[uuni]

I drove to practice with roof down and closed for the session. After the practice I came back to car and started to open the roof but it would not open. Locks in roof does open but roof itself wont move. I can press it by hand and it moves up but with the button it wont, also locks close with button.

Does someone have a clue what could be wrong in my car?

Edit: no codes were present when we checked from OBD with my friend how does have garage..

[DetectiveLoki]

I had this problem before. Over time, dirt gets into the part where the top locks into the top of the windshield and it prevent your car from opening. You need to clean it so it doesn't get stuck.

[uuni]

You mean these? I cleaned them with paper and compressed air but nothing changed.

[uuni]

Also it seems odd that the problem could just that those holes were dirty. And they was pretty clean to my eye.

[X_Drive]

Close the roof pack. See if there is anything in the trunk obstructing the movement. Also see if your partition is fully locked down.
Do you hear the roof trying to move? or does it just lower windows, then unlock the front then stop?

Also if the passenger is binding try giving a little push up with your fist while trying to operate the roof to the open position. Then try lubing the locating pins and latches as mentioned by the other members here

[NashvegasR]

!! My car did the same thing. This is common.

Get something like wd40 - but maybe better - and spray in those latches.

Mine did same thing on pass side, I sprayed something in there (NOT ALOT as it will drip) called "BOESHIELD T9" aircraft lubricant, fixed it. no issues since.

They commonly stick on the pass side like this. Other thing you might try is open it slightly, and give it a good "pop" with your fist on the underside at the pass latch. then close, and reopen.

[uuni]

Thank you for your replies.

I did try those tricks but nothing worked. I checked the trunk there is nothing in there and that cover,that needs to be down, close as it should (you hear the click). Also when it did stop working it had worked 1 hour before and I did not open the trunk.

I did Wurth Teflon spray on to those latches and after I tried to give the roof little help by pushing it while operating the opening button but nothing happened.

When sitting on driver seat I can't hear that the roof is trying to move, so no motor etc. sounds. Although I do not remember if there is at all any sounds coming from opening the roof.

[LandoT]

Not sure if it would apply to the E93, but my E46 330cic did something similar when the hydraulic motor failed. It would still unlatch fine just as you have said. It might be something to look in to.

[NEFARIOUS]

^I was just going to say either the hydraulic motor or another mechanism in the assembly.

[fun2drive]

There are two salmon colored relays that are known to go out especially for those that use their top a great deal. Also unfortunately if the top is used a lot the electro-hydraulic pack can go.
Did your friend read shadow codes as well? Those do require a better OBD reader than a generic. It needs to be specific for BMW. That should point the way.

To be clear describe exactly what happens. Meaning I pull the top switch up and I see the windows go to 1/2 open and the latches (which are electric solenoids not hydraulic) unlatch and that is it. If that is what is happening check the relays first because they are cheap and hope that your pack is not toast...

[Ml3456]

Do a search for salmon colored relays to find the thread. there not too expensive, especially for BMW. I think you can change both for less than $50. But you have to get the top out of the trunk to change them out.

ML

[uuni]

As you guys suggested I checked the hydraulic pump and it there was water and connectors and other metal parts were rusted and oxidated (not sure if it is correct word).

I had similar problem with amplifier which was also soaked with water and BMW did pick up the repair bill. This seems to related with the roof problem.

So that is probably the reason why the roof stopped working. I will take my car to BMW so they check it out.

[jmardinly]

Mine stopped one day when I parked it with the windows open 1 inch and the top closed. I think the windows need to be in some reference position before the roof will move. When I finally got everything closed, the roof worked and still works.

[mroehricht]

Hi Everyone - Wanted to chime in here on the hardtop roof issues. Mine got stuck half way a couple days ago and I manually closed it using instructions on this forum.

Do NOT try to manually close your roof if it is stuck and you are seeing the red light on the switch where you open and close it.

There is a HIGH chance that you will destory one of the many sensors built into the roof assembly.

I did this and it is NOT covered by BMW.

Cost to fix is about $1,200 for me but it was only one sensor and a misaligned roof.

These roofs are very sensitive and are very precise in how they work. If you try to lower it back to closed position, you will not be able to it accurately, especially with just one person since the weight of the roof will skew to the opposite side.

