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

Hi VagPro,

Just signed up audi-sport.net now to say thanks so much for posting the instructions on page one of this thread - I had exactly the same symptoms as everyone else, the latches would open when I pulled the roof opening button and the roof would raise an inch but the motor would never fire up. Have just followed your instructions to a tee and within the hour my hood was back working again - such a sweet noise hearing the electric motor kick in with that whine I was missing these last two weeks!!!

If you send through a PayPal email address I'd like to send you a few quid to buy yourself a beer or two - God only knows how much you've saved me!!

Thanks again - if it didn't have such unfortunate associations these days in light of Yewtree and all I'd be minting a 'VagPro Fixed it For Me' necklace pendant as we speak!
 
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VagPro, thanks very much for the roof motor advice, instructions and photo's. Followed your instructions and it worked a treat, much appreciated!
 
Steve 3.0 said:
VagPro, thanks very much for the roof motor advice, instructions and photo's. Followed your instructions and it worked a treat, much appreciated!
Click to expand...
P.S. I noticed that at the top of the brush housing, that the spring carrier top was bent upwards 3 to 4 mm so I bent this down flat again to increase the spring pressure force.
 
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Old Nige said:
Hi, VagPro,

Old Nige' here. You last helped me a couple of years ago when I got an intermittent fault - see #367 and #369 above. That problem resolved itself when I ran into the back of a car at a roundabout - not a repair method I'd recommend!

Everything has been working fine until today when I experienced a different problem. When I pulled back the switch nothing happened at all except that I got the flashing warning light and a dashboard message 'Soft Top Cannot Be Used'. I've tried opening and closing the hood manually and taking the pressure out of the system.

I didn't ever buy a diagnostic device (see our previous posts) so can't look at error messages or clear them. The only good news seems to be that the fault doesn't seem to be intermittent this time.

Presumably if nothing's happening at all it's not going to be a motor problem?

Any advice would be very welcome!
Click to expand...

Hi Nigel,

Trust all is well, the fact that you are getting a message on the dash saying Soft Top Cannot Be Operated, this means that there is something stopping the controller from operating the roof, this could be a number of things, vehicle speed, battery voltage, a window position etc,

Really need to get the car hooked up on VCDS and take it from there.

Regards
Khurrum
 
VagPro said:
Hi Nigel,

Trust all is well, the fact that you are getting a message on the dash saying Soft Top Cannot Be Operated, this means that there is something stopping the controller from operating the roof, this could be a number of things, vehicle speed, battery voltage, a window position etc,

Really need to get the car hooked up on VCDS and take it from there.

Regards
Khurrum
Click to expand...
Hi VagPro,

Thanks very much for this advice.

If I drove over, could you hook my car up to your VCDS or do I need to track down someone local?

I could come over just about any time to suit you (only time I couldn't do would be next Friday 26th June).

I haven't touched the hood button since my previous posting though notice that the hood warning light has flashed for about 10 seconds each time I've turned the ignition on so I reckon the problem's still there.

Best wishes,

Nigel
 
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Old Nige said:
Hi VagPro,

Thanks very much for this advice.

If I drove over, could you hook my car up to your VCDS or do I need to track down someone local?

I could come over just about any time to suit you (only time I couldn't do would be next Friday 26th June).

I haven't touched the hood button since my previous posting though notice that the hood warning light has flashed for about 10 seconds each time I've turned the ignition on so I reckon the problem's still there.

Best wishes,

Nigel
Click to expand...

Hi Nigel,

Of course, pop over to Leicester and Ill have a look at it for you, contact details are on my website and facebook page. I can do evenings and weekends. Ring me to discuss.

Regards
Khurrum
 
VagPro said:
Hi, What do you mean bent up? Was the carrier coming off the circuit board??
Click to expand...
The carrier was secure but the end of the carrier where the spring sits and pushes the brush was not flush, almost as if it was pried opened it or it wasn't made properly - resulting in less spring pressure. I bent it down with a flat blade screwdriver so it was square against the sides as well as opening up the sides as you suggested.
 
