can be cleaned like a windscreen and can be fitted with a de-icing system. It adds weight to the soft top and requires a mechanism designed to accommodate it: you cannot replace a flexible windscreen with glass without checking that the frame is compatible. On a vehicle used all year round, this is the most noticeable improvement; on a car judged on its compliance, it is a visible deviation.

Internal or external mounting

Depending on the era and the specific fitment, the soft top is attached to the body either fromthe inside, concealed beneath a trim panel or moulding, or fromthe outside, visible around the edge. This is not merely a finishing detail: the two versions do not have the same cut, the same reinforcements, nor the same attachment points.

A single vehicle may have been fitted with both types during its production run. You should therefore check the type of attachment on the removed soft top before ordering, rather than relying on the documentation: it is the actual fitment that matters, not the vehicle’s year of manufacture.

Fitting a soft top: temperature and patience

A new soft top arrives folded and always looks too small. This is normal: it stretches as it is fitted, and it only stretches when exposed to heat.

• Work in warm weather, or in a heated room, and leave the fabric to unfold for several hours before you start.
• Check the frame first: play in the joints, worn tensioners, hardened perimeter seals. A warped frame will distort a new soft top within a season.
• Secure the centre first, at the front then at the back, and distribute the tension outwards rather than closing one corner first.
• Never force the top closed during the first few days. Leave the top closed in the sun; it will take its shape on its own.

Maintain it to avoid replacement

What ruins a soft top isn’t the rain, but folding it whilst cold and storing it whilst damp. A wet, folded fabric will go mouldy at the folds, and a flexible rear window folded at temperatures below ten degrees will crack permanently.

Three simple habits are all it takes: never fold a wet soft top, clean it with lukewarm water and a soft brush rather than a high-pressure washer (which can cause the seams to come apart), and re-waterproof it once a year on a clean, dry fabric. Also take care of the gutters and drainage from the soft-top housing: even a soft-top in good condition fitted to a housing that retains water will still allow damp to enter the cabin.