Audi A4 Cabriolet Soft Top/ Roof / Hood Motor Repair Guide

Ill pry the carriers apart and get back to you. In the meantime, heres relevant scan data if you spot anything untoward, could you let me know please?



Address 26: Auto Roof Labels: 8H0-959-255.lbl
Control Module Part Number: 8H0 959 255 A
Component and/or Version: VSG B6 CABRIO 6894
Software Coding:
Work Shop Code: WSC 00672 785 00200
VCID: 346D6D74542070E
1 Fault Found:

00532 - Supply Voltage B+
002 - Lower Limit Exceeded - Intermittent

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

And if i measure blocks, heres the log:

Address 26: Auto Roof (8H0 959 255 A)

13:36:36 Group 001: Convertible Top Status (Actual)
Not Oper. Convertible Top Control Switch
11011010 Switches && Positions I
10 1010 Switches && Positions II
230.0 Top Frame Position (G356)

13:36:36 Group 002
0.0 km/h Vehicle Speed
11.70 V Voltage (Terminal 30)
Lid close Rear Lid Contact Switch
00000000 Window Regulator Operation

13:36:36 Group 003: Window Positions
0.5 Window Position Driver's Door
0.0 Window Position Passenger Door
0.0 Window Position Rear Left Door
0.0 Window Position Rear Right Door

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Address 26: Auto Roof (8H0 959 255 A)

13:37:34 Group 001: Convertible Top Status (Actual)
Not Oper. Convertible Top Control Switch
11000110 Switches && Positions I
10 1010 Switches && Positions II
227.0 Top Frame Position (G356)

13:37:34 Group 002
0.0 km/h Vehicle Speed
11.60 V Voltage (Terminal 30)
Lid close Rear Lid Contact Switch
10101010 Window Regulator Operation

13:37:34 Group 003: Window Positions
45.5 Window Position Driver's Door
46.5 Window Position Passenger Door
58.0 Window Position Rear Left Door
57.0 Window Position Rear Right Door


Hi Warren,

Looking at the fault codes I have found:
00532 - Ross-Tech Wiki
But I would not worry about it much as it may simply be a weak battery (I also get that code from time to time)

I have compared the values from measuring block 1 against the website, you have:
13:36:36 Group 001: Convertible Top Status (Actual)
Not Oper. Convertible Top Control Switch
11011010 Switches && Positions I
10 1010 Switches && Positions II
230.0 Top Frame Position (G356)

the website has:
Audi A4 (8E) Automatic Roof - Ross-Tech Wiki

Measuring Block Group 001 (Roof Closed)
Field 2XField 3Data
1101101010X1010F201
F290
F293
F200
X
Not used, always "0"
F292
X
F171
F202
F294
F295
F172
Switch Point for Bow UP
Switch Point for Bow OPEN
Switch Point for Bow DEAD CENTER

[h=3]Reading Roof Electronics Switch Conditions, Electric Power Top Opened[/h]
Measuring Block Group 001 (Roof Opened)
Field 2XField 3Data
0010100110X1010F201
F290
F293
F200
X
Not used, always "0"
F292
X
F171
F202
F294
F295
F172
Switch Point for Bow UP
Switch Point for Bow OPEN
Switch Point for Bow DEAD CENTER

which ties in for the roof being in the closed position, so you have nothing to worry about.

I've emailed you my phone number if you need to chat.
 
Thanks for this write up VagPro. Am thinking I am gonna have to try giving it ago.
My roof has been fine, but a couple of times now I have had the issue of it not opening.
I had it the other day, then it started working again. This morning I'm having the yellow dash light flash and the hood pops up a couple of inches but goes no further.

You think this is a possibly/likely solution?

Steve
 
Thanks for this write up VagPro. Am thinking I am gonna have to try giving it ago.
My roof has been fine, but a couple of times now I have had the issue of it not opening.
I had it the other day, then it started working again. This morning I'm having the yellow dash light flash and the hood pops up a couple of inches but goes no further.

You think this is a possibly/likely solution?


Steve

Hi Steve, check the fault codes, clear them, if you try operating the roof have the same problem, cannot hear the motor running and no fault codes then this is the likely cause.
 
