Audi A4 Cabriolet - fix for roof not opening
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- Опубликовано: 11 апр 2020
- As the summer starts each year the roof on my Audi A4 Cabriolet only opens slightly then stops, this video shows you how to fix that, by accessing the electric motor which drives the hydraulics for the power hood.
Note, in Ireland when we say 'boot', this means the trunk!
You'll see in this video I make a couple of mistakes, which I then correct so best to watch the whole video through before following.
To see the tools you will need, go straight to 35:50 in the video (but throughout the video I show you which tools I use before using them, although I think I've got the names of the tools wrong in places, sorry!)
I am a 78 year old woman with Audi a4. Peter, you have explained this repair and I have completed it. My convertible roof works FANTASTIC. Thank you, you save me a ton of money.
impressive, good work!
Hi Frances, that’s great news, I have since discovered that I just need to open the roof once or twice over the winter to avoid having to do this job, the strange looks from other drivers is worth the time saved on this job each spring!
You are a freaking rock star!!!! Thank you so much for the detailed instructions.. it fixed my roof operation on my 2007 A4. Audi wanted 1800 bucks to fix this. And I never knew I could open the roof from my door lock OH MY GOD !!! Thank you!!
Can't thank you enough Peter. Just so relieved that I came across your video and worked a teat. No problem went as smooth as silk and now my roof is back working perfectly on my 2016 A4. Much obliged. Regards Liam.
I have had my Audi A4 for a year and I was figuring out if the motor worked or get a replacement. I just did what you did and it finally moved the top a bit. I noticed one of the springs didn’t move a lot. So I figured out that I need a new motor. Thank you for the video.
Thanks a lot Peter! We have the same issue, and thanks to your outstanding video, now we know why the roof occasionally stops opening or closing. And we didn't know that you could open and close the roof with the key. That's super convenient.
Dude! Thank you! I had a new motor in my online shopping cart, about to drop $800. But I decided to do one last look online for help. This is the first video that I came across that talked about stuck brushes and widening the housing to fix them as opposed to JUST cleaning the contacts. Worked like a charm! The top works beautifully now.
Glad the video helped. There are a few other great suggestions on here like replacing the brushes. For future reference there are also companies that you can send your existing motor to and have them refurb it, way cheaper than replacing the whole thing
Dude... I so wished the previous owner hadn't tinkered with mine before... The cables are a mess... I really need to do a ton of work if I'm to work on mine. This is not the first video I've seen on how to repair the motor's brushes but you definitely are a LEGEND for doing 90% of the work with just one hand while holding the phone. Hats off bud!!!
I relate so much. The previous owner of mine must’ve been bonkers because everything is just so misaligned and the wrong screws were used in the wrong places. That’s what I get for buying a „steal“ price
You are the best!! I just fix my convertible top thanks to your great video! All I did was clean the black corrosion to make it shiny again. My brush was OK. Save me a lot of cash. Cannot do it without you!!!
It wasn’t as easy as it looks but it helped!!!! Thank you so much man!
I thought I would have to spend money I haven't got on a new motor and mechanic to fit it your video has really helped me understand what I have to do .I have most of the tools already so come this weekend I am going to attempt it as it's still summer. Kind regards SImon
Thank you very much for this material, it helped me a lot, now the roof opens and closes without any problems I recommend to everyone to do these activities and what in the film the author of this film has an Oscar from me thank you very much for all readers good luck
I'm having the same problem. When I make this repair I am thinking of trying some powdered graphite on that spring switch to lubricate. Thanks for the video, you probably saved me a lot of money!
That’s a great idea Jay, even rubbing the end of a pencil on the spring loaded stud might make a difference.
I went by the video you posted and my top works now. Thank you
Have the same problem this week after repairing my washing machine with the same issue going to look at this thanks for the pointer 👌
The part your referring to is called the brushes. They can wear over time, usually more noticeable on alternators if you choose to rebuild one. Sometimes just a simple brush change can make your alternator work like new again
Fabulous video, so so helpful and practical. Thanks
Peter you're a lifesaver! My roof is now working as good as new.
