I have this mental image now of someone trying to put the top down driving 80 in the interstate and BOOM, it goes flying off the car,

 

That would be bad...very bad


-Steven

 

Yeah, so see, the little message that tells me to slow down to raise/lower the roof is good insurance, LOL j/k

 

Slow the JCW down.................hmmm


-Steven

 

To add to that: said person is flipped out of the car with hand still in the latch and parachutes the top to the ground as the car drives itself away...

 

Lol...that gave me a great mental image


-Steven

 

I have the manual top... very easy to use. I am 6'3" with long arms and the only difficult part is after unlocking it when down, then trying to lift it back up. It is a little heavy but can be done without getting out of the seat.

I do suppose the power top has a certain cool factor to it - just use a toggle switch and watch it fold back.

 

Manual. I considered the auto, but decided on cash instead. I'm a skinny arm 5'nothin girl and I have no problem raising or lowering it, it's a. Bit hard to click in and there's NO way I could do it without pulling over, but I'm happy with my decision

 

Here is the top being used while driving @ 1min... I would never try it myself either.

 

Picked up my Roadster with the semi-auto top. Works as advertised. My only complaint is that MINI left a round ugly black plastic blank between the seats where the large chrome button would be in a car with the manual top.

 

+1
It would even look nicer if it was chromed

 

Congrats! Cmon BMW, no chrome... that is not cool.

 

If your driving and try to raise the top, the dash message says your going to fast to operate the top.

 

I ordered my 2013 and it is no longer an option. You get the semi auto top and the windscreen and they were nice enough to raise the cost $1200 to cover it.

 

Ok, I change my previous post. Yes, it's one less thing to break, but it's such a pain in the *** to do it manually.. I usually have to get out of the car to yank it up or down :(

 

I can put my manual one down as I go slowly down my straight driveway, and I can raise it without getting out most of the time.

 

I really like the auto top. It's fast too. You still have to unlatch and then push up a bit first.

It is a little strange with Comfort-Access (as are the windows). If you don't put the key in and turn the car on (but not start it) you can't activate the top or windows. If you start the car without the key or just turn it on with the key, it works just fine.

Also, when you lower the top, it lowers the windows automatically, but doesn't raise them if you raise the top. Also, I think the windows are disabled when raising the top.

One touch windows would be a nice addition.

All you manual Roadsters folks will have a very rare feature sounds like! That's kinda neat!

Franny

 

If I remember correctly the auto top was $750 plus $250 for the wind blocker when I purchased my R59. So that is an additional $200 to BMW's bottom line vs the '12 with the auto roof as an option. Booo... I can raise and lower it with no problems while in the vehicle but I can see why people would want it for the cool factor alone.

 

Just a FYI, I have the semi-auto top and when at the dealer recently, they informed me of a service bulletin and performed a convertible programming update. I don't know much else other than it took about 30 min. I'll keep y'all posted if I notice any different behavior with it.

 

It was $750 for the semi-automatic top. The $250 wind blocker was mandatory for the $500 Bluetooth. These are now all standard in the 2013 model so for $1200 more you get $1500 worth of accessories. Though I think the SiriuxXM radio is no longer standard. Not sure how much that runs.

 

Hey nfo, thanks for the head's up! We have our car at the dealer now so I called him and he looked and added this update to the other work we are getting done. The car is in to get the insulation under the bonnet installed and the stripes replaced because of water spot damage from the heat of the bonnet.

Funny they don't check for any and all updates/bulletins when you bring the car in... The VW place always did.

Interesting info Card... We bought all those accessories and I would have loved to delete that satellite radio black blob on the rear boot lid.

Thanks for the info guys!

Franny

 

I'd like rid of that Sirius thing too. I never use it, it's ugly, and it's in the way of many bike racks (see other thread).

 

Yeah,... I haven't looked, but I assume it is drilled through the deck lid? Big bummer. A couple black caps over the holes would be better...

Ya know, I didn't ask, but I wonder... Could have been deleted from the build? Oh, and the stripes are cut to go around it.

f

 

Hey, check out that video Audiophile Mark posted... The satellite radio antenna was replaced with a chromed "plug". Not a bad option. Looks pretty cool!

Franny

 

Glad I posted Franny! See if you can get any info out of them about it when you pick it up. Thanks!!