2003 z4 convertible top

Ok, so the warm weather finally gets here and for some reason, the top won't retract! It did yesterday, and this morning, but all of a sudden this afternoon.............zilch. The light comes on, the windows go down and the top retracts about 2" then stops. I can hit the close button and it closes and locks perfectly. Need input please

You sure you did not change the storage space in the trunk?

Originally Posted by RTD741

Ok, so the warm weather finally gets here and for some reason, the top won't retract! It did yesterday, and this morning, but all of a sudden this afternoon.............zilch. The light comes on, the windows go down and the top retracts about 2" then stops. I can hit the close button and it closes and locks perfectly. Need input please

Mine did the same thing... motor was gone. The drains for the roof get clogged & it fills up the motor area with water.

I have jobs that I do & jobs my indi does - this was all him. Have to remove the top. I believe there is a DIY here someplace.

I filed an insurance clain & they footed the bill - deductable. The drains are cleaned & the car is covered when it's out.

Good luck !

Thanks. How did you manage to have insurance cover that?

Originally Posted by Mario Free

You sure you did not change the storage space in the trunk?

No, space has not changed. I moved the spacer up and down a few times, thought the limit switch might have misalligned. Don't think it's the motor as it still kicks in and does closed the top after it stops opening.

I have a 2003 Z4 Roadster. I was having different problems with the top but after all of the recommendations to change out the motor, I went ahead and did so DIY with ShipKiller's DIY guide posted here on Bimmerfest. I thought it was a fairly easy job, provided you have the required tools, the ability to fit your body in the trunk, and a lot of patience. After putting in the motor i ordered brand new from BMW N.A., it did the exact same thing. I have been using the top manually since and it doesn't bother me. If push comes to shove and you have to have that motor replaced i will sell you mine for $350(shipping already included) to anywhere in the U.S. I can ship it to you in the same box BMW N.A. shipped it to me. The motor has never technically been used. Everytime i press the button to lower the top, absolutely nothing happens. Windows don't lower, latches don't come undone...absolutely nothing. blah...I wish i had the simple problem most people on here have! if you are interested pm me.

I also ordered and never installed the convertible top relay. I did install the Trunk Compartment Microswitch less than 6 months ago, but same story on never actually been put to use. for an extra $20 I can give you both the microswitch and relay as well.

from what I understand, there are 2 convertible top relays. One controls the top going up, one controls it going down. To help diagnose the problem, manually lower the top and then make sure the red loop is closed and try to raise it. If it raises with no problems, it's either the trunk compartment microswitch(which will trip a yellow light when trying to lower the top or one of those relays). If the top goes up about 4 inches and dies out, your motor is probably shot. When the motor begins to fail, it is usually intermittent failure and works at a slower rate.

Originally Posted by RTD741

Thanks. How did you manage to have insurance cover that?

Water damage