E89 Roof hitting boot lid on retraction

F

Fishfinder 196

New member
:headbang: :headbang: Hello, I've been watching this forum for some time but not joined as I've not really had any problems until now, so here goes, my first post asking for any combined wisdom out there. car is a 2009 2.3i 63k on the clock, we've had it for about 4 years, with no real problems until last week. My wife (it's her car) said she had trouble with retracting the roof and asked if I could watch and see if I could spot the problem. sequence was:

1. press and hold retract button
2. Windows go down
3. rear window moves to sit on roof.
Here's where it goes wrong, as the boot lid starts to open it raises about a foot and then the roof starts to retract into the boot before the boot lid is fully open. The roof struts hit the boot lid and it has broken off the two hinged panels. :headbang: :headbang:

Had a friend assist in manually pulling the boot open as the roof began to retract, to stow the roof, we were able to pull open the boot lid fast enough to allow the roof to clear and park itself in the boot. On closing the roof,
1. press and hold the close button
2. windows go down
3. boot lid opens
Again, before the lid has fully opened, the roof begins to move almost straight away, thankfully it cleared the boot lid before any damage was done. from there it all works as it should.

Any help very much appreciated, I have read all the 'retractable roof' issues on the forum but none seem to cover this issue, my initial thought was that the motor was not supplying enough pressure to raise the roof quick enough but then I watched a number of videos of the roof retracting and closing, in all cases the roof does not move (retracting or closing) until the boot lid is fully open. I therefore suspect a short circuit hall sensor but currently cannot find a definitive guide (other than Dietcokeman's guide to sensor and micro switch location - very helpful btw) on the purpose of each micro switch/sensor and which switch/sensor does what during the retract/close sequence.

Again, any advice and help would be very much appreciated before I have to take it into the garage.
 
This is the first time I've heard of this. I'd suggest this is a sensor issue, out of alignment.

There was a chap in here that seems up to speed on roof issues, failing that it's an Indy or dreaded dealer.

Do you have warranty?
 
Sounds like the hall sensor or switch that detects the position of the boot lid, and gives the "ok" to start moving the roof has moved out of position.

Mike
 
Not had this before, id start by checking all the hall sensors listed in my post are secured into the Rams like they should be and that all the micro switches are secure and not loose , if all are ok , the two micro switches one either side of the boot lid mounted on the very end of the boot hinge Rams , these send the signal to the roof to close into the boot , so I would start with them, they are 16 quid each and easily changed ( once the boot lid is open ) do one at a time .

You might also first look into the boot under the floor panel to see if you have dampness in the motor/pump well . There is a foam casing around the motor and the relays which is prone to water ingress through the rear lights or boot seal. If water has got in and soaked into the foam it corrodes the relays in the foam housing and could be causing a short .

The divers side boot hinge ram has two hall sensors also that might be the cause of this and again at around 16 quid, I'd get one as all the hall sensors are the same on the car, so you can use one sensor to illuminate the faulty one .

Another possible cause is lack of hydraulic fluid , the boot raising and lowering takes more fluid than the roof panels , so if you have a leak then it's possible that this isn't helping , but normally the hall Sensors would prohibit movement .

Where are you based ? If your able to get to Weston Turville near Aylesbury with switches and a hall sensor I will gladly have a look for you . But I'm away until the 12th on a road trip .
 
I've been away and only returned today so apologies for the tardy reply. Firstly thanks very much for the reply. Motor is dry and looks OK, can't see any leaks, your suggestion of boot micro-switch or hall sensor seems's to be the most likely culprit. Your offer to have a look is most welcome. I live about 50 miles away in a small village called Allington (near Stonehenge). Would be more than happy to drive up at your convenience, is it OK if I PM you? :D
 
Fishfinder 196 said:
I've been away and only returned today so apologies for the tardy reply. Firstly thanks very much for the reply. Motor is dry and looks OK, can't see any leaks, your suggestion of boot micro-switch or hall sensor seems's to be the most likely culprit. Your offer to have a look is most welcome. I live about 50 miles away in a small village called Allington (near Stonehenge). Would be more than happy to drive up at your convenience, is it OK if I PM you? :D
Click to expand...

Firstly yes of course you can contact me, probably best to ring so we can talk about the issue , 07771847714 , secondly I suspect your a lot more that 50 miles away if your near Stonehenge !
Might be worth checking this post first to see if anything looks out of place ......

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=95385

Kind regards
Bryan
 
Just to bump this!!

Was this issue resolved? My car has just started doing the exact same thing as described in the original post.

Thanks Andy.
 
Thanks for the reply. Very kind of you to post the info.

Very interesting. Could you tell me how hard it is to access these sensors?

I have very limited use of my right hand and sods law I'm also right handed.

I could get wires soldered ok.
 
You need to remove some of the trim panels, the sensor nearest the rear of the car is quite easy to remove but the front one needs a few more pieces of trim removing, including the bit the goes around the bulkhead, this needs the boot lid to be stopped halfway through the roof opening process. Once you have the panels removed the sensors just clip into a channel on the cylinder
 
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