Rear window replacement.If the outer zip has come away.

[Vince70]

I recently bought a new rear window off German eBay (it saves a fortune with the weak euro at the moment) and have noticed that the outer zip on my roof had started coming away with about 30% of it needed reattaching to roof.

I've just been talking to a trimmer and he said that most of the aftermarket windows are awful quality and the only decent ones are the original BMW items as the zips on the aftermarket screens don't always fit to match the original outer window zip and seeing that the outer zip has started coming away it might be worth buying a new roof.

The problem I've got was when I bought the car the other week I got into a buying frenzy so I've already bought the screen now and the roof looks in good condition except for the stitching around the outer zip on the window so I just wondered if anyone has got away with such a repair before and how much roughly it should cost.

Here's the window I bought.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1278202631

[stevie_a]

Sounds as if the trimmer is touting for more work, should be an easy job for him to restitch the zip.

that's a great price for the window, let us know what the quality is like.

[robf]

Hi Vince> just to say that i have a rear window from (probably the same supplier) The window has been in place for a couple of years now and no issues.
The problem i had was installing it on my own.If you have a second pair of hands to help it will be a less frustrating job.
Any good with a needle and thread ?

[Vince70]

Thanks for the replies.
I'm not having the roof repaired till the 6th May due to work commitments but I've opened the box of the new screen and had a look at it and as long as the zip is the correct one then I will be over the moon as the quality of the screen looks better than the original item as the plastic seems slightly thicker and better quality and a lot more pliable but that maybe due to my rear screen being 18 years old.

Also the new screen also comes with the zip fastener and the upholstery glue in the box plus I think a new clip to hold it in place once it's repaired and instructions but I didn't look at them.

It also came within 3 days of ordering so I'm more than happy with it and it's a real bargain for the price but order it via German eBay as the same screen is available through the British site but works out about £20 more I think.

What I did was just do a copy and paste and put the details for translation through a internet translator site to see what it had to say, plus the feedback looks good.

[stevie_a]

Had a look, but can't see UK on the postage, how much did they charge ?

and did you have to message then to let them know you were uk?

[Vince70]

It worked out just looking at my eBay that the window itself cost £47.02 and that the postage was £17.15... I didn't have to tell them I was in the UK and I just hit the buy it now button on eBay..

When you pay via PayPal there's an optional message box you can ask the seller any questions and in mine I just typed " thanks for the Z3 window I hope to receive it soon" or something along those lines.

I hope this helps, let me know how you get on.

[Vince70]

I popped into the upholsterers the other day to show him pictures of whereabouts around my window the stitching has come undone and he is not hopefull about being able to repair it as he said it might open a can of worms and it would be easier just to replace the roof.
It's booked in on the 6th so fingers crossed it will be ok to repair as I don't have £900 for a new one.

If not I was thinking about buying a new outer zip like this one.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 1316241561
And taking my old zip off the roof and reinstalling the new zip to the new window then hand stitching the lot back in..
Do you think it could be done ok on a DIY basis.
I may have to ask someone who has better sewing skills than myself to give me a hand and obviously will have to use a good quality thread and needle and it may take awhile to pin it perfectly in position first.

[gookah]

it would be easier just to replace the roof.
............ fingers crossed it will be ok to repair as I don't have £900 for a new one.

£350 fitted for a new roof at Croydon Soft tops, excellent finish and workmanship. Its not worth the bother of repairing it.

[Vince70]

I popped into the upholsterers today and was told it couldn't be fixed unless I paid out £900 for a new roof so as I already had bought the window I thought I would give it a go at repairing the rear screen anyway.

So I took the old window out and cleaned up the old thread and managed to get the exact same thread and got my mother to pop over to restitch the zip back in and the repair is completely invisible

The thread had only come apart due to sun damage over the years so there was no damage as such to the zip or the hood so tomorrow once I've got a spare half hour I will zip the new window back in.

[peter2b]

just seen on fleebay, Soft Tops down in Surrey are doing z3 hoods in black or blue for £365 including fitting
peter2b

[Vince70]

Cheers Peter I fitted the new rear window and to be honest it fitted ok but the zip just kept coming undone at the bottom of the window frame (I should of sewn the two zips together but each time I pushed the needle through the zip it just kept pushing the zip back out)
So I took your advice and just binned the window and booked the car into Croydon soft tops for next Thursday..
I was quoted by the upholsterer £900 for a new roof but Croydon soft tops are doing me a roof fitted for £325 and using them before I know that their workmanship is second to none.

If I had known how cheap a decent fitted roof was for a Z3 I wouldn't of worried about buying a new window in the first place...
Its just I got on an eBay frenzy the day I bought the car lol and I know every time I looked at the car even with the window fitted properly I still wouldn't of been happy with the end result.

[wonderloaf]

Having looked at the Soft Tops ebay site I notice that they don't stitch the roof to the supporting roof bars anymore .. had mine fitted by Soft Tops a few years ago and was a bit surprised when I turned up to collect it to see two lines of stitching running across the top of the roof. Was told that this was to stop the roof lifting when driving at high speed, as I have seen on other cars. The stitching looked OK at the time but now it has weathered and it has turned almost white and the stitching is starting to unravel slightly it is more obvious and spoils the look of the car a bit. It would be worth mentioning this it to the fitter just to make sure you don't also get a surprise like I did!

Apart from that the hood is a good quality item but does seem to be wearing out a bit now, probably need a new one in a couple of years time ...