The hood rear window went through three major specifications across MGF and MG TF production. Pre-WD024604 MGFs used a two-piece vinyl window with a horizontal seam, catalogued in Black, Green, and Red with either canvas-bound or mohair-bound zip. MGFs from WD024605 onwards and MG TFs up to 5D639630 used a revised one-piece vinyl window (a cleaner design without the horizontal seam), catalogued in a wider colour range including Black, Green, Navy, and Beige, again with canvas-bound or mohair-bound zip options. MG TFs from VIN 5D639631 onwards (the 2004-5 final production cars) were fitted with a glass heated rear window, a major upgrade from the vinyl items, in two rationalised binding colours of Black/Mist and Charcoal.
Vinyl Window Colour Ranges
The vinyl window binding colours were originally chosen to match the hood material options available at the time. Early MGFs had a limited colour range (three colours). From WD024605 the range expanded to include Navy and Beige for owners of lighter-coloured cars. The canvas-bound zip versions are the lower-specification of each colour; mohair-bound is the higher-specification finish.
Canvas and mohair colour options don't cross over directly, customers ordering replacement windows need to match the original binding material as well as the colour.
Glass Heated Rear Window Retrofit
The glass heated rear window fitted to final-production MG TFs is a straightforward retrofit to earlier MGFs and MG TFs, giving better visibility (glass resists scratching and yellowing far better than vinyl) and heated demisting. The glass window attaches to the hood frame in place of the vinyl window, with a dedicated rear window seal (for cars with the glass window) catalogued separately. One of three electrical installation kits is also required, matched to the car's VIN: V642 for MGFs up to VIN XD511058, V643 for MGFs from XD511059 through MG TFs up to 4D620548, and V644 for MG TFs from 4D620549 onwards. The installation kit provides the wiring, switch connections, and relay feeds to power the heating element from the car's electrical system.
The rear window zip (DXR100040) is a single specification that works with both the vinyl windows and the glass retrofit.
Hardtop Rear Window
The factory hardtop is fitted with a heated glass rear window as standard, one of the hardtop's advantages over the original soft-top vinyl rear window. The hardtop backlight is catalogued as a single replacement item, including the heated element and mounting. A separate hardtop-to-backlight seal is catalogued for cases where the seal has perished; water ingress around the hardtop rear window area typically indicates a failed seal rather than a failed backlight. The hardtop's heated rear window connection uses a dedicated electrical connector in the rear deck area that is accessed when the hardtop is removed.