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Hi, I have a 57 a4 cab for which the roof doesn't work. When the codes are cleared it tries to open but fails and merely tries to unlock the roof. The light does the flash ten times as well at start up.

I've run vagcom and got error codes
02000 - Switch position
008 - implausible position
01996 - Convertible Top Lock Switch (F294); Open
008- implausible position

So I tried the manual reset and can't even undo the roof. The key locks in position and I can turn it nearly a full turn but it won't open.

I'm worried it's something mechanical and a big job.

Any help greatly appreciated?
 
Rhysy said:
Hi, I have a 57 a4 cab for which the roof doesn't work. When the codes are cleared it tries to open but fails and merely tries to unlock the roof. The light does the flash ten times as well at start up.

I've run vagcom and got error codes
02000 - Switch position
008 - implausible position
01996 - Convertible Top Lock Switch (F294); Open
008- implausible position

So I tried the manual reset and can't even undo the roof. The key locks in position and I can turn it nearly a full turn but it won't open.

I'm worried it's something mechanical and a big job.

Any help greatly appreciated?
Click to expand...

Right but if an update, not one to be deterred I have now got the roof to open, the rods had disconnected.

I know have the symptoms off roof poppin Up and inch and nothing. I've tried the procedure as per page 1 but to no avail.

What would be my next port of call. I've checked the fuse and fine. How exactly do I check that the roof motor is working? Any pics would be grateful.

R
 
Thanks for the guide VagPro.

After 4 months of not being able to put my roof down I followed the guide and now it's working again.

Glad I didn't go to my local dealer as they wanted £230 for a new pump
 
Rhysy said:
Right but if an update, not one to be deterred I have now got the roof to open, the rods had disconnected.

I know have the symptoms off roof poppin Up and inch and nothing. I've tried the procedure as per page 1 but to no avail.

What would be my next port of call. I've checked the fuse and fine. How exactly do I check that the roof motor is working? Any pics would be grateful.

R
Click to expand...

You need to confirm that the pump motor is being energised ( powered ) the pump motor should run once the front section of the frame has unlocked and raised an inch or so. Use a volt meter at the connector from the main pump harness to the motor. ( 2 heavy wires , sorry can't remember colour ! ) the plug is on a clip mtd on the pump mtg plate, under the motor body.

Edit : run a pair of fly leads out through the boot, closing the boot lid carefully, then connect ur probe leads

If it's receiving a voltage , then the motor would appear to be inoperative still. Operating the switch the other way ( close ) should also engergise the motor too

Good luck
 
Last edited:
Hi guys!
First of al great thread with alot of help!
I have a 2007 cab that hade some small problems with cab motor, And did the motor "service" as in the first post.
But still have a problem, Everything works great untill that moment that the hatch have closed and the back of the cab is starting to move backwards against the hatch again and the front is starting to move against the windshield. There it moves very slow untill it stops and i have to "open" the cab a little to try to close it again. After a couple of times if works and it´s close normal. When i cleaned the motor i forgott to check if there were any "bruches" left of not, Can it be that they are worn out?
I attach a pic stolen from mr www.audiconvertiblespecialist.co.uk from that point it works very slow untill it stops...
 

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So today I went to do the manual rest and am now at a loss again!!

Basically the roof storage cover is stuck open like this...
512756d74512d81576ed81ab58a5bf69.jpg


And I can't get the roof to budge one bit at all!

Any help ASAP please before the rain
 
Weverall said:
So today I went to do the manual rest and am now at a loss again!!

Basically the roof storage cover is stuck open like this...
512756d74512d81576ed81ab58a5bf69.jpg


And I can't get the roof to budge one bit at all!

Any help ASAP please before the rain
Click to expand...

Hello,

Why are you doing a "manual reset" ?

What is wrong with your roof?

Switch ignition off, hold down roof closed button and all hydraulic pressure will be lost.

Then close manually as per resources section on our site.

www.Vagpro.co.uk
 
VagPro said:
Hello,

Why are you doing a "manual reset" ?

What is wrong with your roof?

Switch ignition off, hold down roof closed button and all hydraulic pressure will be lost.

