Help With Z4M Roof Operation Please?

A

alEKs

Member
Hi Guys

Im about to purchase a Z4m Roadster this weekend but I am having problems figuring out if there is an issue with the roof or not.

I know....... it sounds like it would be pretty obvious but bare with me.....

The roof unlatches from the windscreen fine, retracts all the way down fine but when it comes to rest, I can slightly lift the leading edge of the roof up about 1 inch.

I was sure that the roof should latch down and be completely unmovable.

Im after a bit of help with regards to the correct opening action for a z4M roof mechanism:

Specifically with - whether or not is should lock in place when fully down? -

I have read on the internet and called dealers to ask the service departments and even gone to see another Zed but so far its all contradictory.

For example....

- ive read on here that post 06 Z4s had the roof latching mechanism removed as it kept causing issues on earlier cars. Therefore the roof does not latch down on Z4ms

- Ive then searched the parts gateway on the BMW website and found that the latch is indeed part of the "Folding roof assembly".
I also spoke to a BMW dealer service department who told me it should definitely be latched into position when fully retracted.

- Ive examined another Zed and that did definitely not latch - I could even pick the whole roof up about half a foot in height when it was fully retracted. - So that was no help at all. :tumbleweed:

Im at a loss really, As otherwise the car is perfect and the roof seems to operate fine appart from the latching / slight lifting when down.

Essentailly I could REALLY use someone to video their roof opening and coming to a complete stop and whether or not it can be moved / lifted when fully down.

This would be a massive help and could potentially save me a lot of heartache and cash

thanks in advance guys
 
Unfortunately I can't help with the answer, someone more useful will be along soon, however. Great Q/post; set out what you know, identify the holes in your knowledge, ask a direct Q. If only all queries were like this, we'd all know exactly where we stood and all possible information would be set out in 10 threads per forum!
PS: don't ask any suspension questions unless you like a very, very long and confusing read...
It's Monday. One of those Mondays.
Stevo
 
Thanks very much for the reply stevo - no worries - if nothing else your bumping the views / replies count for someone who may be able to help :thumbsup:

I cant believe just how varied the operations of these roofs has been from the research I have done so far has been, some are like this, some like that.

It will be interesting to see if everyone on here who replies has such a large variation in operation too.

Maybe they are all just in different stages of failure :rofl:
 
On the facelift model (not ALL though), there will not be a locking mechanism in place. There is nothing holding the roof down and yes, you can always lift the roof a bit. The gap when down should not be more than a couple of cm though at the most, just enough to put your fingers under it.

This is from when I took a car to bits - pre-facelift, but you can see the position of the expected roof line:

 
The roof doesn't 'lock down' when it's folded down. It can still be moved I guess (I've never tried).
As mine was wearing on a crease a little bit when it was down I would tease the roof slightly and make sure it wasn't rubbing. There's no locking mechanism to secure it down so to speak so it sounds normal what you're describing...

Good luck with the Zed. I hope it's as good as it sounds!
 
On mine (2003) it does lock down as it opens fully. However it will only do it if you apply a little pressure right at the end so the roof goes down fully. If you just leave it on its own, the roof doesnt fold tight enough for it to clip on, so most times it doesnt.
 
Thanks very much guys, those responese are all great, exactly what I wanted to hear.

The roof edge doesnt seem as tight as my old 3.0 Si roof when down but I cant lift it very far at all really, about 20mm right at the front edge.

The fact that the roof also seemed to slowly creep shut under its own weight when partially opened also worried me - (that the hydraulic resistance in the system was not enough to support the roof when left half opened).

But maybe that's normal too?

Its something no-one would ever pay attention to unless they had an issue with it so im glad you guys have the experience :thumbsup:
 
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