So my 2006 Z4 3.0si was made in South Carolina. I bought it used, with no hardtop. I put the prep kit in and ordered a hardtop. I was told by the dealer it would arrive in ten days. I didn't believe this, so I'm not really bent out of shape about it not arriving after a month. However, there's some fishyness here: I was told the hardtop was coming from Germany and was on a ship. Why would a car made in South Carolina have a hardtop that's made in Germany? Or were the tops made there and shipped back? Or is that just where the NOS sone in the color I need is stocked after a few years? Anyone happen to know? Edit/Delete Message
Yes, the hard tops are made in Germany. I ordered my hard top the same day I ordered my car, June 2007. I received my car in mid-July, but my hardtop did not arrive until the week after Christmas! Yes, it had to be fabricated, painted (matching interlagos blue color must have been difficult), polished, packaged, shipped to port in Bremerhaven (North Sea), await a 'full load' on the ship, await German departure clearance (customs, etc.), and then get on it's way. The ship arrived in Philadelphia the 2nd week in DEC, but couldn't get everything cleared through U.S. customs until just before Christmas (must have been a LOT of shipments to clear port!). Anyway, it arrived at the local dealership the day after Christmas and was installed the 1st week in JAN 2008. OBTW: I "LOVE" it!
Wow. That's a story. I figured they were telling me the truth - they had a tracking number and said it was onboard a ship headed for Oakland. So hopefully I will get lucky and have it in ten weeks or so of the order. I wonder why BMW did it that way... What's the inside of the hardtop like? Is it finished or just bare or padded or what?
Hard Top Yes, the HT is finished! It has a padded head liner that helps reduce the dB level of the outside noise - quite significantly actually. As for 'easy off & on' - well, it isn't 'that' bad. I have a generic HT lift (eBay motors) in the garage and can maneuver the top on/off the lift well enough without any assistance. However, getting it settled down onto the roller rack can be challenging due to the bulkiness of the HT; recommend assistance there. Let me know when you get it and if you want references for the rack/lift elements. Sam-I-Am