This weekend i opened the motor up again and pried the carrier apart a bit. The roof works fine again now so hopefully thats it.

I have noticed that the roof container shelf no longer lifts though. I think this is from the first time i did this job as i undid 3 bolds near the arm that activates the shelf - any ideas?

W
 
This weekend i opened the motor up again and pried the carrier apart a bit. The roof works fine again now so hopefully thats it.

I have noticed that the roof container shelf no longer lifts though. I think this is from the first time i did this job as i undid 3 bolds near the arm that activates the shelf - any ideas?

W

Hello Warren,

Should work fine now. See procedures for hood storage compartments below, I assume something has not gone back correctly.

Hood Storage Compartment

Let me know if you need any further assistance
 
dfghk.jpg
hi can anyone show me the location and position of the microswitch for the storage box it looks like this. i removed it and now i dont remember how to re install it. thank you in advance.
 
Last year, the roof started to act up on my wife's 2007 A4 cabrio about 2 weeks after the warranty expired, no joy with Audi who refered me back to the dealer. Car went to workshop to get checked out and 1 hour and £105 later they hit me with the news that the hydraulic pump had packed up and this will cost £1,800 to fix! I believe the pump itself was around £1,200 and the rest was labour and sundries.

After trawling the web I found my problem was very common, the hood lifting maybe 2" above the windscreen and no more, no noise from the boot where the pump is. Sometimes the hood would open fine, but then will not close, it would not go any further than opening the cover. So the motor in the pump is not turning.

Took the motor cover off and cleaned the copper moving part and made the brushes move and all was good, great! Had to do it again after a few operations, then again and again. I got on to the dealer parts and asked them if I can buy a motor without the pump and they said it was not possible. They are available to the trade apparently at around the £200 mark.

By now Wife is not speaking to me and started to look again on internet for ideas, she found Mervin on eBay (username is Autoelectron) and we got in touch and decided to have a drive up to see him in Yorkshire, its a 200 mile drive for us, but the temptation is that he promised a lasting solution for £95.00 and give a years warranty on the motor. He checked the computer and changed the motor and tested the roof several times. I think its faster too!! We have used it probably 50 times since repair, no issues. So, I could have saved all the messing about in the first place and got it fixed for less than Audi charged me for their so-called diagnosis, its a no brainer.

I have written to Audi to seek their comments on the roof issue as its a very common fault, Mervin said he had recondioned just over 250 last year and is doing 8 a week this year.

Iain
 
Last year, the roof started to act up on my wife's 2007 A4 cabrio about 2 weeks after the warranty expired, no joy with Audi who refered me back to the dealer. Car went to workshop to get checked out and 1 hour and £105 later they hit me with the news that the hydraulic pump had packed up and this will cost £1,800 to fix! I believe the pump itself was around £1,200 and the rest was labour and sundries.

After trawling the web I found my problem was very common, the hood lifting maybe 2" above the windscreen and no more, no noise from the boot where the pump is. Sometimes the hood would open fine, but then will not close, it would not go any further than opening the cover. So the motor in the pump is not turning.

Took the motor cover off and cleaned the copper moving part and made the brushes move and all was good, great! Had to do it again after a few operations, then again and again. I got on to the dealer parts and asked them if I can buy a motor without the pump and they said it was not possible. They are available to the trade apparently at around the £200 mark.

By now Wife is not speaking to me and started to look again on internet for ideas, she found Mervin on eBay (username is Autoelectron) and we got in touch and decided to have a drive up to see him in Yorkshire, its a 200 mile drive for us, but the temptation is that he promised a lasting solution for £95.00 and give a years warranty on the motor. He checked the computer and changed the motor and tested the roof several times. I think its faster too!! We have used it probably 50 times since repair, no issues. So, I could have saved all the messing about in the first place and got it fixed for less than Audi charged me for their so-called diagnosis, its a no brainer.

I have written to Audi to seek their comments on the roof issue as its a very common fault, Mervin said he had recondioned just over 250 last year and is doing 8 a week this year.

Iain

Hello Ian,

Thanks for the info and feedback and I am glad you got it sorted ! We have come across the gentlemen on eBay who seems genuine and very helpful. One thing to note is that if you pried open the brush carriers this would have probably stopped the problem reoccurring.
 
