Tomrdy's Nardo grey 3.0i (Thank you and farewell!)

Finally started on replacing my soft top! Took my old man and I 3 hours to remove it using Autotop's instructions. Decided to call it a day and reinstall it tomorrow.

Hardest part was getting the plastic stripping out of the base bow's channel. Also some extremely awkward screws to remove but we got there in the end. Not sure how we will get on with the reverse but lets see!

My tip: Definitely remove your parcel shelf and access the bolts that way for the bow. No reason to go from inside the cabin it's awkward as hell.

Another note regarding the headliner: I don't remember which thread it was but a member said you could not remove the headliner without removing the entire roof assembly from the vehicle. This does not seem true from what I can tell, though I can't say what the minimum removal would be. At the very least where I am right now with mine (soft top outer 100% removed from car), I can definitely remove the liner.

Would it be less effort to do it with the entire assembly/hydraulics out? Not sure on that one. Just some info/ideas for anyone doing a job around these things in future.

Some pics:

Old ratty roof

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Damage from vandals during previous owner's watch. This has irked me every day for the last 3 odd years so I am excited to be rid it!

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Interesting patch job..

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OFF! Recommendation to others is to NOT cheap out on masking up the edges where the bow comes out. Everyone says this - and everyone is right. Literally the only part I didnt mask I had some vinyl wrap damage - but not fussed as that corner was bad anyway so I'll just patch... on top of the patch that was already there :oops:

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Stay organised

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Whie access was super easy (you can still access it without full disassembly), fixed up my headliner bracket/strip. All of mine were broken - I'm surprised half of them still held! Really easy to do especially if you have a little modelling drill to make a pilot for the self tapers.

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Tidied up and cleaned out the area around the drain hole and did some organising the best I could with the hydraulic lines from the motor relocate

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Finally finished the soft top replacement today!

Wanted to pull an all nighter last night to get it done but turned out the rivets I had were too short for the final step so had to pop in the hardware store in the morning. Instructions call for 4mm but we found we actually needed something smaller as the hole in the frame could not fit the 4mm diameter rivet (maybe a pre facelift thing?). Will double check and update with the spec tomorrow.

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The instructions from Autotops is not the most detailed and we made the mistake of thinking they would be. I hadn't taken pictures of the fixings and screws as I undid them and there were a few points where the father and I had to have a good scrub through our collective memories and then reverse engineer and see how it all went back together. This was made harder by the fact the replacement top did not have some holes pre-drilled and so there were certain parts where you were really shooting in the dark to try and thread a screw in. Happy to report though absolutely 0 screws/parts left over so we have it all back in 100%!

Final fit of the rear weatherstrip is not as good as OEM - it doesn't come over the top as much which is something I noticed as the edges of my vinyl wrap now have less tuck. The window fixing itself looks good from the outside but the inside portion (though basically not visible), is not as tidy as the original.

Was it worth doing? For me, absolutely! Besides the vandal damage, I didn't expect the top to look so... sharp? Everything is super tight and crisp. Really freshens up the car and I'm very pleased :)

Another DIY job checked off!
 
You done well to manage that! The place I used has been doing soft top replacements for 20+ years and it took them over 6 hours to replace mine.

I would agree with you about the inside rear window fixing. You can see the wiring where the heating element connects, but it's not an issue for me as it can't be seen in the rear view mirror or from the outside of the car :thumbsup:
 
ben g said:
You done well to manage that! The place I used has been doing soft top replacements for 20+ years and it took them over 6 hours to replace mine.

I would agree with you about the inside rear window fixing. You can see the wiring where the heating element connects, but it's not an issue for me as it can't be seen in the rear view mirror or from the outside of the car :thumbsup:
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Thanks :) That's good reference for the time a professional shop took! I think we ended up with total about 10-12 hours over the 3 days with a few trips to the store.

I was originally worried about the seeing the fitting in the rear view mirror but like you said, its totally not visible - way to back lit in the day time and way too dark at night!

MrPT said:
That does look sharp! Think I prefer the finish of the rear window to the OEM unit.
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I would have preferred the OEM finish as well. I did find one from a different manufacturer that claimed to be the only one with the patent to seal the window OEM style, but the cost difference was considerable so I went with the Sierra/Autotops.

I did notice that newer convertibles (all cars, not Z4s), seem to use this same style of in-folded fitting. Maybe its cheaper to do. Main issue I can see is it looks like a super dirt trap!
 
Well done on that - I got the same roof replaced recently as an insurance window claim - agree it makes the car look very sharp!

I am trying to get them to replace the weatherstrip back with an OEM one due to the fit being quite off. Well Done!
 
CrazyBaptie said:
I am trying to get them to replace the weatherstrip back with an OEM one due to the fit being quite off. Well Done!
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Hmm the weatherstrip might be a hard/impossible thing to swap over - it's glued/stitched into the top itself. If they do agree to it though do update us on how it goes!
 
In today's super distraction from work...

I ordered a knock-off M performance knob to see if I would like the shorter/smaller size before looking at getting a genuine item.

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Surprised at the quality of thise. The suede is not great and the plastics aren't perfect. Also there is green in the cap instead of grey... but the weight of it was surprising.

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It did not mount in straight though as our Z4's have a slight turn on the positioning notch. I pulled the entire gear knob apart and found that the base of it is actually made of metal. That's pretty cool!

