Roof question - not sure what the issue is ..

[z4beth]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me. I have a 54 plate Z4 3.0i Convertible which I adore. It was my main car for 10 years and pretty much never left it down. Shame on me I gave in and brought a 4x4 last year - please don't judge me to harsh , we live in the country and the village lane floods regularly and for the last 4 years I have driven my little z4 through long and deep floods that probably she should have not made it through.

The result has been that I have done very few miles in the car this winter, but have charged it regularly and started it /small trips just to keep her happy I have switched her to low mileage insurance and really do want to keep my little z, even with the high tax figure, and I decided that this week was the week to dust her off.

She had a flat battery, so I charged that, and then the speedo /dashboard lights would not work , so I checked the fuses (all ok) and finally did the 20 min battery disconnect, which worked - yey !!

So then the next problem, the roof. When I click to lower it then it disengaged fine, opened for 3-4 inches then seemed to just "stick". I tried a gentle helping hand but it felt like something was resisting. Checked boot etc, checked the little red manual pull thing was in properly etc and all seemed ok.

So just now I gave up and decided to see if it would open manually - so I pulled the red toggle thingy in the boot and twisted it 90 degrees. The roof was still really stiff but it did open and did loosen up with a few manual up and downs - so I was thinking maybe it just needs lubricating on certain hinges etc.

Now it is a bit looser then I re-put the red toggle thingy back to it's original position and tried the roof button - but now nothing happens. There is a click from the glove box area (relay ??) but that is it. It will still latch closed if I pull it close enough and then use the button, but other than that there is no motor noise any more.

Have I done something wrong and broken it?? Should I have not pulled the red button thingy ?? I'm kinda confused the motor was working happily and making a good effort to open the roof, but now since I did the manual open and close, there is no longer any motor noise action at all.

Sorry for the long post, and hope someone can help me ..

Beth

[Matty_Z4]

What colour is the roof light above the buttons? Is it red or orange?

As for the roof not working after toggling the red emergency release it could be that the pin has got stuck in the motor if it is corroded. I have recently had roof problems where it wouldn't go back up and turned out to be a leaky hinge.

viewtopic.php?t=146916

I would check the parcel shelf first making sure it is in the down position. If your getting orange light it could be the microswitch for the parcel shelf position sensor.

After that its probably dig the roof motor out of its bucket and take a look at what that is looking like then go from there.

[z4beth]

Thank you for the reply The light above the switch is red (flashing red) when the hinges are releasing (just like it normally does). As soon as the hinges are released the light goes out .. and does not come back on again.

I just tried toggling the red emergency release again and unfortunately it makes no difference.

mmm .... is a shame, as much though I love it , I am not sure I want to get into messing with the roof motor, kind of a bit beyond me ..

It is a shame, since it's been so reliable in general terms ..

[bigwinn]

Where are you based- lots of us can help out diagnosing and fixing!!

[enuff_zed]

z4beth, go straight to Number5 (Alan), do not pass go.
He is in Bristol and your closest expert.................. in fact the leading expert.
He'll sort it for you.

[Number5]

Im happy to have a look at it., as im only down the M5 by Cribbs Causeway
Ill send you a message with my contact details

Alan

[z4beth]

Thank you for the replies I will take the advice and give Alan in Bristol a call as he is just down the road from me and hopefully he can help get the problem sorted out

[enuff_zed]

Thank you for the replies I will take the advice and give Alan in Bristol a call as he is just down the road from me and hopefully he can help get the problem sorted out

I'd put money on it.

The motors are fairly resilient. Even when flooded they can carry on working if they are used regularly, so it may have been wet for quite a while.
Then you stop using it for a few months and it corrodes and seizes.
Fingers crossed the worst case will be needing the motor replaced, if Alan can't resucitate yours.