Newbie E89 Odd roof problem

M

MeonZ

Member
Hi folks,

Hoping some a help me here, I have been hunting through he various threads but have not found quite the same issue as I have.

I have a 2011 (61) 23i with I-drive, which I have not had for very long, and despite not seeing the issue earlier it’s now showing the following intermittent behaviour when operating the roof:


Press the roof down button and all is well…
Windows go down….
Rear shell comes up…
Boot opens…
Top and rear window fold away…
Boot closes……
…………….
………….

Release the roof button…and…BONG!

The windows don’t go up and we have an error, would stress that this does not happen all the time, only sometimes.

When closing the roof, we have this (again, sometimes…)

Press roof button…
Windows go down…
Boot opens…
Rear window and top come up….
Boot closes…..
………..
………..
BONG!

It gets stuck with the rear shell on the roof etc…

If I cycle it open and closed a couple of times, sometimes that works, or if I get the roof down ok, and the drive the car for a bit it will close normally (engine as running all the time FYI)

I have changed the salmon relays (couple of days ago) but still miss behaving.

I think the battery is about 5 years old.

Any suggestions? I’m in Hampshire so if anyone is nearby with a code reader…..I am willing to buy coffee….
 
Thanks Smartbear,

I have seen this thread before, and without reading the codes, my feeling is that the MS coupling locks are playing up, or they are out of alignment etc. that said, my DIY skills are (through choice) limited and I don’t fancy taking a Dremel to the car myself.

Out of interest, what sort or experience have you or others had with ageing batteries and roof problems?
 
My battery was 12 years old when replaced and had no issues at all when engine running. 5 year old battery will not be your problem.
Loads of threads on this keep reading until you find your example, probably going to be microswitches.
 
Firstly, I believe a 5 year old battery could cause issues if the car has been left standing for 6 months and not on a trickle charger - can be a major pain.

However, your issues sounds very much like microswitches to me
 
I've had, 1 loose connector, 1 salmon relay, two broken wires, in that order.
So on that basis i would say possible broken wire.
You need code reader as first step.
 
A broken wire would seem odd to me, as the problem is not all the time, only sometimes, suggesting something is not complete it it’s cycle or locking correctly etc.

Does anyone near me have a code reader? Don’t mind paying garages for actual work, but reluctant to pay them for just plugging in a reader. Im in between Winchester, Portsmouth and Petersfield.
 
My first broken wire was temperature dependent for a few days then finally stop the roof mid point with bong.
 
MeonZ said:
Hi folks,

Hoping some a help me here, I have been hunting through he various threads but have not found quite the same issue as I have.

I have a 2011 (61) 23i with I-drive, which I have not had for very long, and despite not seeing the issue earlier it’s now showing the following intermittent behaviour when operating the roof:


Press the roof down button and all is well…
Windows go down….
Rear shell comes up…
Boot opens…
Top and rear window fold away…
Boot closes……
…………….
………….

Release the roof button…and…BONG!

The windows don’t go up and we have an error, would stress that this does not happen all the time, only sometimes.

When closing the roof, we have this (again, sometimes…)

Press roof button…
Windows go down…
Boot opens…
Rear window and top come up….
Boot closes…..
………..
………..
BONG!

It gets stuck with the rear shell on the roof etc…

If I cycle it open and closed a couple of times, sometimes that works, or if I get the roof down ok, and the drive the car for a bit it will close normally (engine as running all the time FYI)

I have changed the salmon relays (couple of days ago) but still miss behaving.

I think the battery is about 5 years old.

Any suggestions? I’m in Hampshire so if anyone is nearby with a code reader…..I am willing to buy coffee….
Click to expand...

Think you are right; sounds like the bootlid microswitch(es).
The scenarios are classic.
On lowering the roof everything does as it should but windows won't go up because one (or possibly both) switches in the boot think they haven't made so will stop the procedure and flag an error.
On roof closing the system thinks the microswitches haven't made when the boot shuts so won't drop the rear section to avoid damaging it.
The fault is with bad connections (contacts) inside the switches, so they start to be intermittent at first which is why you can normally get it to work after a few attempts.
If you have a look at your switches (instructions are on the forum as to how to get to them), you may well find they have been replaced before and don't need 'dremeling'. Mine had slotted machine screws which came out really easily and I re-used them (with a drop of thread-lock).
Good luck :thumbsup:
 
Thanks All,

I have ordered replacement ring microswitches from the Stealership down here in Portsmouth (although ironically they were the cheapest place by far to get them) and will have a go at swapping them out over the next few days. I have read that the connectors on the new switches may need to be changed as mine is a 2011 car, but i'll cross that bridge if and when.

