I got tipped off on another forum that BMW were getting rid of all their excess inventory of Z3 hardtops (mainly the not so popular colours that were still in production... until recently!) - with this new found knowledge I called my local dealers today to order one in Montreal Blue.. but alas I had missed the boat on this one... not surprising really as they were going for £940 with full fitting kit!! my dealer said they had some Titan Silver ones in and a few other colours (which weren't included in the discount) - but these are at full retail price = c£1700
so back to plan B - decided to buy a hardtop fitting kit from the dealers (whilst I could still get my grubby little mitts on them!) - he also said there was only 3 left in the UK (after I had bought mint) - so bit the bullet and shelled out £340.. I pick it up tomorrow and will get it fitted soon.. the good news I guess is that I'll be able to keep my eyes peeled for a hardtop and will be able to go and pick it up, fit it and drive home without having to mess about with couriers etc!..
just thought I'd let you peeps know about the current state r.e. hardtops..
1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster 1998 BMW 316i Compact (E36)
At that price it would almost be worth buying one in the cheaper colour and having it sprayed. Afte all, its brand new and comes with all the bits you often have to go searching eBay for afterward. £340 for the kit, £50 for a cover and a £10 for the tool means the top only stands you £540. Well in the range of a second hand one that you might need to paint anyway.
siwilson wrote:At that price it would almost be worth buying one in the cheaper colour and having it sprayed. Afte all, its brand new and comes with all the bits you often have to go searching eBay for afterward. £340 for the kit, £50 for a cover and a £10 for the tool means the top only stands you £540. Well in the range of a second hand one that you might need to paint anyway.
Did they mention having LSB?
Hi Si,
sorry if my earlier post wasn't clear... whilst montreal blue was obviously my first colour choice - I was willing to take ANY colour from them at the price.. but unfortunately all of the hardtops that they had discounted were gone and now discontinued... the parts guy didn't specifcally mention anything about LSB - but did mention that BMW did have stock of Titan Silver (at full retail price!) - I didn't get him to check any others as it would have been pointless as the remaining colours/stock are still being sold at full retail price (although chances are these will drop at some point as well to clear the inventory out).
There's a few peeps on the US board who took advantage of this - there was a guy posted up on my thread there showing before and after pics of his evergreen roof on his montreal blue Z3! LOL!.. kicking myself over this one as I can't believe I missed it!!
good news is that I picked up the fitting kit this morning - so just need to get that installed and then keep my eyes peeled!
1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster 1998 BMW 316i Compact (E36)
slight update - have had to shell out £50 for the older style demister switch! although the good news is that I've now bagged myself a black hardtop which is literally 15 minutes away from my front door!! - should be picking it up this Sunday (with any luck!) - comes with stand and storage bag.. whilst black was my second choice colour - I don't think it'll look to bad and at least be passable until next year when I'll then get it resprayed in the summer ready for next winter!
1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster 1998 BMW 316i Compact (E36)
slight update - most of today was spent fitting the hardtop preparation kit - wasn't too bad a job to be honest!.. had a couple of little niggles - the foam inserts from the old covers were a NIGHTMARE to get off (both sides!) - it was like they were welded in!! and although my car is pre-wired for the rear defrost switch (due to having a power hood) - the harness for the de-frost switch was very neat/short - so I had to dismantle half of the centre console to feed enough slack through!!!..
I took some pics as I went along - so will try and do a write up at some point as the BMW instructions are typically on par with IKEA!..
overall though the job is very straightforward! - I reckon if you know what's involved and plan it out then it would take around 1-2 hours (if you have a power roof!).. it's a lot more involved if you have a manual roof!
1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster 1998 BMW 316i Compact (E36)
picked up the hardtop today (what a difference it makes!!!) - so thought I'd update the thread with some fitted pics (the 2 tone effect isn't as bad as what I thought it was going to be... and I kind of like it!! LOL!) - I've had to take it back off just now to let the cloth roof dry out (meant to be nice weather tomorrow) - but will then refit and fine tune the fitting as there was a slight gap on the A pillar on the drivers side so the front bracket will need a slight adjustment I guess.. the rest of the brackets were quite quickly lined up and the general first fitting was good - just a slight tweak needed!! - click on the below thumbnails for some bigger pics!
1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster 1998 BMW 316i Compact (E36)
although the good news is that I've now bagged myself a black hardtop which is literally 15 minutes away from my front door!! - should be picking it up this Sunday (with any luck!) - comes with stand and storage bag.. whilst black was my second choice colour - I don't think it'll look to bad and at least be passable until next year when I'll then get it resprayed in the summer ready for next winter! 
