Here's one that ex-Miata Man and I ran into as well as several others. It's very easy to make this mistake your first few top down tries....
Tip:
When unlocking the top at the windshield, leave the lock lever in OUT position. DO NOT PLACE IT BACK IN THE STOWED POSITION WHEN YOU CLOSE THE TOP. Do not try be neat and tuck it back into top frame like in the closed position. Tucking it in causes the little hook to extend forward and when closing the trunk that latch hits the hook can causes mis-alignment when trying to lock the top.
Attached are several pictures.
#1 - shows the handle on the top in the out position which is way it should stay in order to fold top. Don't be anal and try to close it and tuck it back into it's slot in the top, leave it out.
#2 - shows result of hook/lever when handle is out, hook is retracted in which is good. Remember, handle out = hook in....good.
#3 - shows what you would see if you tucked the handle back into slot (the way it is when top if up). Hook/lever is out....bad for folded top in trunk!
#4 - shows spot where trunk attaches to body (picture from above). Notice how close the top is to the attachment point where the trunk closes. Less than an inch of clearance.
#5 - shows how the hook/lever blocks the trunk attachment point when it sticks out.
If you slam the trunk with the hook out it can get bent and then has trouble mating into the spot in the A-piller (windshield). Could cause trouble locking top or possible leaks at that point.
Get in the habit of double checking before you slam trunk to take a peek at the hook to see if it's clear of trunk locking point
__________________ 2006 VIN #30, first 1000 series, black exterior, sand/steel interior
Index of useful threads: General, Tech
When putting up the top I find it eaiser to latch the top before trying to shut the deck lid. Just the opposite of what the manual says. If I leave the top unlatched the deck lid is too hard to close and I have to pop the button again to retry.
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First 1K #376 Sly delivered 9/15/05 FORMERLY ATEAM_77
I see some discussion of which to do first when putting the top up, lock the header or close the trunk? I actually found contridicting statements in the owners manual and extra pages they stuffed in that say to do it different ways?
1) One method says to lock the top first at the windshield, then close the trunk and snap the buttresses to trunk deck.
2) The other says to shut the trunk first, snap the buttesses and then lock the header at the windshield.
Seems like #1 is a little safer and gives you extra 1/2 of clearance when shutting the trunk (that you don't clip anything trying to shut it)
__________________ 2006 VIN #30, first 1000 series, black exterior, sand/steel interior
Index of useful threads: General, Tech
I seem to remember someone mentioning a couple in a post...only one I remember was to open the doors a bit when closing the hood to avoid damaging the paint...
EDIT by RODEO:
This idea (although seen a few times) has been countered with advice from SmallDealer Owners Tips and Tricks - [locked]
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Jamesons shot ~ Coke back
1969 Pontiac Firebird 350cu 2bbl 265hp base
1992 Toyota 4x4 V6 High centered in snow once near Mammoth - that sucked for about 4 hours...
1994 Mustang Conv't V6 Missing the front valance, 2 or 3 holes in the top and it's a Ford...I'm not complaining though, I got it for free!
2007 Pontiac Solstice - 250hp+ (That's the plan, anyway...)
http://www.putfile.com
One thing that I've noticed on my car is that the trunk release button on the key fob seems to be programmed to ignore a quick, accidental push or something. I thought the remote was faulty for a while because I had to push the button four or five times to get it to work sometimes, while the lock and unlock buttons worked on the first try every time. Anyway, when you go to unlock the trunk, just hold it down for a second or two instead of giving a quick push and release. I'm guessing they did that so it wouldn't actually pop your trunk in case you accidentally hit the button in your pocket or something. Anyway, it's easy enough to figure out, but thought I'd mention it in case it saves somebody a few minutes of frustration.
If you hear an annoying squeeking sound from the passenger side of the car, it could be the passenger seat side bolster rubbing on the door panel. Simply adjust seat to a place where it doesn't squeek. Also the seat backs will squeek if you adjust them to rub on the back of the head fairings. Leave just a little gap.
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Thanks again Bob, for building my car! Envious/Ebony VIN #0051
Location: Wilds of Canada, or the Pac NW, or the Upper Penninsula of MI...
Check your tire pressures, and MAKE SURE THEY ARE SET TO THE PLACARD PRESSURE.
The Placard is in the door jamb of the driver's side, and it reads 29 PSI for front and rear tires.
If you get your oil changed at a quick change place, MAKE SURE THEY SET THE PRESSURES PROPERLY (29 PSI)
I say this because I've experienced the difference between higher pressures and placard pressures, and it is VERY noticeable.
If your handling feels strange, or if the steering feels "nervous", or the car seems to ride abnormally harsh, one of the very easy reasons is that the tires may be overinflated.
I presume because the Solstice has so much tire, it seems to be highly sensitive to tire pressure. Don't increase the pressure to "help" your handling, you may actually make things worse than you'd like.
For those of you who are owners, try it out yourself. I've found that the ride is really "bouncy" and the steering becomes light-feeling at 35 PSI, and anything higher is really not very nice.
I haven't seen any detrimental effects of going lower (tried as low as 25 PSI), so the effect is non-linear - but I also know that generally, lowering pressure may increase the probability of damaging your rims.
My passenger side door sometimes didn't want to latch on the first try. After awhile I noticed that if the passenger seat is moved up part way, the seat belt latch will hang up next to the seat and stick straight out. The latch will tear up the door trim if you aren't careful. Luckily I found out the problem before I had any damage beyond just minor scuffing. A second thing that I found, which I either missed in the booklet or just isn't mentioned. When you open the gas filler door and unscrew the cap, there is a small hook built into the backside of the filler door. The cap has a plastic cord attached which you can loop over the hook. This keeps the cap from having to lay against the body paint below the filler door.
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AKA xmm
First 1000 Order VIN # 000218 - Time Stamp 2:35:20 DEEP with Steel/Sand leather,
72,200+ miles on the odo - Silver side stripes - My wife named my car "Nittany" after Penn State, my Alma Mater
Reborn at the factory at 57,100 miles Proud Member - ICoD EHDoR&M WPASC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NASSOA
Founding Member #41
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's Going To Be A Girl......plus one more on the way!!!"
With 500 miles on the car aleady I have noticed a couple of things that are worth mentioning here.
Dash lights activate only in the auto headlight setting. They do not go on when your turn on the parking or headlights manually. This is annoying on a cloudy/rainy day. I don't know if this is peculiar to my car (i.e defective wiring/switch). At dusk with the auto headlight controlls on, the radio illumination is too dim, almost impossible to read even with the dash light brightness turned to max.
Even though the engine revs freely in gear it doesn't seem accelerate any quicker than accelerating "normally" and not with a lead foot. P.S. The car is quicker than it seems, I noticed this pulling away from stop lights campared to other cars.
Tip of the day: Since there are no cubby holes or console indents for things like cell phones, wallet, sunglasses, etc. don't forget about the little pockets in the seat fronts.
__________________ Vin No. 23 - Deep with Steel/Sand "I'm sorry you don't like my ride, I didn't buy it for you"
when you close the trunk lid, put your hand on the plastic protector ahead of the chrome peg holes. Otherwise you will have fingerprints all over the lid which will be very obvious on dark colors: Deep, Envious, etc.
when washing car, park on a slope with the front higher. Otherwise, water pools on the trunk lid between the fairings and leaves dirt residue.
make sure you know where the hood release is located before you need to find it. it is well hidden.
