I wonder, is it more than one supplier of the original vinyl-hoods? I'm thinking about the standard hoods looking like the original Citroën ones. I know about the canvas-hoods(ex.Matt's), but they are to expensive and I don't care for the work with cleaning and waterproofing. Lazy as I am.

I don't mind paying a bit more for an original type roof if the quality was better. Like if it stayed soft and kept it's color a bit longer. Don't want them last forever though, it's fun to change now and then. Just keeping color a bit longer than two years would have been nice.
So, is there different qualities on the original looking roofs from the different suppliers??
(like ECAS, Franzose, AMI dela 2CV, Mehari Club osv...)

And if so, who sells the best plastic roofs?

If you don't want a plastic roof, but one made from Sonnenland fabrik, you could contact Das Entendach in Germany: http://www.entendach.de
They have very good and nice lookong roofs!

You get what you pay for. We sold many many hoods over the years, mainly hoods from ‘’Skinny Alex’’ in Germany Tom is referring to. His 3 layer no maintenance hoods last decades vs. ‘’normal’’ vinyl hoods, made from cheap material. We all know too well how quickly a vinyl hood can split after one summer with small amounts of UV or one winter in frost.
All our 2cv are running with Skinny Alex’s hoods no worries. 320 Euros is well spent for a fabric hood compared to 175 Euros El-Cheapo vinyl hood. We sell plenty of the cheap hoods for one reason only PRICE.
http://www.2cviking.eu/catalog/index.ph ... anguage=en

€380/£320 is a fair old chunk of money, though.

How do they compare to the (£200/€240) Matt ones that we're used to seeing in the UK?
http://www.matts-soft-tops.co.uk/

I will not in any way criticize Matts hoods but again you get for you pay for. I think that Matts hoods are in between the top of the range and the El cheapo. The Sonnenland is made with 3 layers (waterproof membrane in the middle) and all hidden bars, window frame, boot hinge etc are brand new. The top layer is Porsche/Mercedes Cabrio fabric. The inside a very nice soft grey lining

Edit: the 380 euros include freight to Australia = 60 euros. Price in Europe 320 euros + freight

Photos from ''Skinny Alex's'' web site
http://www.entendach.de/Galerie/galerie.html

I believe there are a couple of manufactureres, but I can't be sure. the hood I bought from ECAS a few years back for my yellow 2cv was a really nice fit around the bodywork at the back, and the little tab fitted well into the bar above the rear window. The roof I bought for my red car however, was a really poor fit and the only way to make the tab stay in the crossbar was to have the roof as high/far forward as it would go which means the bootlid isn't a great fit along it's bottom edge. Of course, they may be made by the same place and built to a massive tolerance, or the two cars might be built a bit differently.

My preference is for the standard roof though, I agree, they last five years tops in everyday use, when stored outside in cold winters and hot summers, but I prefer the appearance. The Matts roof will obviously last a lot longer, but it's relatively high maintenance, which combined with the different appearance, I'm not a fan of. They are, however, made from new parts nowadays I believe, whereas up until recently, they were all made with reclaimed steelwork.

I have no experience of the more expensive hoods that Viking uses I'm afraid.

Perhaps I'm a fool, but I'm happy to settle for poorer quality and shorter lifespan.

Maybe Roy can tell us more about suppliers?

Russ some people like the mother others the sister, some both

We live in a free world and no one should blame you for buying cheap hoods. 100% of our french customers buy cheap, they really struggle to understand the much higher price. Nearly 90% of our Australian customers are buying the Sonnenland, they have learned the hard way looking at the UV cooking the vinyl in one year.

you forgot the daughter/s Viking ... BTW how are they?

Harley

Like Russel, I'm happy with the cheap vinylhoods as long as they last more than 5-6 years, and so far it has lasted 3 years and is still soft and strong. Only problem is the fading of color. But since it is cream/beige/yellow, it doesnt really show that is has faded until I park beside one with a new roof with same color. I'm quite sure it will reach 5 years with no problem. Got it from Franzose.
I don't think you can compare Australia and north of Europe regarding sun..... Somehow I think there is a HUGE difference in sun-ours during a year


That's exactly why I started this thread, to find out if there is some different manufacturers of "original" vinyl hoods. And as I said, I'm happy to use a few quid more on one brand of "cheap vinyl roof" if it is a little better than a different brand. But it will still be a cheap vinyl roof. I like them, and dont mind if it needs replacing after some years. Then I can change color if I get bored of it, or want to paint the car. How boring with the same roof "for ever"

But I am now looking for a red roof for my D*lly, and if there are any quality-differences on the vinyl-roof's, I'd like to know!

BTW: I did see three names mentioned on a web-site, for makers of vinyl-hoods. They were DG, SAFAR and VBSA. DG being the cheapest and VBSA the most expensive. Not big differences though.