Thanks for sharing this tip, my a4 2009 final edition S-line roof started playing up last night, I have only done 25000 miles from new, I was surprised it failed. Anyway after following these instructions and an hour of my time my roof seems to be more lively than before and worked straight away after putting it all back, Thanks again for this tip.
 
Thanks for sharing this tip, my a4 2009 final edition S-line roof started playing up last night, I have only done 25000 miles from new, I was surprised it failed. Anyway after following these instructions and an hour of my time my roof seems to be more lively than before and worked straight away after putting it all back, Thanks again for this tip.

Glad it helped and thanks for the feedback, I hope you pried open the brush carriers to stop the problem reoccurring.
 
I did ever so slightly, I moved them with an electrical screwdriver to see if they pinged back and they did. Before the screwdriver trick they were tight and getting stuck, the WD40 trick also helped, I used a very tiny amount with the red straw
 
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This guy VagPro has produced a step by step guide for us all to follow. He has even offered his advice on any related questions to people who have posted on this forum. I took my audi A4 cab to Leicester where they are based and within one hour he had the hood fully working. This guy is very very good at what he does and he doesn't charge a fortune at all. I would recommend him to anyone who thinks they either can't carry out the work or just simply done have the time or know how. I am not related to him nor had I ever heard of him prior to checking out this forum. Thanks Guys for your work and I will recommend you to all. Best wishes
 
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VagPro, Thanks for this information. I had the same problem with my wifes 2007 s-line cabriolet. I was really worried that I would have to leave it with Audi to solve - at a huge cost no doubt, but I came across your article and followed the instructions and hey presto - we now have a working roof. Well done to VagPro.
 
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Hi, looking for some help here. Had similar problems, hood wouldn't open, motor at front of hood whirring away. When opened manually it would close half way up then stop. Bought the bullet and took it to a local garage. They said had lose motor, broken wire and the fluid needed replacing. Had the work done £300. When tried again hood opened 2 inches and stopped, not had this problem before. Took car back, garage said motor at front of hood needed replacing as a part had an intermittent fault, but could only be replaced with motor, another £300 plus. Not sure how honest this garage is being. From looking through forums no mention of front motor effecting hood working, it unlocks and locks to windscreen, hood just doesn't lift. Reluctant to get it done at same garage.

Is this a common problem, can the front motor effect hood lifting or just a line from the garage, is the the motor in the boot more likely the cause.

Appreciate any help, Thanks
 
My 2009 A4 cabriolet final edition had this problem in its third year just before it was out of warranty ran out and I used to park it on my drive facing downhill. I had the front seal changed where it meets the roof, before I give it to Audi I noticed the front seal had tiny cracks in it when the roof was closed. I presume where the sun is on it all day it perished. I used to use autoglym products to lube all the seals to protect them so I was a bit annoyed the seal cracked. So I presume it will crack again in two years timed. It stopped leaking when it was changed.
 
Hi, looking for some help here. Had similar problems, hood wouldn't open, motor at front of hood whirring away. When opened manually it would close half way up then stop. Bought the bullet and took it to a local garage. They said had lose motor, broken wire and the fluid needed replacing. Had the work done £300. When tried again hood opened 2 inches and stopped, not had this problem before. Took car back, garage said motor at front of hood needed replacing as a part had an intermittent fault, but could only be replaced with motor, another £300 plus. Not sure how honest this garage is being. From looking through forums no mention of front motor effecting hood working, it unlocks and locks to windscreen, hood just doesn't lift. Reluctant to get it done at same garage.

Is this a common problem, can the front motor effect hood lifting or just a line from the garage, is the the motor in the boot more likely the cause.

Appreciate any help, Thanks

hi mate, any fault codes? If you cannot hear any other noise after opening the roof and it just sits there, then it's the hydraulic unit motor. See the beginning of this post for more info.
 
