Soft Top Getting Stuck

[Nads]

Hi Guys,



Needed some help and advice on my Audi a4 convertible 2007.



[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I hadnt tried my convertible roof for a few months now, since then i had the whole left side of my car painted (3 panels which were removed and painted from car plus bumper). I hadn't checked the roof opening/closing before and after the car returned!
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]When i recently tried to open it, the roof opened fully. I drove around for a while and when i got to the park, i tried closing it, and thats when it wouldn't close. I could hear the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]hydraulics trying to close it but back panel only opened slightly and wouldn't go further. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I closed it manually.
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]The next day i tried openeing it again with button and now every time, it unlocks the roof and raises an inch but doesn't go further!
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I tried a manual reset by: Turning the car off, then manually opening roof and closing roof. Started car up again and tried and still nothing worked!
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]This sums up what is currently happening:

1. if i turn car on i get flashing roof light. Which goes after a few minutes.
2. press the 'roof down' button, windows go down, roof dis-engages then stops after one inch. Storage compartment does not open.
3. Have to press roof button again to close it.

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Thanks,
Nads

 

[hades-]

a micro switch or sensor will be at fault
you really need to get it on VCDS for codes and to check all sensors

 

[Nads]

a micro switch or sensor will be at fault
you really need to get it on VCDS for codes and to check all sensors

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response.

Sorry but im not at all fluent with car stuff. Does the VCDS just mean i should take it to a garage to run through any error codes on the computer?

I also just wanted to make sure if i am doing the soft top manual reset correctly, going by the above info i listed?

Thanks for your help.

 

[hades-]

yes sounds like you have done the reset right

vcds is a fault reading tool you can go to a garage na dhave them scan it for you

or look on here at the vcds users map and pm someone close to you and ask if they will help you out

where are u located ?

 

[Nads]

yes sounds like you have done the reset right

vcds is a fault reading tool you can go to a garage na dhave them scan it for you

or look on here at the vcds users map and pm someone close to you and ask if they will help you out

where are u located ?

Ah i see, ok thanks.

Im based in Streathm/Tooting, south west london (SW16)

 

[Nads]

I just took the car to a garage, he said there was some minor faults appearing on the diagnosis that he reset, but then since then the roof is not opening at all now, on the dashboard a message is appearing saying please lower soft top box!


He said he had a look at the soft top box in boot and it seems broken, he said the lever is not sticking in the open state. Hence, the lever is not going to fully open even though the soft top box is dropped down in open state! He said the cable looks like it is broken and audi do not sell the cable on its own. He said i have to buy the whole compartment box at around £500 (incl. labour)!!


Can anyone tell me if this sounds accurate enough before i give him the go ahead?


Thanks.

 

[hades-]

sounds dodgey to me

if the flap is going up and down then the cable is ok

theres a switch on the drivers side on the box that when down it engages and tells the roof its safe to open

if that switch it ok you can tape it up so the roof works
have you got any pictures of the flap open and closed ?

 

[Nads]

Thanks for the quick reply, I'm a bit confused by the flap do you mean the boot compartment that opens up for the roof to go inside?

If so then at the moment i can not reach that stage, I'm refering to the level switch in the boot that you move to the left side to close (i.e.. give you more boot space) and right side you turn it to, to make the box compartment fall down to store the roof inside.

The switch on the drivers side to automatically open the roof seems to be ok, i think its the storage box that is broken and sending wrong messages back.

 

[hades-]

when u move the lever it drops a black flap down thats what im refering to

and i ment theres a switch on the drivers side that engages when you drop the storage box up or down

you cant see this switch you need to remove the side carpet

 

[Nads]

Ah i see, no at the moment the blackflap (storage box) is staying down all the time. Even if i close the lever, the lever locks in place but the black flap doesnt go back up, its staying down always. Its weird cause it was working about 2 weeks ago, but since then i also did try a few manual soft top roof resets. Could it be that i broke it by accident then?

 

[hades-]

if its staying down then yes the cable will be broke or come off

but if the flap is down the roof should still work if you take the drivers side boot carpet off you will find the switch is should be pressed in for the roof to work tape it up so its pressed in and try again

what codes did the mech get when he ran a fault code scan ?

 

[Nads]

OK thanks for this info. Ive just called the garage to cancel the order on the new compartment, he tried to cancel it with Audi. But they've said it cant be cancelled now as orders before 2pm are shipped straight from factory for next day delivery

The reason i tried to cancel is because i found this guy: Convertible hood replacement / repair - New Members Introductions - Audi Owners Club (UK) who appears to be an expert on this topic. I rang him and he told me that fixing the back panel will not make the roof work again and instead that i need to fix the threads on the hydro pump of the roof as they are probably broken and need repairing. He also said that the cable in the compartment can probably be fixed too without changing it fully!

