Z3 Rear Window

[hard top]

This got flagged up on FB and the people who have purchased them are more than happy with the product and the result.

LINK: http://www.emiata.com/z3window.asp

One comment from a member on here:-
Helpful hint, if you are working alone, you can tape it into position from the outside and then work on the inside zipping it into place.

 

[NZ00Z3]

Just fitted an Emiata rear window this past week. Kit comes with everything you need, including a needle and thread.

Easy to fit, was the cheapest one on the market and has the best plastic for the window. You have to mask up the window and reat/top of the car before you do the gluing as you can get some glue threads blowing about.

Took about 7 days to arrive from the USA down to the South Pacific.

Very Pleased with the product.

 

[hard top]

Nice one @Murray Wall

 

[Andy-M]

Thank you @hard top

$117 shipped = £85. Think i got that right.

 

[Sean d]

I'll be ordering one of these in due course, Thanks for the info @Hardtop and @Murray Wall

 

[Subsailor]

Hello folks. I have been a "car guy" for years, but never owned a BMW. My wife and I bought a 97 Z3 with 65K miles on in it this past weekend to use as a summer play car. I did notice the current rear window in the car is pretty foggy and needs to be replaced. I did not look at it closely and I have not yet picked the car up from the current owner (work thing getting in the way), but one thing I am confused about is I did not notice a zipper on the window. I did look at the outside of the window/top and noticed some sewing stiches and because of that I am assuming the zipper is inside? Did all of the Z3s come with a zipper? Thanks in advance from the wet Pacific Northwest.

 

[hard top]

Welcome on the forum @Subsailor, your rear window could be stitched in, i.e, no zip.

If you like you can introduce yourself on the forum here https://zroadster.org/forums/introduce-yourself.41/ ....

 

[Subsailor]

Welcome on the forum @Subsailor, your rear window could be stitched in, i.e, no zip.

If you like you can introduce yourself on the forum here https://zroadster.org/forums/introduce-yourself.41/ ....

Thanks Mike. I just made and introduction in the new area and attached a pic of our new Z.

 

[Scooblitz]

Hello folks. I have been a "car guy" for years, but never owned a BMW. My wife and I bought a 97 Z3 with 65K miles on in it this past weekend to use as a summer play car. I did notice the current rear window in the car is pretty foggy and needs to be replaced. I did not look at it closely and I have not yet picked the car up from the current owner (work thing getting in the way), but one thing I am confused about is I did not notice a zipper on the window. I did look at the outside of the window/top and noticed some sewing stiches and because of that I am assuming the zipper is inside? Did all of the Z3s come with a zipper? Thanks in advance from the wet Pacific Northwest.

If its just a foggy rear window. Look into some polishing compounds for the plastic that will bring it up as new. Only really needs replaced if its torn or the fogging just does not disapate after some working.

 

[jaguartvr]

I fitted one of these windows a while back with no problems. The only slightly disappointing point was that it was impossible to tuck the canvas back into the window surround, it had to be glued which doesn't look so good.
I now have 2 z3's needing replacement windows and there is an advert on eBay, send your old window in and he will sow a new window into the existing zip for £59. I thought this may be a better option as it uses the original window surround and there would be more chance of tucking the canvas back into it.
Bear in mind that I have done this before but I just cannit get either window to zip back in, I'm using the same zip pull as I used last time.
I found the zip pull very hard to zip around the replacement window on it's own so have trimmed back the replacement window to make it easier.
I've been at it for 2 days now and just can't get them in. As the zip goes around it just comes undone. This is the same on both roofs. On the second roof, the zip is now coming away from the roof as the stitching is weak.
Anyone else fitted a window this way and have any bright ideas?

Thanks

 

[Sean d]

I fitted one of these windows a while back with no problems. The only slightly disappointing point was that it was impossible to tuck the canvas back into the window surround, it had to be glued which doesn't look so good.
I now have 2 z3's needing replacement windows and there is an advert on eBay, send your old window in and he will sow a new window into the existing zip for £59. I thought this may be a better option as it uses the original window surround and there would be more chance of tucking the canvas back into it.
Bear in mind that I have done this before but I just cannit get either window to zip back in, I'm using the same zip pull as I used last time.
I found the zip pull very hard to zip around the replacement window on it's own so have trimmed back the replacement window to make it easier.
I've been at it for 2 days now and just can't get them in. As the zip goes around it just comes undone. This is the same on both roofs. On the second roof, the zip is now coming away from the roof as the stitching is weak.
Anyone else fitted a window this way and have any bright ideas?