My 2009 A4 cabriolet final edition had this problem in its third year just before it was out of warranty ran out and I used to park it on my drive facing downhill. I had the front seal changed where it meets the roof, before I give it to Audi I noticed the front seal had tiny cracks in it when the roof was closed. I presume where the sun is on it all day it perished. I used to use autoglym products to lube all the seals to protect them so I was a bit annoyed the seal cracked. So I presume it will crack again in two years timed. It stopped leaking when it was changed.

any oil based compound will perish the seals, to stop the squeaking use silicon spray.
 
Hi Guys
been searching the forums but i cant find the answer im looking for so i was hoping you guys may be able to help me please.

I recently bought an A4 cabby 2003. The roof was fine to begin with but has recently stopped working.
When the ignition is on the roof light flashes ten times.
If i try to open the roof NOTHING HAPPENS - except the roof light on the dash flashes. No windows go down, no lock release, no movement.
I've tried the manual opening and closing of the roof, to reset it but nothing. Ive tried opening the roof with the key to begin with and then pressed the button in the hope the roof would continue opening but nothing
I do have a fault with the storage box in the boot in that it's permanently in the open position and i cant close it, but that hasn't prevented the roof from working previously. No messages are displayed on the dash except the flashing yellow light roof light.
The boot actuator has also started playing up recently
My question is would the boot microswitch or the roof box microswitch prevent the roof from opening ?
If the boot microswitch was showing as open would the dash display the boot as being opened ?
how could i test ithe microswitches to see if they're at fault ?
What else could be the problem/solution ?

Your help would be much appreciated
Thanks in advance

p.s I am looking to have it diagnosed next week
 
Hi Guys
been searching the forums but i cant find the answer im looking for so i was hoping you guys may be able to help me please.

I recently bought an A4 cabby 2003. The roof was fine to begin with but has recently stopped working.
When the ignition is on the roof light flashes ten times.
If i try to open the roof NOTHING HAPPENS - except the roof light on the dash flashes. No windows go down, no lock release, no movement.
I've tried the manual opening and closing of the roof, to reset it but nothing. Ive tried opening the roof with the key to begin with and then pressed the button in the hope the roof would continue opening but nothing
I do have a fault with the storage box in the boot in that it's permanently in the open position and i cant close it, but that hasn't prevented the roof from working previously. No messages are displayed on the dash except the flashing yellow light roof light.
The boot actuator has also started playing up recently
My question is would the boot microswitch or the roof box microswitch prevent the roof from opening ?
If the boot microswitch was showing as open would the dash display the boot as being opened ?
how could i test ithe microswitches to see if they're at fault ?
What else could be the problem/solution ?

Your help would be much appreciated
Thanks in advance

p.s I am looking to have it diagnosed next week

hello,
If the boot switch was showing as open, the roof would not work and in an 06 you get a message saying trunk open, same applies to the hood storage compartment. Best thing to do is to get a diagnostic and take it from there. Save the codes, clear the, and see which ones appear.

the beginning of this post has some wiring diagrams which should help you test the micro switches.

regards
 
Thanks VagPro

Is there anything else likely to stop everything from working
 
Thanks VagPro

Is there anything else likely to stop everything from working

unfortunately yes, any switch that is reporting an incorrect position would stop the roof from operating to save damage. Why don't you get a cheap vagcom lead off eBay and read the codes? (Don't know if these are compatible) or maybe someone near you can read the codes ?
 
unfortunately yes, any switch that is reporting an incorrect position would stop the roof from operating to save damage. Why don't you get a cheap vagcom lead off eBay and read the codes? (Don't know if these are compatible) or maybe someone near you can read the codes ?

Thanks Vagcom

Its the microswitch in the roof storage compartment that seems to be temperamental. I'll follow the procedure to remove the storage compartment and investigate further.
Thanks again
 
Thanks Vagcom

Its the microswitch in the roof storage compartment that seems to be temperamental. I'll follow the procedure to remove the storage compartment and investigate further.
Thanks again

Good stuff, drop me a line if you need any further procedures off the workshop manual
 
Lots of mention of error codes and vagcom. Looked on ebay as suggested, do I really only need a lead for a small price and a laptop. Can't be that simple, surely there is expensive software needed?

Thanks
 
Lots of mention of error codes and vagcom. Looked on ebay as suggested, do I really only need a lead for a small price and a laptop. Can't be that simple, surely there is expensive software needed?


