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Eventually got around to this!
From inside the car, pull off the 1” wide plastic strip that holds the canvas to the back edge of the sunroof, it runs the width of the roof, the clips should come off with it. Remove the wire bow that is next in line after the sunroof, this wire clips in either side of the arms above the side windows and can be removed with pliers. Remove the large plastic cover from the middle (under which is the sunroof motor), you will see 5 clips holding on another felt piece of the roof, remove these.
Next, slide the sunroof back, use a flat head screwdriver to gently push the plastic retaining clips towards the back of the car. These are located the length of the front piece of the sunroof and retain the canvas. They should click as they unclip. You may have to go back and do same to some that reclip themselves. Once this is complete, you can now wiggle the front plastic strip and canvas forwards and off the sunroof.
On either side of the sunroof above the windows, there is a tension wire clip to undo, these are hidden under some black tape.
Do this step next because once the hood is lifted/moved back you cannot open the boot/trunk. With the boot/trunk open, unlatch the easy access handles and put the ends in the retaining clips. You can now undo the torx screws holding the weather strips and high-level brake light. Remove the strips. Put the easy access back into locked position and taking care of the brake light, close the boot/trunk.
Next, put the roof back half way open. It is a good idea to have a piece of wood (about 24” should do it) or plastic to wedge the side arm on one side so it remains in half open position as it tends to move back or down with gravity. Your next task is to locate a small (8mm?) bolt on each side which is holding the small plastic tab and a metal plate on the tension wire to the side-arm above the passenger windows. Undo these, there is no nut to worry about.
You should be able to fold the canvas back. Do so as far as you can. You will now move onto the screws holding the large plastic channels on each side. With the windows fully down, behind the quarterlight, there is a large rubber seal, push this open and you will see 4 or 5 (cannot remember) torx screws. Remove these very carefully, dropping them into the body would be a bad idea! I did drop a torx head and it fell right through and out the wheel arch – I was lucky! You can now pull out the rubber seals. To unclip the plastic attached to the canvas in this channel, push it down 1cm and it should come away. The tension cable is routed along a channel and attached at each side to a spring which should twist off once the plastic shroud is lifted over the spring. Pull the canvas back even more.
Now, you have a square shaped clip to undo which holds the canvas to a pin down inside the wing in line with the front of the wheel arch on each side. Shine a torch down inside the gap and have a look at it, you may have to manoeuvre the canvas a bit to find it . It slides off BUT you really will have to have a good finger grip on it so you DO NOT drop it. No idea where you would get another one of these.
The canvas can now be folded back over the boot lid. You now have a long piece of fabric/felt combo on each side to remove. There are 6 pop-rivets on each side to drill out. I used a 4mm bit. Before moving these felt padded legs, make a note of how they route from the rear of the hood to the fixing points so you don’t get them tangled in the liner when putting the new ones in place, take photos to remind you how to fold the canvas for reattachment. Also, remove the heated window cable from the canvas hood channels on either side.
OK, your canvas is now detached from the frame. Only thing holding it is the rear channel. The channel will no doubt be dirty and years of crud will make the next step hard. Put the canvas/window up over the frame. To easy things off, it is best to have two people, one at each side of the rear holding the canvas and push and pull at each end of the channel untill the crud starts to break up. Work the piping out of the channel and you are done. I managed this on my own but 2 would have been easier.
I would say refitting is a reversal of the above but there a couple of precautions to take.
Now would be an ideal time to use a dry lubricant on all the frame joints you can find.
Start with cleaning out the rear channel. Place the canvas over the frame before sliding in the piped edge and take your time, about 4” at a time taking great care not to scratch the rear window or you will damage the demister elements. It is a tight fit but it will go round those corners, really!
Remove the bowed wire from the old canvas, the one you undid with the pliers and insert in new. Remove the tension wire from each side by pulling the rectangular metal tab in the middle of the cable and reintroduce in the new hood, they are stamped left and right if you mix them up. If frayed, use electrical tape to ease their way.
Next up, pull the side panels down and over the pin and refit the square clip. It can only go on one way and again don’t drop it.
Pop- rivet the felt/padded legs into place. Make sure there are no rough edges on the rivet, sand any off.
Reintroduce the heated window cables.
Reattach the spring tensioner/cable and route up the side of the frame.
Fiddly bit is the rectangular metal clip on the tensioner cable either side. Get that sorted out and bolt back on. You may have to put the roof into the closed position to access this more easily.Open the sun roof again. Clip the end of the tension wire in place and cover with tape. Reattach the large plastic mouldings with their clips and push in the rubber window seal, fix with torx screws.
You should open the boot now, the reason being that the new hood will be tight and will need a day or so to stretch so you need to put the easy access handles back in open position. Go back to the sunroof now and attach the long plastic retaining bar to the clips at the front of the sun roof, they should just push back on. Close your sun roof.
At the rear, reattach the weather strips and high level brake light. Attach the demister cables. Close the easy access and the boot/trunk.
Don’t attach the internal clips/plastic yet. Let the roof sit closed for 24 hours preferably in a warm environment.
Before opening the top, put back the clips and plastic holding the felt strips inside.
The first couple of times I tried to fully close the roof I had to adopt a rather ungainly position with a hand on each side bar and toe on the switch but once the roof has found its stretched state all is well. Have a very well earned beer, or many. You just saved £1600 in dealership fitting charges.
No pics folks, it was too dark in the garage. I do not think this is that dissimilar to the R52.
I kept it Denim Blue. I also used OEM's website as a guide but it is a little bit basic. Job took around 6 hours.
Tools required - Wide flat head screwdriver; cross head screwdriver; torx socket set; pliers; small metric spanner set; drill and bits; pop riveter and 4mm rivets; 24" 2x2 block of wood; flashlight; dry lubricant for frame; wet lubricant for fitter = beer
Last edited by Scudder44; May 26, 2016 at 12:14 AM.
This operation may befall mine sooner than later with 100+K. It will be done by my favorite indie ship however. As far as lubricants go, it's OK 'cause there's a micro brewery just down the street from his shop.
But thanks anyway for the in depth research and key stroking you went thru for that fine report.
I have those wear marks, original top, 2005 with 115k miles. Top is in great shape otherwise, but two marks the size of a quarter or so on each side where they contact each other. Is there something that can be done to help this? ECS, how did you get your second top to last 4x as long as your first one?
I treated it with MINI convertible top cleaner twice a year, and when I got the new top , they updated the part back in 2006-7 ish and reinforced some parts. I also had the white mark repair kit done.
