Replacement is expensive and I prefer not to spend at the moment.
Any idea what would be best to do?
Thank you
Convertible fabric roof repair/maintenance
- Thread starter omeras
- Start date
Replacement is expensive and I prefer not to spend at the moment.
Any idea what would be best to do?
Thank you
I’ve not seen a roof that colour, but it looks as though it could do with a good clean. There are plenty of good proprietary products out there, including Autoglym. Many members on here swear by Milton (blue) sterilising fluid and I have successfully used a wet carpet vac to clean a roof. It’s amazing how much dirt comes out.
The roof drains are in the cavities the roof mechanism folds into and they drain out just in front of the rear wheels. If you can hear a sloshing sound when driving, chances are the drains are blocked and the cavities are full of water. It’s easy to rod them out with a piece of stiff wire.
It’s hard to see where you are pointing at for the roof leak, it could be where the roof meets the window or where the roof meets the windscreen. If the former, it is likely that your window needs adjusting. The roof fabric itself is properly waterproof, so it won’t be leaking unless it has a hole in it.
The roof drains are in the cavities the roof mechanism folds into and they drain out just in front of the rear wheels. If you can hear a sloshing sound when driving, chances are the drains are blocked and the cavities are full of water. It’s easy to rod them out with a piece of stiff wire.
It’s hard to see where you are pointing at for the roof leak, it could be where the roof meets the window or where the roof meets the windscreen. If the former, it is likely that your window needs adjusting. The roof fabric itself is properly waterproof, so it won’t be leaking unless it has a hole in it.
Zedebee, thank you very much for you replay!
I’m attaching a few more pictures, the duct tape is where I saw water coming in to the car and the other one is where I see fiber of the fabric on the roof. I got the vehicle two weeks ago and it was raining when I brought it home and that’s where I saw the water. I put a cover on it and try to understand what is the next course of action. I did see some product online, do you have any experience with those?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A8JNF0?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002KKIVO?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Also, the products the you mention are cleaners right? Is there any recommendation for a sealer? Or a protector?
Any recommendation what to do?
Sorry for all the questions, I really don’t have much knowledge about this….
I’m attaching a few more pictures, the duct tape is where I saw water coming in to the car and the other one is where I see fiber of the fabric on the roof. I got the vehicle two weeks ago and it was raining when I brought it home and that’s where I saw the water. I put a cover on it and try to understand what is the next course of action. I did see some product online, do you have any experience with those?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A8JNF0?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002KKIVO?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Also, the products the you mention are cleaners right? Is there any recommendation for a sealer? Or a protector?
Any recommendation what to do?
Sorry for all the questions, I really don’t have much knowledge about this….
Attachments
I am guessing you are in USA? I don’t have any experience of the products linked, but they are most probably similar to products like Autoglym in UK. I was talking about cleaning products, but Autoglym is batched up with a protector too. As I said before, the Z4 roof is waterproof, canvas fabric bonded on to a rubber substrate. It won’t leak unless it has a hole in it. Adding a fabric protector will help the water “bead” off, and will possibly deter algae growth for the same reason, but it won’t stop leaks.
Where the duct tape is you should sit in the car while someone runs a hose vertically above that area, then you can see whether water is coming through the roof or around it.
The worn area does look very worn, but the rubber substrate looks intact. It looks almost as if the roof was originally black and has been dyed/bleached which may have weakened the weave. If this was in UK I would be looking to replace it with a second hand roof which are readily available (although not in your colour) for about £200-300.
Where the duct tape is you should sit in the car while someone runs a hose vertically above that area, then you can see whether water is coming through the roof or around it.
The worn area does look very worn, but the rubber substrate looks intact. It looks almost as if the roof was originally black and has been dyed/bleached which may have weakened the weave. If this was in UK I would be looking to replace it with a second hand roof which are readily available (although not in your colour) for about £200-300.
Although I have not done so myself, I have seen posting of pictures of roofs which were dyed. I believe the one posting involved an original tan roof which was dyed black and another posting which was an original black roof simply redyed black. Based on the pic's I saw in these posting they actually came out great and were 100 percent improvement from the "before" pictures.
I do not know anything about the dye used. However, I would search the internet for dye made specifically for cloth convertible tops. They may make a dye specifically to redye a tan top back to tan. I would also do a search of prior posting concerning dying cloth convertible top on this forum as well as other z4 forums. You can also search youtube for info on dying cloth convertible tops.
good luck
I do not know anything about the dye used. However, I would search the internet for dye made specifically for cloth convertible tops. They may make a dye specifically to redye a tan top back to tan. I would also do a search of prior posting concerning dying cloth convertible top on this forum as well as other z4 forums. You can also search youtube for info on dying cloth convertible tops.
good luck
Ok, since it's an original fabric top on a vintage car you'll, need a time machine to improve its condition. However, if you dye the top you might mask flaws which have developed over time. If your just looking to waterproof the top, try "never wet" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-UEkpcoO4k
After applying Never Wet, the top will have a white dust looking on it, but it will be totally waterproof.
After applying Never Wet, the top will have a white dust looking on it, but it will be totally waterproof.
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