BMW Z4 HardTop Wind Noise Help ''Photos''

orfanidis360 · Mar 16, 2016

Purchased a hardtop today.There seems to be a bit of a gap between where the hardtop meets the upper windshield frame left and right. A wind noise starts at about 40mph and gets really loud as I increase speed. Please help!
Does the hardtop need an adjustment by an approved Bmw dealer?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11703726/BMW%20E85%20Hardtop%20Retrofit%20Kit%20RHD%20and%20LHD.pdf
Bmw says the installation time is approx. 1 hour.
It took me less than 5 minutes to install it.

omar · Mar 16, 2016

Adjustments are easy but time consuming. You'll just need a 5mm rawlplug as a guide. What you do is adjust the locking pins that go into the car up and down with the aim of getting a 5mm gap between the roof and the body behind the side window. After that it should be fine tuning though I never got mine to stay totally quiet above 80mph until I added some draught proofing foam tape to the front edge of the roof and the deformations in the windscreen rubber seal caused by the soft top over time. There's a BMW tech bulletin on this somewhere.

Just to be clear, Increasing the gap I mention tilts the roof forward to eliminate the gap at the windscreen. Good luck!

orfanidis360 · Mar 16, 2016

omar said:
Adjustments are easy but time consuming. You'll just need a 5mm rawlplug as a guide. What you do is adjust the locking pins that go into the car up and down with the aim of getting a 5mm gap between the roof and the body behind the side window. After that it should be fine tuning though I never got mine to stay totally quiet above 80mph until I added some draught proofing foam tape to the front edge of the roof and the deformations in the windscreen rubber seal caused by the soft top over time. There's a BMW tech bulletin on this somewhere.

Just to be clear, Increasing the gap I mention tilts the roof forward to eliminate the gap at the windscreen. Good luck!

Thanks omar for the response!
So based on the BMW tech bulletin an approved Bmw dealer will be able to adjust it, right?

Paulj100 · Mar 16, 2016

I had a simulier problem when I bought my hard top there would be wind coming in from the front edge above the window screen but was simple fix for me just pressed hard down on the hardtop front edge and it dropped about 1-2mm then made sure it was locked down from inside, cured all the wind noise instantly. Love the hardtop transforms the Z

Hope you get it sorted.

Paul

orfanidis360 · Mar 17, 2016

Paulj100 said:
I had a simulier problem when I bought my hard top there would be wind coming in from the front edge above the window screen but was simple fix for me just pressed hard down on the hardtop front edge and it dropped about 1-2mm then made sure it was locked down from inside, cured all the wind noise instantly. Love the hardtop transforms the Z

Hope you get it sorted.

Paul

It definitely tranforms the car. Actually it is a matter of taste. Personally, I decided to buy a hardtop because I wanted a quieter cabin when travelling. But basen on my current situation, it is proved that it is even worse. :? Hope to get it sorted!

orfanidis360 · Mar 17, 2016

Left the car today at the approved dealer for the hardtop adjustment and the paintjob.
To be honest I quite liked the color combination of the silver & black, but decided to get the car all black!

There is also a damage on the plastic at the right front corner of the hardtop (it is visible at the 4th photo above). Bmw couln't give me a guarantee for the paintjob on that. Also some glue will be put on.

These are the consequences of a used hardtop. Took me a long time to find one.
But 800 Euros (625,48 British Pounds) seemed a good price.( Hardtop Cover & Stand Trolley Storage included)

orfanidis360 · Apr 11, 2016

No solution was found for the hardtop.
Tried also the official workshop manual BMW gives for ''Wind noises from the hardtop''.
http://workshop-manuals.com/bmw/z_series_e85/z4_2.0i_n46_roadst/1_service_information/54__slide-tilt_sunroof_and_convertible_top_%28roadst%29/3_si__wind_noises_from_the_hardtop_e85/

The last possible probability remaing is the Sealing of the windshield panel which has never been changed from the car's production date.
Price for the sealing is way too high considering that two sealings are needed for column A & B. Check part number 2 following the link below.
http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E85/Europe/Z4_M3.2-S54/R-N/2005/browse/vehicle_trim/windshield_frame_cover/

Won't bother again. :-x Hardtop has been removed and sits in its cover.

Photo%204-4-16%207%2010%2018%20mumu_zps93gc4uqi.jpg

Photo%204-4-16%207%2011%2032%20mumu_zps8hyxxpcc.jpg

Photo%201-4-16%202%2036%2017%20mumu_zpsvcrklmea.jpg

Photo%201-4-16%201%2016%2011%20mumu_zpsll4iq6fj.jpg

Photo%204-4-16%207%2010%2056%20mumu_zpszr1jugoz.jpg

The filler piece BMW's workshop Manual gives.