Even if this is not the culprit, for the sake of £38 and a bit of my time, it will at least remove them from the suspect list.

Will report back once completed...
 
MeonZ said:
Thanks All,

I have ordered replacement ring microswitches from the Stealership down here in Portsmouth (although ironically they were the cheapest place by far to get them) and will have a go at swapping them out over the next few days. I have read that the connectors on the new switches may need to be changed as mine is a 2011 car, but i'll cross that bridge if and when.

Even if this is not the culprit, for the sake of £38 and a bit of my time, it will at least remove them from the suspect list.

Will report back once completed...
Click to expand...

Good luck with changing the switches, there is a how to on here and my connectors were switched out, think this will cure your issue :thumbsup:
 
So…..an update.

I changed the passenger side switch out today, here are my thoughts on the whole experience.

I did not have to remove any of the inner trim panels, I could access everything just my flexing them back. I also propped up the boot with a bit of wood…just in case.

Marking the bolts positions is important, I was quite lucky in that my hinge bracket was set I such a way that was easy to put back, but I can imagine that not always being the case. Use something white and permanent, and remember to mark the bolts, the hinge and onto the inner body panel.

Make a note of the cable routing of the existing switch, I didn’t and nearly came a cropper later on

I tried to unscrew the 2 small screws - which immediately chewed, so I tried to dremel a slot in…and the screw just chewed….so I ended up drilling them out. I used a 2.5mm bit and they came out easy enough. Next time I would just go straight to drilling them out.

I had to swap the connector over, as my car is a 2011 and they are different. So I carefully cut the wires and soldered them together one at a time (as they are both black), put on heat shrink then moved on to the other wire.

I re-assembled everything carefully, there is one of the 13mm bolts that you cannot get a socket onto so you have to use a 13mm spanner.

Then I got back in the car, crossed everything and pressed the button….

All seemed to be well, the roof had moment at the first button push, I guess as it had been disconnected etc, but then it began behaving exactly as it should.

I cycled through the open and close process a few times without issue, no stopping before the windows come up and no leaving the rear shell stranded on top. Maybe I just got lucky and the passenger side was the faulty one, I will see how we go. I have the drivers side switch to swap out, but I think I will wait and see how it behaves, we are off this weekend on a 600mile loop of Cornwall from Hampshire, so that will reveal all.

Thanks for help on this.
 
Well done matey, glad it worked for you. I would have still replaced both while you were there, just in case. :thumbsup:
 
I will definitely replace the other one, the hail (!) came so that put pay to that, and I wanted to do one side and see what happens before doing the other.

I’ll wait for a nice sunny Sunday I think…
 
Sorry flyrobbie, the old one went straight to the big pile of switches in the sky, so I cant help with opening it up i'm afraid.

On a more positive note though, we did 650 miles to Lands End and back on the B-roads over the weekend, roof down the whole way, only putting it up at coffee stops and overnight, and i'm happy to report zero issues, no warning bongs of any kind (other than fuel... :( )

Out of interest, we averaged 31mpg for the whole 650 miles, mixture of A303, A30 and the twisty back roads across Cornwall, that sound about right to people? I have the N52 2.5 in mine. Manual box, on 19's
 
MeonZ said:
Sorry flyrobbie, the old one went straight to the big pile of switches in the sky, so I cant help with opening it up i'm afraid.

On a more positive note though, we did 650 miles to Lands End and back on the B-roads over the weekend, roof down the whole way, only putting it up at coffee stops and overnight, and i'm happy to report zero issues, no warning bongs of any kind (other than fuel... :( )

Out of interest, we averaged 31mpg for the whole 650 miles, mixture of A303, A30 and the twisty back roads across Cornwall, that sound about right to people? I have the N52 2.5 in mine. Manual box, on 19's
Click to expand...

I’d expect more than that if i was just cruising, were you driving quickly?
Rob
 
Hmmm, quickly-ish.

All of the dual carriageway sections were 70-80. I was in sport almost the whole journey, probably guilty of enjoying the twisty roads down there...

I think average speed was 37mph for the trip. Just normal day to day driving in and out of Winchester or Southampton I tend to get about 28-29mpg.

That was with the roof down, and the car is on P-Zero runflats.
 
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