Member
YES
Hold the door with both hands, jerk the right hand once to dislodge the right hinge then jerk the left hinge out.
Member
By the time you complete this repair you will:
1-Feel really bad about what you have just been through (to be blamed on overpriced NA BMW dealers).
2-Fall in love with the BMW german engineering; every millimeter, every angle & every little piece has a dynamic function!
3-You will feel empowered (know everything about your Z4 and can handle most repairs yourself).
Last edited by tekoo; 11-18-2018 at 07:22 PM.
Member
See if you can take some images of how far the roof opens before and after removal of the stowage lock. Try to get an image from all different angles/views.
I took an image of my x-hook location today. As you can see I don’t have neither x-hooks nor stowage lock:
22C9437B-4958-4657-9007-DBAA28F3F661.jpg
Last edited by tekoo; 11-18-2018 at 07:51 PM.
Member
I’m not following what the pic is of, where the lock was or the x hooks?
I am already ‘not’ impressed with German engineering.
I thought North American cars were poorly engineered until we had one of these.
This car is steadily having electrical issues, small irritating things, air bag light, engine light , lights for stability control, low tire and brakes.
The last three came on soon as taken out of storage last spring.
Just when you think you have it all good, something else will come up.
Had to BMW dealer more in little over a year than we’ve had our Fords in dealer since 2012 and 2008 respectively.
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I love the car, that’s the only reason why we still have it. Just not sure I can afford to keep it.
The electrical is only part of the issues, not including mechanical issues, and we’ve only had it since fall of 2017!
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1-The image in my last post is of the center front of my soft top; the location where the x-hooks are usually found (the location marked in image below).
5.JPG
2-My stowage lock is also missing; however I could not find images of my vacant stowage lock location.
3-The electrical/mechanical problems you are referring to are very unusual (at least in my case). If the dash lights you are getting are found to be false positive then your vehicle may need software update. If the lights are true positive and more and more parts are proving defective, I would think storage and lack of driving is ruining the vehicle.
4-I believe BMW vehicles would only be enjoyed by 3 main types of owners; a)short term leasers who switch cars before warranty ends, b)owners that can afford the massively inflated dealer prices, or c)customers that are very technically and electronically inclined (PRO DIYers).
Group a) is pretty much non-existent at this point for the Z4 E85!
For Group c) to succeed, there is a learning curve and basic BMW resources and software that has to be acquired!
However group C still can not escape the dealer's monopoly of parts prices. Every time I contact our local south Florida dealers for parts; the price is always 200% of what is available through online vendors! It's amazing how the corporate, BMW of North America, does not periodically review dealer prices to prevent abuse to the BMW owner that has no other alternatives!
How did your adventure end up? Is the lock out? Any notable changes in roof?
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 12:00 PM.
Member
I haven’t been able to get back at it.
Unfortunately we had a snow storm, had some fixing on my compact diesel for snow removal, something if you are in Florida you don’t have the fun in dealing with!.
Took priority over the Bimmer for now.
Probably tomorrow or next day.
Member
The 3 lights, stab control, low tire and red brake lamp in dash, Dealer said couple caused by removing battery for the winter. They reset and other than the low air lamp came on couple times, I just reset in with the button after making sure didn’t have a low tire.
Put 16000k ,10,000 miles,and haven’t had that problem again
This year, I left the battery in and put a battery tender on it.
As far as the air bag light, 1st time dealer said was lost communication to rh door?
Reset and was good for couple months, came back on again, was late this season, haven’t got a chance to get to dealer again.
Trying to focus on one issue at a time.
That’s the two really irritating problems that has been a pain
Apprentice w/#yrs. exp.
Seems like normal maintenance issues for a BMW.
Most, if not all of your past issues were easily DIY, no dealership visits required.
I suggest obtaining a copy of both a BMW owners manual & Bentley repair manual for your vehicle,
read through them cover-cover in your spare time, as this will familiarize yourself with issues common to your Z4.
That, including use of the search feature on this forum and Google, and you should mostly eliminate dealership visits.
Member
You will not survive without learning how to post images and videos on forums though, AND acquire and learn to use some basic BMW software to be able to check and reset error codes. Otherwise the few dollars you save from DIYs will go back to the dealer to 'diagnose' and reset your codes!
