The carbon slicktop thread

[Nate047]

Yea I keep going back and forth on it. Of course I want to do it, and I know I wouldn't regret doing it. But the practical side of me sees other areas to spend the $$$ first.

[jet_dogg]

Yea I keep going back and forth on it. Of course I want to do it, and I know I wouldn't regret doing it. But the practical side of me sees other areas to spend the $$$ first.

Practical 😂

[SQ13]

Yea I keep going back and forth on it. Of course I want to do it, and I know I wouldn't regret doing it. But the practical side of me sees other areas to spend the $$$ first.

That’s fair. What else do you need to do to your car?

Installing the roof during windshield replacement and while the interior has been taken apart for Vincebar and alcantara headliner conversion made sense to me. Knocking everything out at once. I’ve reached the point where the only major things I’ll want for the car in three months are CSL trunk, red interior, and Euro bumper (currently NLA).

[lemoose]

It’s been a long time, Berli’s Auto Body in Pflugerville/Austin. It’s gonna cost you but their work was impeccable. It’s been 10 years…not sure if it’s gone downhill. Haven’t heard anything bad since.

i got my m5 repaired there from a curb incident and it was a borderline hack job…… abs sensor not torqued, wrong paint on the strut tower, oh, and they didnt seam seal some welds. I took it back to have them correct it and instead of taking the car apart again they simply repainted as much as they could on the strut tower and slapped on whatever seam sealer they could without disassembling.

ive been meaning to take it back but its pulling teeth with them to get them to do anything right on their dime (see above) and when they do agree to fix the work, its like the car goes into an black hole where things are wndlessly delayed because some VIPs bentley keeps on hopping you on the priority list.

[AWE46M3]

I know right, it's basically like a nice set of wheels but they never have to be replaced (theoretically)

TBH the wait time is the killer for me right now. I don't know if I want to wait another couple months. Does anyone make a high quality panel that's more readily available?

I hear great things about Lang Racings roof panels. Ayed at Kings has installed a handful and speaks highly of them. He's installing a Lang roof on a track E46 he's working on as a side project in his shop (the blue one, you might see it in his IG stories). Not pre-preg carbon, but they do a good job with their roofs in terms of fit and finish. They come un-cleared so you have to get them clear coated prior to installation which can be a tricky process as the roof absorbs a lot of the clear coat during the spraying process. It has to be sprayed several times for a smooth finish, and even then it will likely have some notable blemishes from what I've been told. The Karb roofs finish is immaculate. I know some people opt to sand and re-clear their roof but I decided to leave it as is - it had no flaws. I got the roof wrapped in Suntek PPF so even if there were slight imperfections the PPF would do a good job of filling in the gaps. Highly recommend Suntek if you opt to get PPF done - the finish is glass which looks really good across the roof panel.

TBH, the roof is a huge pain in the ass. I almost got cold feet and sold off all my parts. It's a big leap of faith and you're putting a lot of trust in the shop (or yourself) to do a good job. Overall, I am really happy with the end result. It really sets the car apart in a world where all of our cars have very similar setups (nothing wrong with that either tbh, I think the current cohort of owners represents the car well). It's a conversation piece with fellow enthusiasts and really changes the look of the car in the best way. I'm glad I went for it.

[Nate047]

Yea basically the things I would want and need to do first would be a cooling system refresh and MK60 ABS retrofit. Other than those items, I’m in pretty good shape for the first part of my build. I also already have the sunroof plug so I feel like that job makes more sense and achieves what I need for the time being. Later on maybe the CF roof would make more sense, if I’m doing lighter body panels and going further towards track only. It definitely falls into the novelty category and is a super cool personal touch on the car.

