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      06-08-2021, 07:56 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ejm3 View Post
I'm the original owner of my 2012 135i convertible.
This was a big concern of mine buying the car.
But my original top is still in good shape.

Now this was never really a daily driver.
It doesn't go in the rain or snow.
Occasionally it might get stuck out in a shower or something but rarely.
Back when I was going into the office every day it would take it fairly regularly to work (75 mile round trip) especially when the weather was nice.

Its garaged all the time at home.

I never put the top down when its wet.
Its a black top it dries in no time if you leave it in the sun for a bit.

I don't really wash the top unless there something on it that specifically needs to be addressed. I bought some stuff to treat the cloth but never ended up using it. The top is almost as black as when I brought it home and dealer says it looks great.

But where I disagree with others is putting the top up all the time.
My top goes down in late April every year and essentially stays down until maybe mid-Sept. If it might rain I just don't take it.
I even [very carefully] wash it with the top down.

The top might go up a couple times during the summer if I get caught in an unexpected shower or if it needs to go in for service or something.
I also avoid taking it to sketchy neighborhoods and I leave no valuables inside.

My logic is this:
If the top is down, the UV rays won't eat away at the cloth.
Yeah the top is up in the winter but the sun isn't as strong and the car is not driven as much.

Second, I'm more concerned with the roof mechanicals than the roof itself.
Putting the top up and down 5 times a day is likely to stress both the top and wear out the mechanical (like the motors).

At the end of the day worst case its much cheaper to replace just the cloth top than both the cloth and the mechanical components.

Just my two cents based on experience.
I understand you points, but leaving the top down for months on end causes creases in the fabric to stay. It's like pulling out a wrinkled shirt you cannot iron. As far as the mechanicals go, this top uses a worm gear so the least robust component is the fabric top. In the end, the top may be the cheapest replacement part, but it is about 1800-2200 to replace.
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      06-08-2021, 08:20 AM   #24
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Hi Guys,

Sorry for the late reply - the G29 was just fine and is now soaking up the sun after being cleaned 😆

Thank you for the detailed comments and putting my mind at ease, some great feedback on long term care too! My first convertible and soft top so I'll make sure it stays great
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      06-08-2021, 08:22 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G29dante View Post
Hi Guys,

Sorry for the late reply - the G29 was just fine and is now soaking up the sun after being cleaned 😆

Thank you for the detailed comments and putting my mind at ease, some great feedback on long term care too! My first convertible and soft top so I'll make sure it stays great
You are welcome. Enjoy.
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      06-08-2021, 03:31 PM   #26
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My car is garaged and I park/store it with the top up - both to keep dust out of the car and to keep the roof from developing permanent creases.

I don't usually wash the top and when I do, it's typically just a spray from the hose. I don't treat them or clean them otherwise - the top on my F type was as new after 5 years.

Dave
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      06-08-2021, 04:36 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DPelletier View Post
My car is garaged and I park/store it with the top up - both to keep dust out of the car and to keep the roof from developing permanent creases.

I don't usually wash the top and when I do, it's typically just a spray from the hose. I don't treat them or clean them otherwise - the top on my F type was as new after 5 years.

Dave
You have a lot of nice toys in your garage. I'm jealous. Only because my garage isn't that large.

With the Z parked up high, how often does it come down? Is the backup camera making it easy to get it to the ground?
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      06-08-2021, 06:14 PM   #28
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4 post lift... it lowers

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      06-08-2021, 06:17 PM   #29
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Thanks,

The Z4 is only on the hoist during winter; in the summer I swap things around so the BMW is in front of the lift where the tractor is in the pic. It's easy to get on and off the lift though it does scrape the little rubber air dam on the front going on and off.



Cheers,
Dave
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      06-08-2021, 08:06 PM   #30
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Thanks, didn't see the inside slots and assumed. My bad...

Nice setup though.
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      01-14-2024, 11:49 AM   #31
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Are there any mechanical mechanisms for the roof that should be lubed periodically?
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      01-15-2024, 02:19 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ejm3 View Post
I'm the original owner of my 2012 135i convertible.
This was a big concern of mine buying the car.
But my original top is still in good shape.