Oh man, completely stuck now the garage is going to charge me £510 to fit in the new compartment, i can then see the roof not working still and then im going to have to take the car to this other guy to repair the threads in the pump which would be another £300. :'(

 

[hades-]

you can cancell from audi
i always order more parts than i need then send them back

then again the other bloke is telling you whats wrong without looking at the car


on the dashboard a message is appearing saying please lower soft top box! < this is pointing to a sensor or switch

just go get your car and tell him to send the part back

 

[Nads]

Yeah im not so sure what the correct option to do would be. The guy on the phone seems to know whats hes doing, he even said that hes visiting audi all the time to help them fix the problem as it was a design fault. Basically as soon as i told him about the problem with the roof opening an inch or two only he told me the problem and solution right away and said that he has to fix these issues all the time.

As for the garage, i do sort of know the guy in there and hes not of the type that will try to rip you off, ive taken my car a few times to him and hes been good every time. But this time i think the issue is more about knowledge in this area then him trying to rip me off. Even if i take the car back from him, its not going to help fix the problem - instead i will then have to take to audi who will charge alot more i assume. No other garages in my area even want to consider looking at the problem and say to take to audi straight away as i ask them.

I didnt get the fault codes from him for the roof as i only spoke to him on the phone today, but he said theres no more fault codes now and there was a few minor ones earlier.

Im just trying to consider my options:-

Even if i take my car back from him, he said i have to pay 1 hour labour, on top of this i guess there will also be a charge on returning the massive part back to audi. I think that total will probably come to over £100.
Where as he will install the part for £510 all fitted, and he also said he would sort me out (help out in any way he can) if anything else needs to be done after such as a sensor or switch replacement.

Second option is, i take car back from him. Pay the £100 charge for basically nothing! Take the car to the other guy who will fix the roof opening issue for £350 but then i will still end up with a broken compartment box that will always need to be open and can never close!

Ah well i guess im the one loosing no matter what option i choose!

 

[hades-]

no charge for returning to audi

well if you let him fit the box and if it dont work you have to pay

id pay the labour he wants only fare as hes looked at it

then get one ov the lads from this forum to scan for faults and check all sensors switches etc on VCDS

and like the other bloke said he can fix for 350 and he will prob repair the staoage box at the same time the cable will have come off more than likley iv only ever seen 1 cable broke in over 30 i have looked at

but its your cash 510 might not work then another 350 to fix

 

[Nads]

I see where your coming from, you sound right too. Problem is i tried sending a few messages to people on the map last week and no one replied back to me

 

[Nads]

OK i just tried telling the garage again to cancel and return the order on receiving. He said he rang audi again and because it was a special order on a large item, it is non-refundable.

I asked him for the exact message coming up on the screen, and he said it wasn't to do with lowering the soft top, instead it was something to do with the luggage compartment. He then also asked me for this other guys number who said he knows what the problem is (ie. the pump), i gave him his number, and he said he will try and speak with him and see if he can find something out.

 

[hades-]

good luck

 

[Nads]

Thanks man, you've helped a lot too! Just hope i can get it sorted out for some what reasonable price!

 

[ckl139]

Hi Nads. What was the outcome (if you are still around)

no charge for returning to audi

well if you let him fit the box and if it dont work you have to pay

id pay the labour he wants only fare as hes looked at it

then get one ov the lads from this forum to scan for faults and check all sensors switches etc on VCDS

and like the other bloke said he can fix for 350 and he will prob repair the staoage box at the same time the cable will have come off more than likley iv only ever seen 1 cable broke in over 30 i have looked at

but its your cash 510 might not work then another 350 to fix

Hades I've read this thread with interest. Can is there a diy on switch access or fix.

Where are you located wondering if you do the fix for the box for a reasonable. I have same issue in that doesn't go up fully however lever still creates some movement on the flap.

 

[andy tyler]

i was going to fix my roof, but after hours of reading i thought f''k it. booked into vagpro in leciester . poteniometer swapped and exchanged motor, then worked perfectly. For what it cost it really was not worth wasting a day of my time trying to figure the problem out myself. Even if you managed to borrow the technology he uses to diagnose the problem you would not be able to interpret the results as well

 

[ckl139]

Hi. Yep think I spoke with them now and will be going to see soon.

They suggested potentially stuck cable so would need cutting to keep box permanently down if it is the problem

 

[andy tyler]

just saw your message ckl139. it wont load for some reason but glad youve booked in with him. will reply to you when i can get it to work