When Garo “Gary” Dekirmendjian sold his aftermarket soft top company GAHH Inc. in 2005, he didn’t think he’d ever get back into the business, let alone launch a family dynasty.
But 10 years later, OEM+ Auto Tops was born — not to compete with existing manufacturers, but to build on his legacy of innovation and offer trim shops a high-quality alternative to existing soft tops.
Today, Gary runs the business alongside several family members, including his grandchildren Johnny and Gary Jr., who hold key roles in customer relations and production.
They produce OEM replacement tops for modern convertibles, from Mustangs to Ferraris, and are taking the industry by storm with their quality products and commitment to customer service.
We recently spoke with Johnny about OEM+, the business, the tops and the people. He told us all about the family’s history, how they blend old-world craftsmanship with modern technology, and their dedication to independent trim shops.
It was an enlightening conversation that we hope you’ll enjoy.
OEM+ Auto Tops has a long history in the soft top industry, dating even further back than the company’s founding. Can you tell us a bit about your family and the business’ origin story?
Gary, my grandfather and our founder, made his first convertible top in 1980. The story behind this begins when his brother-in-law, who owned an automotive repair shop, was looking for a replacement top for a 1976 Volkswagen Beetle. At the time, his supplier of aftermarket soft tops didn’t have the top in stock, and the lead time was over a month. His customer couldn’t wait that long. Thus, he made a visit to my grandfather, who owned a shoe repair shop.
Knowing that my grandfather had skills in pattern making and sewing, he asked my grandfather to replicate the original top. After studying the original top, my grandfather was able to make a pattern for it and produce a replacement top using the equipment at his shoe repair shop.
Soon after this, word spread about my grandfather’s skills and multiple local shops began asking him to produce replacement tops for their customers. He ended up getting more demand for replicating convertible tops than repairing shoes, so he abandoned his old business to begin a new one. The rest is history.
That history is GAHH, which he owned and operated from 1980 to 2005, when he sold the company and retired. So what made him get back into the industry and launch OEM+ Auto Tops?
After retiring from the industry, my grandfather observed a decline in product quality, an aspect that he valued as the highest priority. He decided to re-enter the industry 10 years later, and began providing his services to local trim shops just as it all started – in his garage with little more than a sewing machine.
The first top he made was for a Porsche 996, which was very simple. The second was a Ferrari 360 top, which today we consider one of the most challenging. He was able to replicate these tops with ease and wanted to take his newly founded business to the next level. Thus, we did our R&D on machinery and equipment needed to build the newer, more complex tops that incorporate glass windows. Once the machinery was complete, we needed a place to put it. So, we moved into a warehouse in North Hollywood, California, and we have been operating there since.
How was the initial response from the industry?
At first, people were slow to trust us and we hardly sold two tops a week. That persisted for a few years, but eventually upholstery shop owners from all over the world learned about the quality and fit of our soft tops and adopted us as a primary source for their convertible top needs.
You mentioned that OEM+ manufactures its soft tops in California. Why do you do that when you could be making them for much cheaper in Mexico or China, thus increasing your profit margins?
Simply put, our tops are too technical to produce outside of our control. We would not be where we are today if we did not listen to customer feedback and immediately improve our product. Producing our tops from start to finish in our warehouse allows us to make these improvements quickly and observe where we went wrong to not let the same issue occur once more. Manufacturing outside of the United States would hinder those improvements and would not advance our own knowledge in manufacturing soft tops.
We are also a huge believer in returning the manufacturing of goods to the United States. This is why we use almost exclusively made-in-USA materials.
Do you only manufacture using original Haartz materials?
Haartz is the only company we use for our topping material. Unfortunately, Haartz does not make everything, so we have to source our internal components from other companies. However, we are big advocates of their products and my grandfather has trusted them for close to 40 years.
Bonding systems for glass windows are a big topic in our industry. It’s incredibly frustrating when they fail. OEM+ claims to have a “sustainable glass window bonding system.” Can you tell us a bit more about how it works and why it’s better than bonding systems used by competitors?
We have never compared our product or our bonding system to our competitors. Hence, we cannot speak about how we are better. However, we have done an immense amount of research and have invested a lot of time and money in our fully automated robotic window bonding system.
Our adhesives are the most advanced of their kind and manufactured specifically for us. This means that everything has been laboratory tested, and we have the technical data to guarantee a long-lasting bond. Initially, it took a lot of trial and error to get our bond strong enough to last under the sun. We refused to sell our product until it met our standards for acceptable longevity, which was a key factor in earning our customers’ trust. Our warranty claims are incredibly low in this regard.
Speaking of OEM+’s warranty, we hear it’s one of the strongest in the industry. Can you tell us about what it includes and why it’s so strong?
Our current warranty policy consists of a 5-year warranty that covers rips or tears in the topping material, damage or defects on the glass window, discoloration or shrinkage of materials, stitching or seams coming apart, breaking of plastic components, and glass window bond failure.
The strength of our policy comes from our labor compensation policy, as we grant $75 per 1 hour of installation time according to the installation times listed in our catalog and on our website. Our recommended install times are the average amount of time it takes for an upholstery shop to install our top. We got these numbers through talking to multiple trimmers and getting their input as to how long they spend installing our top.
At $75/hour, we currently offer the highest labor compensation rate in the industry and ensure that our customers are covered from any inconvenience with our tops.
And how far back do your soft tops go? Can trimmers order tops for classic and antique vehicles too?
The earliest year for a top we make is 2001, which is for the Ferrari 360. We get calls all the time for older cars and clients urging us to make an older replacement top for them. Regrettably, we don’t have the time to do so, as we are focused only on keeping what we currently produce in stock. There are several aftermarket manufacturers that produce these classic tops, so we know that classic cars are in good hands with them.
What’s the turnaround time for orders when you have a top in stock vs when you have to make it from scratch?
All our tops made in original colors are in-stock, always. The same day you order a top, the same day it gets shipped out.
In the case where a customer requests a top to be produced in a non-factory color, our turnaround time is 2 weeks.
So aside from your great warranty, why should auto trimmers purchase their soft tops from OEM+ and not one of your competitors? What sets your tops apart?
We make a top how a top should be made. Installers say it goes on easy and looks close to what is being replaced. The use of OEM materials and the fact that we have everything in-stock and shipped same-day are some of the key reasons why our customers prefer us. Our customers know that we take the worry out of the installation process, and for this reason, they are confident in purchasing convertible tops from us.
Before we wrap things up, can you tell us about OEM+ Auto Tops’ relationship with small, independent trim shops?
Of course! What keeps OEM+ Auto Tops running are the trimmers that trust us.
The upholstery shops that have purchased replacement tops from us have provided a considerable amount of feedback and tips that have allowed us to keep improving the quality and fit of our tops.
In addition, trimmers make up most, if not all, of our sales. We could very easily sell our tops online for a low price to generate more revenue, but this would hurt the businesses of the trimmers that have trusted us for years. We consider ourselves “for the installer,” and the products and service we provide are meant to support the upholstery community.
To learn more about OEM+ Auto Tops, visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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