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roof will not retract!

84K views 34 replies 23 participants last post by  Arthut 
#1 ·
My brand new Convertibles roof aint working! :confused:

The sun roof bit opens but then it wont go the next bit....All I get is a red flashing light from the button...and before you ask..

No I'm not moving when doing it :rolleyes:

No I don't leave my finger on the button (ie I know it's a 2 stage operation)

Yes the levers in the boot are in the correct position.......

Any ideas.......If not don't worry it's booked in for Tuesday.
 
#12 ·
I know this is very old topic but I really wish to give credit where is due.

Last night on my way back home I decided to take the top down. I got half way thought with the process and I experienced the exact symptoms as mentioned in Minicabrio's post :

"Sunroof portion opens, but red light flashes on roof button when I try to lower the whole roof "...

I tried multiple times and nothing... All I could get was the sunroof and i stopped right there each time. Of course, naturally I start to think of the worse possible scenarios. Mechanical problem, cable snapped, engine or whatever that drives the soft top - dead..and what not...

First think in the morning I fire up my browser and start searching MINI2, and in just few minutes came across this very thread when binchybabes suggests to check the parcel shelf.
BINGO !!! The soft top works again...

It spare me the time of taking 1 hour drive to the nearest Service Center, where usually you need to wait few hours before the car gets look into. And if you lucky, which is not always the case, you might be able to collect it by the end of the shift or the next day.

Thanks allot guys for sharing your experience and posting these things here. We are 10.000km away from each other and yet within minutes I can troubleshot my car's issues.

Got to love the internet :)

Thanks again !!!
Best regards from tropical Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

Sebastian
 
#8 ·
Glad its been resolved - but there are two different problems with two different solutions....

  1. Sunroof portion opens, but red light flashes on roof button when I try to lower the whole roof - check the parcel shelf is fixed in position and is contacting the sensors on both sides.
  2. Roof will not open using the normal overhead button - hold the lock/unlock toggle switch in the 'open' position to open the roof. Doing this usually resets the system and the overhead buttons should resume service.
 
#32 ·
Roof problem



Thanks for the good advice. I've trawled this forum and others and tried all I can. i.e. Parcel shelf in position, holding lock toggle up (this brought the windows down but not the food), putting windows down then trying to put roof down. None of these work. I had a problem with a broken cable. This was initially fixed then returned so I replaced the mechanism (note to those quoted high prices to replace the roof, it's usually this mechanism that needs replacing and in the uk should be about £500 inc parts and labour.)

The roof disengages and rolls back a few centimetres then stops. Could this be a fuse or motor problem? I saw something about a roof commander, could this help too? I certainly like the convenience of a double click to bring the roof down and up.

Anyway, getting a bit exasperated. Hope theres some wise sages out there willing to help.

Thanks in advance.
 
#9 ·
*This* is why I love this forum. Well, I love this forum because of useful info like this and the conversations we have about boobies, beer, and underpants.

My roof wouldn't retract today and sure enough, BGJ's helpful tips resolved the situation. Thanks! :)
 
#10 ·
roof won't retract on passenger side!!!!

Any advice on this one:

Beautiful day, so I opend the roof fully & drove to the gym, closed it all upon arrival. Afterwords, came out & went to open it up, but only the driver side wants to retract.

Once i realized it, I did not keep holding down the switch for fear of ruining something. Have tried it several times since, but nothing.
Seems like it is not releasing on the passenger side.

Anyone have any suggestions or experiences with this??
Thanks.
it's an 05 standard cooper.
 
#16 ·
Help!!!!! I have only had my Cooper S convertible for a month or so and the roof is playing up. It retracts from the drivers side but wont release from the passengers side. As the purchase of the car cleaned me out totally I'm hoping I'm not gonna get stung trying to get it repaired... Any ideas?????
 