Now this was never really a daily driver.
It doesn't go in the rain or snow.
Occasionally it might get stuck out in a shower or something but rarely.
Back when I was going into the office every day it would take it fairly regularly to work (75 mile round trip) especially when the weather was nice.

Its garaged all the time at home.

I never put the top down when its wet.
Its a black top it dries in no time if you leave it in the sun for a bit.

I don't really wash the top unless there something on it that specifically needs to be addressed. I bought some stuff to treat the cloth but never ended up using it. The top is almost as black as when I brought it home and dealer says it looks great.

But where I disagree with others is putting the top up all the time.
My top goes down in late April every year and essentially stays down until maybe mid-Sept. If it might rain I just don't take it.
I even [very carefully] wash it with the top down.

The top might go up a couple times during the summer if I get caught in an unexpected shower or if it needs to go in for service or something.
I also avoid taking it to sketchy neighborhoods and I leave no valuables inside.

My logic is this:
If the top is down, the UV rays won't eat away at the cloth.
Yeah the top is up in the winter but the sun isn't as strong and the car is not driven as much.

Second, I'm more concerned with the roof mechanicals than the roof itself.
Putting the [...]
I’m on the other side of a couple of those arguments.
My car is parked under cover so UV rays aren’t an issue and I prefer the material is kept taut rather than creased. so my top is up unless I’m driving with the top down. Also, if parked overnight with the top down, I’d be concerned about dust, insects, gecko poop and bird poop messing up the inside.

The other point where I have a counter argument is causing wear and tear to the mechanics of the roof mechanism by putting the top up and down on a frequent basis.

My experience is almost the opposite of yours with my primary concern being that little to no use would cause the mechanism to become stiff and eventually seize. Use it or lose is my maxim I guess.

Maybe there’s an optimal mid point between 5 times a day and 5 times a year. Certainly I intend to operate the top mechanism at least once a week, whether I use the car or not.

But at the end of the day, perhaps the top and its mechanism just isn’t that sensitive and can live a wide variety of conditions?
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      01-15-2024, 08:24 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Christos View Post
Are there any mechanical mechanisms for the roof that should be lubed periodically?
I had a 2004 CLK500 convertible which I kept for about 17 years that had 6 or 7 hydraulic rods that were part of the soft top's mechanism and they had to be replaced after I moved from NY to Florida. Replacing them was pretty expensive and I was told at time that as a convertible gets older you need to open and close the top a few times a month (especially in a hot, humid climate like south Florida) or the seals on the ends of the rods would dry out and crack which is what happened to mine and the top had to be repaired.

I am not sure if the G29 has similar hydraulic rods to my Mercedes, but if it does I am covered as I am definitely putting that top down as often as possible.
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      01-15-2024, 09:26 AM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Westside Guy View Post
I had a 2004 CLK500 convertible which I kept for about 17 years that had 6 or 7 hydraulic rods that were part of the soft top's mechanism and they had to be replaced after I moved from NY to Florida. Replacing them was pretty expensive and I was told at time that as a convertible gets older you need to open and close the top a few times a month (especially in a hot, humid climate like south Florida) or the seals on the ends of the rods would dry out and crack which is what happened to mine and the top had to be repaired.

I am not sure if the G29 has similar hydraulic rods to my Mercedes, but if it does I am covered as I am definitely putting that top down as often as possible.
The G29 doesn't have any hydraulics. It's all electro-mechanical, similar to the E85. The E89 Z4 top was hydraulic and there are issues with it, but not so much with the actuators. There are control relays (the "Salmon Relays") that control the Hydraulic pump. If they fail they can run the pump to destruction. That's really expensive. Fortunately the relays are cheap. Many people just change them every few years. The more annoying issue is the wiring harness to all the microswitches and hall sensors that control the multiple pieces of the top. It gets folded and unfolded like a piece of origami every time you raise or lower the top. Eventually it cracks and you lose a sensor reading and then it just stops. No manual backup.
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      01-15-2024, 09:40 AM   #35
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And what about these “folding” marks. Is it normal? Is there a way to avoid them? I care it may become a tear spot.
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      01-15-2024, 09:46 AM   #36
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Fold marks are normal from what I see. My 2021 has creases in the parts that continually fold.

