On a scale of 1-10 (BMW Z3 rear screen change)

bruce&kim

bruce&kim

Zorg Legend
The West Country
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Points
75
How hard is it to fit a new rear screen? Found a new window but not as technically minded as many of you on here
 
Difficult one to answer,

Some people say it's easy, I tried it and thought it was difficult.

Gave up and got a new roof instead!

So I'd say an 8
 
I've personally never tried it, but all the feedback I've seen is to make sure you have a friend, plenty of time and patience!

@Aceman is probably best to answer this as he wrote the article after doing one himself :)
 
Good stuff, I thought why bother with the window if the roof isn't perfect!
 
GazHyde said:
I've personally never tried it, but all the feedback I've seen is to make sure you have a friend, plenty of time and patience!

@Aceman is probably best to answer this as he wrote the article after doing one himself :)
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think a no is the answer to the the two "make sures" so revert back to badmans solution.
 
Do you need a new roof?
Otherwise just get someone to put the window in for you.
 
It is one of those jobs that if you get it in right first time you will be saying what was all the fuss about but it can end up taking several attempts to get it lined up correctly and turn into a very frustrating job. It is certainly a doable job all the better with an extra pair of hands.
 
There you go Bruce&Kim get thi sen up to Wakefield for an extra pair of hands. ;)
 
Take a look at the suppliers demo videos, count the teeth where the old one was centred and start the new one in the same spot. I like the German made one that uses the double sided tape rather than contact cement. Can't see where everyone has so many problems but will find out in a couple of weeks when my car finally gets here. JIM
 
I presume you have had a read of my article in the knowledgebase if not worth a read. I used the German one that Jim mentioned above and yes the key is getting the zip lined up initially which if you get that right first time it really is plane sailing from there on.

http://zroadster.org/articles/bmw-z3-rear-screen-replacement.61/
 
Recently Done Mine, I marked the original window on the teeth with a bit of white paint, then removed the old one, placed it over the new one and marked the new one up from the old one, I still had too do it twice, but not a bad job all in all, but I went for the cheap option of window, would recommend you pay a bit more and get a decent replacment. But It will cost around £150 if you take it to a specialist, they will remove the old window, and stitch a new window to the zip, had this done on my first Zed and they done a superb job..
 
badman gee said:
Difficult one to answer,

Some people say it's easy, I tried it and thought it was difficult.

Gave up and got a new roof instead!

So I'd say an 8
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What did you do with the new one you didnt use. (I think I remembered you saying at one time that things weren't going well during the proceedure and you did something nasty with it.) Oh, BY THE WAY, I must have called you about 20 times on Skype and you never answer!! What's up? I thought you said 'call me'. There is something I want to discuss with you. Frankie at work. (Nothing to do with sheep or soap.)
 
FRANKIE said:
What did you do with the new one you didnt use. (I think I remembered you saying at one time that things weren't going well during the proceedure and you did something nasty with it.) Oh, BY THE WAY, I must have called you about 20 times on Skype and you never answer!! What's up? I thought you said 'call me'. There is something I want to discuss with you. Frankie at work. (Nothing to do with sheep or soap.)
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Sorry Frankie, if I know what time your calling I will answer. (Uk time)

Mark
 
thanks for all the answers
clear.png
 
You can polish the screens if they're not cracked. I recently machine polished some on an old car that I bought and they came up a treat.

:-)
 
Rev said:
You can polish the screens if they're not cracked. I recently machine polished some on an old car that I bought and they came up a treat.

:)
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Impossible to see through this one plus it has a large rip with tape over it to keep the water out. The new one on the internet from Germany is 72 pounds plus 29 for shipping. I can get a new top for 215 dollars and free shipping. Looking into installation prices. Frankie..How ya been?
 
badman gee said:
Difficult one to answer, Some people say it's easy, I tried it and thought it was difficult. Gave up and got a new roof instead! So I'd say an 8
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I had a good roof, but the black trim was coming off the window. I bought an OEM window, was unable to start the zipper and frayed the tab, so returned it for half credit. I bought a second OEM window, and was again unable to start the zipper. I took it to a roof shop, who also tried and quickly washed their hands of it. They sold me a new roof, and I returned the second window for half credit again. Now I no longer have a zippered window, so the life of the window is the life of the new top.

If I had to do it all over again, I would simply take the car to the dealer and tell them to replace the window. It would have been much cheaper.
 
vintage42 said:
I had a good roof, but the black trim was coming off the window. I bought an OEM window, was unable to start the zipper and frayed the tab, so returned it for half credit. I bought a second OEM window, and was again unable to start the zipper. I took it to a roof shop, who also tried and quickly washed their hands of it. They sold me a new roof, and I returned the second window for half credit again. Now I no longer have a zippered window, so the life of the window is the life of the new top.

If I had to do it all over again, I would simply take the car to the dealer and tell them to replace the window. It would have been much cheaper.
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Ouch!
 
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