07 650i Convertible Top Unlocked Alarm Problem

I have seen several people have power/battery issues after doing the battery cable recall. No Idea what the techs are doing but it seems like they often screw something up during the install. How old is your battery?

If you are having issues after rain then I would check your drain plugs ASAP. When they clog water runs into the trunk where the NAV and stereo amps are located. If water takes out the NAV it's $2K+ to fix. There are 4 rubber grommets on the floor of the top storage compartment. From the top closed position, press the top open and let go of the top open button once the top storage compartment lid is fully raised, then check the drains. Pour a little water down each hole with a turkey baster or large syringe. Use a coathanger or thick weed-whacker cord to clean out the drains if water backs up.

I had the drain plug issue right after I got my car four years ago. That was the start of the abyssmal service record this car has had since. The speakers started popping and when I started to smell something akin to an electrical fire I figured it was about time to take it in. Indeed, the stereo amp was fried.

On a related note, I have been getting the top not locked error again. I do the boesman push each time and it works like a charm, though having to do it every day or two is a bit of a pain. So I figured maybe this was the time to take it in for the recall and let them have at the top again while they were at it (this would be time #8 for those keeping count). But Yorgi, you're making me worry that in their attempt to "fix" this recall issue, they are just as likely to screw something else up!

Originally Posted by avoiceoreason

... But Yorgi, you're making me worry that in their attempt to "fix" this recall issue, they are just as likely to screw something else up!

I think just about everyone has done the recall (ie dozens here on the board) and 3 or 4 guys reported having issues after. Not a huge ratio. Maybe these guys had weak batteries to start with.

Originally Posted by Yorgi

I think just about everyone has done the recall (ie dozens here on the board) and 3 or 4 guys reported having issues after. Not a huge ratio. Maybe these guys had weak batteries to start with.

Okay, thanks. I guess I'll go ahead with it then.

The Boesman fix does it again!
I had the blinking red light, windows won't roll up, top 99% closed and seemingly locked. Same problem two weeks ago that reset by morning...

I just barely pushed the indicated spot on the inside of the top (to the left of the driver's-side rear head rest) and immediately the red light cleared.

Readers, see post #120 in this thread for the illustrated fix http://www.forums.bimmerfest.com/sho...&postcount=120

Wish there was a FAQ to put this in!

Thanks Boesman!

The one good think about BMW precision...if one Bimmer does it, they all do it!

Originally Posted by Need4Breeze

The Boesman fix does it again!
I had the blinking red light, windows won't roll up, top 99% closed and seemingly locked. Same problem two weeks ago that reset by morning...

I just barely pushed the indicated spot on the inside of the top (to the left of the driver's-side rear head rest) and immediately the red light cleared.

Yeas, works great for me too. Just wish I didn't have to do it every couple of days. I'd be curious to know how long the Boesman fix works for others...

Apologies for the repost as I put this in another thread, but thought it might be useful here as well:

Taking the car in next week to have them take another (10th) crack at this.

But I noticed something.

When I got the error recently, I was driving and couldn't reach the boesman touch point. What I could reach was the sensor wire that runs along the frame ahead of the boesman area (i.e. closer to the driver seat). It was running along the frame toward the interior of the car. I tucked it up and over the frame so that it would run along the exterior of the car and the light went off. Each time the error has ocurred since, I have found that the wire has found its way back to laying on the interior side of the frame. I then push it back to the exterior and the light goes off.

Does this give anyone any ideas?

Is there a way to adjust the connection point of the sensor so that it can't work its way back over the frame, or some way to tighten it so it can't flop back over?

Can someone who has never had the error run their hand along the frame and tell us the location of their sensor wire (i.e. does it lie to the interior or exterior)?

O MY GOD! Dude! I am SOOOOO glad I found your post! I was stuck and couldnt get the top to work, a gentle nudge to the bar did the trick! It all started working as if nothing had happened! Freakin Awesome! Youre a lifesaver!

Originally Posted by boesman10

I live in FL and with the summer heat kicking in I have had this issue now a few times over the past few months (just got my '07 650i Convertible 5 months ago).
I have read many threads and info from other places, and found a workaround for this issue that I have not seen posted anywhere else (at least it works for me).
I've had this happen to me just this morning again (car was parked in the airport garage for a week, and after taking the red-eye back from San Francisco, I could not open the trunk, and noticed the "red convertible top blinking light" problem - last thing you want at 7am after an overnight flight.

So I did what I've now sucessfully done over the past month when this happened, the the light stops blinking right away, and things are back to normal.

So this is what I do (old school):

There's a bar (not the kind you're thinking about) with an elbow that runs behind the canvas in the back pivot point in the convertible top (forgive me - I don't know the technical terms), but the first pic shows what this looks like on the drivers side. I have drawn the approx location of where this bar lies with a red dot indicating the pivot point where the faulty sensor lies.

