Porsche 993, 996 and 997 Targa Roof Repairs

1996 saw the debut of a retractable glass roof in the Porsche 993 Targa, a design continued on the 996 and 997 Targa. The glass roof retracted underneath the rear window revealing a large opening. A shade was there to help prevent the greenhouse effect of the closed roof. This system was a complete redesign, as previous Targa models had a removable roof section and a wide B-pillar functioning as a roll bar. The new glass roof design allowed the 993 Targa to retain nearly the same side-on profile as the other 911 Carrera variants and eliminated the inconvenience of storing the removed top of the old system. The Targa had the body of the Cabriolet with the Targa glass roof replacing the fabric roof. The 911 Targa continued with the all-new 996-model and gained a lifting hatchback glass window. This, in turn, was used on the later 997 model of 911.

After time, some of them can go wrong and here at Precision Porsche we are highly experienced at fixing Porsche 993, 996 and 997 Targa roofs.

Targa roofs are pretty tight when new and it's normal for the roof to move slowly and in all instances you should have the engine running before operating.
However if your roof feels overly slow, many assume that it needs lubricating.
It doesn't, because lubricating the cables or the mechanism will at first cause the roof to operate faster but after a while, the lubricant collects dirt and dust which in turn forms a thick, sticky paste . This paste will collect on the cables and slow down the roof, eventually jamming it . Tell-tale signs are a slipping roof that doesn't close smoothly and evenly or jamming up and having to be closed manually .

In the worst cases it will spin the motor gears on the cables themselves resulting in a noisy and unpleasant sound and very likely to damage the motor gear.

996 / 997 Targa Roof

Motors with the tools needed to manually close the roof .

Roof assembly removed (don't try this at home) — Roof frame removed.

Roof mechanism in reasonable condition - not much grease on the plastic feet.

Roof mechanism in poor condition - too much grease on the white plastic feet to the point where you can't see them anymore.

Targa roof cables showing signs of wear.

Roof assembly stripped and upside down, awaiting new cables.

The steel guide for the cables. The outer part is plastic which is where the dirt builds up and splits the guide tube as it tries to drag the cable and dirt along with it. — The steel guide for the cables. The outer part is plastic which is where the dirt builds up and splits the guide tube as it tries to drag the cable and dirt along with it.

Yucky. — Typical grease found on mechanism once removed.

Drain Tube blocked due to Grease / Dirt and bits of a failed front seal. — Drain Tube blocked due to grease/dirt and bits of a failed front seal.

993 Targa Roof

A-Pillar corrosion found once roof is removed

Moral of the story; if you're starting to have problems with your Porsche Targa roof, step away from the lubricant and bring the car down to our specialist Porsche Targa Roof technicians who will have a look at it for you and give you an accurate diagnosis.