In regards to the errors you get:
1-When I get the tire light (TPIS), it is almost always there is a small tiny leak in one of the tires. Especially if you adjust the pressure and the light comes back on in 2-4 weeks! The TPIS sensors are located in the valve stem of the tires. Rarely; one of the sensors could be bad. Otherwise the wheel maybe defective and not forming a good seal with the tire.
2-If last time the airbag light resolved with a simple software reset; it is probably a software issue not a real airbag or wiring defect. If you try to take the vehicle back to the dealer in timely manner, they can not charge you twice.
3-The Z4 has at least 2-3 little computers that stay on ALL the time. When battery is replaced it is usually a fast process and these computers are able to hold some charge till the new battery is in place so no errors occur. Taking the battery out of the vehicle for a prolonged period of time leaves absolutely no charge for these computers to feed on. Initially, the charge becomes critically low, so normal computer standby surveillance functions start failing throwing various error codes before complete silence finally ensues. When you connect the new battery the following season, the computers come back to life and start from where they stopped; showing the dash lights that correspond with the registered error codes !
How did you connect the trickle charger to the vehicle? And is the vehicle stored somewhere with adequate ventillation?
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 06:43 PM.
Member
This Z4 does not have TPIS
It has another great BMW system that measures tire inflation with tire rotation in conjunction with the stability control.
After the lights were reset, the tire light came on twice, both times the tires were all the same pressure.
I just reset and it was good.
Put lots of Kms on since last time.
Apparently it’s common for all 3 lights to illuminate at the same time with this system which is what mine did. It also turns the red brake lamp to amber when you take the park brake off, not sure why , some brake fault, but all came same time and all went off same time when reset.
That’s when BMW dealer told me more than likely battery removal.
As far as eng service light on, I can diagnose that myself, and did several times.
I don’t mind doing some repairs, but I would like to be able to drive it without having to wrench on it afterwards.
The car is like new, not a corrosion issue with the electrical from running in winter on salted roads as the car came from Florida.
It’s stored in an new insulated garage, covered with a breathable car cover.
The garage is heated, but only when I am working on something, lately lots with this car.
The charger is hooked direct to the battery, not alligator clips.
I leave the trunk slightly ajar for venting.
I am trying to figure downloading to the forum.
I do it all the time in other situations, pics to KIjiji, and to emails etc, just can’t grasp this yet.
Member
Originally Posted by celticrider
1- The charger CAN NOT be connected directly to the battery in the trunk or the 12 volt DC outlet (cigarette lighter). It has to be connected via the jump start terminal point. Otherwise the vehicle will not register the charge!
battery 3.JPG
Check the thread in this link. A guy trickle-charged his battery for a year through the battery terminal and his attempts where unsuccessful even after purchasing a new battery. His car suffered from low voltage for a whole year, threw all sorts of error codes and went into transport mode before it finally completely stopped responding and required towing!
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...r-power-at-all
2- Charging the battery produces highly explosive gases and has to occur in well ventilated space.
battery 1.JPG
3-It is normal to see error codes and dash lights on after prolonged power outage. The codes will need to be reset.
battery 2.JPG
Please check the following links:
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...61-20-battery/
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...der/1VnXrZsmjH
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...der/1VnYofmbZo
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...holder/IEGUgqi
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...tem/1VncLNnbBu
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...attery/2S8T2Cv
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 08:57 PM.
Member
Got a bit of time tonight, removed the xhooks.
I tried again on the door, if I put any more pressure something is going to break.
So I looked at where I removed the lock and the xhooks, nothing can catchor Mis align with those parts missing as far as I can see, correct me if that’s not right.
The only thing could happen if it went down far enough, and it won’t unless I was to
Push down like before, is the little plastic latch in the middle could hook under the remaining metal part of the lock.
The little plastic latch however cannot reach the metal part of the lock, when the roof is as down as it is when the light goes out and the motor stops,it’s about an inch from the what’s left of the metal lock.
Member
4-Posting images here is just like anywhere else: you select the 'insert image' tab -> a window pops -> you browse to location/folder of your image on the computer ->select the image and hit enter -> wait for th e image to load and then save
forum.JPG
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You are the only one that can evaluate the situation! How far does the roof go down now? Is it more satisfactory to you or still 1-2 inches too high?
