Design and use of weather gear - February 2005

Given that my plan has always been to use the Mojo everyday to get me to work, weather gear has always been on the list of essentials!  Unfortunately, I'm in the minority in this respect, so weather gear was understandably never a particular high priority for Jeremy Phillips of Sylva.  When JP did get a hood patterned up, he wasn't happy with the result, and decided he would try Intatrim as an alternative supplier for the MK2 hood (Intatrim already produce the seat cushions for the Mojo).

As I was keen to get the hood sorted, and live a lot closer to Intatrim's base in Telford than Sylva's Lincolnshire base, I offered the use of my car to get a new hood patterned up.  This had the advantage that the hood would be cut to exactly fit my Mojo.  So, one cold February afternoon I travelled over to Telford and left the car with Intatrim for a week.

The hood design does not include a rear screen.  Sylva provided me with a pre-cut perspex panel to fit into the centre of the roll bar.  I strengthened this across the bottom edge with a piece of T-section aluminium, and then drilled four small holes to attach to the roll bar with some velcro ties I came across in B&Q.  This is hardly a hi-tech solution, but it seems to work fine!

On collection, I was very pleased with the work.  The hood was completely fitted and ready to use, even the poppers on the windscreen surround were fitted.  It was a bit strange having someone else do work on the Mojo having personally done everything else on the car, but Intatrim did a good job.

The weather was too good to leave the hood on for the drive back from Telford, so the first real test of the hood was during the following week on my daily drive to work.  And what a test!  This week marked the beginning of a particularly cold and snowy spell, and the only slight issue I found was that snow could get between the top of the screen and the hood, giving a mini snow shower in the car!  I hope to fix this, maybe with a permanent modification to the hood to include some kind of 'draught excluder'.  I'll speak to Intatrim about it at the Stafford show.

Another thing to mention is that getting in and out of the car with the hood attached is possible!  I had some concerns about this, but a 'head first' approach seems to work OK.  I've not yet travelled with a passenger with the hood on though, which might make entry and exit more difficult!

UPDATE: I added a rubber strip to the underside of the front edge of the hood and this now keeps out all but the occasional drip during the heaviest rain.

I have also now travelled with a passenger and the hood up.  Getting in is possible, but you have to be quite 'friendly'!  Once installed it is cosy but comfortable enough!