BMW Repair: 1999 328i convertible roof repair, collapsed roof, bmw dealer

Question
Hi Evan,

My ragtoop now gets stuck when trying to open (and sometimes close) in the rear right corner of of my car (at the point in the process where the plastic cover is opening and trying to slide past the slightly collapsed roof before the roof is deposited into the bin.  It appears to be that the roof is not folding "enough" in that area, so to deal with it, I now get out of my car at the point of cover contact with the roof and push the partially collapsed roof in a bit more toward the front of the car, thereby creating the space for the cover to flip fully open.  Make sense?  I mentioned to the BMW dealer repair shop during my last visit that this was starting to happen (then, it was only on occasion), and they told me that it sounds like the straps have loosened at would need to be replaced (along with all or much of the rest of the roof, I think).  Total estimated cost $1200.  Is this right?  Why can't the dealer or another repair shop simply replace the one or two loose straps and leave the rest well enough alone?  The motors work fine and the roof is aligned fine and locks into the frame appropriately without any human intervention.

What's your take?  Many thanks.

Steve

Answer
Steve, sorry to say that this does sound accurate. $1200.00 is close to what it would cost to replace the tension straps (they stretch over time). I usually charge eight hours labor plus parts, but they may be wanting to replace the inner head liner. Hard to say without seeing your tops condition. Convertible tops are very tempermental and both straps have to be replaced at the same time. If the rest of the roof were to be replaced your bill would look more like $5000.00 (complete top). Don't know what to tell you other than this one is going to hurt because it is so labor intensive.
-Evan