The hardtop Z4 forum is full of top operation issues as those cars are aging. Hopefully the decade of advancement and a soft top will keep the G29 top issues to a minimum as the cars age out of warranty.
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      01-15-2024, 11:15 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GerryC View Post
The G29 doesn't have any hydraulics. It's all electro-mechanical, similar to the E85. The E89 Z4 top was hydraulic and there are issues with it, but not so much with the actuators. There are control relays (the "Salmon Relays") that control the Hydraulic pump. If they fail they can run the pump to destruction. That's really expensive. Fortunately the relays are cheap. Many people just change them every few years. The more annoying issue is the wiring harness to all the microswitches and hall sensors that control the multiple pieces of the top. It gets folded and unfolded like a piece of origami every time you raise or lower the top. Eventually it cracks and you lose a sensor reading and then it just stops. No manual backup.
The E85 top is hydraulic and the BMW engineers in their infinite wisdom placed the hydraulic pump in the well where water drains off the roof on the left side just in front of the rear wheel, it had a small drain hole in the bottom of the well that easily clogged causing it to fill with water and rust the pump and causing it to fail.

I had two hydraulic pumps fail on my '06 3.0i which is a very common problem in the E85.
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      01-15-2024, 07:12 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MisanoblueZ4 View Post
Fold marks are normal from what I see. My 2021 has creases in the parts that continually fold.

The hardtop Z4 forum is full of top operation issues as those cars are aging. Hopefully the decade of advancement and a soft top will keep the G29 top issues to a minimum as the cars age out of warranty.
Creases in the soft top from folding will eventually get a little fuzzy around the edges as the material wears. However, they are less pronounced than in other convertibles I have owned. That material will last a long time before the creases start to tear. My 997.2 had much more noticeable creases, but still perfectly fine after 12 years and 60k miles. Just keep the top up as much as possible when not in use.
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      01-15-2024, 08:13 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cilas View Post
And what about these “folding” marks. Is it normal? Is there a way to avoid them? I care it may become a tear spot.
Don't worry so much about the folds as the wear marks. They're easy to notice because they tend to be shinier than surrounding material. Wear marks typically indicate something isn't aligned quite right and eventually they'll wear completely through if not fixed.

I don't recall any G29 owners with the problem but my memory is not as good as it once was.

I've seen the problem with Miata and MINI Cooper convertibles and the top gets replaced if significant enough and still under warranty. It's important to keep an eye on and report before warranty expires if it happens. Replacement labor is significant enough that service departments will frequently replace the entire top assembly (well over $5K) rather than the $3K+ fabric.

There are some posts in this forum regarding a strap on the inside that is prone to break. If that occurs under warranty, they'll typically replace the entire top rather than repair the strap.
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      01-18-2024, 06:36 AM   #40
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Creases are simply par for the course on convertibles, imo. Unless you never put it down...
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      02-25-2024, 12:06 PM   #41
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Haartz Top Cleaning Advice

Haartz manufacturers the material on our soft tops. Following is their advice:

https://www.haartz.com/cleaning-guid...h-top-cleaning

Following is a link to the RaggTopp products. You may be able to find their products cheaper elsewhere:

https://wolfsteins.com/collections/f...nvertible-tops

.

Last edited by StanDiego; 02-25-2024 at 12:12 PM..
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      02-26-2024, 08:35 AM   #42
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The sticky at the top of this forum has some great PDF's, I noticed an image in the first one I'll share in case people haven't seen it. I am thinking it might be good to occasionally run water here and be sure it's draining. I'm being proactive anyhow, expecting to be an owner sometime this year.

I'll also link a video from the Adam's company I watched and am thinking I might perform this process as well. I imagine there are similar products form other manufacturers.

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      02-27-2024, 01:43 PM   #43
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In the uk I use fabsil gold it works great and holds water droplets well and lasts 6 months in the terrible UK weather .
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      03-09-2024, 05:33 PM   #44
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I gather touchless car wash is a nono?
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