Yikes Jonny, I hope you’re somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, we’ve no reason to be dropping the hood here in Ireland for at least 4 months 😔
@@peterhinds7159 North of England actually! Just running out of things to fix in the lockdown...
Thanks for the hard work to do this video it was so helpful! Hope you pass on more tips if you discover any!
Glad you found it useful…the only tip I have learned since is opening the roof at least once a month over the winter seems to keep the roof working well
Great video mate!!
One of the better videos I have seen. All the rest just skip all over the place and really not showing much.
Thanks , I’m on my second motor , the first motor was replaced 2yrs ago , now the second one has stopped after about 8 months, l only used putting down the top a couple of times and I didn’t use my car that much it sat in the driveway for 3 months, but I’ll give this a try , plus I still have the first motor so I’ll take it apart to see if the brushes we’re hanging up and not making contact with the rotor, thanks for posting this video , 👍🏼
Glad to help Dave, you’ll see a few useful comments from other viewers, like replacing the brushes, about $2 apparently! I’m not brave enough to try that though as it looks like it needs some soldering experience!
That’s great there are videos how to manually put it up and down but to fix the motor dirt or carbon soot. Great 👍🏾 job.
It works!! Thank you very much. I tried also WD-40 but carefully.
You beauty!! Took me longer finding a 7mm spanner than doing the job 👍👍
Is that always the way Andy, replaced my brake pads about 10 years ago for the first time, had to go back to the motorfactors about 3 times that day as I kept finding new tools I needed for the job, it was a drive away so had to keep putting the wheels back on over and over 🤦🏼♂️
Great info...will try fingers crossed !
Thanks Charles, hope it works for you.
Great video! i have the same issue, windows go down, roof lifts off windescreen like yours then nothing.. i can still hear the motor going though, but will try this today!
Hi Steve, if you can hear the motor going then this fix might not work, at the start of my video you'll notice that once the roof opens a crack there is no noise from the motor. I'm no expert but you might need to check if there is fluid in the reservoir on the back end of the combined motor+hydraulics (the piece that I remove from the back right corner of the car). Unfortunately I'm not sure how much fluid there should be in there so you might have to search the web to find that out. If there's fluid missing I'd suggest it's escaping somewhere so you'll need to look into that. This might not be the reply you're hoping for, sorry!
@@peterhinds7159 Hi mate, No probs, ive given a try anyway, and yep it didnt work... however i did notice that the bushes (the things that are sticking on yours) arent that great, as in there isnt much of them, they dont seem to be making much if any contact and one of them is loose and wobbly. so maybe its this? what fun !!
Those are motor brushes... graphite bars help lubricate the motor. They obviously need to be replaced, as they wear down with use leaving less graphic to spring forward. My guess is yours could use replacing. I will check this as my top is not going down, but is give a soft box storage obstacle error.
I love you!!!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!
Perfect
Thanks for the video. It looks like your carbon brushes (the sprung black things) are worn out which aren't too expensive to get. Additionally the copper thing is called the commutator and cleaning it is the right thing to do - the black stuff is carbon from the brushes.
Great video, shame I saw it after doing it but would have made things a lot easier
NOTE* THE PART YOU ARE MOVING BACK & FORTH IS CALLED THE "BRUSH".... :-)
Ha ha, you can tell I’m an amateur Ian, right?! Thanks for letting me know.