Have your car towed on a flat bed in reverse position so the wind doesn't push into the cabinet and against the open roof which can bens it further.
Edit QUOTE

[TxGemini]

I know this is an old thread but are there any updates to this? Mine is having the same exact issue. On some days the top will open flawlessly, on other days, the windows will go down, the top will unlatch from the windshield and nothing else will happen. I don't hear the rear trunk area unlatching for it to open so the top can fold back into it, so there's a problem somewhere in between from the front unlatching and the rear unlatching/opening. The only code it throws is when I release the console switch. CC-ID 447, which is the general code telling me that the operation has been interrupted (because I released the switch). It looks to me that even though no movement occurs after the initial unlatching, that the car still thinks it's conducting normal top operation. I took the car to our mechanic who has a very expensive OBD reader that reads everything, even shadow codes and it will pinpoint and tell you the exact problem on the exact part down to the detail of the issue. If it were some sort of relay or sensor issue then it would show up. He got 0 codes on his reader. I checked out the hardtop document that has been floating around to see if I could figure out something, but I'm stumped. Something tells me it's something simple that's preventing it from opening but I've checked for items obstructing, made sure the partition was securely closed And even added plastic buttons into areas of the trunk where they were missing from the last battery swap (has been registered and initialized from dealership). I sprayed the hinges and whatever moving parts areas I could find with lithium grease as well. The only thing that has been coming up is sometimes I get a low battery warning light regarding my key fob I believe. I tried using my other key fob with no luck. Help!

[fcp40i]

Originally Posted by TxGemini

I know this is an old thread but are there any updates to this? Mine is having the same exact issue. On some days the top will open flawlessly, on other days, the windows will go down, the top will unlatch from the windshield and nothing else will happen. I don't hear the rear trunk area unlatching for it to open so the top can fold back into it, so there's a problem somewhere in between from the front unlatching and the rear unlatching/opening. The only code it throws is when I release the console switch. CC-ID 447, which is the general code telling me that the operation has been interrupted (because I released the switch). It looks to me that even though no movement occurs after the initial unlatching, that the car still thinks it's conducting normal top operation. I took the car to our mechanic who has a very expensive OBD reader that reads everything, even shadow codes and it will pinpoint and tell you the exact problem on the exact part down to the detail of the issue. If it were some sort of relay or sensor issue then it would show up. He got 0 codes on his reader. I checked out the hardtop document that has been floating around to see if I could figure out something, but I'm stumped. Something tells me it's something simple that's preventing it from opening but I've checked for items obstructing, made sure the partition was securely closed And even added plastic buttons into areas of the trunk where they were missing from the last battery swap (has been registered and initialized from dealership). I sprayed the hinges and whatever moving parts areas I could find with lithium grease as well. The only thing that has been coming up is sometimes I get a low battery warning light regarding my key fob I believe. I tried using my other key fob with no luck. Help!

I have this exact problem on my 325i E93.

How did you solve it?

Thanks

[johnnymh4]

I have a similar issue with my 2013 328i, but not quite the same:

The latches failing to lock seem to freeze the top in lowered position, but the top would move about halfway through the "up" cycle if I lifted the trunk lid. I released the pressure in the hydraulic pump to be able to lift the top back up fully without fighting the hydraulics. However, the top wouldn't latch while up either, leaving the seems unsealed; so I put it back down. As long as the car is rolling, the alarm sounds (same as seatbelt alarm) indicating "hardtop not locked." Attempting to raise or lower roof mechanically prior to releasing the hydraulic pump gave "roof movement impaired" alarm.

The windows will not raise either.

I've made sure the compartments in trunk are clear, turned the car off and on. In any case, this seems to be latch related.

Any DIY ideas on this?

[Dx11]

And this is why once per year I:

- Spray all the moving metal parts with WD-40 PTFE Lubricant
- First clean, then treat ALL THE RUBBERS (the roof has A LOT!) with gummi pflege so they stay nice and soft

If you own a convertible, you gotta do preventive care like this to avoid issues!

[bayramoral]

Originally Posted by TxGemini

I know this is an old thread but are there any updates to this? Mine is having the same exact issue. On some days the top will open flawlessly, on other days, the windows will go down, the top will unlatch from the windshield and nothing else will happen. I don't hear the rear trunk area unlatching for it to open so the top can fold back into it, so there's a problem somewhere in between from the front unlatching and the rear unlatching/opening. The only code it throws is when I release the console switch. CC-ID 447, which is the general code telling me that the operation has been interrupted (because I released the switch). It looks to me that even though no movement occurs after the initial unlatching, that the car still thinks it's conducting normal top operation. I took the car to our mechanic who has a very expensive OBD reader that reads everything, even shadow codes and it will pinpoint and tell you the exact problem on the exact part down to the detail of the issue. If it were some sort of relay or sensor issue then it would show up. He got 0 codes on his reader. I checked out the hardtop document that has been floating around to see if I could figure out something, but I'm stumped. Something tells me it's something simple that's preventing it from opening but I've checked for items obstructing, made sure the partition was securely closed And even added plastic buttons into areas of the trunk where they were missing from the last battery swap (has been registered and initialized from dealership). I sprayed the hinges and whatever moving parts areas I could find with lithium grease as well. The only thing that has been coming up is sometimes I get a low battery warning light regarding my key fob I believe. I tried using my other key fob with no luck. Help!

I have been looking the way to sorting this out too. Exactly the same story yours. How did you sort this out ? My first ever car and really want to sort this our