All I do when I run into this problem is to apply a little pressue to that pivot point with my hand (as indicated by the red dot in the pic) and the red blinking light stops blinking, and things are back to normal (shown in the second attachhment). I normally push the pivot point down towards the body of the car - not a lot of pressure is needed at all. To quantify, if you press hard enough to break an egg, it's to hard. All it needs is a gentle nudge for the sensor to engage (is my guess).

I'm assuming in my case the problem lies with the sensor on the driver side, because I never had to do this on the passenger side, but it may be that in some cases one will have to do this on the passenger side as opposed to the driver side (as shown in the third attachment).

Let me know if this helps anyone else.

This works fine for me, so I'm not planning on taking the car in for this to be fixed, since it does not look as if the successrate in addressing this is that high (and I can't do without the car for two days, and it's out of warrantee anyway).

Originally Posted by BMWNooB_E64

O MY GOD! Dude! I am SOOOOO glad I found your post! I was stuck and couldnt get the top to work, a gentle nudge to the bar did the trick! It all started working as if nothing had happened! Freakin Awesome! Youre a lifesaver!

Did you ever get the adjustment done to your sensor bracket? There was a recall on it so you may want to verify that it was done. I had mine done and never had this "Top Not Lock" issue popped up again.

Interesting, they did do a recall on it? The BMW dealership here ran my vin and only popped up two recalls. #1 for the brake vacuum boost and #2 the battery cable thing. I'm trying to talk them into fixin this on their dime since so many of us have the prob!

I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this was never a "recall" per se. There was a TSB issued that described modifying the sensor bracket that pablo645 is referring to. He is fortunate that it fixed his car. That TSB had been performed multiple times on mine yet the probelm always creeps back up after 3-4 months.

Pablo645 has an '08 though, and I think this problem is far more prevalent on '07 and earlier models.

I fully agree they should fix it on their dime as this is clearly a design flaw, and IMO this should have been a recall. I think the problem is that they can't do a recall because at the end of the day they don't actually know how to fix it! I just picked mine up again yesterday after having been in for the 8th or 9th time for this issue. They again replaced the sensor (3rd time) which I don't suspect will do anything in the long run to obviate the problem.

Thanks for the correction avoiceoreason. It was a TSB and not an actual recall but from what my SA stated to me at the time was not if the customer complained, BMW was suppose to implement the TSB.
BMWNooB_E64, find out if this was ever done on your car. If not I would insist that they do it just for good measure.

Boesman push worked for me. Amazing that this car is so overenineered that it drives people crazy with this problem. Is BMW even reading this? this should be the subject iof a reacall. We all boight our verts for the obvious reason - to open the top. When BMW engineering has deeated this, why is this not a defect deserving of fixing???? BMW: wake up!!!!

Boesman10 - just want to say a big thank you. Joined the forum today as I was generally pissed off, looking for answers to the red flashing light and convertible top issue that has been plaguing me. I have had sensors changed on a cadillac xlrv hard top convertible I drive at home with great expense.

I was about to finally take my 2008 650i to dealership tomorrow to spend a small fortune on what I thought were faulty sensors. Thanks to the forum, your original post and the following posts over the last few years, I fixed the problem with what is now the "classic" Boesman10 fix.

Thanks again.

So glad this fix is helping so many!! It just happened to me again this morning. It seems like every time there's a big change in temperature in FL the car lets me know by flashing its convertible red light

So, all good reviews and comments. However, i think it would be key to know how to survive one of these convertible incidents of top stuck up or down. I watched one time if you turn the key off, the trunk lid would close is a 'return to normal' way. I just want to know, what do i do if this gets stuck up or down.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Having been the king of this problem with my (then) '04 (I took it in 11 times and finally got the entire roof replaced under warranty), it really depends. The pushing on the sensor spot has worked for some. In some cases, you'll just need to follow the directions in the manual to crank the top up or down. I've also had a number of times where simply restarting the car has tricked the car into working.

Thanks for the feedback. Good to know. I too, have found that through a series on turning the car on and off has reset it. I will follow your lead on the owners manual and the manual up & down operations. I just don't want to be driving down the highway in the pouring rain, with the top down. You know.

BTW, is there a way to know what percentage of the six'er convertibles are having this issue(04' on up)? When does something like this constitute a recall? Thoughts

Only anecdotal, but given the number of members over the years vs the number having the problem,I'm going to guess 15% (again, completely a guess). Probably more.

Probably not a bad guess Nick. I've never been stranded thanks to the boesman push and/or turning it off and let set until red light stops blinking, then restarting. Mine is at the dealer for this problem right now for the second time in two years (fortunately covered by CPO).