Can the rear window protector still be found?

Hwk-I-St8

Hwk-I-St8

Zorg Addict
American Zeds
Joined
May 9, 2022
Points
63
Model of Z
Z3 Roadster
I'm amazed that my car, bought new by my Dad, doesn't have that in the trunk or something. I just replaced my rear window and was amazed at how clear it is (they wanted me to wait a couple days before dropping the top).

I really want to keep it nice...any clue where I can find one? OEM would be great, but even aftermarket ones seem to be unobtainium. I may end up making one....
 
Hwk-I-St8 said:
I'm amazed that my car, bought new by my Dad, doesn't have that in the trunk or something. I just replaced my rear window and was amazed at how clear it is (they wanted me to wait a couple days before dropping the top).

I really want to keep it nice...any clue where I can find one? OEM would be great, but even aftermarket ones seem to be unobtainium. I may end up making one....
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I do know of one for sale but owner away till next Wednesday will pm you then
 
The OEM protector is a chunk of very thick felt, which takes up a lot of boot space when the roof is up. I believe that it was standard in the USA. My home made protector is compact, effective, and makes a great pillow when camping!
Hood blanket in use.JPG
 
Mike Fishwick said:
The OEM protector is a chunk of very thick felt, which takes up a lot of boot space when the roof is up.
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Are you thinking of the tonneau Mike?
OEM protectors are about the size of a piece of A5 paper when folded!
 
They came as part of the hardtop kit originally, I kept the one from my first Zed which had a hardtop the elastic is getting a bit tied now. I had my roof replaced under warranty at three years because of marks and the dealer left a new one in the boot……it’s still in the plastic bag in a box somewhere in the garage..always good to have a spare.
 
Mike Fishwick said:
The OEM protector is a chunk of very thick felt, which takes up a lot of boot space when the roof is up. I believe that it was standard in the USA. My home made protector is compact, effective, and makes a great pillow when camping!View attachment 347073
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That looks pretty cool. Got any notes on it? What's in the "roll" and how big is it? I am very handy with a sewing machine.....
 
The thing that surprises me most is that everything was there when I got this except the original radio (Dad wanted something with satellite radio). If it came with it, I would have fully expected it to be there. He even had an OEM cover.
 
I suspect what did and didn’t come with the vehicle was down to the dealership he brought it from. Mine came with the window protector (no hardtop) and was just in the trunk along with first aid kit and protective wheel bag. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some dealerships omitted this or maybe added their own items - like your OEM cover - I’ve never seen that.
 
Top tip (possibly)...

If you lower the roof manually (loosen valve on pump), you can see that it is one of the roof bars that rubs on the screen when folding. Use some towelling (or similar) to prevent this rubbing may prevent the rear screen from being marked.

I also use a roll of pipe insulation to prevent creases. I wrongly thought that it were the constant folding of the plastic fatiguing the plastic that caused the marks. It's not, it's the roof bar rubbing on the screen when stowing the roof.
 
Pingu said:
Top tip (possibly)...

If you lower the roof manually (loosen valve on pump), you can see that it is one of the roof bars that rubs on the screen when folding. Use some towelling (or similar) to prevent this rubbing may prevent the rear screen from being marked.

I also use a roll of pipe insulation to prevent creases. I wrongly thought that it were the constant folding of the plastic fatiguing the plastic that caused the marks. It's not, it's the roof bar rubbing on the screen when stowing the roof.
Click to expand...

Hmmm....mine has the interior liner....would that stop the rubbing you're referencing?
 
As already stated it’s the roof bar rubbing that causes the mark. I use a hand towel to protect the window when the roof is down. I lay the towel across the boot, open the roof and allow the towel to drop in across the length of the window. I also push out any creases at the same time. Cheap easy and quick.
 
The protector I saw was from a US market car - where everything is bigger!

I am not a fan of the OEM window anyway - it is not that flexible, and goes cloudy with age. My after market roof has a sewn-in window, and after about ten years it is still clear and unmarked.
 
Mike Fishwick said:
The protector I saw was from a US market car - where everything is bigger!

I am not a fan of the OEM window anyway - it is not that flexible, and goes cloudy with age. My after market roof has a sewn-in window, and after about ten years it is still clear and unmarked.
Click to expand...

My OEM window was what I just replaced. It got cloudy, but I cleaned it (can't remember the product) and in about 5 minutes it was clear as day. I just had to replace it because the rubber seal around it got hard and starting coming off. I would have happily just replaced that rubber and kept the original window if I could have. Not bad considering it was 25 years old. This window will almost certainly outlast me.
 
They were available from BMW until fairly recently but unfortunately not anymore. There may be one sat on a dealers shelf if you phone round dealers. I found mine on eBay recently and paid £70 which is expensive but it was like new and came in original bag
 
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