Then close manually as per resources section on our site.

www.Vagpro.co.uk
Click to expand...

I was doing one because when I went to go and out the roof back up the storage lid lifted an inch and then didn't move..

My method was to remove a fuse from slot 30 which released the pressure from the hydraulics...

Got it all sorted in the end, need to check the motor again to see what's happening :) don't the clean once already haha
 
Weverall said:
I was doing one because when I went to go and out the roof back up the storage lid lifted an inch and then didn't move..

My method was to remove a fuse from slot 30 which released the pressure from the hydraulics...

Got it all sorted in the end, need to check the motor again to see what's happening :) don't the clean once already haha
Click to expand...

Hi,

The fact that the storage compartment raises and inch and no further is a clear indication that the motor is faulty. Operating the roof manually will not cure this (it may jolt the motor that may start it to work for a short time, but it is not a solution).

Cleaning the commutator is only fixing the resultant of the root cause, the main thing is that the brushes are sticking which needs to be rectified.

Regards
 
VagPro said:
Hi Steve,

Ahh that makes sense now, only thing to watch out for is sometimes the "end tang" can crack at bend location. Did you managed to check this?

Regards
Click to expand...
Hi VagPro, yes thanks, it was fine, just bent back 3 mm or so. Good to know though, cheers.
 
VagPro said:
Hi,

The fact that the storage compartment raises and inch and no further is a clear indication that the motor is faulty. Operating the roof manually will not cure this (it may jolt the motor that may start it to work for a short time, but it is not a solution).

Cleaning the commutator is only fixing the resultant of the root cause, the main thing is that the brushes are sticking which needs to be rectified.

Regards
Click to expand...

So I've got it booked into the garage to get it checked out but the warranty may not fix it at all?

So what would your suggestion be? The motor itself which I took out to 'clean' would it require replacing that at all??
 
Hi VagPro,
hoping you could give me some pointers in the right direction, as you can guess my roof wont operate, first thing i tried was the manual reset which didn't work .. so i followed your guide for cleaning the motor (thanks for that too! brilliant walk through) .. but unfortunately wasn't the problem.
so reading through i took the advice of getting a fault read out at a friends garage, and the fault code came back as;

01996 -Cabrio top lock switch - f284 open not a plausible signal

which were guessing is the area that latches above the windscreen.
"symptoms" when trying to open the roof are;
10 flashes of warning light when ignition is on,
when roof button is held, windows go down and thats it, the front doesn't pop up,
you can hear the motor going above your head for the latches but fails to do anything

we sent power to the motor in the boot, and it works fine (probably cause of the way it was professionally cleaned by me!)

we cleared the fault codes, and tried a manual reset too, but no luck.
i've tried looking on google for the parts, till i realised i didn't know what the parts actually were!
so how do we figure out what part has gone up there? its not the motor cause i can hear that buzzing away, so whats the most likely thing to have gone?
many thanks
 
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Steve,

Just offering my thoughts.......

Wondering if the drive from the header bow latch motor is re-engaged correctly ? When the emergency overide 'key' is used and inserted as per the instructions, the centre spindle pushes upwards to disengage the motor drive. I've seen this when the motor drive has failed to re-engage correctly after the tool has been used, (perhaps, in the instances I've seen, incorrectly) Think I'd be looking in that area myself.

Good Luck !
 
Hello VagPro,
last year I had a problem with the electric motor of the hydraulic roof pump. last spring I have sent the motor to a good local repair shop and the problem was fixed.
Today my wife opened the top, went to the grocerie shop that only took 10 minutes and once their the top does not closes anymore.
The lid only opens an inch or two.
Something is telling me i have the same problem or could it be something else.
I manualy closed the top and tried to opened and the top only opened an inch.
The shop who repaired it replaced the brushes and the bearing.
I hopefully you can help me. Summer is not finished yet here in canada.
Thanks
 
Just a big thanks Vagpro for sorting my roof. 6hour round trip for me but now have a working roof at very reasonable cost, plus some other things sorted for free.

Top bloke.
 
