Replacing Top on 135i - CV

[x97Melbourne]

Hello All...
I noticed my rear window separating from the canvas material and took it in for what I thought would be some adhesive work...basic.... Didn't even look that serious.
But...the guy immediately told me a whole new top is needed because the top and window is one unit! My car has 31,000 miles and is under warranty.
But...cost without warranty including install.....$5500 !!!! I have a 328i loaner for a week at least. (not a bad deal)

To all those considering keeping their convertibles outside of a warranty period...beware. May want to consider an extended warranty for around $2800... $5500 to me at least is a big chunk of change.
(See picture...sorry my fingers look Klingon....

[JimD]

My two year old top got replaced for a few loose threads. It seems like BMW knows how to replace a top but not how to repair it. In both our cases, I would be looking for a good upholstrey or convertible top place for at least an opinion before spending that kind of money.

I never buy extended warranties on anything but probably will for my bimmer. It is an expensive car to have anything done on, even routine maintenance. I can change oil and other fluids myself, and prefer to so I know it is done right and because it takes the least amount of my time. But much beyond that, it would be nice not to have a warranty to fall back on.

Jim

[SDW335]

What dealership did you go to?

[pinmagic]

Originally Posted by x97Melbourne

But...the guy immediately told me a whole new top is needed because the top and window is one unit!

Ummm...not quite sure what that means. They had to be fused somehow at the factory, so it would seem they could be re-fused (so to speak). It may be BMW's policy to just replace it, but that doesn't mean it can't be glued back together.

On my Lotus Elise, almost immediately after I got it, the lining started separating from the soft top. So Lotus replaced it. But when they got inundated with loose linings. they suddenly decided they could re-glue them, rather than replace them.

[blue2fire]

Seems like a waste of resources but good for you!
Pretty sure CPO wouldn't do this for you even if you had it.

[BrokenVert]

Was that price in Florida!?

Actually yeah I can believe that number. My tops been replaced twice but not because of a rear window delamitation.

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Was that price in Florida!?

Actually yeah I can believe that number. My tops been replaced twice but not because of a rear window delamitation.

Why was yours replaced? Yes...I am in Florida. And I must say the price was an estimate given by the SA. Hopefully I"ll see the actual invoice and be able to update in a week or so.

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by SDW335

What dealership did you go to?

Dealer is "Bert Smith" in St Pete. They are a smaller dealer with a limited inventory (both new cars and service items). But it's the closest to me.
I've been trying to test drive a Z4 for 3 months but they don't have any. That's how small it is!

[x97Melbourne]

Originally Posted by pinmagic

Ummm...not quite sure what that means. They had to be fused somehow at the factory, so it would seem they could be re-fused (so to speak). It may be BMW's policy to just replace it, but that doesn't mean it can't be glued back together.

I agree. At some point they were glued somehow and from the picture you can see that the adhesive has failed and, as I said, to me I was expecting an easy fix. Not sure why their policy is to replace. I am not complaining, but just from a standpoint of "waste" it seems strange.
Seems very expensive for BMW. I guess that's why our cars are so expensive.....they know something or another will break??

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by x97Melbourne

Why was yours replaced? Yes...I am in Florida. And I must say the price was an estimate given by the SA. Hopefully I"ll see the actual invoice and be able to update in a week or so.

Wow that's crazy.

My tops been replaced due to a mechanical failure (burnt out motor, snapped belt, and a worn through top)

And it was replaced later under the TSB (that little wear hole in the C pilar area)

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by x97Melbourne

I agree. At some point they were glued somehow and from the picture you can see that the adhesive has failed and, as I said, to me I was expecting an easy fix. Not sure why their policy is to replace. I am not complaining, but just from a standpoint of "waste" it seems strange.
Seems very expensive for BMW. I guess that's why our cars are so expensive.....they know something or another will break??