Photo%201-4-16%202%2004%2051%20mumu_zpsy92ayshg.jpg

Photo%205-4-16%2011%2032%2015%20pimu_zpslgd2zwpq.jpg

derin100 · Feb 9, 2019

So, just resurrecting this thread as I've just put the hardtop on my Z4M today and driven it with it on for the first time ever. I too have noticed this symptom with wind noise at the leading edge on the driver's side.

I understand the principles of the described adjustment above i.e. adjusting the back edge of the hardtop makes the front edge press down harder on the top edge of the screen. But I don't know exactly what I have to adjust and how hard is it to do?

Thanks

synthedup · Feb 9, 2019

derin100 said:
So, just resurrecting this thread as I've just put the hardtop on my Z4M today and driven it with it on for the first time ever. I too have noticed this symptom with wind noise at the leading edge on the driver's side.

I understand the principles of the described adjustment above i.e. adjusting the back edge of the hardtop makes the front edge press down harder on the top edge of the screen. But I don't know exactly what I have to adjust and how hard is it to do?

Thanks

Where are you based? Easy to do but hard to explain.

Happy to show you if you’re near Sheffield? Or I can make you a video tomorrow if no one explains it well tonight.

paulc_bkk · Feb 10, 2019

From what I saw of the hardtop I tried on my car, the mount points not only move up and down but also to the front or rear of the car to allow for a tighter fit...

The hardtop on my e36 also had height adjustment at the front locks - is the Z4 hardtop not adjustable there too?

I ended up not buying the hardtop I tried as the seller was being an idiot and it was a non-metallic black

Anyway, good luck sorting it out, as it looks smart on your car

derin100 · Feb 13, 2019

synthedup said:
derin100 said:

So, just resurrecting this thread as I've just put the hardtop on my Z4M today and driven it with it on for the first time ever. I too have noticed this symptom with wind noise at the leading edge on the driver's side.

I understand the principles of the described adjustment above i.e. adjusting the back edge of the hardtop makes the front edge press down harder on the top edge of the screen. But I don't know exactly what I have to adjust and how hard is it to do?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Where are you based? Easy to do but hard to explain.

Happy to show you if you’re near Sheffield? Or I can make you a video tomorrow if no one explains it well tonight.

Thanks synthedup!
Sheffield is not too far....Lincs here.

But I've actually cured the problem I had now as well.

I gave all the rubbers a good soak of Gummipflege to re-lubricate them...then I re-seat the hardtop down making sure I pressed it down properly at the front and guess what? All wind noise completely eliminated!

NaweedMustafa · Sep 25, 2023

Resurrecting this thread as i will be performing this seal filler job soon. Any idea how to get the seal installed as shown above? is it just forcing the addition rubber into that spot or must i unscrew something to properly sandwich the seal into the spot?

Claretsam92 · Apr 12, 2024

NaweedMustafa said:
Resurrecting this thread as i will be performing this seal filler job soon. Any idea how to get the seal installed as shown above? is it just forcing the addition rubber into that spot or must i unscrew something to properly sandwich the seal into the spot?

I'm also about to have a go at this... If you tried it please could you let me know how you installed the seal and whether it solved the issue?

Thanks!

NaweedMustafa · Apr 18, 2024

Claretsam92 said:
I'm also about to have a go at this... If you tried it please could you let me know how you installed the seal and whether it solved the issue?

Thanks!

Did what was done above, shoved it in the gap, no difference. Ended up filling the gap between the from the inside (see below) i know it looks a bit janky but it gets the job done + you cannot see this unless you intentionally shine a bright flashlight there.

I still get some wind noise but I think its from the side windows, which cannot be avoided

Claretsam92 · Apr 18, 2024

NaweedMustafa said:
Claretsam92 said:

I'm also about to have a go at this... If you tried it please could you let me know how you installed the seal and whether it solved the issue?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Did what was done above, shoved it in the gap, no difference. Ended up filling the gap between the from the inside (see below) i know it looks a bit janky but it gets the job done + you cannot see this unless you intentionally shine a bright flashlight there.

20240418_110953.jpg

I still get some wind noise but I think its from the side windows, which cannot be avoided

Thanks for the update.
Is it the same headlight gasket you have pushed into that gap?

NaweedMustafa · Apr 18, 2024

Yes, i grabbed part 63121387311 from my local BMW dealership

Claretsam92 · Apr 19, 2024

I tried packing the seal on the frame as per the BMW workshop instructions but it made no difference at all.

Thanks for the tip about pushing it in the gap between the headlining and windscreen frame, it's almost like the seal was designed to go there. And it's cured all the cabin noise!

:driving:

It's quite visible on the pictures but in reality you can't see it at all, especially from driving position.

From drivers side:

From passenger side:

NaweedMustafa · Apr 21, 2024

Awesome! I was thinking the same. Didn't see anyone try this before, i just did it out of frustration and it solved it

BMW Z4 HardTop Wind Noise Help ''Photos''

orfanidis360

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omar

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