[Balr14]

I have to take my car through a car wash... water at home is very hard and leaves residue, so not much choice. I've never had a problem with the top leaking, on my Z4 or any convertible I've owned in the last 15 years. Convertible technology has come a long way. Very little of a modern convertible top is actually soft. Most of it is hard material, just covered with cloth. Usually the only soft area is in the center where it folds.

As for noise, the top is usually down. When it's up, I'm hearing impaired, so if it was objectionable, I'd just turn my hearing aids down.