Ferrari 360 spider roof ?

[Mike Brown]

Hello all, could anyone enlighten me, are spider roofs a lillte sticky when temperatures fall to below freezing, mine does not seem to want to go up , I can here something clicking but the pump does not seem to be operating.
I had put away with the roof down and thought I ought to put it in the closed position for the next few weeks, any advices gratefully appreciated, Mike

[mwstewart]

Personally, Mike, given the complexity and fragility of some components in that roof I would not advise operating it in the kind of temps we have at the moment. The motor will struggle in cold weather for one, and the constituent parts of the frame/hood/mechanism will be much less flexible and more fragile.

Assuming the battery voltage is good you could check the hood fluid level.

Although I haven't operated mine in these temps I wouldn't be surprised if it reacted the same way.

[paulmnz]

Not talking specifically about the 360, but most cars with 'fabric' soft tops suggest not to operate them under 5c or so. on cold days I would warm the car (and top) up before opening/closing it. having replaced a fabric top on an MX5 in the winter many years ago they definitely tighten up significantly when cold which could well place a strain on the motors. The plastic window screens are also more prone to cracking when they are folded in the cold (was a common issue on early boxsters).

[Mike Brown]

Thank you very much, have warmed car and garage up to a more normal ambient temperature and hey presto woks fine, what on earth one would do in a more northern or colder climate heaven knows.

These cars are not cold weather vehicles for sure, anyway most comforting to have the roof closed, she's now covered and resting for the next couple of months, regards Mike

[Mike Brown]

Thank you very much, have warmed car and garage up to a more normal ambient temperature and hey presto woks fine, what on earth one would do in a more northern or colder climate heaven knows.

These cars are not cold weather vehicles for sure, anyway most comforting to have the roof closed, she's now covered and resting for the next couple of months, regards Mike

[Mike Brown]

Thank you very much, have warmed car and garage up to a more normal ambient temperature and hey presto woks fine, what on earth one would do in a more northern or colder climate heaven knows.

These cars are not cold weather vehicles for sure, anyway most comforting to have the roof closed, she's now covered and resting for the next couple of months, regards Mike

[Kyodo]

paulmnz said:

Not talking specifically about the 360, but most cars with 'fabric' soft tops suggest not to operate them under 5c or so. on cold days I would warm the car (and top) up before opening/closing it. having replaced a fabric top on an MX5 in the winter many years ago they definitely tighten up significantly when cold which could well place a strain on the motors. The plastic window screens are also more prone to cracking when they are folded in the cold (was a common issue on early boxsters).

Spot on. Our Boxster had its roof replaced with the glass screen version by its previous owner for this reason

Mike Brown said:

These cars are not cold weather vehicles for sure

Why not?

They're great cars as you know and the cold shouldn't be a problem. We tend to keep clear of grimy, wet or salty roads but the cold? Our car generates its own heat.

Mike Brown said:

what on earth one would do in a more northern or colder climate heaven knows.

Buy a Modena!

Just kidding, glad you solved the problem.

Edited by Kyodo on Wednesday 20th January 09:29