Thanks


hello,
Yes is it as simple as buying some software, laptop and plugging it in to read the fault codes. However the technical know how on rectifying the fault codes required more competence..


if you feel the cables on eBay are to cheap, then you can buy a full version of vcds for about £250. If you are going for the ones on eBay makes sure it is compatible with your year of car.
 
hello,
Yes is it as simple as buying some software, laptop and plugging it in to read the fault codes. However the technical know how on rectifying the fault codes required more competence..


if you feel the cables on eBay are to cheap, then you can buy a full version of vcds for about £250. If you are going for the ones on eBay makes sure it is compatible with your year of car.

Nothing wrong with too cheap as long as it works, just seemed hard to believe that a lead for £10 is all I need to read the fault codes, what's the difference between a £10 lead and one for £250?
 
had my mechanic look at my roof motor, he has cleaned and done as advised on this wonderful forum, but now the roof is not locking.. any suggestions please, we have tried manually re-setting it, it now randomly locks but not every time...?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4 Cab Roof Motor Repair/Removing and installing rear cross panel trim.pdf

Picture 034.jpg


Removing the right side trim

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4...ing and installing side trim (right-side).pdf

but before this panel can be removed the hinge for the hood storage compartment has to be removed, be careful not to drop the washer between the hinge and the bodywork

Picture 030.jpg


Unclip at the back

Picture 027.jpg


The trim should then slide out towards the rear of the car (slide past the hood storage compartment)

Picture 026.jpg


You should then be somewhere here, then remove the wiring plug to the 12v power socket and the boot light

Picture 023.jpg


Once this panel is removed, remove the three bolts holding the amplifier

Picture 019.jpg


Move the amplifier to the side for easy access to the hydraulic pump

Picture 015.jpg


You should now have access to the hydraulic pump, proceed to removing the three nuts holding the pump down

Picture 013.jpg


Now before you let loose at dismantling the motor housing do something I did not do (and learnt the hard way), MARK the position of the motor casing with a black marker
Picture 020.jpg



Unclip the relays from the relay carrier

Picture 010.jpg



Now you are ready to remove the motor cover, open the 7mm bolts (make sure you have marked the position of the housing)

Picture 009.jpg


Pull the housing, bear in mind that the magnets will provide some resistance


Picture 007.jpg


So now you can see the problem, dirty commutator

Picture 002.jpg


So I got some 800 wet and dry paper, held it in place with a screw driver and turned the motor by hand until it cleaned up

Picture 003.jpg


Once the surface is clean, use a stanley blade to clean any debris in the slots on the commutator
Picture 004.jpg



And there you have it, a nice clean commutator

Picture 006.jpg


Reassemble with a touch of grease on the end bearing not forgetting to line up the markings you did earlier and you should be all sorted !!
The next step is to stop the problem reoccurring by prying open the brush carriers, insert a small screwdriver between the small slot in the brush carriers and gently pry them open, then pull the brushes back and confirm they spring back freely towards the commutator. See picture below


View attachment 14986

I have attached some other files which I pulled of Elsa on A4 Cabriolet roofs, these are below:

General Information on Hydraulic System

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4...r/General Information on hydraulic system.pdf

Exploded View of Convertible Top

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4 Cab Roof Motor Repair/Exploded View of Convertible Top.pdf

Exploded View of Hydraulic System

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4 Cab Roof Motor Repair/exploded view of hydraulic system.pdf

Block Diagram of Hydraulic System (This is in case you want to know how it really works !!)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4 Cab Roof Motor Repair/Block diagram of hydraulic system.pdf

Wiring Diagrams for Electric Hood

2003 Onwards


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4 Cab Roof Motor Repair/Electric Hood Wiring Diagram 2003 on.pdf

2005 Onwards

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/38150502/A4 Cab Roof Motor Repair/Electric Hood Wiring Diagram 2005 on.pdf

Good luck ! In case of any queries, or if you would like any more information of the workshop manual drop me an email

khurrumsattar@hotmail.com
facebook.com\VProUK
I have recently had a number of emails and requests for other roof related issues and for carrying out the procedure above. Although I work full time as an Engineer I can assist for a small fee (to cover my time). So please do not hesitate to contact me !![/QUOTE]
 
had my mechanic look at my roof motor, he has cleaned and done as advised on this wonderful forum, but now the roof is not locking.. any suggestions please? we have tried to do a manual re-set, it now does lock but only randomly....?
 
had my mechanic look at my roof motor, he has cleaned and done as advised on this wonderful forum, but now the roof is not locking.. any suggestions please? we have tried to do a manual re-set, it now does lock but only randomly....?

