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| Message: | Short summary. I picked up a beautiful ‘98 328 Vert last Dec for my wife. Great car, just a few typical e36 nits to work on, but a well-maintained and all original car. However, the original top was suffering from the weak tension strap issues—didn’t always retract fully to clear the top lid. I replaced the lid gas struts, oiled all the frame pieces/parts, and made a few minor adjustments to the linkages and motor, and it was MUCH better. However, it still wasn’t working consistently and would sometimes hang or make contact with the lid. I took the car to the dealer for advice (new top $900+), a few convert/upholstery shops who recommended I wait until the top needed replacement, but were willing to do the tension straps ($450-500). Since the top is still in great shape, and was operating much better, I decided to look at the bungee cord fix several have tried. Couldn’t find much in the way of what they actually used, and I wasn’t crazy about the idea of bungee and metal hooks under the canvas. Found the solution at Lowe’s home improvement. They sell a product called VelStretch, found in the aisle near all the other Velcro fasteners. Velstretch consists of two 27” elastic straps with a small black nylon buckle with velcro, about $7.95. They look a LOT like the original tension straps. They’re marketed as a camping gear/sleeping bag fastener, but it was obviously designed for the e36 Vert ;o) Installation will take about 5-10 minutes per side. Partially lower the top. Reach in and loop one end of the Velstretch strap over the #4 bow (bow that sits above the rear plastic window) just inside the corner, very close to the existing tension strap. Hold the buckle end and stretch the strap over the #3 bow (bow that sits just above the side window break) and fasten the two ends using the buckle and velcro. I tried to take a few pics but they didn’t work out since everything is dark and under the canvas. The 27” loop seems to be perfect for providing the right amount of tension between these bows to keep the top folding as it should. It’s been nearly 3 months of trouble free operation. Of course the naysayers will point out it’s Winter, and the top hasn’t been down much, or the sun hasn’t baked the straps, but for $7.95, I’m willing to do this fix every 6-12 months if needed. Hope this helps another Vert owner out there—happy motorin’! ron_va | ||||
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