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Keeping Your 3 Series Origami Top in Tip Top Shape

743K views 564 replies 155 participants last post by  guaporas 
#1 · (Edited)
A special thanks to fun2drive for his huge contribution :thumbup::thumbup:

Okay folks, you asked for it, here it is. In response to everyone who has asked for a Sticky on how to maintain the seals and keep the moving parts of the convertible hardtop lubricated, fun2drive and I have put our heads together and assembled a DIY. Much of this is based on experience, but we have also tried to get as much input as possible from dealership service techs and the photo documentation included is the direct result of my E93 having just been in for a full dealership hardtop lubrication and adjustment.
We welcome contributions of tips and tricks picked up along the way. As always, comments and questions are great. The intent is to have a one-stop resource for people looking for information on keeping the folding hardtop well maintained and problem free.

Probably one of the greatest concerns of any E93 owner is how to keep their folding hardtop free of creaks, squeaks, wind noise and heaven forbid water leaks. If you own one, you are at least marginally aware that there are literally hundreds of parts in the form of seals, hinges, locks, hydraulics, and microswitches that must all work in perfect harmony to deliver the 22 seconds to nirvana top down experience. So, how to keep things running smoothly:

• Keep the rubber seals lubricated and moisturized.
• Secondly, but equally important is to keep the moving joints well lubricated and dust free.
• Listen to your top. For those who acquired their E93s new, think back to what the top sounded like when the car was brand new. If you acquired your car second hand, go to your local dealership and ask them if you can observe (that is listen) to the top of a brand new E93. It should be silky smooth with no squeaks, no jolts and no stickiness.
So, here are some tips and tricks to keeping your top in great shape.

Seal Lubrication:
There are two products routinely discussed when this topic comes up.

Gummi Pflege (which in German, literally translates to "Rubber Care") made by Einzett.

http://www.amazon.com/einszett-914806-Gummi-Pflege-Rubber/dp/B004B8GTQG

Krytox - specifically the GPL205 Grease made by Dupont. This is expensive stuff, but well worth every penny.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Krytox+gpl205



A couple of words about products to use on rubber seals: Silicon is a natural enemy of rubber. It makes rubber swell and fracture. Whether your tires or your door seals - do your car a favor, spend the few extra dollars to get good products.

Rubber Seal Lubrication:

The rubber seals on your top are very similar to your skin. They need moisture and protection or they will dry out and eventually crack. At the very least they will shrink with dehydration, or prematurely break down due to UV damage.

Gummi Pflege: The applicator is a little bulky. I found the on board applicator to be overkill for the narrow strips of rubber that make up the E93 lateral top seals (those rubber seals running from driver to passenger side).
As an alternative, I use "foam lollipops" available from either Autogeek or Detailed Image. I moisten the lollipop with the Gummi Pflege then run it along the length of the seal including the grooved area. I follow with a microfiber wrapped sponge to help spread the Gummi evenly and mop up any puddles.

Krytox:
This is best applied using your fingers and a little really does go along way. The best description I can use here is watch your wife or girlfriend the next time she applies lip balm or lip gloss. She will take a little tiny bit on the tip of her finger and smooth it all the way over her lips. Same thing applies here. It takes just a little bit to be smoothed the length of the seal.
You need to keep going over the area until you have a uniform thin coating over the entire seal area.
If you live in a cold area of the country and are trying to do this at temperatures below 60F, take a terry face cloth and get it wet with hot water. Wring it out then wrap it around the syringe applicator and let it sit for a few minutes. This will gently warm the Krytox and make it easier to apply. Alternatively, if it is in the tube, let it sit in a coffee mug of hot water for a few minutes to SOFTEN it.
DON'T stick it in the microwave. If you liquefy it, you may alter its properties.

So now that you know what to use and how to apply it, where does it go? For the seals that is pretty easy. If it's black and rubbery (soft and slightly squishy) and it's on either the front or rear edge of one of the top panels or it is between the front and rear passenger windows it is fair game. Pictures do a far better job of explaining it so here they are. Don't forget to use a little Krytox along the area where the side view mirrors mate with the A pillar.

















