2010 Z4 Roof Problems
- Thread starter ukpolak
- Start date
The company website is caymanautos.co.uk based in Dorking ,full contact details and what they do can be found there. Its a small operation just seemed like the boss Andy and one other plus receptionist , they had in there garage a Porsche ; Mercedes and another BMW all having roofs worked on. I Paid £280 plus vat all up ie diagnostic spare part and fitting, 2 year guarantee on the part. I arrived at 08:00 and job was completed at 14:30. This was not the full working time as the part needed to come from BMW dealer in Redhill.
Quick update... wasn't able to replicate it a month or so ago, then one weekend I had the intermittent fault once again (boot wouldn't open with roof warning light displaying, roof stalling mid open, alarm mid-drive indicating insecure roof) so I sorted an appointment at local dealer (today).
Over the past fortnight not a single problem, and similarly today at the dealer I couldn't replicate. They diagnosed it and are 90% sure it's a microswitch however they couldn't be 100% sure because they couldn't observe the fault live. They suggested we change the switch anyway so I had that done today... 150GBP. 40 for diagnosis, 70 labour then 12 part with the remainder VAT or something like that.
Been raining this evening (d'oh!) so i haven't even been able to test the roof operation, but no issues after 30mins of driving since the fix. It's a tough one as I haven't experienced any problems over the past 2 weeks but hopefully today's microswitch replacement will sort any alarming in the future or roof stalling. Will report back if it recurs...
Mechanic at the dealership was impressed with my knowledge of wiring diagrams, sensors in use (etc) all gained through reading this thread and other similar ones on here - thanks! At least it allowed me to direct him to the fault to lower the diagnosis cost, and also so that I knew they wouldn't try to spin me a yarn.
Over the past fortnight not a single problem, and similarly today at the dealer I couldn't replicate. They diagnosed it and are 90% sure it's a microswitch however they couldn't be 100% sure because they couldn't observe the fault live. They suggested we change the switch anyway so I had that done today... 150GBP. 40 for diagnosis, 70 labour then 12 part with the remainder VAT or something like that.
Been raining this evening (d'oh!) so i haven't even been able to test the roof operation, but no issues after 30mins of driving since the fix. It's a tough one as I haven't experienced any problems over the past 2 weeks but hopefully today's microswitch replacement will sort any alarming in the future or roof stalling. Will report back if it recurs...
Mechanic at the dealership was impressed with my knowledge of wiring diagrams, sensors in use (etc) all gained through reading this thread and other similar ones on here - thanks! At least it allowed me to direct him to the fault to lower the diagnosis cost, and also so that I knew they wouldn't try to spin me a yarn.
We had the same issue on our old E89.
The roof got stuck with the boot still partly open. Wife drove home with hydraulic oil overheating error.
Appears roof thought it wasn't down when it was. All caused by a faulty micro switch telling the roof was still on the on its way down and left the motor running.
Micro switches replaced and hey presto problem went away.
Luckily all done under warranty.
The roof got stuck with the boot still partly open. Wife drove home with hydraulic oil overheating error.
Appears roof thought it wasn't down when it was. All caused by a faulty micro switch telling the roof was still on the on its way down and left the motor running.
Micro switches replaced and hey presto problem went away.
Luckily all done under warranty.
I had problems with roof not fully opening or closing.
Took it to my local BMW stealer for a check who charged me £50, they diagnosed a faulty sensor which was a further £110 to supply and fit
Took it to my local BMW stealer for a check who charged me £50, they diagnosed a faulty sensor which was a further £110 to supply and fit
bimersmile
Member
A known design fault on the z4 is that the roof motors often need replacing due to drainage channels being blocked through poor design. I found out the hard (expemnsive) way. Its totally preventable if they are nt regularly cleaned to keep clear but mention it here in case it helps anyone else.
BMW Stealership wanted to charge £1,350.00 but the independant BWM specialists, Beckett Motors in West Sussex has one of BMW Chamdlers ex Technicians working for them and they will do the same job for half the price with same gaurantee. I've had no probelsm since. Worth bearing in mind
BMW Stealership wanted to charge £1,350.00 but the independant BWM specialists, Beckett Motors in West Sussex has one of BMW Chamdlers ex Technicians working for them and they will do the same job for half the price with same gaurantee. I've had no probelsm since. Worth bearing in mind
bimersmile said:A known design fault on the z4 is that the roof motors often need replacing due to drainage channels being blocked through poor design. I found out the hard (expemnsive) way. Its totally preventable if they are nt regularly cleaned to keep clear but mention it here in case it helps anyone else.
BMW Stealership wanted to charge £1,350.00 but the independant BWM specialists, Beckett Motors in West Sussex has one of BMW Chamdlers ex Technicians working for them and they will do the same job for half the price with same gaurantee. I've had no probelsm since. Worth bearing in mind
Not the E89's
flybobbie said:Seems a lot of problems with roof sensors. Would be nice to know if there is a trend towards one particular switch.
Would be nice to buy one in, just in case
I would guess there are less problems than you think! Forums can often be the harbingers of doom.
Nows there's the kiss o death for my car!
flybobbie said:Seems a lot of problems with roof sensors. Would be nice to know if there is a trend towards one particular switch.
Would be nice to buy one in, just in case
I can see where the hood down mechanical limit switch is and would suspect that could cause problems.
There are actually 4 sensors and 4 microswitches on the E89
bimersmile said:A known design fault on the z4 is that the roof motors often need replacing due to drainage channels being blocked through poor design. I found out the hard (expemnsive) way. Its totally preventable if they are nt regularly cleaned to keep clear but mention it here in case it helps anyone else.
BMW Stealership wanted to charge £1,350.00 but the independant BWM specialists, Beckett Motors in West Sussex has one of BMW Chamdlers ex Technicians working for them and they will do the same job for half the price with same gaurantee. I've had no probelsm since. Worth bearing in mind
Sorry to rain on your parade mine has just gone, always garaged never taken out in rain. Drain holes and area under hood dry and clean no evidence of standing water or debris ,so how ?? washing and the occasional rainstorm whilst out
work just done by Chandlers interestingly , where are Becketts?
Re the roof motor soaking in water because if drainage issues, I have seen all over the Internet that this is a common problem in the older cloth-top Z4. The motor sits in a sump which collects water over time, and drainage holes are prone to filling up with spider webs, dust, grit etc over time.
However I understand that they fixed this with our E89 hard top model and that the motor no longer sits in a reservoir where water can gather.
However I understand that they fixed this with our E89 hard top model and that the motor no longer sits in a reservoir where water can gather.
