Avoiding potential roof motor failure?

sol_dave

Member
Hi guys, is there a specific guide out there to avoiding roof problems down the line? I've read some sort of drainage issue causes the motor failure but ive never been able to find a guide to maintenance and avoiding it?

thanks and apologies in advance is this is easily searchable
 
I am on my 3rd soft op motor. Easy way to tell if weep holes plugged. Pour water down in boot and it should leak on ground in front of rear wheel. If you see no water it means weep holes plugged. My best luck has been to access weep hole from undercarriage of car. Try and push approximately 3/16" plastic clear hose into weep hole at bottom of car and then run compressed air into hose and it should blow out weep holes. They clog a lot in rainy areas. Bmw dealer told me they cleaned weep holes by pulling soft op out of car to access weep holes. Never trust the dealers on weep hole problems their system is poorly designed and they don't ever reveal that to the public.
 
Hiya -Just search Roof Drains tons of stuff there ! for me who doesn't have a clue which end of a screwdriver to hold then just get your garage to take the rubber "bung " out next time its serviced (my garage cleaned them out for free) good luck

:D
 
obewan said:
Link here to loads of info
Easy job - good luck
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=7782

Edit
Sorry Badger - not having a pop, (easy job) your post wasn't there when I started typing :)


Ha Ha Ha no worries I am technically challenged when filling her up !!!! just never had much look with car repairs I have tried (honest !!) just always seems to end up a bigger job when I get involved !best left to the experts !

as my old man used to say "be good at what you do and earn your money.... then you can pay others to do what they are good at !"

8)
 
My Zed stays outside and I use a half cover. My roof has recently been replaced and the motor was perfectly dry and looked like new. The cover does mark the clear coat over time and this needs polishing but otherwise I feel it helps avoid the wet and rusted motor. . . we shall see over more time.

:driving: :thumbsup:
 
as my old man used to say "be good at what you do and earn your money.... then you can pay others to do what they are good at !"

Cheers Mate - good advice
Must admit I tend to follow this myself now for bigger DIY jobs. (car & house)
In the past when a lot younger (and broke) I would tackle anything, De-carb engines, clutches/gearboxes out etc.
I wouldn't even dream of doing more than the basics on modern cars

Plus as cars have got bigger over the years I can no longer get it down the side of my house and into the garage (which seems to be taken over by tumble dryers and my son's push-bikes and fishing gear :roll:
 
if you intend to take the roof out its much much easier than it looks, just time consuming as there are lots of fiddly bits to take off. set aside a whole day, get an extra pair of hands and take your time. 2-3hrs to get out and less to get in.
 
sol_dave said:
thanks guys, I just found this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5LwrafOLt4

To be honest I think that the rubber grommets he takes out to clean are part of the roof problem. To me it seems that those grommets form an obstruction where at least the small debris gets stuck into.
I sometimes wonder if not putting the grommets back has any downsides.
BTW I sometimes clean the drain holes with compressed air (from underneath), but hardly anything comes out (my car is stored in the garage, and I never park under trees)

You can also check with an endoscope if there isn't any dirt/debris in the water pockets if you guide the endoscope through the roof mechanism.
 
When I had my roof motor changed I saw the old motor and it was a block of rust and yet the drains were completely clear. :thumbsdown:
It seems one of those things that may be inevitable due to the design and it's potluck how long it will last.
 
Dav the wheel nut said:
When I had my roof motor changed I saw the old motor and it was a block of rust and yet the drains were completely clear. :thumbsdown:
It seems one of those things that may be inevitable due to the design and it's potluck how long it will last.

Same here, calcification and light rust on mine.No sign of water ever being there and drains totally clear
Only 26K miles and always garaged............for heavens sake ,frankly ridiculous state of affairs
I don't think there is anything, as you say Dave.
 
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