- General

The hood on the MGF is an excellent piece of design. It is extremely easy to use, takes seconds to raise or lower and is weather tight. Also, given the MGF's mid-engined configuration, the stowage recess is necessarily tiny in comparison to other Roadsters. Lastly, it was designed as part of the car, rather than as an afterthought, as most of the competition appear to be, leading to the MGF looking equally good hood up or down.

There are 2 ways to stow the MGF's hood - screen in or zipped out. I recommend the latter only if the hood is to be stowed for a long time, (i.e. a long journey or at an all day MG event) or if the weather is exceptionally hot or cold. In the case of the latter, the screen becomes very pliable or brittle respectively and easy to damage.

- Creases

Tempting as it may be, I do not recommend just flinging it back, this is a case of do as I say, rather than do as I do. I just can't help myself occasionally - especially when adjacent to an SLK / Boxster / 206 CC etc J. Back to the point. There are a number of reasons for not doing this; the main one however is possible damage to the rear screen. Vertical creases should be avoided at all costs (Picture 1), ensure the rear screen is crease free prior to stowage (Picture 2). Vertical creases in the rear screen can also prevent it from stowing properly.

- Lock-Ups

The hood mechanism can "lock-up" during stowage, this is caused by the centre bar not retracting with the rest of the frame and getting caught under the front windscreen plate (Picture 3). The solution to this is to ensure it is moved out of the horizontal, either by inspection or by nudging it as the hood is lowered (Picture 4).

- Fabric Wear

The centre bar is on a cantilevered hinge and this can trap the fabric in a scissor action causing the fabric to be nipped (Picture 5). Eventually this will wear through and cause leaks. The solution is to pull the fabric free of this area (both sides) as the frame is lowered (Picture 6). To ensure a neat stowage, when the hood is lowered, loop the excess fabric back under itself; this will prevent it fouling the tonneau cover (Pictures 7 & 8). On some cars, the rubber seals by the main hinges are not aligned properly; this can also cause the fabric to wear out over time (Picture 9). Gently pull this rubber flap free to remove any areas where it can rub on the fabric (Picture 10).

- Rattles

There are two main areas where the hood may rattle, the rear screen pop studs and the tail end of the zip. The rear screen has a tab at both the top corners, this tab has a "male" and a "female" popper and they may rattle with the hood raised when in motion (Picture 11). The solution to this is to pop them together (Picture 12). The end of the zip may also knock on the frame causing an occasional "ting" type noise. If you inspect the zip, you will find that it has some Velcro attached to the end. This can be used to secure it to the rear screen, thus preventing contact with the frame (Picture 13).

- Zipping The Rear Screen

I have 2 tips for zipping the rear screen, the first is to lock up the frame (see lock-ups above) by ensuring the middle bar catches under the front windscreen plate. This then gives you excellent trouble-free access to the hood zip. This is an especially useful tip if, like me, you have a windstop fitted. The second tip is to make use of the Velcro tab in the middle of the zip to hold the rear screen in place whilst you are zipping it in (Picture 14). This isn't always effective, but it can make the job a lot easier, don't forget to fasten it out of the way when you are finished as it's visible in the rear view mirror.

- Hood Latch

Lastly, my final tip concerns the latch mechanism. If the catch isn't seated properly in the windscreen frame hook, it can, when closed in this situation, cause damage to the hook. My tip here is to manually locate the latch prior to pushing the handle home (Picture 15).

And there you have it, a few little tricks to help maintain your hood and rear screen in good condition. There are products available for renovating the hood material if it is looking a little tired, but I have no experience of them so I haven't covered this here. If anyone has, then why don't you write a small piece and submit it to this FAQ? I'm sure that it would be well received.

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• Cleaning - Hood

  
  

4th September 2001 - Andy Phillips (AKA: Scarlet Fever)