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Lucky I bought a fake because I totally disliked the feel of the knob the instant I put it on.

My ZHP replica is still the best knob I've had so far. Looks like I should get on a genuine one!
 
Initially hated it as soon as I put it on but now I'm undecided after driving around for a bit more. If you're used to palming your knob (hehe) it doesn't feel great.

Definitely a 3 finger operation (bottom 3 or top 3).

The shape actually makes the shift distance a lot different, even though the length of the shifter itself compared with a ZHP is a very small difference. My hand is basically shifting from the bottom of the .. shaft and makes me feel like I can slot the gear in faster. Also could be because this actually has some weight to it as opposed to my ZHP copy that's only plastic.

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mmmmmm
 
tomrdy said:
MrPT said:
That does look sharp! Think I prefer the finish of the rear window to the OEM unit.
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I would have preferred the OEM finish as well. I did find one from a different manufacturer that claimed to be the only one with the patent to seal the window OEM style, but the cost difference was considerable so I went with the Sierra/Autotops.

I did notice that newer convertibles (all cars, not Z4s), seem to use this same style of in-folded fitting. Maybe its cheaper to do. Main issue I can see is it looks like a super dirt trap!
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Ah, no, read again when you’re fully caught up on sleep! :) I like it and I think you’re right that newer convertibles generally use this approach - it looks cleaner. Interesting point re. it potentially gathering dirt though. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t but it does look good and I’m sure you’ll keep it clean. :thumbsup:
 
tomrdy said:
CrazyBaptie said:
I am trying to get them to replace the weatherstrip back with an OEM one due to the fit being quite off. Well Done!
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Hmm the weatherstrip might be a hard/impossible thing to swap over - it's glued/stitched into the top itself. If they do agree to it though do update us on how it goes!
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Ahh I must look at mine I thought the weatherstrip was an individual part - id the OEM one also attached to the fabric?
 
tomrdy said:
Initially hated it as soon as I put it on but now I'm undecided after driving around for a bit more. If you're used to palming your knob (hehe) it doesn't feel great.

Definitely a 3 finger operation (bottom 3 or top 3).

The shape actually makes the shift distance a lot different, even though the length of the shifter itself compared with a ZHP is a very small difference. My hand is basically shifting from the bottom of the .. shaft and makes me feel like I can slot the gear in faster. Also could be because this actually has some weight to it as opposed to my ZHP copy that's only plastic.

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mmmmmm
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The BMW Performance one looks good but doesn't really feel great in the hand (to me at least). I've got a knockoff ZHP one (bought as genuine but wasnt, so ended up with it and a refund). which is better than stock but I keep thinking about getting the real deal.

I think a proper round knob would be the best though.
 
CrazyBaptie said:
id the OEM one also attached to the fabric?
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Yep the rubber is attached with adhesive and stitching from what I can tell. Took a quick pic for you as my OEM hood is sitting next to my foot right now haha.

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Jakg said:
The BMW Performance one looks good but doesn't really feel great in the hand (to me at least). I've got a knockoff ZHP one (bought as genuine but wasnt, so ended up with it and a refund). which is better than stock but I keep thinking about getting the real deal.

I think a proper round knob would be the best though.
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That sucks about the knock-off bait-switch! Lucky you could get a refund.

I'm trying to like the Performance one but tend to agree that it doesn't feel as good as a ZHP in the hand. I think I'll end up changing it back by the end of the week to my ZHP rep.

Like you, I also keep thinking about getting a genuine piece - though shopping online for it seems like a precarious endeavour (as you already know! :P )
 
Took the car out to the country side over the weekend for a friends wedding. Grabbed a few shots outside the cottage we were staying at.

Really pleased with everything about the car right now :D . Probably needs a clean but makes me smile so much every time i look at it with it's new cloth.

The spacers also really complete the car aesthetically. I may have run out of things to do on it... for now :roll:

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Day 2 going down the dodgy road (not the Z - my mate's Kia was the sacrificial lamb!)

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Looking very smart!

Run out of things to do?

I’m sure you’ll think of something else, or other board members will suggest something :D
 
paulc_bkk said:
Looking very smart!

Run out of things to do?

I’m sure you’ll think of something else, or other board members will suggest something :D
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Well there were a couple of things I was mulling....

oh god. It's like an addiction.
 
Supersprint Y pipe + Powerloop in!

Will do a more detailed write up about it later but so far really enjoying the burbles! There is a bit of drone around 2k but its acceptable - hopefully it will settle down a bit as it the muffler breaks in.

Install was an absolute no no for DIY. Turns out the AUS models's rear section are attached - unlike on RealOEM's diagram - so needed to be cut. Wasn't possible for me without more stands and not enough room for my cutter. Didn't feel all too safe either.

There's a long story about the install but it's not that interesting. They ended up needing to adjust the hangers A LOT as it sat way too low. One of the hangers was heated up and bent, the rear one they chopped off and re-welded it. They've pushed it as far up as possible, leaving only a few MM from the sway bar mount. If I want it picture-perfect height, they can grind down some of the excess on the sway bar bushing carrier (there's like this excess flappy bit) - but I'm happy with how it looks so we left it.

Overall, I can't vouch for Supersprint's fit or quality. The owner of the shop did ask me "Supersprint ITALY or USA?". I replied Italy. Apparently that is not a good thing.

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