[3liter]

After seeing all the information about the power top motor replacement, I got worried and checked out the drain plug to see if I had a problem. It was dry as a bone and the drain was open. I read where the replacement cost for a new motor was really expensive. Nervous

 

[dc_wright]

So long as you keep the drains open and they've been open you should have no worries. If your motor gets flooded and dies, having a shop replace it runs $1,500 to $2,500 depending on if they're an indie or the dealer. Parts cost if you DIY is about $500.

 

[BostonB6]

If not garaged, you could buy a half cover for it, or a full cover.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Z4-SOFT...ash=item23701bc780:g:gAwAAOSwZVlXr5m0&vxp=mtr

 

[greyoldbeemer]

Same fear here. I set today aside to clean and dress my convertible top. I ordered a 303 convertible top kit and with hose in hand, was ready to go. First I wanted to make sure my top drains were working properly. So, I poured a half liter of water down the passenger side top and it immediately peed out the bottom. Great! Did the same on the drivers side and it was dry as a bone. Added a little water with no results. Dang Nabbit...!. Got the shop vac out with 1/2 inch tube duc taped to the vacuum hose. I sucked the water out of the drivers side. Then put more in with a little dish detergent. Reversed the Vac hose so it now blows and stirred thing around. Started to get a little water coming out the bottom. Did this process of blowing, sucking, and mixing a few times until finally got a good steady stream of water coming out the drivers drain. The cleaning process and clearing the drains along with washing the car turned out to be a day long process. But, hey, the top looks great.....!

 

[dc_wright]

Same fear here. I set today aside to clean and dress my convertible top. I ordered a 303 convertible top kit and with hose in hand, was ready to go. First I wanted to make sure my top drains were working properly. So, I poured a half liter of water down the passenger side top and it immediately peed out the bottom. Great! Did the same on the drivers side and it was dry as a bone. Added a little water with no results. Dang Nabbit...!. Got the shop vac out with 1/2 inch tube duc taped to the vacuum hose. I sucked the water out of the drivers side. Then put more in with a little dish detergent. Reversed the Vac hose so it now blows and stirred thing around. Started to get a little water coming out the bottom. Did this process of blowing, sucking, and mixing a few times until finally got a good steady stream of water coming out the drivers drain. The cleaning process and clearing the drains along with washing the car turned out to be a day long process. But, hey, the top looks great.....!

Make certain you pull the rubber one way valves at the bottom of the drain tubes and clean them too. Before I moved the pump to the trunk I just left the valves off the car and didn't have any issues with them off.

 

[greyoldbeemer]

I have looked for the one way valves and have not been able to identify them looking under the car. Is there any way to know exactly where they are? I am inclined to remove them as I don't plan to intentionally drive in bad weather and live in Arid-Zone-A where things tend to be dry anyway. I suspect they are there to prevent intrusion of water/snow/dirt into the drain area from beneath the car. Any illustrations of where to look....?

 

[arend003]

am planning on checking my drains but those little plastic rivets in the wheel wells scare me a bit. Where does one get replacement so have oh hand should I need them?

 

[3liter]

Here's a dumb idea. (maybe) What would happen if you left the rubber plug off? I guess that would be an easy way for critters to get in the car. Maybe a screen of some kind. Everything German that I have ever bought from Germany had small bags of (misspelled) Mallenkrot in the shipping box. It's some kind of moisture chemical that keeps things dry. I don't like the idea of even a small area of the car staying damp. Am I crazy?:dunno: BMW motorcycles have this chemical in the wooden crates they are shipped in from the factory.

 

[Clearancediver]

I removed mine hen I checked/cleaned mine. They trap debris which eventually causes them to not pass water effectively. They are difficult to see but if you jack up the car on the rear lift pads and then stick your hand up in to the framework between there and the rear wheel... you will find them. There is the official way but this works...

 

[greyoldbeemer]

Thanks all. I finally located those drains under the car. They are sure NOT user friendly to clean/service. My paw is too big to get to them from underneath. So, I'll wait until wife is in a good and giving mood and enlist her help to remove them. I plan to just leave them off so all water and particles will easily drain. This is not my daily driver....just a sunny day cruiser to help me with the illusion of youth. If I get into any bad road conditions that could create issues for the open drain holes, I now know how to easily clear and clean the area from above. My main priority is good water drainage especially when washing the car.

 

[chatcher]

I just took the plugs out as well. No probs here.

 

[dc_wright]

You'd have to be in water up to about the door handles before those valves would be keeping water out so my take is that they're critter blockage. My main initial concern was there might be some howl or whistle at highway speeds from having the bottom of the drain tubes open, but no issues there.

Here's a dumb idea. (maybe) What would happen if you left the rubber plug off? I guess that would be an easy way for critters to get in the car. Maybe a screen of some kind. Everything German that I have ever bought from Germany had small bags of (misspelled) Mallenkrot in the shipping box. It's some kind of moisture chemical that keeps things dry. I don't like the idea of even a small area of the car staying damp. Am I crazy?:dunno: BMW motorcycles have this chemical in the wooden crates they are shipped in from the factory.

The English word for it is desiccant. It will absorb small amounts of water vapor, but once it's saturated it's done. They'll get saturated just sitting in open air so they're kept in a sealed container until they're put into the shipping crate. Some desiccants can be recovered by baking at temperatures over 250F, but not something you'd want to do daily for a part on your car.

 

[greyoldbeemer]

Got the drain plugs out. Drivers side was about 80% plugged. Passenger side was clear. Keeping fingers crossed that I got to the problem soon enough.....

 

[3liter]

Got the drain plugs out. Drivers side was about 80% plugged. Passenger side was clear. Keeping fingers crossed that I got to the problem soon enough.....

I think this should be a yearly event for every owner, maybe even shorter.

 

[bigjet747]

I have both plugs removed and also drilled holes in the bottom of the pump housing. This was done and recommended by BMW expert top mechanic.

 

[bwitherel]