E85 roadster soft top hood lifespan

[Bob123]

I'm wondering what sort of lifespan we can expect from our roadster soft top hoods? Has anyone got any experience of this?

It looks like they're expensive to replace if you have to. I've seen a lot of prices around the £1000 mark for a good quality replacement.

Thanks for any info.

 

[t-tony]

You can get a hardtop for an E85 for that, and make the original soft top last much longer.

Tony.

 

[Bob123]

Thanks for the reply @t-tony. I do have a hardtop. Any anecdotal info on how much it extends the lifespan of the soft top?

I noticed that a lot of Z3s seem to be having their hoods replaced now and was wondering how long we can expect to get out of the Z4 hood? Mine's a 2004 car, so pretty early in the model run.

 

[t-tony]

It’s hard to put a figure on something like that. My old E85 was from the first year, 2003, and only had 16,500 miles when I bought it at 13 years old. I sold it almost 2 years ago with 38,000 and the roof was still very good. It had been garaged while I owned it and also for most of its life previously.
I would suggest that the quality of the roof and the stitching on the Z4 was of a better quality than the Z3 and as such is likely to outlast it.

Tony.

 

[Bob123]

Wow, that was low mileage @t-tony. It is difficult to judge for sure. I had a pre facelift wide body 2.8 Z3, from memory the hoods were improved on the facelift Z3 and maybe the 3.0 when that came out towards the end of the Z3s?
The Z4 hoods do look very well made. It amazes me that they can survive 20 years in our climate.

 

[t-tony]

Have a look at Paul Rice’s car it must be one of the earliest E85 models and it still looks good.

Tony.

 

[Andyboy]

I would suggest that the quality of the roof and the stitching on the Z4 was of a better quality than the Z3 and as such is likely to outlast it.

Tony.

Z4 hoods aren't worth much secondhand - they have a proper rear window and the fabric/stitching is very good. My local trimmer very rarely sees Z4's and E46 Cabrios but still lots of Z3's. Even 20 year old Z4 hoods are in good condition.

 

[bertiejaffa]

Try Croydon soft tops?