Roof noise. E89 30i SDrive - Recommendations for convertible roof specialists near Suffolk

[Varixto]

Does anyone know of a good convertible roof specialists not a million miles away from Suffolk?
My car has an annoying clicketty, creaky noise, which is driving me insane. It happens when I go over irregularities in the road surface and it's specially noisy if the chasis/car "bounces" (ie: goes up and down). For example, if I go up then suddenly down on a ramp.
It only happens with the roof up. With the roof down, it's fine.
I can hear it (and feel it with my hand) right behind my right ear (ie: right hand side). Place my hand in that area, I can feel the clicks, like metal against metal).
I think I have located the source of the noise to this part:
This is the control rod, according to a manual I have found online (it's for the 35iS but as far as I know the roof is the same):

The manual asks to check that the gap between the rear retaining hook (1) and roller (2) using a drill (3) is 3+-0,5 mm. Then check visually that the gap between the front retaining hook (4) and the roller (5) is 0.5 mm. If these measurements do not match, the manual recommends to replace the control rod (ie: first picture).
Could this be the culprit? (ie: a gap between the hook (4) and the roller (5), causing the creaking sound I hear behind my right ear when the car bounces a bit over irregular surfaces). It matches the area I can hear/feel the noise coming from...but the sound itself is hard to describe.

Here's a sound clip of the noise I recorded with my phone: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G2LYBiXubX_-MyEaYizL7uGKUKqgWFj9/view?usp=sharing
Something misaligned? I don't think it's left/right; I am quite sure it's up/down... or the control rod? I am totally lost here...
I remember coming across someone in another forum with a similar problem mentioning a "roller" problem in his roof (also an e89, I think) and by adjusting it, the problem was fixed. I remember he posted a link to a Youtube video with a similar (but more extreme) noise.
However, from what I have read in the above mentioned manual, it seems that adjusting the control rod only helps if the latch doesn't fit properly in the slot at the lower back part of the roof...
Furthermore, it seems to me that now, with the sunny weather, it's got worse and whilst during the cold months it sounded a bit more clickety, now it sounds more creaky.

The car is lovely and I am very happy with it but this noise is driving me nuts and spoiling a bit my enjoyment of it.
Any help and/or advice will be much appreciated.

 

[Varixto]

My problem's fixed!! I am really pleased but well, knowing my luck, I don't want to get too carried away just in case the noise comes back again in a few days.

In the end I took my car to my local BMW dealer, armed with the information above. They had tried to fix it once, a while back. They regreased everything and then adjusted ever so slightly the lateral movement of the rooftop. It seemed to work for literally a day or two...but the noise came back. I left it like that for a while, as I was not driving the car much in the colder months.

I took it again to BMW, armed with the info above and printouts of the repair manual. Upon inspection, they told me that the problem was exactly what I was suspecting... I was relieved that all that time spent on the computer doing research pointed them in the right direction.

So basically what happened is that the claws/hooks (parts 1 and 4 in the pic.) get worn over time, allowing a tiny bit of play between the two parts, causing friction and thus, the creaky noise I was hearing. The technician told me that they could have tried adjusting other various bits (height, etc...) but it could have opened a can of worms (ie: causing other misalignment issues/noises).

So instead, they used insulating tesa tape (ie: felt tape), rolling it around each of the 4 rollers (they did both sides). He specifically told me to put only one loop of tape on each roller whenever I need to replace the tape they put.

Now the noise is completely gone! At last I can fully enjoy the car...

It's a temporary fix so once the tape gets worn, I have to keep replacing it every now and then. Well, I can live with that...and not having to pay around £8k for a new roof mechanism!

According to the repair manual (from the USA), you can replace the control rod but I was told that at least here in the UK they do not sell them separately. They only sell the whole mechanism so he suggested to do some further research and see if they sold it in the US or other markets, if I wanted to replace the part.

I happen to have a roll of felt electric insulating tape in the garage, which now I will probably keep in the car.

I hope this helps anyone having the same issue.

 

[B21]

My problem's fixed!! I am really pleased but well, knowing my luck, I don't want to get too carried away just in case the noise comes back again in a few days.

In the end I took my car to my local BMW dealer, armed with the information above. They had tried to fix it once, a while back. They regreased everything and then adjusted ever so slightly the lateral movement of the rooftop. It seemed to work for literally a day or two...but the noise came back. I left it like that for a while, as I was not driving the car much in the colder months.

I took it again to BMW, armed with the info above and printouts of the repair manual. Upon inspection, they told me that the problem was exactly what I was suspecting... I was relieved that all that time spent on the computer doing research pointed them in the right direction.

So basically what happened is that the claws/hooks (parts 1 and 4 in the pic.) get worn over time, allowing a tiny bit of play between the two parts, causing friction and thus, the creaky noise I was hearing. The technician told me that they could have tried adjusting other various bits (height, etc...) but it could have opened a can of worms (ie: causing other misalignment issues/noises).

So instead, they used insulating tesa tape (ie: felt tape), rolling it around each of the 4 rollers (they did both sides). He specifically told me to put only one loop of tape on each roller whenever I need to replace the tape they put.

Now the noise is completely gone! At last I can fully enjoy the car...

It's a temporary fix so once the tape gets worn, I have to keep replacing it every now and then. Well, I can live with that...and not having to pay around £8k for a new roof mechanism!

According to the repair manual (from the USA), you can replace the control rod but I was told that at least here in the UK they do not sell them separately. They only sell the whole mechanism so he suggested to do some further research and see if they sold it in the US or other markets, if I wanted to replace the part.

I happen to have a roll of felt electric insulating tape in the garage, which now I will probably keep in the car.

I hope this helps anyone having the same issue.

Interesting..thnx

 

[simnew]

Did this noise return? I have exactly the same and it’s incredibly irritating. Will try the felt tape today - if it doesn’t start raining. What was the best position for the roof to gain access to the pinions that the hook latches onto ?

 

[RatCatcher]

Did this noise return? I have exactly the same and it’s incredibly irritating. Will try the felt tape today - if it doesn’t start raining. What was the best position for the roof to gain access to the pinions that the hook latches onto ?

I’d love to know too please @Varixto - I have the same noise as in your recording when the car is bouncing or going over uneven surfaces. How does one access the hook latches to apply tape?

 

[RatCatcher]

Did this noise return? I have exactly the same and it’s incredibly irritating. Will try the felt tape today - if it doesn’t start raining. What was the best position for the roof to gain access to the pinions that the hook latches onto ?

Wondering if you managed to find a break in the weather and try the tape method? I have some arriving tomorrow so hoping to have a crack at it in the coming days.