It’s not just our opinion that The Haartz Corporation manufactures the best convertible topping in the auto industry. Rigorous quality-assurance tests prove it.
Haartz recently put its topping in a head-to-head test against low-cost competitors to highlight the difference. The results demonstrate Haartz’s superior quality and illustrate why nearly every automaker chooses Haartz topping over others.
Take a look for yourself:
Crocking Color Transfer Test
The durability of the exterior fabric is critical to product performance. In this video, Haartz rubs the surface of the material after heat aging to show how the fiber used in the competitive fabric has degraded.
Flexibility and Inner-Layer Cracking Test
The durability of not only the fabric, but also the inner layer film is critical to field performance. In this video, Haartz shows how the inner layer of the competitive material has become brittle and cracks after heat aging. This will lead to premature tearing of the fabric along with a leaky top.
Hydrostatic Resistance After Accelerated Aging Test
In this video, Haartz shows how the competitive material will leak water after accelerated aging due to degradation of the inner layer between the two fabrics. This layer is supposed to be the primary waterproof layer between the outside world and the cabin.
Tensile Strength Test
Haartz heated its material and competitive material to 115˚ C. After 500 hours, Haartz material still maintained its tensile strength over the competitor.
Stretch Test
Haartz heated its material and competitive material to 115˚ C. After 500 hours, Haartz material still maintained its stretch advantage over the competitor.
Tear Strength Test
Haartz heated its material and competitive material to 115˚ C. After 500 hours, Haartz material still maintained its tear strength advantage over the competitor.
Why are these tests so important?
These tests are part of Haartz’s new “Discover the Difference” campaign, which aims to educate top manufacturers, distributors, trimmers and car owners about the importance of buying and installing tops made from OEM-quality materials.
“The testing we do with our soft top materials guarantees they will perform consistently and meet OEM standards for quality on every vehicle,” said Matthew Williams, director of business development at Haartz. “We continue to see offerings of low cost, imported products that simply do not meet basic convertible topping performance standards so we are even more committed to test each of our convertible toppings for weight, thickness, strength, elongation, flame resistance, UV resistance and more so customers can see the difference between the original topping their vehicle was purchased with and imitation material. We encourage everyone to visit our site, view the videos and ‘Discover the Difference’ in our soft top materials.”
This is more important than ever, given the amount of low-cost tops flooding the aftermarket. These subpar tops are impacting our shops by decreasing our sales, disrupting our workflow and – when the products ultimately fail – damaging our reputations.
Share this article with your followers on social media to help us counter the growing trend of low-quality convertible tops.
To learn more about The Haartz Corporation, visit Haartz.com. You can also follow Haartz on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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