Soft top, hard times
ANOTHER YEAR OF BMW ownership and another MoT. It sailed through again, though it was noted that the tyres are getting on a bit. Plenty of tread left but they could do with replacing, so that’s one for the list of things that are going to cost money.
The BMW has officially been living at my lock-up a couple of miles from home and seems to be surviving fine – I check on it every time I’m passing. Obviously I’ve been enjoying the honeymoon period with my Boxster, but it was never meant to be a case of running only one of the cars at a time. And a gorgeous early spring day for the Alpina and M5 photoshoot that featured in the last issue was a great excuse to take the 320i – top down, of course, if not all the way.
After a quick stop to break the back of the journey down to East Sussex, I dropped the soft-top and enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. It certainly made enduring awful traffic on the way home more bearable. Especially as the old misfire has reared its head again: that’s something the BMW hasn’t suffered since the hottest weather of last summer, so I was quite surprised that it came back on a mild rather than hot day. Looks like it’ll have to go back in for a fix after all. My wallet is cringeing.
But something else might need money spending on it soon, too, and here I’m after your advice. The dreaded ‘cold crack’ has afflicted my Boxster’s rear window. For the last 11 years, I’ve always been very careful to fold the BMW’s roof only when the rear window has had a chance to warm through a little, either in high ambient temperatures, in full sun, or when it’s heated from inside the cabin. They tend to be a bit brittle when cold, and it’s a habit that’s kept the 320i’s factory-original roof and window looking good even though they’re now 33 years old.
But, after those 11 years of carefully following self-imposed advice on the 320i’s roof, I’ve gone and broken the Boxster’s rear window in mere weeks. I think a quick evening run did the damage: I dropped the roof for a short journey and didn’t get out halfway through the process to encourage a curve in the window by hand. And when I got home and put it back up, it had puckered. After a couple of days under tension in the garage, the pucker had smoothed out. But, when I next lowered the roof, even though it was during a warm-ish afternoon, the window cracked as soon as I helped it on its way.
I’ve made a temporary repair with some transparent tape while I weigh up my options. Where do I go for a proper repair? Or do I buy a new hood with a glass window conversion? All recommendations will be gratefully received at glen@octane-magazine.com.