BMW doesnt make convertiable tops.. They have the entire assy shipped in complete.. When it fails they pay the dealer to replace the entire thing, and then they send that part back to whomever they purchased it from and recoupe some expenses..

There are way to many variables in that kind of repair to have the technicians do it.. Its overall better to replace an assy. That is whay BMW does not let a dealer rebuild a transmission...ZF and GM want them back whole to see how it failed and to rebuild them themselves.

In the end, Its not a "WASTE" just most dont know what goes on behind the scenes...

[JHZR2]

Bump on this. Any other quotes or basis? I thought I had read 8 hours of labor. So that's maybe $1000-1500 depending upon labor rates. Might that $5500 cost include the entire hydraulic and control system?

[Allencic]

Perhaps this is a fairly standard cost for replacing the convertible top for any make car. It just seems that repair costs on modern cars are so very expensive for major components that a good case can be made for leasing cars for the length of the warranty only. I've leased a bunch of cars over the years and except for normal maintenance I've never spent a penny on repairs. Of course I knew I wouldn't go beyond the mileage limit and never wanted to "mod" the cars. And frankly, it's pretty nice to have a brand new car every three or four years.

[RoundelM3]

Any reputable upholstery/top shop can fix this problem, and likely replace the top for about half your quoted price. I had the top replaced on a Porsche 944S2 convertible for less than $2K, but that was quite a few years ago. It would be to your benefit to do some research before assuming that a $5500 replacement is your only choice.

My wife's '11 128i convertible has 30K miles on it and is 3 years old. It's garaged every night, but she parks it out in the open at work - we have seen zero problems with it thus far, but we keep it clean and use a good convertible top protectant on it every few months. The sun's UV rays can raise hell on a fabric top, but it should last a lot longer than a few years.

[elan+2]

My 09 vert did the same thing. It was a CPO car from BMW with 75,000 on it when I got it in 2011. The top separated just like yours at 95,000 miles 1 1/2 years later, I took it to the dealer in Winston Salem, NC they quoted me $2,800 to replace, I pitched a fit as it was a CPO car. They were able to work with me a I got a BMW good will price of $1,000 for a new top installed.

I would question the price they gave you, call other dealers and get quote ask for the BMW good will price if car is still under warranty....

[bbbbmw]

I don't think the CPO warranty will replace a top. Not sure about the extended warranty - read the fine print before purchasing a warranty.

[Rob Daman]

I have a problem with the rear defroster and only 1 line worked so they're replacing the whole top for that. I'm still under the 4/50k warranty.

[germ]

...on my Audi TT---but at 120k/10 years.
I tried to re-glue it myself after doing some research on the best glue to use. I got a special "aircraft-grade" glue (a terrible smelling yellowish gooey) but the results were not satisfactory. First, it's very difficult to apply. There's nothing holding the two parts together. After a very short time the glue would fail again. In short, the top was never the same. So I can understand why BMW recommends replacement. But 5.5k? At only 30k? That is terrible and reflects the poor longevity of today's cars.

Take it to an independent shop.

[135iam]

I bought a 2010 135i convert last summer. It had a 1/4" hole in the top from the convertible mechanism rubbing the top.
Dealer replaced the entire top under warranty. I asked how much it would have cost out of warranty. There response was about $2000, half parts and half labor.

Nowhere near the $5500 the OP was quoted.

[Rob Daman]

The parts department sent me a letter regarding my part being received. It's part # 54347192905. Looks to cost $1200.

[Pelicanglider]

I, too, choked on the price ($5000ish) to have a BMW convertible top replaced so, I found a used top on eBay for $700 and replaced the top myself after the same thing happened to my rear window (S. Louisiana). The job really wasn't that hard. I found a couple of videos of other BMW top replacements and it turns out the 1 series convertible is very similar to the other convertibles BMW has made in the last ten years. What I didn't get from the videos, I was able to figure out just by studying the top itself. I think it took me about 6 hours.