Finally! I Am Now a Member of the Drop Top Community!

[Baba]

Congratulations (again) on your new 'vert and welcome to the Convertible Forum.

Here are a few tips which may help you to maximize the enjoyment of the "'vert life":

1. You MUST have a hat / cap in the car at all times to shield your face (and scalp?) from the sun with top-down driving. You WILL get a sunburn very quickly if you don't.

2. Suntan lotion. I keep mine in the pocket behind the passenger seat for quick and easy access.

3. A towel to wipe off any suntan lotion that may get on the leather and for perspiration, of course.

4. When you're the first car sitting at a stop light and watching for it to change, you may find your view is directly in line with the upper windshield frame (quite an annoyance). You'll learn to either not pull up too closely or tilt your head back and look OVER the windshield frame (depending upon how tall you are and / or your seat height).

5. It's ALWAYS a good idea to close your top when parking anywhere unless you'll have it within your constant view, or have a "cockpit cover" you can throw on instead of putting the top up when you're on a quick errand.

6. MAKE SURE THE TONNEAU COVER BOLTS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED during the dealer-prep. These do NOT come installed from the factory - which is ridiculous as the 2LT / 2SS come with the tonneau cover. The bolts are situated behind the upper rear seats and are absolutely necessary to be in place if you're going to use the tonneau cover - otherwise, it will fly off while you're driving! The bolts for mine were in the tonneau cover bag.

7. It's NOT essential to put the tonneau cover on. Many of us find it a PITA to put on and take off, and, if you're not careful, it's easy to scratch the paint on your fenders if you're wearing a belt. Many folks don't trust the tonneau cover to stay on securely. You have a 2013, and will have the new cover with the bungee cord attachments and there should not be a risk of it flying off.

8. If you're not familiar with the potential top problems, you may want to glance at the "tonneau cover", "5th bow" and other "top problem" threads. These issues affected primarily 2011 and early 2012 built 'verts, although they have happened to '13 owners, as well. Just as an "FYI".

9. Make sure you locate the L-shaped allen wrench with which to manually raise the top in the event the hydraulic pump fails (either due to malfunction, hydraulic leak, damage or overheating). It should be in a plastic bag in the glove box. Some folks have reported finding it in the large black carrying bag in the trunk which holds the tonneau cover (you don't want to find yourself in a sudden down pour and find that you can't raise your top, for some reason).

10. Make sure and read your OM section regarding the convertible top, the messages that may show up on the DIC, the fact that when you initially lower or raise the top that the radio cuts out momentarily, when raising or lowering the top the windows will go down automatically, the "screen" in the trunk must be pulled out and latched in order to operate the top.

11. It's ALWAYS a good idea to put the top up if you're parking your 'vert for several hours or overnight. Although the mid-2012(?) and onward model years have a new and thicker top material, the top will wrinkle in the "C" pillar areas.

12. Listen for "wind noise" near the rear side windows. It's normal to hear some wind rush, but it shouldn't be excessive.

13. NEVER take your 'vert through a car wash. It's just a bad idea. Some folks here do, many of us strictly hand wash only. Better to drive a dirty 'vert for a couple of days than to become a U-Boat captain.

14. Just to be on the safe side, ALWAYS check for dampness in the trunk, back seat, front and rear floor after washing or rain. The sooner a potential water / drainage problem is detected, the sooner it can be remedied before more damage occurs.

15. The top will not open or close if the trunk isn't shut.

16. Spare tire. If you didn't opt for or overlooked it, consider getting one. It's ALWAYS good to have a spare tire.

17. When lowering the top, turn the latch to open, then press the "open" button, open the top a couple of inches, then stop, turn the latch to the "closed" position again, and continue lowering the top. The reason for this is so the metal "hooks" on the front inside of the top don't get bent (they latch into the upper outer windshield frame when latching the top closed), the handle is repositioned in the "closed' position, thereby not pressing against any part of the top when it's open and resting behind the back seat.

18. Never allow anyone to sit on top of the back seats or top when it's open (like for parades, etc.) This is a really good way to bend the top frame.


You're a former 1LT Coupe owner, so you'll know a lot about the 5th Gen. Hopefully, the other members here will correct or add to anything I've stated.

Remember, you're not just driving a Camaro Convertible, you're living a life-style.

[NYCamOwner]

Welcome to the club!!! I envy you going down the strip in it...

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by NewCamOwner

Welcome to the club!!! I envy you going down the strip in it...

Love cruising the strip in it or our Jeep Wrangler.....yes we are a ragtop family

[zandron263]

Seeing that you live in Vegas I would treat the top with a UV protectant since it will see a lot of Sun. I use 303 on mine. Oh I almost forgot nice Camaro and welcome to the topless club.

[Dznyfn]

Welcome, I too went from a 2SS/RS coupe to a 1SS vert and have had a BLAST!!! Acually enjoy this car even more than the coupe

[LBreezie]

nice car!

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by Dznyfn

Welcome, I too went from a 2SS/RS coupe to a 1SS vert and have had a BLAST!!! Acually enjoy this car even more than the coupe

Same thing here, I am way excited having this vert more than when I bought the blue onr, beside it being a vert, it is loaded out with a ton of gadgets that the 1lt didnt have........still stoked about the HUD, just love that thing

[Ryanbabz71]

Congrats verts are awesome


Ryan

[Indydriver]

Vert in Vegas
Vert in Summit White
Vert with racing stripes
Baba's advice

Great minds think alike:

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by Indydriver

Vert in Vegas
Vert in Summit White
Vert with racing stripes
Baba's advice

Great minds think alike:

Awesome lookinf ride u got there

[Tom_T]

You gotta love the 'vert. Had a chance to drive my '11 on the strip, top down at night................. it was a great road trip. Hope to do it again in the new one!
Enjoy your new car!

[Dave's-RS]

Nice car and welcome to the Vert world :-)

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by Tom_T

You gotta love the 'vert. Had a chance to drive my '11 on the strip, top down at night................. it was a great road trip. Hope to do it again in the new one!
Enjoy your new car!

I love cruisin the strip in the Camaro hard top that I had before.....but now the vert really adds to the fun ten times over
You do however see lots of verts on the strip, and those look all the same, usually a silver 1lt with California tags, but the local and personally owned verts really stand out because each one is rather unique. My white one stands out in contrast as well.

[007s 'Vert]

Originally Posted by Dave's-RS

Nice car and welcome to the Vert world :-)

Thanks.....these cars really pop in white