Looks good thanks
BUT I would check the roof works before putting all the covers back!
can't, need it built for it to fold away
Thx 🙏 You the 🌟🤝
my roof wont even open a bit any ideas wonder were the fuse is kept cheers
I have a 2014 Audi A5 convertible & my top works fine both ways until I put it back up & at the last second it stops & leaves a 2 inch gap. The crazy thing is sometimes it works & sometimes it don't. It's all the way down now but I'm scared 2 let the top down now. Don't know when it wants 2 work.... Can't have rain in my shit. It was stuck 3 weeks but fine the last todays. Can't let it back down out of fear
use electrical switch cleaner and use a can of compressed air to blow all the waste out from the carbon brush
My rear roof compartment is half locked and half unlocked in the roof down position and the rear manual override mechanism won't work to free it with the key... Any ideas?
this helped me but the problem is it got stuck again I did the same think at the rotor and I can hear its working but just the roof opens a little and thats it, PLEASE HELP ME!
Many thanks for the video. I opened that motor up the other day. Brushes were so stuck that I could not move them! Broke on of the wires like you said hope this does not happen. I thought I was in serious trouble however, luckily I ended up buying a few of these www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RDCY826/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and then I opened up one of the metals and put them in. It worked on my vehicle. You have to measure them to see if they fit. I thought I would buy a new motor but I didn't wanna cause they used and not like mine. I saved so much money. hopefully the wires don't come loose but if they do I'll solder them. But now its working perfectly. Project was well worth it.
Anyone know about code# 00470 combustion comfort databus, and implausible in terminal 87?
This happens to me every year too - but all I do is let the roof open an inch and then simply push it up (forcing the motor to turn) and after a few tries it kicks in and works. Try this before you start taking your car to pieces...
I’m definitely going to try that next time, thanks for the tip!
This worked for me.
The roof hadn't been used for a few months and it just popped up off the screen, so I gave it a little push to help the motor and it's working fine now.
As Peter mentioned above - I think cycling the roof occasionally during periods of non-use might help to maintain its free movement.
Thanks! This works like a charm and saves a lot of time!
That part you were talking bout to protect the top in the trunk is called a partition
Audi will charge you literally an arm and a leg for Soft top repairs. The motor used to actuate the hydraulic pump is a really cheap and basic electro motor and yes it is serviceable. Completely removing the motor will make servicing it much easier and you can test it by simply connecting a 12 volt dc power source to it before reinstall. Audi will not repair these but do a full replacement which is a total money grab. I am sure this video will help many Audi convertible owners with soft top issues.
Can you fix mine? I live in Palm Beach
Hey that was wild and well done . here is my situation 2005 audi s4 when I tried the top there was no light at the switch , the cig light socket works, the top didn’t move at all , I noticed the storage bay tray in trunk was real loose ( like it was off the track - especially the right side ) and it wouldn’t go down all the way or up using the lever or by hand to lock into place . Then a friend pushed it down into place so I tried to lower top and it wouldn’t budge. Also I lowered back right window before we tried top and it lowered but wouldn’t come back up.my back left window doesn’t go down at all. The fronts l and r work fine . Car sat for two years but everything worked fine then . What do you think could be the issue? Are there fuses or relays for this ? Wish you could figure out what the fix is for the storage bay tray and shoot out your video or explanation. I’m assuming at the very least I’ll have to dismantle the back but what about the light at the inside control switch? Shouldn’t that be on? May the switch is bad .
Happy Thanksgiving .
Perhaps tomorrow you can shoot me your thoughts
It is a very good video you covered exactly what you would have to do jimmy
Hi Jimmy, I’m afraid the video I recorded is the limit of my understanding. I only know that repair so well because I have to do every year for the last 7 or 8 years unfortunately!! It sounds like you’ll need to take it to someone who know a little more than I do.
@@peterhinds7159 thanks Peter I would like to know where I can purchase the plastic track assembly that operates the inside tray that allows the top to sit on when down . Mine has cracked and it might just be that and not the motor. Also my right rear window went down and is not coming back up. I hear sounds ,what do you think a bout that do you have a video taking the door panel off and seeing what could be the problem? My rear left window won’t go down any thoughts ?
Maybe a link to all these questions if you can’t help
Pulling that 12 v from the switch and lifting out the trunk lip was a nightmare hehehehe
@@jimmyperinientertainment2832 you said it! I always have trouble with that bit, you can probably see I have to just put the cameraphone down at that point.
