Roof motor problems...post no.342987490 :))

D

Daaaaan

Member
Hey guys

Sorry if I have to add another post to the endless line of posts regarding roof motor problems...but I can't seem to find my exact symptoms in the previous posts

1) A few months ago I noticed my roof won't come down...it unlatched, I could hear the motor buzzing continuously, red light was flashing, but nothing happened. So i gave it a little "help" with my hand, and after that everything worked fine...until yesterday: I took the car to the dealer to install a wind deflector, and I left it there with the top down. They installed the deflector, and after that they closed the top and gave it a jet-wash. When I got the call to go and pick up my car, it was a sunny day so I decided to put the top down.

2) Well...now I have a slightly different problem: The roof unlatches, the red light is flashing but there is no motor sound. They took the car back in the service area, they fiddled with the tester on it, and after a few tries, the roof came down normally (I suppose the motor started buzzing again). But when they tried to raise it back, it started to move very very slow, and stopped about halfway through.


Thw dealer said they have to take half the car apart to reach the motor and then tell me precisely what the problem is. Has anyone had these issues? What was the fix?
 
Sorry to say this but I think the motor is gone, probably the jet wash was the final straw, if you read my post on this in January when my motor failed the BMW extended warranty did not cover the motor as water damage is excluded and the bill was going to be 1600 pounds so I wrote to the CEO of BMW UK and they paid for most of it on a goodwill account, I paid £250 in the end.
I hope it's not water damage but it sounds like it.
Good luck and try writing to the CEO BMW if it comes to it.
henry1
 
+1 - sounds like the roof motor to me too - pretty much how mine went. Stopped working reliably, then stopped working altogether.
 
Ok...I have a little update from the dealer:

The motor was literally sunk in rainwater...the drain hole underneath it was clogged, and water got in the plastic container that houses the motor.

Seems that the motor is working if it's dry, although a lot of corrosion appeared. Also, a small blue capacitor fell from inside the motor when they got it out...i think it got corroded and fell off from somewhere.

Do you think I should order a new motor, or keep the old one without the blue capacitor if it's working?
Should I take it to someone to take it apart and see what other damage may be inside? Can it be taken apart?
Is the motor available for sale from the manufacturer (Hoerbiger), and can it be replaced without replacing the pump and everything else? (BMW quotes it at 350 EUR)
 
Daaaaan said:
Do you think I should order a new motor, or keep the old one without the blue capacitor if it's working?
Should I take it to someone to take it apart and see what other damage may be inside? Can it be taken apart?
Is the motor available for sale from the manufacturer (Hoerbiger), and can it be replaced without replacing the pump and everything else? (BMW quotes it at 350 EUR)
Click to expand...

I had a new motor fitted last July and the garage gave me back the old motor. A few weeks later someone on this forum was appealing for old motors so they he could refurb them and then sell them. He brought mine from me and paid the postage so I'm glad I didn't throw it away. :wink:
 
Sadly, I had to order a new motor today :(

The dealer said I might also need a hydraulic repairing kit or something like that. Do yu know what that is? Apparently they don't...they say they'll look into it :headbang: :headbang:
 
I had just successfully fixed my roof top motor without paying a single penny. I had originally anticipated taking off the top, but apparently the previous owner/garage had messed with it, and my housing was without a top. As a result, I was able to take out the roof motor without taking off the top (saved me much time). The blue capacitor had fallen off, and the thermosistor had completely corroded. I resoldered the blue capacitor (not sure what its for still) and I bypassed the thermosistor. The thermosistor is there so that if the motor gets too hot, you'll have to wait a bit in order to use it, just like the window regulators have. It's more a point of weakness than strength, just like in the window motors since the part goes bad and you can't use the motor even if the motor is fine. Now in terms of your fix, I would suggest having whoever fixes it drill some holes into the bottom of the housing. That way, if water were to ever get in, it will drain instead of becoming a pool. The only thing you have to make sure is that the drain plug is always unclogged.
 
Hi there,

It looks like I've now joined the roof motor club. I just want to check the drainage before looking at where to go next?

Initially it was really slow to release the soft top and we gave it a helping hand. I've also heard people that sometimes some GT85 will help if it's a bit stiff (which it was).

Any pointers greatly appreciated, not sure I fancy replacing the motor as we don't have a garage :(

Cheers T1b
 
Make site the drain is unclogged. There is a DIY on the forum, by AllenJ if i remember correctly. A clogged drain caused my problema
 
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