Just wanted to thank you for your terrific post. I had the exact symptoms you described with my 2007 soft top. I followed your instructions, and the motor is now working perfectly and the roof is going up and down just as it should. I hate to think what the dealership would have charged.
 
Another thank you to VagPro for this thread.

My 2008 Cab roof had run faultlessly for the full 16 months of ownership......and the roof has been down at every opportunity throughout that period. This week it decided it didn't want to close (cover raised an inch and stopped), something i had been waiting to happen for quite a while. So, having closed the roof manually, I took out the motor and cleaned it as per the guide. The roof is now working a treat.

Thanks again.
 
Hi i own a Audi cabriolet A4 2002 covertible i recently i have had roof problems as the roof doesn't operate anymore ? so i looked through loads of pages and came across this on the internet for advance on some Audi forums and it seems it's a common problem with Audi's. I've replaced the brushes . Well first I tried the 2-3 times manual effort which is a bit of a task on my own (the roof is actually quite heavy pulling up and down from one side). That didn't solve it with the igition on. Note - I have had the flashing roof light on.
I undertook the lengthy check and clean on the commutator with the motor(Replaced brushes and cases) - took ages to actually get all the bits from the back out

So.... came to try and the light wasn't flashing any more BUT it didn't work.
First When i press the convertible switch all i get is a noise coming from the front of the roof(where the latches are but that's it nothing else happens?? (Even after i've brought new brushes for the motor and cleaned it up etc)but if i unlock the hood abit sometimes the roof motor kicks in and starts working and starts going into the boot but stops just before and won't go any further so i have to press the button again to close the hood back to the front but doesn't lock in on the latches.I had my cousin help me check if there was power going to Hydraulic motor on multimeter.There is power and i know the Hydraulic motor is working as the roof operates sometimes if i unlock the roof at the front but thats only once in a blue moon ... I was wondering if makes any sense to anyone and if you've manage to find where the fault actually lies as i believe it's something todo with the front not unlocking and that's stoping the Hydraulic motor from doing it's job ...I really want to find the solution as it really buggs me if i don't try and see if theres good advance on this issue ..

hope i hear back from someone who's been in this boat and found a way to solving this ball ache!

Thanks matt
 
Matt, sounds like you have an issue with the front locking motor. There is a separate motor in the front header of the frame that locks / unlocks the frame to the screen frame - this closes the locks back up at about 80% open , just before the hood is fully into the compartment . If this doesn't happen, the roof op cycle will be interrupted.

Drop off the cover on the front header ( 8 or 10 screws on the front retaining bar and then 4 clips ) see what is happening there. Possible the drive isn't re-engaged correctly after using the emergency / manual key ?
 
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Hi Gary,

Thanks for the quick response to my cry for help :) Yeah i will do that today and see what's going on in there as the locking motor is defintely not working . I've used the emergency / manual key to unlock and relock as inthe pass i knew the roof was abit sensitive if the car is on a slope and would stop working to protect the roof .....Then after a few resets manually all is good again but this time it's just making that electric noise at the front and thats it ...I'll have a go on your theory and see what going on in there


Thanks Matt
 
Steve M said:
Hi VagPro,
hoping you could give me some pointers in the right direction, as you can guess my roof wont operate, first thing i tried was the manual reset which didn't work .. so i followed your guide for cleaning the motor (thanks for that too! brilliant walk through) .. but unfortunately wasn't the problem.
so reading through i took the advice of getting a fault read out at a friends garage, and the fault code came back as;

01996 -Cabrio top lock switch - f284 open not a plausible signal

which were guessing is the area that latches above the windscreen.
"symptoms" when trying to open the roof are;
10 flashes of warning light when ignition is on,
when roof button is held, windows go down and thats it, the front doesn't pop up,
you can hear the motor going above your head for the latches but fails to do anything

we sent power to the motor in the boot, and it works fine (probably cause of the way it was professionally cleaned by me!)

we cleared the fault codes, and tried a manual reset too, but no luck.
i've tried looking on google for the parts, till i realised i didn't know what the parts actually were!
so how do we figure out what part has gone up there? its not the motor cause i can hear that buzzing away, so whats the most likely thing to have gone?
many thanks
Click to expand...


