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tl;dr: Today I installed a SmarTop control module for my convertible so I don't have to hold the button down constantly and it's awesome!!
I've been holding off buying a SmarTop control module because it's hard to justify $350USD on a device that essentially just saves you from having to hold down a button for 30 seconds, especially since I have comfort access so I can use the key fob to operate the roof of the car - but last week I lashed out (I figured if I can afford $1,000 to fix a bloody headlight, I can afford $400AUD to deal with a major annoyance I had with the car).
It cost 240GBP delivered to Australia, since it seems it's cheaper to buy from a Porsche performance parts shop in the UK than it was to buy from mods4cars in the US directly, and following their instructions it was a dead easy install that took about an hour.
The hardest part was removing the headrest covers from the top of the back seats (that was actually a bit of a bitch).
I've gotta say, it's awesome. I live in a climate where I can drive with the roof off almost year-round, but whenever you park you need to put it back on - so you're always sitting in the car looking like an idiot holding the button to move the roof, standing next to the car looking like an idiot holding your key watching the roof operate, or trying to negotiate reversing into or out of a carpark while holding down a roof open/close button. No more!
Also, comfort access was great when it worked, but it had this nasty habit of not registering the unlock/lock hold - so you'd lock the car, stand next to it and hold the lock button, wait, wait, take your finger off the button, press again, wait, wait, then watch for 30 seconds while the roof operated. ... all the while thinking "it would've been easier if I'd just sat in the car and held that damn button."
I've tested the SmarTop remote fob operation, and it works every time. Press to lock the car, the doors lock, keep pressing for four seconds (count to five), release, then walk away as the roof closes and locks. Just awesome.
And as a little bonus extra, that button you press to take all the windows down at once, now can be momentarily lifted to bring them back up. I've got to say, that was never a major annoyance (those windows operate pretty quickly), but one of those things you expect to happen, so you're driving along, you flick the windows up, they go up a little, then you remember it doesn't work like that and you pull the button again... now it does work like that.
Considering I didn't get much change for US$350 when I asked the dealer to re-associate my keys to the car so both worked with comfort access, I'm really happy to have spent the money on this mod.
Would recommend it 100% to anyone with an E88.
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