Hi,

Check the fault codes, must be a position sensor, also in your previous post #231 you seem to have copied and pasted half the guide, you may want to delete this post ;)
 
Apparently according to the garage there are some sensors at the front of the hood that send information so the next stage can start. These are showing up as faulty. Garage saying only replacable with the motor at the front of hood. Audi dealer stating sensor part number 8H0959613A for £72. Anybody heard of this fault before. Cleaned up motor in boot which didn't look that dirty and brushes moved freely, still no joy.
 
Hello bern, sounds like its going out of sync. Have you checked the fault codes ?

so finally have got my roof opening, however on closing it seems not to be locking properly, the windows aren't going up to signal that the roof is properly closed and the symbol on the dash tells me the roof is not closed properly, have used the manual key to lock it and it feels as though its locked, but windows still stay down and symbol still tells me it's not locked properly....any suggestions?
 
Hello, my top is working, but like yours, the front is not latching into the windshield at the end...did you solve the problem and if so what did you do to solve it?
 
My hood unlatches and re latches to the windscreen put that is all it does, doesn't open any further that an inch, apparently a sensor in the front of the hood is malfunctioning
 
Apparently according to the garage there are some sensors at the front of the hood that send information so the next stage can start. These are showing up as faulty. Garage saying only replacable with the motor at the front of hood. Audi dealer stating sensor part number 8H0959613A for £72. Anybody heard of this fault before. Cleaned up motor in boot which didn't look that dirty and brushes moved freely, still no joy.
If that is the fault code and they have checked the switch position with the measuring blocks and with a multimeter, it sounds plausible
 
so finally have got my roof opening, however on closing it seems not to be locking properly, the windows aren't going up to signal that the roof is properly closed and the symbol on the dash tells me the roof is not closed properly, have used the manual key to lock it and it feels as though its locked, but windows still stay down and symbol still tells me it's not locked properly....any suggestions?
Have you checked your fault codes ?
 
WORD OF WARNING

Hopefully fixed mine. Went back to garage had a moan and ask for print out of fault codes. They definately pointed to the switches attached to the motor at front of hood. However after a bit more checking there was a short showing on one of the switch wires.

They are going to trace back to see if any breaks in the wires.

However i have a smart top module fitted from mods4cars model stlfai. I removed this and hood works fine. Replaced it hood worked then didn't. This module ( older version ) was fitted when I bought the car and I had roof trouble, took it to Audi they said module had got water in it (doubtful) and had caused the problem, removed and hood worked. I fitted a new module as this is a really useful accessory that I used a lot. Lets you close hood whilst moving and opens closes hood from key fob. This seems to have now failed.

If any one out there is having problems and has one of these fitted that could be your problem.

I will be writing to mods4cars as this module less than a year old and has potentially cost me £300 and a lot of time and trouble.

Would be interested to hear if anybody else has had the same problems.
 
Morning All,

Am likely to be having a go at following these instructions at the weekend. My symptom is the following.....

Operate roof switch....roof pops off the front of the car and hangs 5 cms or so from the front.
Nothing else happens.....The box does not pop up, no motor noises etc. On operating the close switch the roof closes. Manually, the roof works okay.

I've got a local chap to run a diagnostic. He got the 'implausible' fault code, which he cleared. After that, no faults, but roof still inoperable. Still, he didn't charge anything.

So....is it sounding like the motor? If so, I'm going to have a go at getting it out, and probs send it to the chap in Harrogate.

After my last experience at a south coast Audi main dealer, I will not ever be returning to an audi dealer....

Any advice as to whether my symptom is a match for the problem discussed on this thread, gratefully received.
 

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