Hi steve, I was just wondering if you have fixed the problem as thats exactly what is going onwith my Audi A4 convertiable roof .Would be cool if you've been able to find the fault and get the new part

Thanks Matt
 
Hi, I hope someone can help as I have tried most of the things within these posts. I went out yesterday put the roof down, drove somewhere and put the roof back up. When I came back to my car about 6 hours later and tried to put the roof down it would not work. The boot doesn't unlock withe central locking either but I think this may be a wire in the hinge. I have run vag com and it come up with 02023 - Terminal 87 008 - Implausible Signal. I have checked the control module under the passenger footwell carpet for water damage and it is dry. I have tried reseating the relays in the boot, I have checked the motor and that work. Please can anyone shed some light on this and give me another idea on where to look. Thanks in advance.
 
wobblewoo said:
Sorry to keep posting. But if anyone in the South London/Surrey area wants a hand with this, im happy to help.
Click to expand...


I have a problem with my roof and have tried most of the things on this forum and wondered if you might be able to help me.
 
I now live in Essex so i guess not.

If the issue is with the pump, its fairly easy to get the pump out of the boot. Its also fairly easy to clean the motor brushes (if you had the same issue as me) but i did this loads of times and still had problems. You will be far better off sending it to be professionally done - thats what i did in the end and it worked fine every time. They replace the commutators, thats where the fault lies.

Beware taking the motor from the pump housing as its full of oil and has to be kept in position so the oil does not leak out.

I used this guy.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-A4-C...ar-Warranty-/271983996465?hash=item3f53826e31
 
I have had this a4 b6 3.0 convertible for 3 years, and I have been through the top not working and done resets, found a broken sensor and fixed that and the top worked fine for the last 2 years. I went to take the top down about a 4 weeks ago and It wouldn't come down. I thought I would cycle it, but I can't get the rear deck lid to unlatch, again I have done this and used the tool a few times. But now it seems like something is hitting something when I turn it and its keeping it from opening. I had a friend who is a mechanic look at it, scan codes and he can't find anything wrong... It def feels like its hitting a metal wall when I turn the red handled key (properly inserted) it turns about 45 degrees and feels like it hits a wall...

Sorry to repeat what I am trying to say, but I really need help and I am beating my head against the wall trying to figure this out.

key on, hold top down button windows roll down and then the top light starts to blink on the dash.

We have removed the motor, checked and cleaned the comm and brushes have alot of life left. Reservoir is fine on fluid too. it doesn't seem to be getting any signal to take the top down.

Its just really wierd that the release won't work, we took about half the trunk apart to try to get to it, but it seems we need the deck lid released to get everything removed from the luggage tray to fully see the system, so we are stuck and can't move any further....

Any suggestions my wife loves her car, and I am getting frustrated and ready to blow it up, lol
 
First, thanks for the tip on making sure the brushes can float in their brackets. I cleaned the commuter, but missed this the first time. Motor works great now.

I have two remaining issues. First, the top will not unlatch from fully closed, or latch when trying to close. Sensors are all good -- checked during manual operation. Suspect their is another motor in my 2008 A4 roof top that controls that part of the automation.Am I right? Got a diagram?

Second, if I manually unlatch, top goes through 90% of open operation, but fails to stow in boot area, leaving about 2' of the top exposed and the cover wide open. I can manually spew to complete, but from the fully open state, it will not close again until I unlock and lift the cover. From this point, it closes to the point of not latching - the first problem described.

Help me OB Juan Audi. :)

First post, so I hope I followed etiquette :)
 
Tried the roof again today and.... everything works. I did nothing.

Go figure.
 
Hi Guys

Hope you guys are all well.

I have fault 7 on my roof and I need to know what microswitch LHS is located and looks like. Also my roof doesn't latch or unlatch but I can hear the motor. I know it's 9 screws etc but does any one have a procedure of how to align it.
Last but not least any write up on how to get to the convenience control module on the passenger footwell if that's where it is. My windows don't work but sometimes the control module works and all my windows and locks and remote unlocking works.

Thanks for your help.
 
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