Anyone else with an auto top that works?

[f16dude]

As a 92 vert owner, I have the electric top. I have noticed that everyone seems to be converting theirs to manual. I will admit, mine isn't exactly push button, but after tucking in the folds, it always stows away no problem. Putting the top back up is always no problem. Ive owned the car for 8 years now, and I'm wondering. Should I be expecting impending doom?

[reelizmpro]

When I bought the car the motors were disconnected and I found out why when I went to investigate. On my car the motors work but the gear on the main motor is worn and doesn't mesh very well anymore making a loud noise and throwing everything out of sync. I could buy a new motor for several hundred dollars and have a working top for who knows how long or I could just continue doing what I've been doing which is stowing the top manually. The tension straps ($$$) are worn as well so I have to fold the top by hand anyway. Both the main motor and tension straps are ridiculously expensive too. I eventually decided against fixing it.

For you, it's only a matter of time. I would suggest lubricating the top hinges and drive gears, etc. Make it easy for the motors to do their job and put less stress on everything.

[Das Delfin]

someone was selling an upgrade to the motor to make it stronger and which would cost less than a new motor. I think on e30ic.com?

[N2MYE30]

As a 92 vert owner, I have the electric top. I have noticed that everyone seems to be converting theirs to manual. I will admit, mine isn't exactly push button, but after tucking in the folds, it always stows away no problem. Putting the top back up is always no problem. Ive owned the car for 8 years now, and I'm wondering. Should I be expecting impending doom?

Mine works the same way...tucking and folding. I have no plans on going manual.

[fuzzysux]

in my experience so far, the straps play a very large role in the "doom" of the electronic tops.
when the straps are working correctly, the rear bow of the top will "pop" up about 6" above plane. from here, the one motor takes over and moves this bow.
if the straps have stretched out/failed, the motor is forced to work at a weird leverage point and i THINK that this is why that motor tends to fail.
the mechanism isn't magic, but there are a number of micro switches that must all work in the correct order, the motors must be synch-ed properly and basically, if a bolt or rod bends or breaks, figure out what the problem is and don't force anything.. that's how the rest of it breaks.
it can be some work to keep electric tops working properly.. some of the bolts in the top frame are very strange - huge shoulders on them and very little that actually screws in.. these tend to break and they are very important in the top pivoting in the right ways.
as said above, keeping the frame clean and all pivot points lubricated, is a huge help. keep an eye on your "straps" and basically.. don't mess with the electronics/motors if you don't have to.

[mr2peak]

There's a kit to reinforce the motor. You should do that ASAP, a working top is very rare and getting rarer.

If you want to convert to a manual top, I'd be happy to make you an offer on the electromechanical parts I need to fix mine.

[///M42 sport]

someone in the UK makes the reinforcement back when I was looking into it like 5 years ago.

[Das Delfin]

The guy on e30ic.com has a cheap diy fix for those tension straps once they go bad

[reelizmpro]

If you are taking about those Velcro straps, they will eventually rip. I tried it before. They just aren't heavy duty enough. Although, I suppose you could use more of them and put less tension on them but then I don't know if that would get the job done. Also they aren't attached to the top itself just the bars so they don't work as well. In the end, I just tuck the top by hand and use a long stick to get the other side. That way, I can stay on the drivers side.

[Mwishlist]

My wife's still works with very little assistance (most of the time). I did use the Velcro straps and those helped a bunch, at least for now.

I plan on buying the $75 fix plate for when her's eventually shears off. They are still in German eBay. Mine is manual and I prefer it but while her's is working I want to keep it that way.

[flyboyx]

my 92 m tech still has a working top. i don't use it much because the canvass top needs to be replaced and i have a hard top on the car 90% of the time. the mechanism isn't perfect i know the cables are stretched out a bit. when i get the car back to houston, i plan to take it all apart to clean everything up and change the top.

[mlbryant8]

I have half of a working top. My tonneau motor works but the canvas top does not. I have to tuck also when I lower my top which means going to the passenger side. I am happy with my semi-manual or semi-automatic top.

[Cha Ching]

My M Tech II top operates nearly as well as factory. I just need to stop it mid-opening and fold 1 portion of the top that is supposed to go up and out as opposed to in. I figure it's the worn tension straps. Once I do that, my top closes perfectly fine.

But, I have to keep my fingers crossed, I haven't operated the top in a couple years, it's been stored in a garage with the hard top on. But if it still works, this will be one of the reasons I will ask top-dollar. Well, that and the low-ish original miles, un-cracked dash, factory 5-speed and working AC....

BTW, I've only seen 1 power top that worked perfectly and I know the guy, too. He was like Yoda with getting these things to work properly.