refinement. Interior materials and colors,
the soft top and the light-alloy wheels
have been carefully matched.
Although the automatic Convertible roof
is standard, a hard-top in body color with
heated rear window is available as an
option for the cold season.
The Convertible body structure includes
many passive safety refinements over its
fixed-top counterparts.
To achieve a more rigid underbody,
an aluminum reinforcement plate
(
arrow
) is bolted to the front
undercarriage and reinforcing struts
are bolted to the rear undercarriage.
Note:
The aluminum reinforcement plate is
used in all rear wheel drive E46 models
produced from December 2000.
Transverse seat support
reinforcements in the floor pan
accommodates the new
seat-integrated seat belts (SGS).
The windshield frame is reinforced
with stepped reinforcing tubes
which allow it to act as roll-over
protection.
The windshield is bonded into its
frame.
There are tubular door
reinforcements.
The rollover protection system is
tripped into position in a fraction of
second. With this feature, two bars
fully independent of each other
come up behind each rear-seat
Body - General
http://ebahn.bentleypublishers.com/BMW/3/E46/Repair%20Manuals/4...
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