[Feffman]

UPDATED PRICING:

Here's a list of carbon fiber roofs, links to the respective web site before shipping. Karbonius and Geoff Steel reflects recent exchange rates to the US Dollar.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/E46-M3-C...-Roof-RHR.html ($1,799)
https://ajhartmanaero.com/e46-carbon-roof/ ($1,799)
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...2x2-e46-coupe/ ($1,999)
https://store.vacmotorsports.com/rhr...-m3-p3217.aspx ($1,799)
https://store.langracing.com/bmw-e46...er-roof-panel/ ($1,450)
https://dtmfiberwerkz.com/index.php?...product_id=259 ($1,295)
https://www.geoffsteel.co.uk/shop/e4...r-roof-skin-3/ ($763)
https://karbonius.net/producto/bmw-m...al-roof-panel/ ($1,736)
https://ind-distribution.com/collect...bon-roof-panel ($2,195)
https://www.aerofunction.com/2001-2006-BMW-3-Series-M3-E46-2DR-Carbon-AF-1-Hard-Top-Roof-CFP-1-Piece.html ($999)

All appear to be 2X2 carbon fiber, but I've no experience with the quality or fit. Any others I'm missing, feel free to suggest.

Feff

[Cronenberged]

I had a Lang roof if you're looking for the strongest one assuming they're still putting a foam core in it, it's an alright roof. If you're looking for best I would go Karbonius or Bimmerworld. Bimmerworlds is made by Randy who made all of PTGs parts back in day and still has all the molds. He prepregs his own cf with the resin he's designed and I've found it to be stiffer than the Lang roof with foam core. BW and Karb roofs will also have the marks just like an OEM roof where the spot welds go so you're getting a roof that will be closest to OEM. AWE46M3

[SQ13]

UPDATED PRICING:

Here's a list of carbon fiber roofs, links to the respective web site before shipping. Karbonius and Geoff Steel reflects recent exchange rates to the US Dollar.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/E46-M3-C...-Roof-RHR.html ($1,799)
https://ajhartmanaero.com/e46-carbon-roof/ ($1,799)
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...2x2-e46-coupe/ ($1,999)
https://store.vacmotorsports.com/rhr...-m3-p3217.aspx ($1,799)
https://store.langracing.com/bmw-e46...er-roof-panel/ ($1,450)
https://dtmfiberwerkz.com/index.php?...product_id=259 ($1,295)
https://www.geoffsteel.co.uk/shop/e4...r-roof-skin-3/ ($763)
https://karbonius.net/producto/bmw-m...al-roof-panel/ ($1,736)
https://ind-distribution.com/collect...bon-roof-panel ($2,195)
https://www.aerofunction.com/2001-2006-BMW-3-Series-M3-E46-2DR-Carbon-AF-1-Hard-Top-Roof-CFP-1-Piece.html ($999)

All appear to be 2X2 carbon fiber, but I've no experience with the quality or fit. Any others I'm missing, feel free to suggest.

Feff

Karb is 1x1. You made me panic for a sec because I have one on order lol. 2M autoworks and IND/RKP also sell roofs in 1x1.

[Casa de Mesa]

Just threw another coat of ceramic on my Slon Workshop roof this past weekend, took this shot. So throwing this one out there as an option too. Not sure what current pricing is, however.

[SQ13]

Just threw another coat of ceramic on my Slon Workshop roof this past weekend, took this shot. So throwing this one out there as an option too. Not sure what current pricing is, however.

Since Slon is in Russia, would it even be possible to import his stuff? Completely different industry, but Zentico (gun) parts have been getting seized since the war started.

[Casa de Mesa]

Since Slon is in Russia, would it even be possible to import his stuff? Completely different industry, but Zentico (gun) parts have been getting seized since the war started.

Guns I can see getting seized. My roof came in when the war started - literally the week of in 2022 when sanctions had been imposed. Others have ordered from them more recently and their parts cleared customs. Bry5on comes to mind with the strut tower brace.

[Projecte46m3]

damn man...the pricing for some of these CF roof panels have gone through the roof! It comes out to be like $2550 with shipping and taxes.

[EthanolTurbo]

damn man...the pricing for some of these CF roof panels have gone through the roof! It comes out to be like $2550 with shipping and taxes.

Karb roof is only $1873 from them directly. Idk how much they charge for shipping now. I paid $1600 for mine directly from Karb.

[Projecte46m3]

Karb roof is only $1873 from them directly. Idk how much they charge for shipping now. I paid $1600 for mine directly from Karb.

The shipping cost is high. Total is around $2315 USD if you pay with a credit card or around $2537 shipped if you pay via PayPal.