Soft top woes :(

J

JimmyPop

Senior member
 Glasgow
I think my soft top has finally packed in. It seemed to be working fine yesterday and then today when I was putting it up it took much longer than usual. Now, the front latches are unlocking but the roof is only moving slightly or not at all. Occasionally I can hear a faint whining noise coming from the motor. The parcel shelf is in the down position so it can't be that.

I'm guessing the most likely thing is the soft top motor, however does anyone have any suggestions for what else it could be? And does anyone have any idea how much the motor costs (parts only) at the moment? Typical when the nice weather seems to be just starting! :headbang:
 
Search on here will give you a wealth of information regarding the motor including costs etc. theres also an excellent 'How to' showing you how to do a motor replacement and save a fortune in dealer costs.
 
Oh no JP :thumbsdown: Hope you can get it sorted quickly while summer is still about!
 
That's not quite as horrific as I imagined. I've emailed an nearby indy BMW specialist and going to phone another garage I use who are very good tomorrow. Also needing front brakes and pads replaced so they might do me a deal!
 
I remember one time where my top was very sluggish, but the car ran fine. I thought that maybe the battery was the problem. I ahd it checked out and sure enough, they replaced the battery and all was fine. So, you may want to do a battery check just in case....
 
The micro-switch above the parcel shelf in the boot was the cause of my problems. I appreciate my sympyoms were different to yours but if this doesn't help you it may somebody else. My roof wouldn't open, not a sound from the motor and no movement in windows. The switch showed a flashing red light. If I opened it manually however, it would power close. After examination I was told that part of the micro-switch had bent. The switch would not recognise the fact that the parcel shelf was indeed at its lowest point and was therefore protecting the hood by not allowing it to open. In the end it was a simple fix. There are other micro-switches positioned in the hood, I'm told, to inform the motor where the hood is. Hope its an easy fix for you.
 
What a co-incidence!! Mine packed in this morning too :cry:

First quote came in wrong as the garage were given the old part number by BMW, a whopping £808+VAT for the part only!!! :o

Fortunately some digging around has revealed that Soper BMW will supply AND deliver the part for £280 INCLUDING VAT. My local specialist want £200 to fit it which I consider fair.

£480 is a price I'm happy to pay, not quite the day I had in mind, but better than £1,200 I suppose! :roll:
 
Cool Z4 said:
I remember one time where my top was very sluggish, but the car ran fine. I thought that maybe the battery was the problem. I ahd it checked out and sure enough, they replaced the battery and all was fine. So, you may want to do a battery check just in case....
Click to expand...

I'd agree. I almost always only put my roof down/up with the engine running.
 
Cool Z4 said:
I remember one time where my top was very sluggish, but the car ran fine. I thought that maybe the battery was the problem. I ahd it checked out and sure enough, they replaced the battery and all was fine. So, you may want to do a battery check just in case....
Click to expand...

Hmm, this sounds promising - I can sometimes hear the motor whirring quietly as if it doesn't have enough power to work properly. When this happened to you did the roof unlatch and windows drop initially?

My drains seem to be clear - just really annoyed that this has happened when the sun has come out! :cry:
 
This has happend to my 2003 3.0 E85 aswell. The motor is running, it lets go of the front window but then the roof doesnt go down. The motor is just runing as normal.
 
Hope the motor is the worst thing wrong. I had the motor/pump replaced last fall only to have the top fail shortly thereafter. Same thing you are hearing, a humming sound and the top lifts about 3" from the top of the window. This time the problem is the hinges/rams. They are leaking and loosing fluid so the top does not function. These are costly, about $510 US each plus installation. There is a discount if you are a BMW club member. Of course the top has to come off to replace them. I am having it done at a shop for $1800. I am told that running the top motor when it is low on fluid could damage the pump.
 
Well mine is going in tomorrow. Not taking it to the stealers as they wanted £80 just to look. Taking it to a local garage run by an ex-BMW mechanic who's going to have a look at the same time as changing my brake discs/pads. It's defo an expensive month :(
 
Keep us updated Jimmy. My roof's fine and never shown any sign of issue, but it's always good to know about potential sources for repairs in the (sort of) area near me!

Who are you using? My mate just bought an older TT and used "A for Audi" in Clydebank, but they also trade as "B for BMW" - he reported a great experience and very good price for a big service...
 
I'm using SB Services in Strathaven (near where Kirsty lives) who were originally recommended to me by JaxZ4. The owner is an ex-BMW mechanic and they tend to specialise in German cars.

Sitting here with my fingers/toes/everything possible crossed!
 
Thinking of you JP - good luck ! I also used B for BMW Clydebank (for the zed not my Audi) and agree the service/knowledge was pretty good though I now might contradict myself !

However, they were responsible for breakng my Xenon levelling sensor when fitting the Eibachs - but given other similar threads this seems a pretty common oversight with Eibachs/Xenons so I won't be too harsh on them for that.

I did think they were initially quite expensive for fitting the Eibachs but did reduce the price when they realised it was't quite such a big job. As SB Services are 2 mins walk from my house and to date been good I'll stick with them meantime but if B for BMW were closer (for others Glasgow ish) then they are a decent option.

Good luck with the roof JP- I'm becoming a lttle paranoid and almost waiting for mine to creak, groan, stutter or stop. :thumbsup:
 
No such luck - the guy in SB Services wasn't too keen to play around too much. Looks like I'll need to book it in to the Stealers for a look.

My red bowden cable in the boot felt a little loose - I've given that a good tug and it now seems a lot tighter/snappier in moving from set to unset. Unfortunately it's not made any difference to the roof motor. Could that suggest something else is the problem, like a hydraulic leak?
 
On a plus note, our new tent arrived today - Kirsty is finally excited at the prospect of going camping!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom