Hi all. I'm getting ready to tackle the hydraulic motor on my wife's '03 Z4. I've read lots of posts on the issue and it appears most can be brought back to life. Currently, the top will not open (it does unlock) and the manual release looks to be seized so I can't move it more than a few inches. As such, I'm planning to remove the motor from the trunk/boot. Looks like it is probably a good idea to relocate it there as well. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Roof Motor Repair
- Thread starter jerro
- Start date
North West Surrey
Hi and welcome. 
I see you are Stateside, which is a shame as there are a few people in the UK who specialise in relocating roof motros to the boot/trunk and can often revive tired motors.
But maybe this thread will be helpful:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=85266
I see you are Stateside, which is a shame as there are a few people in the UK who specialise in relocating roof motros to the boot/trunk and can often revive tired motors.
But maybe this thread will be helpful:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=85266
Jerro, Welcome to the forum. And we do like pictures of your car. Anyway as Mr. Tidy has mentioned there are several gents in the UK that can relocate the motor for folks. But as you I am in the US also and have yet to find someone to do it for me. Maybe there is a car club in your area that someone can do this for you if you don't fancy attempting yourself. Either way good luck.
. This being a first, I expect it will be a big PITA. I'll have a go at pulling the motor this weekend.So, I was planning to pull out the roof motor this weekend but decided to check a couple of more things first. I previously checked all of the fuses and the motor relay. All good. The microswitch in the boot/trunk appears fine. When closed the roof button flashes red, the windows drop, the roof unlatches then nothing. When depressing the roof button again I can hear the relay in the glove box but there is nothing coming from the roof motor. When the microswitch is open, the roof button is orange and nothing happens at all. Pulling the red manual release in the boot/trunk does not allow me to lower the roof manually.
I pulled the drain plug and it was completely dry. A small bit of debris was in it and fell right out. There was no water draining from the motor cavity. We bought the car in 2019 and it has seen rain only once; a trip home from the stealer for a SMG transmission repair
. The roof motor was replaced in 2012. I don't know how often the car saw rain before we purchased it.
I will verify power is going to the motor but it had been working fine until there were 1-2 times where the roof seemed to be confused. After that, it stopped working. Is there anything else I can check? I believe there are some Hall Effect sensors on the roof, however, since I can't lower the roof I'm guessing there will be no access to them. Any advice would be appreciated.
I pulled the drain plug and it was completely dry. A small bit of debris was in it and fell right out. There was no water draining from the motor cavity. We bought the car in 2019 and it has seen rain only once; a trip home from the stealer for a SMG transmission repair
. The roof motor was replaced in 2012. I don't know how often the car saw rain before we purchased it.I will verify power is going to the motor but it had been working fine until there were 1-2 times where the roof seemed to be confused. After that, it stopped working. Is there anything else I can check? I believe there are some Hall Effect sensors on the roof, however, since I can't lower the roof I'm guessing there will be no access to them. Any advice would be appreciated.