A quick word about the tensioning cords. While these are not something that can be lubricated or treated per se, it is of value to inspect them for wear. It seems that around MY 2011, the cords were upgraded to a more robust version as earlier cars exhibited fraying of these cords. My 2009 had the cords replaced under warranty in August 2011.
This is what the frayed cords look like and the points where they are the most visible.









The replaced cords are not as silky looking and are holding up much better.



Now for the hinges, locks, pins and slides: fun2drive is going to explain about lubricants and application techniques. We had a fortuitous photo -op in that my E93's top had developed a nasty little squeak and a bit of a catch or sticky spot when being returned to closed from the stowed (top open) position. It went to the dealership for a full lubrication. The photos were taken the day after the service visit, so we have a pretty clear understanding of the lube points as specified by BMW.
 
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#161 ·
Thanks Nordic Kat and fun2drive. I'm a new owner of a 2013 and these forums are great! I like to work on my cars but these BMW's are a different animal and BMW is very reluctant to let any info out. Can't even buy a service manual.
One thing I noticed, (unless a didn't see it) is lubrication of the trunk lid hinges. Has there been any issues here? There is a plastic cover over them that is easy to remove to lube them.

Your thoughts!!

ML
 
#162 ·
I think after Kat and I put this together we understood that those hinges should be lubed as well and made comment about that. I think we even have or had a few pics of those too. Thus any substantial hinge should use Wurth, other smaller hinges really the owners call.
The Bentley manual is about as good as you can get outside of discussing the problem on the forums...
 
#163 ·
Great thread!
but correct me if im wrong or thinking of a different "paste" but isnt Krytox also used as a CPU thermal Paste? If its the one im thinking of then the MacPro 2006 edition uses it and its known to cause cancer lol. Rubber gloves may be best when applying if its the same stuff. :)
 
#164 ·
Great thread!
but correct me if im wrong or thinking of a different "paste" but isnt Krytox also used as a CPU thermal Paste? If its the one im thinking of then the MacPro 2006 edition uses it and its known to cause cancer lol. Rubber gloves may be best when applying if its the same stuff. :)
Don't know about Krytox for CPUs. But the Kyrtox for E93 top seal lube is at most a skin irritant when properly used. The Material Safety Data Sheet for Krytox GPL 205 is at this URL: http://msds.dupont.com/msds/pdfs/EN/PEN_09004a35804e560f.pdf The Hazards Identification section mentions it may cause slight skin irritation and redness. If you experience skin irritation/redness after application of Krytox GPL 205, definitely stop applying it with your bare fingers. Somehow, I suspect the occurrence of skin irritation is pretty rare.
 
#168 ·
The buy back is completed gone is the 328i E93 and here is the replacement.
 

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#173 ·
My service advisor gave me the Wurth & 3M spray but have not got a chance to use it.
 

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#179 · (Edited)
Hello,

Firstly, thanks for the detailed post! I have a question relating to one of your of the comments in the opening post - 'Silicon is a natural enemy of rubber. It makes rubber swell and fracture'

If the above is true why are there so many Silicon based products for sale designed to protect rubber?

I was planning on buying this product - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_920819_langId_-1_categoryId_228374

but when I read this post I began to think twice? Also isn't Gummi Pflege a type of Silicon?

Any clarification on this topic would be appreciated.

Thanks,
BMW2907
 
#181 ·
Hello,

Firstly, thanks for the detailed post! I have a question relating to one of your of the comments in the opening post - 'Silicon is a natural enemy of rubber. It makes rubber swell and fracture'

Any clarification on this topic would be appreciated.

Thanks,
BMW2907
First of all, I am not a polymer chemist, my area of experience is more petroleum based; but as such, I'll give you my understanding of the issue.

