Z3 hard top fitting

UK forum for general and technical discussion about the Z3 roadster
Post Reply
Hairycheeks
Joined: Fri 20 Mar, 2015 17:06
Posts: 36

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Z3 hard top fitting

Post by Hairycheeks »

Got my hardtop and fitting kit today from a bloke that knew as much about hardtop and fitting kits as me, nada. He helped me fit the kit and then we put the hardtop on. I've got a lot of wind noise coming from the windscreen over 40mph, a vertical gap between window and rubber behind my right shoulder and water pissing in at the a pillar on both sides, fine with soft top. I don't have the smarts or the tools to get this right and water tight. Is there any good fellow out there that could do it for me, you'd be paid obviously, failing that it'll be going to BMW next week to get done. I'm in Scotland but will travel, any help would be appreciated. Having moved and decorated my new house this month to say it has been stressful is putting it mildly! Thank you!
peter2b
Joined: Sat 01 Nov, 2014 18:47
Posts: 963

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: cheshire

Re: Z3 hard top fitting

Post by peter2b »

mine was the same I had a 2mm gap between the windscreen rubber and the hard top rubber ,so I pulled off the rubber strip from the hard top gave it a good rub with the rubber condition stuff treated the small rusty bits on the metal bit that holds the rubber, put the rubber strip tight against the front rubber then pushed it back into the metal mounting strip, sorted, the other thing to check is on the front mount under the 3 screws that hold the bracket on there are (on mine anyway)2 shims that can be used to raise or lower the front of the hard top I had to take out both to get a nice tight fit
peter2b
User avatar
Robert T
Site Admin
Joined: Mon 12 Jun, 2006 10:35
Posts: 10170

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: Z3 hard top fitting

Post by Robert T »

Unless there are defects in the seals on the hardtop, all of this can be fixed with the adjustments on the hardtop. The front plates on the hardtop move in 2-axes, so by moving the plate back a fraction, you can get it to pull into the windscreen frame tighter. The rear clamp handles adjust in 3-axes, so not only can you adjust the height the top sits at, but you can adjust how it sits on the car by moving the sides in and out to make a good seal against the window. The roof is slightly flexible, so it is possible to move one side only if only one side is out. So basically if your softtop fits correctly and doesn't leak, and the seals on the hardtop are in good order, then you should be able to get a good fit on the hardtop. However it is a very fiddly activity and usually involves lifting the top on and off a lot of times, which is why I have left mine where it is, even though the driver's window is a little tight and won't close with the one press feature (it thinks something is stuck in the window).

Cheers R.
Arctic Silver '99 Z3 1.9 & Black '59 Frogeye 1275cc
Image
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Z3 hard top fitting

Post by bertiejaffa »

Hairycheeks wrote:Got my hardtop and fitting kit today from a bloke that knew as much about hardtop and fitting kits as me, nada. He helped me fit the kit and then we put the hardtop on. I've got a lot of wind noise coming from the windscreen over 40mph, a vertical gap between window and rubber behind my right shoulder and water pissing in at the a pillar on both sides, fine with soft top. I don't have the smarts or the tools to get this right and water tight. Is there any good fellow out there that could do it for me, you'd be paid obviously, failing that it'll be going to BMW next week to get done. I'm in Scotland but will travel, any help would be appreciated. Having moved and decorated my new house this month to say it has been stressful is putting it mildly! Thank you!

Hopefully you can get it sorted without going to BMW who will charge a small fortune - as Robert says it is a case of trial and error adjusting the fittings on the hardtop itself and then re-trying it until it is snug - bit of a pain but once done it will be perfect every year. I would be happy to help but Manchester is a bit far from Scotland
Here come the girls.....
Image
My //M Refurb
My First Zed Journal
Parki
Joined: Sun 02 Feb, 2014 17:42
Posts: 91

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Z3 hard top fitting

Post by Parki »

Having fitted my hard top 2 or 3 times now I would advise slacking off ALLfixings for brackets & the knurled & locking nuts on hardtop fixing itself finger tight. Removing all covers at this stage makes life easier. Then locate the 'pins' in the 'holes' in brackets & move top around to even out gaps. When you are happy tighten all fixings, remove top & replace all covers. Top should now go on easy - if not you may have to raise lower doors etc . I'm in northumberland if you want to come down sometime?
Post Reply