I would like to hear from some high top conversion owners to hear about any limitations in automatic car washes? I' already aware of the parking ramp and home garage issues, but I've never owned a high top. In my search for a conversion van, they are much more common than the low top versions.

Please pass along some first hand owner knowledge of everyday life with a high top.

Thank you,

 

Call your car wash and ask what their height is.

I'm 90% sure it won't fit.

 

Thanks Joe. I took your advice and called them. The high top is 92” high and they said their wash can take vehicles up to 96” high, so I’m good. It’s a very nice wash so I’m glad I can fit.

 

You are fortunate that your hitop fits in that auto car washer. Most automatic car washes are too low for a hitop.
My wife took my 96 hitop through a car wash and it didn’t fit… the sprocket on the overhead assembly punched perfect evenly spaced holes down the length of the roof. What a disaster. I had to fill the holes and then over the years the clear coat on the roof failed as a result of all the damage done in the car wash.
You also need to be very careful if you park in a muti-level parking garage (like you would at an airport, or a hotel in a city downtown area, for example). Most of those garages do not have sufficient ceiling clearance for a hitop conversion van.
I ended up buying a regular roofed conversion van for my next van because of all the ceiling clearance issues you have with a hitop. The extra head room you get with a hitop really is nice, but it comes with a lot of constraints that you need to be mindful of, all the time.

Peter

 

Thank you. These are the things I had been warned about, but was not sure if it was the rumor mill or not. I appreciate your real world experience.