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Thread: Aftermarket top, window torn out.....any fix?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    Oklahoma City, OK
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    Alfa Romeo Spider, 97 Z3

    Angry Aftermarket top, window torn out.....any fix?

    One of my kids was playing near my wife's Z3 today and managed to tear the rear window halfway out of the top (HOW????). Unfortunately, it appears to be an aftermarket top, as the window is sewn in. The convertible top replacement howto's I've been looking at look quite daunting. I'm a DIY kind of guy, but this looks like a big, time-consuming pain in the neck. The top doesn't seem to be very old, actually it looks great (even the rear window is not all hazy and scratched like most). Has anyone had any luck stitching a ripped window back into the top? It appears no material is damaged, just the thread holding the cloth around the window onto the main cloth of the top.

    Alternatively, some sort of stop-gap (like some type of tape that actually works, and doesn't look abhorrent from the outside) would get us by for now....the car is living the outdoor life until we can get a carport built. My wife is understandably very upset, I'm furious myself, and I'm loathing the labor-intensive task of replacing an otherwise perfectly good top. This is extremely frustrating....I just had the car down for several weeks doing a coolant system refresh and new belts/pulleys/etc (poking on it as I had time, mostly after work). I only recently finished that and got the car running like a top.

    If I have to go the replacement route, this site appears to have the right material at a pretty competitive price:

    https://www.germanautotops.com/bmw/b...plastic-window

    I don't know exactly what material the current top is made of, but it's a nice soft cloth material. Is that what the Twillfast would be like?

    Matt

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    tempe, az
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    2,694
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    1998 Z3M, 2006 330i
    First of all, send the kid to military school.............. I've had good luck with similar situations by getting very strong thread, and then sewing through the existing holes, pulling the two pieces back together as they were originally. It seems like a lot of tedious work, but may be easier than any alternative.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2002
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    SW Florida
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    99-01 M Cpe & Rdts, X5M
    Quote Originally Posted by zellamay View Post
    First of all, send the kid to military school.............. I've had good luck with similar situations by getting very strong thread, and then sewing through the existing holes, pulling the two pieces back together as they were originally. It seems like a lot of tedious work, but may be easier than any alternative.
    If you go that route, with said kid on the inside to return the needle through, make sure you release the clamps on the windshield header first.

    Only other alternative is to head to an upholstery shop, and get their opinion; they're going to want the top off, but maybe you can find someone willing to stitch it back in situ.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Kent, Ohio
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    1998 M Roadster
    So long as the material is not torn, stitching it back together one hole at a time, and making sure you pass the needle through the preexisting holes is the best solution. Like Randy says, you will need an assistant and to release the tension. You should also pay attention to the type of thread you use, as it will have to be very high strength and not break down when exposed to the sun and weather--a thread for marine applications will probably be the best solution. I would use a sewing awl like a speedy stitcher--here is a link to a YouTube video on how to use one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNFMzAEW0V0

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Newport News , Virginia
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    91
    My Cars
    1996 Z3 E36(7) M44
    On my original top the window was good but the seam around it was coming undone. It was at the bottom where the zipper was started. I had sewed the seam a couple times with a handy stitcher. It was very tedious but doable.
    It sounds like your problem is not on a seam but just a rip in the material(?). I got almost 3 more years out of my top by sewing. Over time ( twenty one years) the top felt "crunchy" and so I replaced it with a Gahh top. I had thought about doing it my self. There is a couple of really good diy's floating around. i have seen some pictures of crappy jobs being done so I opted to have a shop do it. Ymmv

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Oklahoma City, OK
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    38
    My Cars
    Alfa Romeo Spider, 97 Z3
    Thanks for the good suggestions...this thread encouraged me to go ahead and make the repair (the material seems to be ok, just the thread is torn). But then I found out my wife ordered a new top! I guess we're in for the big replacement job....oh well, one side was looking a bit faded anyway. Wish me luck!

    Matt

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2002
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    SW Florida
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    12,681
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    99-01 M Cpe & Rdts, X5M
    This was us today (Monday); finally got around to putting the window in my gray car. I bought windows for both cars at least two (>2) years ago. While we should've immediately turned around and done the black car, neither of us had the steam left to do so.


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