Top suddenly does not work on '06 Z4

[MontereyZ]

I have an '06 3.0i and bought it a couple of years ago, with about 26k on the odo. It now has 30,900. Never a problem. I go on a vacation (in my Subie), my son borrows my car (w/o permission) and now the top does not work. Frantic, he takes the car over to the dealer, and for $140, they tell him that the motors and switches are ok and would have to do more work to find out the problem. (Yeah, leave the car and your credit card and we will fix it...) The top does not go up or down under power. (but you can hear the motors). The motor to lock the top into the windshield is ok.I have read about all the corrosion and motor failures. FYI, I don't even drive the car in the rain. I don't want to fix it myself, thinking I will get into something way beyond my auto repair skills (give am an antique clock to fix, I'm ok; an auto repair, not so much). My question to anyone who has had a related problem: Does the motor give any indication it is going bad? Funny noises, something?

[Zedfor]

The only indication I has is it just seemed to be working slower and then one day it just quit working. You could hear the motor, just nothing was happening. A BMW dealer is going to take you for at least $3,000 to do the job. A good independent should do the job for just under $2,000.


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[MontereyZ]

Originally Posted by Zedfor

The only indication I has is it just seemed to be working slower and then one day it just quit working. You could hear the motor, just nothing was happening. A BMW dealer is going to take you for at least $3,000 to do the job. A good independent should do the job for just under $2,000.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

I know what you mean. I went to the dealer to discuss the situation and it didn't seem like they knew what to to. The SW talked to the mechanic and he 'estimated' 12 hours (at about $140 per hour) plus the motor/pump at about $400. ( I checked later and found out that the manual estimates 8 hours). I asked the SW if that included the sound insulation and cover, and he thought that was included. I didn't have a feeling of confidence. The independents around here won't do the job. I will probably have to do it myself, and I don't have any experience at this. I am looking for someone with more 'wrench' time than I have, as an assistant, before I do the fix. There seem to be enough people around who have done the repair per Shipkiller's wonderful instructions.

[Zedfor]

Originally Posted by MontereyZ

I know what you mean. I went to the dealer to discuss the situation and it didn't seem like they knew what to to. The SW talked to the mechanic and he 'estimated' 12 hours (at about $140 per hour) plus the motor/pump at about $400. ( I checked later and found out that the manual estimates 8 hours). I asked the SW if that included the sound insulation and cover, and he thought that was included. I didn't have a feeling of confidence. The independents around here won't do the job. I will probably have to do it myself, and I don't have any experience at this. I am looking for someone with more 'wrench' time than I have, as an assistant, before I do the fix. There seem to be enough people around who have done the repair per Shipkiller's wonderful instructions.

You'll probably have to expand your search to the Bay Area or even Sacramento to find a shop. I'm on the East Coast, but I'll send a few emails to Club members and see if they can recommend someone.