#18 ·
This has just happened to my wife's 04, out of warranty Cooper Convertible. The right side tries to retract but absolutely nothing from the right, obviously we only retracted it a few inches to save from hopeful further damage. If it is the cable ? why so much ? is the the number of hours labour ? or the trickyness of the job ? i have a local mot testing station that i am in cahoots with, i look after a small fleet of vehicle for my day job but dont want to get stung on this as we too spent enough already on a low mileage fully loaded example. Any help would be appreciated.
 
#21 ·
That's shocking! I would be contacting MINI directly to discuss this matter.

Anyone got any experience of MINI agreeing to a repar ou of warranty? I had my roof replaced (fabric, not the whole mechanism) at no cost but that was only 3 months beyond the warranty.

Ian
 
#22 ·
I've got the same problem with my MCSC; although it's the drivers side (RHD car) that is stuck.

The dealer has the car today, so fingers crossed my Cherished warranty will pick up the cost. It's a March 2005 car, which we got in March this year and has covered only 12,000 miles in total.

Will report back on the findings.
 
#25 ·
help ! mine will only half open, and I have removed the parcel shelf three times and put it back on the sensors, but it will still only half open. Any other suggestions ? The whole roof and mechanism were replaced 10 months ago, but according to my local bmw mini dealer, bmw dont warranty their own warranty work !!
 
#26 ·
First close the roof fully.

On the toggle switch panel, where the window switches are, press and hold the toggle for the central locking in the up position. Keep holding it, and the roof should start to open.

Once the sunroof section is open, release the toggle, and again press and hold it in the up position. This can override the main switches, and resets the system.

If that doesn't work, there's a fault somewhere :(
 
#27 ·
Hey, I had a problem with my roof yesterday, the sunroof opened, but when I pressed it again to bring the rest of the roof down nothing happened! The red light didn't blink or anything. I tried holding the toggle switch in the unlocked position, not sure if that did anything (at the time it didn't) but the roof seems to be working now *phew*
 
#30 ·
minicabrio - I have the problem of my roof only opens half way then the light flashes on the button... I just tried what you said about holding the central locking button in the up position, but this doesnt seem to do anything... how long should you hold the switch for?

Thank you.
 
#33 ·
Easy fix to stuck Mini convertible roof

I wish I had stumbled on this website a month ago... I had the same issue with my 2005 Mini last month and took the car for a two-day inspection/review of the problem to Mini Cooper Thames Ditton for a price of £99, the conclusion of which was that I needed a new roof for £2,860 (half the value of the car). Needless to say, I declined! Even though I was reminded that summer was just around the corner... When I left the garage, I tried the roof again; it was still not opening. When I got home, I called the first company that came up in a Google search under convertible car roof repairs (CE Moore Coachtrimmers) and explained my problem. I was told by Steve, "Nonsense! Everyone knows that if a Mini's roof doesn't fold down it's because the parcel shelf has been knocked out of line and/or the sensors in the back aren't connected. Have you packed a lot into the back of the car recently? Try that before you drive the car around to me." I then ensured the parcel shelf was down properly and that the arms or levers in the boot were down properly (one minute’s work, max) and the car roof now opens and shuts, as it used to. Steve told me that 9 out of 10 Mini owners who came to him with the same problem could have their car roof fixed in this manner. I emailed Mini and they refunded me the £99 immediately. How do we get word out to every Mini convertible owner? There is a simple fix!
 
#34 ·
My brand new Convertibles roof aint working! :confused:

The sun roof bit opens but then it wont go the next bit....All I get is a red flashing light from the button...and before you ask..

No I'm not moving when doing it :rolleyes:

No I don't leave my finger on the button (ie I know it's a 2 stage operation)

Yes the levers in the boot are in the correct position.......

Any ideas.......If not don't worry it's booked in for Tuesday.
It happened to me a few times too, till I found out about the parcel shelf sensor. Now every time I replace the parcel shelf for whatever reason, I listen VERY carefully for the little click from the microswitch...and no more problems....;)
Parcel shelf sensor 🤨 where would I find that please........?
Help my roof only opens half way then red light keeps flashing 😭
 
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