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 07:48 PM.
Member
Other thing roof fold at rear looks somewhat like the top pick, folded inward, maybe not quite as exaggerated.
Not sure how to change that as there is a fiber band of sorts that is a specific length by the looks of it.
Member
All you need to do is to reverse the fold to be an 'outty' instead of an 'inny' which should NOT require more fabric length. After reversing the folds leave the top down in stowed position for 24 hours to adapt!
Member
We are not using windows, all of my posts are on my iPhone.
Should be able to on it.
I’ll keep trying.
Have a Mac computer, will try on it if this doesn’t work.
So roof is about an 1 higher than if it were to lock the centre plastic latch in the middle of the front of the roof ,into the metal lock at the rear that I was trying to remove,when fully down with light out and motor stopped.
So if the roof went down enough to lock, it would have to drop another 1”.
Member
If the fabric 'misfold' is not in a location that would affect the roof stowage (misfolds in corners, seams and below main pillar and joints) then I wouldn't worry about it.
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How high is the front of the soft top from the top surface of the plastic trim of the rear console?
Member
Is your roof at the same height as the roof in these images?
2452EAC2-E19E-43B8-A737-541EADE40AFD.jpg4018A68E-6AE5-46A0-AD10-5BE36EDFEEAD.jpg2AD30C7C-2080-4D23-A526-100DA2D69593.jpg3FC71E6F-DA76-44EF-B965-548D210C215E.jpg985E45F1-1A47-4086-B05B-0A2C3FB6D0E8.jpg
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 08:53 PM.
Member
I won’t waste any more of your time tonight,trying to load pics. Easier to explain.
Your roof looks similar in height,but could not see directly where the lock was on top of the upper plac
st cover is
That is where I am taking my measurements from.
Member
Take measurements from something standard we all have (distance from center console plastic trim) so you are able to compare to other owners and vehicles regardless. It’s useless to compare to your prior lock height since your roof was never the proper height and always had issues. Also a squeezed roof underneath a lock is never the original relaxed expansion of the fabric!
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 09:19 PM.
Member
In other words it doesn’t matter what your prior roof condition was as long as it is now functionaly and esthetically comparable to the roofs of other similar vehicles that have normal roof performance and don’t suffer from any problems!
1-Your roof goes down all the way that the lights go out and motor stops which means the hinges are able to reach the fully collapsed end-position where the sensors are calibrated to give the confirmation signal for motor to stop!
100% functional
2-Your roof is the same height as mine. Which means that esthetically the roof is like other similar models!
100% normal
Could your expectations be too far from reality?
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 09:35 PM.
Member
I’m sure my roof can dunk 1-2 more inches under the weights of 2 bricks but I doubt anyone would consider that normal height!
Member
B7AEFE8A-87D2-4CF1-B1E3-13D9036ABDE8.jpgB7AEFE8A-87D2-4CF1-B1E3-13D9036ABDE8.jpgThis is a view from the seat facing rearward at the lock area
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09D11331-8C35-4665-8C3C-A4B819591049.jpgThis is the side fold of the roof
Member
NO THIS IS NOT NORMAL! This is 2-3 times the height of mine.
This is how the fold should look like from side
464DD315-835C-4DFA-9897-5E315F68D3BF.jpg182B6818-424F-4DAB-B651-90841F9B9383.jpgF0324C41-B46E-4E0B-B844-42C9F768DA3C.jpgCD8103FE-A3EA-4CAF-848C-1B32D049F44E.jpgE0F168BF-1D21-4C90-8C0E-BDAD2F2575B5.jpg
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Is this the maximum it goes down?
Are you sure the metal body of the lock is not pushing back on the soft top? It appears as if it is. (look at same location in my images, there is barely 1 cm there)
Is this how the soft top has always been? Or just after replacing the hinge?
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 10:52 PM.
Member
It also appears that the misfolding starts from deeper down the stowage compartment (maybe from fabric closer to the rear window) as there is too much fabric pushed out at main fold and the roof frame is at 60 degree angle (half folded)! Compare that to my image where the folded frame parts are almost at 0 degree angle to each other (completely folded)
Last edited by tekoo; 11-19-2018 at 10:54 PM.
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