Hard top wont retract A6A3 Hydraulic Temp Sensor Fault

[Sawood1387]

Hi All,

First off apologies if this is a question that has been asked loads but I dont know where else to turn.

My hard top roof on my E89 Z4 wont retract fully. The lid opens and the roof unlatches but the actual roof wont retract. When I press the roof button again I get a red blinking light and the windows try to go down again even though they're already down. I can hear the motor whirring but nothing happens. Roof closes again no problem.

Took it to a bmw specialist garage and they charged me £150 for a diagnostics check. Apparently there was water ingress and the fault code A6A3 for hydraulic fluid temperature sensor flagged up. They now want to charge me £400 just to dry out the car to see if it starts working again.

My question is, is this reasonable? Seems exorbitant for just a couple of days under a heater? Has anyone had any problems with the hydraulic fluid temp sensor and their roof? Should I just take to another garage and ask them to replace the temp sensor?

Any info would be greatly appreciated as o dont want to be spending upwards of £500 if its simply just a sensor has gone. Thanks

[mole734]

It's easy to remove the motor, I took mine out (4 screws) took the cover off (2 screws) cleaned it all out with contact cleaner and let it dry reassembled and the problem went away.

If I'm right it seems the 'hydraulic temperature sensor' actually is in the motor (based on the wiring diagram showing its 2 violet wires)

[mcbutler]

Hi All,

First off apologies if this is a question that has been asked loads but I dont know where else to turn.

My hard top roof on my E89 Z4 wont retract fully. The lid opens and the roof unlatches but the actual roof wont retract. When I press the roof button again I get a red blinking light and the windows try to go down again even though they're already down. I can hear the motor whirring but nothing happens. Roof closes again no problem.

Took it to a bmw specialist garage and they charged me £150 for a diagnostics check. Apparently there was water ingress and the fault code A6A3 for hydraulic fluid temperature sensor flagged up. They now want to charge me £400 just to dry out the car to see if it starts working again.

My question is, is this reasonable? Seems exorbitant for just a couple of days under a heater? Has anyone had any problems with the hydraulic fluid temp sensor and their roof? Should I just take to another garage and ask them to replace the temp sensor?

Any info would be greatly appreciated as o dont want to be spending upwards of £500 if its simply just a sensor has gone. Thanks

You have been well and truly nailed by a main stealer my friend, post your location and I am sure a forum member can give you the name of a great independent BMW specialist. You should not be paying much more than £60 for a diagnostic and £400 to dry out the car! well I am pretty sure I dont have to comment on that

[RobbiZ4]

[mcbutler]

I am in Plymouth, my Indy is called RL motor services based in Plympton.
I think we have a chap on the forum who is a dab hand with roof systems, maybe someone will point him out.

[Sawood1387]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. I checked the motor and battery and lo and behold was swimming in about 5 inches of water. Asked the indy why they couldn't just drain it instead of a £400 drying job, which was a ridiculous price anyways.

I live in manchester and the garage was called drury lane services. The reviews were good so I gave it a try. So glad I came on here otherwise I would have been down £500 just to diagnose and dry out the car

I think I'm going to take out the motor/battery to dry them out and drain the area? This seems to have worked for others

Thanks for all your help

[ChrisS1981]

For future reference, Rockvale in Stockport specialise in Z’s.

Mark, the owner is a great guy and they won’t rip you off.

We have bought 3 Z’s from them now and would highly recommend them.

PM me if you want some more info.

Chris

[Z4M-2006]

Drury Lane is Oldham way isn’t it


As mentioned Rockvale in Stockport and Darren Woods are both decent indys

I have fixed a few E89 roof problems myself, they aren’t that bad to do..

My advice

Clean and dry all the water and moisture in the boot and remove the motor , this needs to be in a dry environment for a couple of days at least .. you could strip the motor and blow out with compressed air if your confident enough

Reassemble and see how you go.

[Stash36]

Drury Lane are round the corner from me and have a good set of reviews so I was going to try them when I need some work (owner since Sept). However that's enough to put me off, Rockvale sounds like the place to go. Thanks