Thanks

I'm going to have a go at mine and if I don't succeed I'm going to Swansea for a weekend, at £300 its not worth the hassle of fitting arear screen by the sounds of it.

 

[jaguartvr]

Problem is that I need 3, gets expensive.
Anyway a bit of progress. The zip was very hard to pull around the window and I worked out that it was catching on the new clear window where it had not been trimmed back enough. I have been all the way around the window trimming the new clear section back as close to the stitching as I can. The zip now runs easily around it.
However now when I try and zip the window in the zip won't stay closed. After trying for a couple of hours I threw it all in the corner and went off to the pub to sulk. After a few beers, it dawned on me that it was now the zip puller at fault. In trying to pull it around the window with the clear section catching it had caused the zip pull to open up which stopped the two side of the zip closing. Pinching it up in the vice and it went in first time...........result at last. The good news is that the roof tucks easily back into the trim and you wouldn't know that the window had been replaced. Much neater than buying a new aftermarket replacement.
If anyone needs any help......you can sod off, I'm never doing another one!

 

[Althulas]

It can be difficult as well if your roof has shrunk you can see this if the “canvas” is not fully covering the window rubber surrounds. With bargains at jack trimmers a no brained for a whole new roof. I did look at replacing my rear window good shout from Hardtop but I think the rear seal as let go hence a wet interior for me but dried out and under cover untill I can get mine MOT’ed and down to soft tops Crydon a bit more expensive than Jacks but easily doable in a day unless I can make a weekend mini cruise with the welsh members.

 

[jaguartvr]

Final note
For zipping the window back in you need a
YKK No 5 Zipper

Search on eBay, just a couple of quid. If you search BMW zipper they are about £10 for the same item

 

[Bennos17]

Problem is that I need 3, gets expensive.
Anyway a bit of progress. The zip was very hard to pull around the window and I worked out that it was catching on the new clear window where it had not been trimmed back enough. I have been all the way around the window trimming the new clear section back as close to the stitching as I can. The zip now runs easily around it.
However now when I try and zip the window in the zip won't stay closed. After trying for a couple of hours I threw it all in the corner and went off to the pub to sulk. After a few beers, it dawned on me that it was now the zip puller at fault. In trying to pull it around the window with the clear section catching it had caused the zip pull to open up which stopped the two side of the zip closing. Pinching it up in the vice and it went in first time...........result at last. The good news is that the roof tucks easily back into the trim and you wouldn't know that the window had been replaced. Much neater than buying a new aftermarket replacement.
If anyone needs any help......you can sod off, I'm never doing another one!

After reading this post I finally got the window zipped in
Wouldn’t have thought about pinching it in the vice but it worked spot on bud thanks

 

[kyrix1st]

What's a good way to maintain a new vinyl window (and a new top?) Raggtop seems to have the product but I am not sure the material is applicable to the vinyl window.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Thanks guys for posting about new windows. My question before proceeding with how to seal up my leaky top is about that rubber seal that goes around the fabric edge of the top itself. Do these new windows come with that rubber part attached and once the window is zipped back in, one tucks the fabric part into the seal? Or is that seal part integral to the fabric top and once it comes loose or gets lost etc, is it worthless to buy a new zip in glass because there will be this whole perimeter susceptible to collecting dirt, water, sticks, etc and a leak is imminent?

Thanks

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Here is the area I mean. On my top, that rubber part is now totally gone.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

Thanks guys for posting about new windows. My question before proceeding with how to seal up my leaky top is about that rubber seal that goes around the fabric edge of the top itself. Do these new windows come with that rubber part attached and once the window is zipped back in, one tucks the fabric part into the seal? Or is that seal part integral to the fabric top and once it comes loose or gets lost etc, is it worthless to buy a new zip in glass because there will be this whole perimeter susceptible to collecting dirt, water, sticks, etc and a leak is imminent?

Thanks

Yes, the 'rubber' seal comes with the replacement window.

 

[Sean d]

I've just fitted the one that is attached above and no there is no seal, but there is extra cloth that needs gluing in place