Sticking Roof on Z4

[Hullbilly]

Hi All,

Apologies if this has been covered before, I did try and search but cannot find anything.

When retracting the roof on my '03 Z4 I'm finding it sticks at the initial point it pulls away from the screen. You can hear the motor whirring away in the back but the roof doesn't initially move. Give it quick whack and off she goes.

Could this be the locking mechanism on the roof? And recommendations on how to fix this?

Thanks

[Huz-Z]

Perhaps a bit of white lithium grease carefully applied on the contact rollers at the top of the windshield frame might help.

I should add that I had much the same issue a few years ago and that did the trick nicely.

[Clearancediver]

A good penetrating oil/lubricant to free up the rollers. Note... WD40 is not a "lubricating" penetrating oil.

[Huz-Z]

Did it work?

[elerner61]

I've got a post somewhere on this. If the roller in the receptacle on the windshield header (that the hook makes contact with) doesn't roll smoothly anymore (should roll with your finger) you'll have to free it up. I found that mine was making contact with the sides and seemed to have swelled a bit. If this is the case, the roller can be removed by first removing the receptacle from the header. I sanded down the sides of the roller just a bit and it's been good for 8 years since then.

[Hullbilly]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I was hoping it would be something easy and cheap like you've all suggested.

I'll give it a try today and will report back!

That has seemed to work! thank you for your help guys.

[DerE85Fahrer]

Mine has been having the same issue. I applied white lithium grease to the rollers, and this solved about 90% of the problem. However, I find that the best way to stop it from happening entirely is to stick my fingers in the gap between the roof and the windshield when first pressing the button to put the top down. A very small amount of pressure up and back allows the locking mechanism to release smoothly and the top to lift away effortlessly. It seems to me that doing this might even prolong the life of the motor somewhat because it isn't working quite as hard to get that initial lifting motion started.