@@jimmyperinientertainment2832 sorry Jimmy, I’m afraid I’m by no means a guru on the A4 cab, I just know that one fix very very well, from practice!
Hi Peter, once we done with polish with sand paper, is there any chance we can test the roof, whether its working or not, or can u plz suggest at what point we can test...
Hi Kalyan, I guess you could test the motor works just after you have secured it back onto the 3 bolts that hold the motor in place, so just after 23min47sec in the video. You’d be saving the time of putting all the boot trim back in place
Thanks peter, its really good video, unfortunately it didn't work for me. Might be some other reason, have u got any idea where else i could check
kalyan chinnam , I’m not too knowledgeable beyond the steps in the video, but in thinking about it a little: does your roof show the same symptoms, where the roof opens a little but then stops? If it shows that same behaviour and the fix in the video doesn’t fix it, then your best bet might be to remove the motor and send it for a refurb as suggested in another comment however I don’t know how you disconnect the motor from the hydraulics. If the roof is not even opening that small crack then perhaps the button is faulty?? I’m afraid that’s the best I can do, hope you get it sorted!
Hi Peter, roof left open from the front, and it won't go either way from that point.
Did mine today before seeing Peter's excellent video. My roof seemed a bit slow and would sometimes stop mid action, I can confirm you can test the pump whilst it is sitting on the boot floor. I made the mistake of rotating the motor 180 degrees when I put it back together and the roof did not work but worked perfectly and seemed strong when I rotated the pump motor to the original position. Can I add it might be worth changing the fluid whilst you have the pump out as it only cost £13 from Audi. Thank you Peter.
Jokes on you, my trunk has been pre-torn apart for years now 😅😅
Less abrasive solution to polishing the com is autosol & a cotton bud then wd40 on a cloth .
really hope that u are still replying to comments! :(
after a few rainy days my top started leaking and i think MAYBE the rain damaged something but idk. if only got stuck (exactly like in this video) after i tried to drop the top after the rain. could it still be the motor or something else??
thank you!
Hey, I’m afraid I don’t know a whole lot more beyond the video I made. One thing you could do is take a voltmeter and check if there’s 12v being supplied to the motor but I wouldn’t know which wires you would need to check on the electrical connection
Having a similar problem wondering if anyone can help ?!! I have a 2006 Audi A4 1.8t and when I click the button for my top it says soft top not available and I don’t hear the motor or anything. Does anyone have a solution??
If the dashboard is telling you there is a problem it will most certainly be an electrical issue, maybe a position switch not working VCDS or VAG-COM will tell you where the problem is. You can buy VCDS that will read roof faults for about £30 on ebay.
Where can I buy a new 2009 audi a4 roof topmotor
Hi Brian, not sure but I do recall seeing a few ads on eBay a few years back for reconditioned motors so maybe try there
Done this, still not working and same problem with roof opening 2 inches and stopping, any ideas?
Im guessing a new or second motor from eBay, i have an 06 plate a4.
Yeah, if you’ve done all that and the motor is not making any noise then you might need a new motor. I have seen a few places that will recondition the whole unit though, maybe check that on ebay?
@@peterhinds7159 thanks Peter, bought a new motor on eBay for £150 now, waiting arrival.
@@TheJonesey1 hi, did new motor worked?
@@musamusayev7755 new motor worked fine. Thanks
@@musamusayev7755 The new motor worked very well.
Bro mine is not going down any suggestions
Sorry, I’m afraid I’m a novice, I know how to do this but not much beyond that.
Hello there!
I got video on my channel if you need any more help!
On how to fix most roof issues, showing 3 main issues with it and fixes, also how to open and close manually and how to fully reset position of it that helps in most of the cases!
have a look it might help!
Good luck!
Quick method. Shut yourself in boot tap with toffee hammer on pump case while wife operates roof. 5min fix! Don't get crushed by roof!
Didnt realise the roof operates from the door lick
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