Convertable Top Repair

[yammahamma]

I drive a 89 325i convertable and just recenlty a cat climbed up in the ceiling of my garage and then jumped onto the rag top of my car ripping a 3 foot long whole in the top....it's a good thing the cat was long gone before I found out or it would be dead for sure.

every apholstery place I've called will charge between $1,200-1,500 to replace the top, depending on the condition of the cables and weather stripping---but a new top (parts only) will cost me only $400 or so.

so I'm trying to find out what kind of a job it is to replace a top your self.....if they charge $1,100 in labor then it sounds like a pretty heafty job...

anyone with experience please let me know if I'd be better off forkin out the $1,000 just to save my self some head ache...

cats are worthless.....

[Scotsman]

every apholstery place I've called will charge between $1,200-1,500 to replace the top, depending on the condition of the cables and weather stripping---but a new top (parts only) will cost me only $400 or so.


alright, setting aside the "cats are worthless" quote.....(we have two cats, they keep the wife buisy while I'm in the garage tinkering with my '90 cabrio)

the places you have been calling MUST be hitting the crack pipe fairly frequently, since getting mine replaced cost me about $300 in labor. as far as replacing it yourself, I'm not certain, but my suggestion would be to call some local autobody places and see who they use.

[yammahamma]

sorry but I've never been a fan of cats and this experience didn't help...but to each his own....

Sometimes I wonder if it's not such a smart idea to drive an 89 BMW where I live....the closest BMW shop is over and hour and a half away and every autobody place in the phone book say they've "never had to replace a convertable top before." So my next step was to call every apholstery place in town (both of them) and one guy said around $1,200 (but he can only get the cheap vinal tops NOT the orignal kind) and the other dude didn't know how much he would charge...yep that gives me alot of confidence in him... So the closest place that I would trust is about an hour away and they said I'd have to leave my car with them for 3-4 days and it would cost between $1,200-1,500----

So I'd like to see if I could do it myself.....has anyone done this?

[german-speed-demon]

Is your top manual, or electric?

If it is a manual top, it isn't hard at all, but if it is electric, , they are very hard to do. I am putting one on a Cavalier right now ( i know, not a BMW), and i have been at it for probably a total of 30 hrs.

[yammahamma]

wow 30 hours....that's alot of time. It's a manual top. Where could I find a "how to..." manual?

[german-speed-demon]

Originally posted by yammahamma@Jul 19 2005, 10:23 AM
wow 30 hours....that's alot of time.* It's a manual top.* Where could I find a "how to..." manual?

[snapback]363517[/snapback]

OK, i can't see your car, but i can kinda help you. this can get you pointed in the right direction. There should be a cover plate on the bottom, outside. Should be about an inch or two. Take that off, and you should find some kind of fasteners, mine was phillip's head screws. that takes care of the outside. Inside, there should be some fasteners underneath, you may have to pulll the rear deck out to see them. I look later and see if i can find a manual.

Edit: Damn internet, can't find a thing ghead