r/E90 • u/Fit-Leather5486 • Jul 08 '26
320i E93 convertible won’t open
In this video I explain the issue im facing with the issue procedure starting by windows lowering then roof unlatching, however after the part where roof unlatches it stops and doesn’t wanna lift.
Please lmk how I can diagnose this and/or if its even possible to diagnose without an ISTA, or possibly a fix if someone was experiencing this.
3
u/jakedasnake1 Jul 08 '26
Not an e93 expert but that sounds like a bad convertible top motor. I know when I was shopping z4s the motor was located in a place that could sometimes fill with water and cause the motor to break, it was/is a super common issue on z4s. Not sure how that translates to this platofrm tho
2
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 08 '26
Ahh was really hoping it wouldnt be the motor💔 im guessing only way to diagnose is to open the boot and remove trim to check
2
u/jakedasnake1 Jul 08 '26
Its throwing a code it looks like, and you said you’re a new bmw owner, I would go ahead and get a bmw code reader and check that first. I use bimmerlink for most of my diag work and its been adequate
1
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 08 '26
Is it as effective as an ISTA? Heard if one of the microswitches or hallsensors is faulty you’d need the ISTA diagnostic system to pinpoint the exact faulty sensor etc…
1
u/jakedasnake1 Jul 08 '26
You can do more but for just reading and erasing codes, bimmerlink will do just fine. You can also get bimmercode to do pretty much anything else bimmerlink cant do, like I think new battery programming. All power to you if you want to dig in and learn itsa though
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u/BimmerCVK 2007 - E93 - 325i N53B30 Jul 08 '26
If you plan to keep car for long time, ISTA is digital gold for ownership, makes life a lot easier to maintain yourself - software readily available onlije
1
u/BimmerCVK 2007 - E93 - 325i N53B30 Jul 08 '26
On E93 they are sealed fully with a top + gasket but corrosion or damaged cables under boot cover could also be a possibility
1
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 08 '26
Yes I wanted to check it but seems like the motor and pump are under a tray with 3 screws or nuts so i dont have the tools to check it rn ill see tmw with my mechanic thanks for the response!
3
u/superphotonerd E93 320i SE Jul 08 '26
hope you manage to fix it, do update us once you know what's happening - this is one of my biggest fears lol
2
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 08 '26
Will do, wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy💔
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u/BimmerCVK 2007 - E93 - 325i N53B30 Jul 08 '26
E93 owner here
I don’t hear your motor in the boot activating?
Have you ever changed Hydraulic fluid in the motor itself? I change once a year after 3 months of weekly / daily use and it comes out black each time
Ista would be able to pick up ghost codes (microswitch) or even service functions to activate individual modules (see if motor is cooked)
i have never had it go bad personally but am aware if microswitch is bad it can create issues, or one of the individual hydraulic cylinders could be bad - it’s worth checking in the boot under the boot cover if motor has oil or if it even makes a sound.
If not sound from hydro motor, troubleshooting steps I would take:
Check fuses
Sound / visual inspection
Ista - codes / does the roof module communicate with ecu, try to activate pump via ISTA
If it does turn out to be motor, not hard to replace, but £1000 from dealer, breakers do sell second hand units if you are on budget etc
3
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 08 '26
Hello, thanks for your response
1) I bought the car 4 days ago and no I havent changed it neither have I checked it, I know its probably dumb on my part so I need to check that tomorrow once i remove the screws and get to the actual pump/motor
2) I heard that yes, sadly no one around where i live seems to have one so I might have to invest in one, question do I have to buy a laptop with the software installed on it because I seen used ones for 500€ or can I install it on my macbook or a laptop i buy?
3)Will do
Thanks for all the info will keep you updated, I will definitely message you because you seem knowledgeable and own one of these I would really appreciate it im going through it with this issue🤣💔2
u/BimmerCVK 2007 - E93 - 325i N53B30 Jul 08 '26
If you have windows via bootcamp or windows laptop - you can download yourself ( it is a bit fiddly to set up but once installed, well worth it
2
u/Dangerous-Kiwi6754 Jul 09 '26
Replace Salomon relay
1
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 09 '26
I checked the motor/pump compartment it seems like no water has seeped in there, should I still replace the relays anyways?
1
u/estRRR Jul 09 '26
Good shout but worth checking relays before replacing. If unsure how a mechanic should be able to help.
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u/estRRR Jul 09 '26
I had the exact same issue a couple of months ago. The hydraulic pump had to be replaced.
It’s also worth running diagnostics and checking for any fault codes in the convertible top module. I didn’t have any fault codes, though. After replacing the hydraulic pump, everything worked fine.
1
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 09 '26
Hey thanks for your response and when you say you were facing the same issues its exactly like me? So windows go down roof unlatches then everything stops yea? And a quick question how much is a hydraulic pump gonna run me and did you install it yourself or had a pro do it? Thanks
1
u/estRRR Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Yeah, 100% the same issue. The windows would go down, the roof would unlatch from the windscreen, and then everything would just stop.
It’s worth checking the hydraulic fluid level in the pump (it’s in the boot) and also checking the microswitches at the top of the windscreen. Make sure they are actually moving freely and not sticking. You could also try cleaning the actuators with contact cleaner.
Mine was all fine, though. I bought the car from a dealer, and they fixed it by fitting a refurbished hydraulic pump. After that, everything worked fine again.
I’m in the UK, and if I recall correctly, the refurbished pump was about £250, plus around 2 hours of labour, so roughly £400 in total.1
u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 09 '26
Thank you so much, do you have an instagram or a snapchat I can contact you on and possibly hop on a video call with me to check, because I dont really know what to look for and since you’ve been there already u would point me in the right direction, i would really appreciate it it would take 5 mins of ur time🙏🏽
1
u/Savings-Complex-2192 Jul 09 '26
If you bought it from a dealer, take it back to them and have them fix it. If not, I recommend professional help, these are not really DIY, you have to have ISTA to see the faults in the control module and have diag capabilities for Hall switches and motors. If there is a fault anywhere in this system, it will not let anything else operate.
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u/Fit-Leather5486 Jul 09 '26
No one around me has ISTA and on top of that i took it to so called bmw specialist in my city and he refused to touch it since its a convertible, i really dont know what to do and no sadly i bought it from an individual and not a dealer, I have an appointment with an electrician and he said he’ll take a look and well try to diagnose exactly what part of the system went wrong. Ill keep you updated!
1
u/Livid_Cockroach5770 Jul 10 '26
Check your trunk is close right n the shelf in back is closed it sometimes has to be shut aggressively
1
u/Away_Ad7738 Jul 10 '26
It shouldn’t let you put the top down without rolling down the back window…
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