Smart Top Fail

[jannisa]

There was a report by a guy on the german forum who installed the smarttop module 3 months ago, and lately failed resulting in a 1600 euro repair bill as it interfered with various ports allover that ended fried. There is a debate actually whether the smarttop caused all misfunctions (navi, servo, heating fails), but who knows?
For those who can read german :
http://www.zroadster.com/forum/bmw_z...lett_larm.html

[jannisa]

Just read the whole thread, it seems ridiculous. He states the 1600 euros bill was for labour!!!!!!
MODS DELETE THREAD PLEASE!!!!

[teagueAMX]

I couldn't read the thread you pointed to, but not sure why you wanted to delete your thread.

On first reading your post, 1600 euros seemed cheap for all that damage. When you say 1600 for labor, it may be a little exaggerated, but if you think about them having to troubleshoot and repair a fried electrical system, regardless of who's fault it is, that amount is not far off the mark. In the States they are charging a labor shop rate of $80/hr or more. Not sure what they charge in Europe but that's only 20 hours labor.

And, BMW does say tampering with the electrical system could void your warranty. Not really surprising that they would blame the owner for everything.

[jannisa]

In Europe the workshops charge around 60-80 euros/hour. That means that the technicians needed 25 hours approximately to solve this. The remedy for all sorts of problems that kind starts by a simple reset of the affected processors and then real time check, this is by no means a 20+ hours procedure. Plus the guy who originally posted this claims that he visited an unauthorized workshop and states that no component and no hardware whatsoever was changed. I insist in deleting this thread as the facts seem finally kind of weird. If a second smarttop unit fails there should be definately a case.

[davidmbell]

Google is your friend:

http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...n&hl=&ie=UTF-8

[teagueAMX]

Originally Posted by davidmbell

Google is your friend:

http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...n&hl=&ie=UTF-8

Thanks David. I've not attempted an entire page before but that came out pretty good. I think the person who designed the translator had a flare for Shakespeare, because some of the statements definitely had that feeling.

Then there was one that gave me a chuckle - another translation not-quite failure.

The whining is ridiculous. You have the crap you brewed now spoon the soup like a man.

Then look at his signature slogan, which I think is supposed to read:

As in basic training, hope for the best but plan for the worst

.

[KrisNL]

Why a module when you can just mod by the ODB port? Works flawless and you can reset default whenever you want. No messing around with wires in my car!

[BugsBunny]

KrisNL,
I beg to differ. I prefer to install a dedicated module with dedicated wiring. Then I know my way out: I disconnect the wires, remove the module and re-wire as originally. And good luck to BMW to prove me otherwise.

When you use software via ODB, you do not know what this software is doing exactly neither that, in case of failure of the said-software, an "un-install" will work. And then you are stuck and BMW will see it, will void your Warranty and extra-charge.

ALL,
Now, to come back on the German thread, all what is being said & as far as I understood with my poor german, is that a guy faced a total electrical failure (including headlamp, central lock, etc). He went to a BMW center who obviously blamed the failure on the SmartTop module. Do we expect sth. different ? this the world we live in, sadly. Would he have installed the ODB software from CMTFree, BMW would have seen it, with same result.

There is no direct relationship stated in the thread between the total electrical failure and the SmartTop. It is just what a BMW center said without proving it. Dance baby dance

[BugsBunny]

I also think the title of this Thread is mmmh how can I say incorrect ? abusive ?

Since Jannisa asked for it, I do not understand why the Admin would not allow a delete of the Thread or a change of Title ?

This kind of broad statement is the best way to kill a Company w/o any rational behind and we all know that Small & Medium Enterprises is what we need in this country.

So I am amazed, but maybe it's just me.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by teagueAMX

The whining is ridiculous. You have the crap you brewed now spoon the soup like a man.

[zEdP]

Originally Posted by KrisNL

Why a module when you can just mod by the ODB port? Works flawless and you can reset default whenever you want. No messing around with wires in my car!

These are not just some wires. It's the can bus network of your car, the main communication channel of all non critical devices. So the dash board, central locking, cruise control, lighting control, head-unit, etc... Connecting an 'alien' module can add a potential risk to the system.

People should be aware of this when installing the module.

EdP

[Frank Costanza]

What is this smart top? What does it do exactly?

[ChuckB]

I am curious as to the total numbers sold and installed without issues. From what I have seen on the U.S., German and U.K. Based forums, I am guessing 150-200 have been installed, which would give a failure rate of about .75% to .50% which might be bit better than the overall BMW failure rate

****Figures are me alone talking with no "official," or even semi-"official" figures from ANY source****

[teagueAMX]

Originally Posted by Frank Costanza

What is this smart top? What does it do exactly?

Amoung other things, it allows you to raise and lower the retractable hardtop while the car is moving and 2nd for those that don't have Comfort Access, it provides the same functionality of raising and lowering the top outside the car.

[persian54]

it also allows for one touch operation of the roof

and opening/closing the windows without needing the top to be operated

i cant drive a car without it

had it installed on the z4 asap

had it installed on my e93 m3 the first week of ownership

had it on my e93 335 asap after i found out about it

[taYab]

BUmp.
I heard they fixed problem related to power consumption while the ignition is off.
Has anybody had problem with the module?

[ramiles]

When I had my HPFP done the maitenance report read: "CTM failed to program due to aftermarket remote controller installed on CTM" meaning that they had planned to update the Convertible Top Module (CTM) software but were unable due to the SmartTop unit I had installed. Kind of surprised me because I beleive the SmartTop info had said it should be transparent to BMW sensors (which it wasn't in my case). Don't know what the later software reload associated with the HPFP update might offer differently from the original. All works like normal now and have not experienced any battery drain.

[Irishfan]

Originally Posted by taYab

BUmp.
I heard they fixed problem related to power consumption while the ignition is off.
Has anybody had problem with the module?

YES.

Not sure if I had an updated module or not, but the solution was (is?) to run a line directly from the battery. The fix was too late, though - the drain made my original battery unusable.

One expensive battery (plus reconditioning/registering weirdness) and one weekend's time to uninstall the module module later (along with some admittedly-amateurish re-wiring since removing the module thrashed my wiring harness), my car is back to normal. Yikes.

All things considered though, I really miss its functionality. I did an exchange to get an "updated" module, but hasn't arrived in the mail yet. I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment?

[BugsBunny]

Originally Posted by ramiles

When I had my HPFP done the maitenance report read: "CTM failed to program due to aftermarket remote controller installed on CTM"

Always always disable the SmartTop (switch Settings #1 to 0) before going to the dealership. This is why I left the USB cable connected to the unit in the trunk. It is then easy to disable and enable. Ditto to avoid power drain: when I don't use the car for e.g. 2 weeks, I disable the module (allbeit there is now an alternate fix).

[ramiles]

Thanks for the reminder on the first setting - Good call. Forgot about that first setting - been a year without changing anything. Next time will go and read again how to change them.