The "rubber" seals on our cars are a synthetic polymer (elastomer) called ethylene propylene diene monomer. EDPM, aka 'M-class' rubber. With all those -enes contained within the chemical structure, there are a fair number of double bonds (potentially reactive sites). The problem becomes when the silicon which is not inert is introduced to the elastomer. Potential for breaking the exsiting double bonds and creating new bonds with the silicon is introduced. Now, add in the chance that the silicon protectant being employed is oil based not water based. Hydrocarbons and rubber don't play nice with each other at all. I see this every day in the lab when we receive samples (usually gasoline spills) from environmental labs, and they have put the samples in glass vials with a rubber septum cap and the septum is swelling up and oftentimes leaking. Third problem, UV exposure. That's pretty much unavoidable. But just like in our bodies, UV exposure will promote free radical formation which becomes another hot spot for unfavorable chemical reactions to take place. With all this uncertainty, and not being privy to the proprietary chemical formulations of all the different rubber protectants on the market, the safest and most prudent seems to be to go with what is known to work. Gummi Pflege and Krytox each get a seal of approval with that regard.

ps: Years ago, in an effort to "do the right thing" I weekly treated the tires on my car with a widely available in autoparts stores product which was silicon based. About halfway through the tires' life span I noticed that all four tires were starting to split in a place one would not associate with wear. Turns out they were diagnosed with "dry-rot".
The cause of the dry rot?
My vigilant usage of chemicals that were in reality hastening the demise of the tires. Interestingly, the product I was using is no longer available.

Lesson learned.

And, finally to answer your question, to my knowledge - Gummi Pflege is not a silicon containing product. If you have information contrary I would be interested. (You now have me curious to do the experiment and do an analysis of the gummi pflege looking for the proper repeating pattern we see in our simulated distillation analysis when silicon is present.)

Hope this helps.
 
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#180 ·
I defer to Kat on this since she is a chemist and I am an engineer.
However I find this article which is very old to be very useful to understand how to keep your top in great shape.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3087297
I know some silicons contain acid which having a low pH is bad news for rubber and anything that touches it.
I do use Gummi Pfledge and Krylox as well with good results.
Hopefully Kat can amplify her input to clarify what she meant...
 
#183 ·
I tend to use the Gummi on a weekly basis and the Krytox on a quarterly basis. In the winter, when the car doesn't get washed as regularly I tend to use the Krytox a little oftener. It's like a deep conditioning. My car is rattle and squeak free and almost 4 years old; so for me, the "extra work" worth the effort. FWIW: The Krytox also plumps the seals up enough to prevent a teeny little drip I get at the passenger side if the seals get too dehydrated.
 
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#185 ·
I had both(?) replaced as both (if you mean rear) cords replaced under warranty.

From what I've gathered from other folks in Austin and San Antonio your dealerships aren't as accustomed to issues with the hardtop as our Houston dealerships are. Not sure about fraying issues on a 2011 as my understanding was they redesigned the cords with the LCI so with a 2011 you should have the new version of cords. The replacement cords I have are holding up very well.

PM me if you want details.
 
#189 ·
I spent the last 2 hrs reading everything to prepare for my coming e93 335is.

I can't thank enough for all the members on this thread and also on b'fest. Really appreciate all the hard work/tears/sweat/blood(nordic_Kat)/and stress into making this such a useful guide/help thread.

I hope this thread is always updated and we all can continue to help each other.

Again, thank you Kat and fun2drive for the guide.

-tmdals
 
#190 ·
#191 ·
Kat, thank you for this great thread. I have a 2007 E93 (great car; bought it new) showing considerable wear on the tensioning cords you had replaced under warranty. I can't seem to find part numbers for the necessary replacement parts and I'm wondering if anyone can help. Many thanks.
 
#193 · (Edited)
So many folks have asked for this information, and I've sent it via PM enough times that I'm going to post up the copy of the service invoice for getting the cords replaced. This is no guarantee your dealership will do the same.
 

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