Hi everyone

in my 4 years of ownership the car has never had an issue with the top but of course, today when I tried to close it (due to rain in about an hour) it closed halfway and won't close. I pulled the codes and got 00A689 and 00a68a which both don't give me much information when I google it.

Can anyone please help?

thanks

I had the same issue when attempting to close my E93 convertible top. The trunk was locked and windows stuck in down position. I was able to attempt to open/close the top enough to at least get it to seat normally against the locking points on the roof, but do not apply pressure and force it down. I had to drive to the dealership (40 miles) with the top strapped to the headrest in 30 degree weather.. It was awful. The dealership diagnosed it as a faulty wiring harness. They had to remove the back seats to gain access as my 2011 does not have a keyhole on the trunk. They had the car for almost 3 weeks and $2500 cost later, it was fixed. Luckily, it was covered under my extended warranty so I was only out $250 deductible.

Did you get your code read with a bmw code reader?

Try locking & unlocking the doors manually with the key. Had that happen once on my E93. Somehow it reset it back and it closed. Worth trying.

illusiveM3 wrote

I had the same issue when attempting to close my E93 convertible top. The trunk was locked and windows stuck in down position. I was able to attempt to open/close the top enough to at least get it to seat normally against the locking points on the roof, but do not apply pressure and force it down. I had to drive to the dealership (40 miles) with the top strapped to the headrest in 30 degree weather.. It was awful. The dealership diagnosed it as a faulty wiring harness. They had to remove the back seats to gain access as my 2011 does not have a keyhole on the trunk. They had the car for almost 3 weeks and $2500 cost later, it was fixed. Luckily, it was covered under my extended warranty so I was only out $250 deductible.

Yikes! glad you were able to get it taken care of by warranty, unfortunately for me I have no warranty

Ram3n wrote

Did you get your code read with a bmw code reader?

the codes were pulled using carly

SRB_Mpower wrote

Try locking & unlocking the doors manually with the key. Had that happen once on my E93. Somehow it reset it back and it closed. Worth trying.

tried that, no luck

Did you ever get this resolved? I am having the exact same issue with the same Carly codes. Thanks

I had the same issue with my wife's E46 330ci. The dealer wanted to replace all of the latches/motor on the header for $3,000. I did a continuity check on the harness and found a broken wire for the proximity switch where the top contacts the windshield frame. I bought a $3 roll of black wire from Autozone, wrapped it around the harness and bypassed the broken wire to get it working. I bought a new top harness ($110) and tossed it in my desk for the next broken wire. When we sold the car 7 years later it was still working fine. The tricky part for the E93 is finding the wiring diagrams, since BMW doesn't want us to have them.

Not sure how accurate Carly is but mine seems to be indicating an issue with the hall sensors on the top flaps - can't seem to find anything on the web about "flaps"

Would love to try to fix it myself since I can't easily drive it to a shop when the top is half way down and I have read to not use the emergency close procedures if the top is stuck mid way...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13T-iuuWkixktQTodWwAugZESsHXTwvb_/view?usp=sharing

Here's a link to the E93 Retractable top manual.

Nice thread on troubleshooting the top:

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1253599

Instruction manual that djsilver links above is extremely helpful too.

Thanks djsilver and ctmike. The manual looks very helpful and I will try to track down and test the sensors. Unfortunately, I am a novice with the multimeter and don't think the Carly will be a sufficient code reader.

Subscribed...!! - Just in case I have an issue with my top...




Good luck on the repair..!

Subscribed. Great info here. E93 owners unite!

Thanks djsilver and ctmike! Awesome reference documents

Ha, don't thank me, thank SaNGRia ... dude is a wealth of info and always shares what he learns!

Mike

ELSTL wrote

Not sure how accurate Carly is but mine seems to be indicating an issue with the hall sensors on the top flaps - can't seem to find anything on the web about "flaps"

Would love to try to fix it myself since I can't easily drive it to a shop when the top is half way down and I have read to not use the emergency close procedures if the top is stuck mid way...

The car is clearly just waiting patiently for you to cover that chrome trim.

cae93 wrote

ELSTL wrote

Not sure how accurate Carly is but mine seems to be indicating an issue with the hall sensors on the top flaps - can't seem to find anything on the web about "flaps"

Would love to try to fix it myself since I can't easily drive it to a shop when the top is half way down and I have read to not use the emergency close procedures if the top is stuck mid way...

The car is clearly just waiting patiently for you to cover that chrome trim.

Definitely on the to-do list. Planning to try DIY with Superwrap - already have the kit, just need to find the time

CTMike wrote

Ha, don't thank me, thank SaNGRia ... dude is a wealth of info and always shares what he learns!

Mike

+1 for SaNGRia !!!

I had a similar issue, it was fixed by replacing the two salmon/pink colored relays.

They seem to last about 100k or so.

Can also try swapping them with one another to see if it changed/improves the situation.

The relay box is in the trunk, need to look where the spare tire would be, but it's the hydraulic system for the top.

CTMike wrote

Ha, don't thank me, thank SaNGRia ... dude is a wealth of info and always shares what he learns!

Mike

Appreciated man, it means ALOT!

exnoodle wrote

I had a similar issue, it was fixed by replacing the two salmon/pink colored relays.

They seem to last about 100k or so.

Can also try swapping them with one another to see if it changed/improves the situation.

The relay box is in the trunk, need to look where the spare tire would be, but it's the hydraulic system for the top.

Thanks exnoodle. Already replaced the relays - no dice. Likely going to try the base plate next - the OP pointed me in this direction and I believe the spring on the metal contact tab is broken.

Just confirmed that the Base Plate was the issue - propped up the metal tab and the top operated as it should. Pulled the part, fixed the spring, reinstalled, and all is happy - thanks to the forum and especially kwlaznkid!