2009 Z4 roof won't close.

[daelf]

BWM z4 hardtop with a roof that is stuck in the closed position.

The scan tools is not reporting any fault codes but the light it flashing red on the open button on the dash.

The trunk also refuses to open either with the key or the foot well switch so don't currently have access to anything in the trunk other than through the ski door.

The only odd thing I can find is that the convertible module thinks the passenger door is open? Not sure if that would cause the roof to not function?

Sounds like there is a way to open the trunk with the BMW diag tool?

[Y888]

try hooking up battery charger to a terminal under the hood,i fixed my roof with new salmon relays but it would get stuck half open,i also installed new battery so far so good

[daelf]

I have fully charged the battery and even added a jump pack to make sure it has full voltage.
I did manage to snag the emergency trunk handle and open the truck.
Disconnected the battery and let things sit for a bit and reconnected did not make a difference. :-(

[B21]

ISTA and Bimmergeeks Protool will allow the trunk lid to be popped

[Y888]

salmon relays u can replace in 5 minutes and they are 25$ both worth trying

[B21]

Originally Posted by Y888

salmon relays u can replace in 5 minutes and they are 25$ both worth trying

Very very unlikely that the relays will cause this failure mode..but..highly recommended to avoid the runaway motor that leads to a fire…

[Y888]

There is an awesome yt channel “diagnose dan” i wish i had that kind of guy in my neighbourhood i dont how much he is gonna charge if he solves the problem

[KennyP]

This error happens when you try to take the roof off?

i just had roof issue where the the rear roof part starts to open and then would stop.. same red flashing light etc... but then i was able to use the close roof button inside to close it and lock it back in place again... and that way my trunk was still able to open. This wasnt the first time this had happened... spring last year i had the same issue... a indy bmw repair shop that knew a thing or two about bmw convertibles fixed it.. but only the wire that was broken. Now a bit over a year later it happened again. It wasnt that fixed wire that was causing the issue again... the fix was fine.. done with a good extra bendy wire as it should.
It was another one that had let go.

To be honest you dont need a magical car-electrician wizard to figure it out. This time i used a local car electrician that has been in business.. well as long as i can remember. Had him replace all the wires in the bendy parts. Sourced my own LIFY wire for the job. Also helped him along with some stuff i printed our from service manuals and forum threads. He was able to replace all the wires , just like in one of the forum threads on this forum. Took him one day. Cost me 300 eur. Roof works again and this time it should keep working without issues for years to come. Well.. who knows.. a sensor or a switch could still fail, but the wires should be good for some time now.

You arent the first to run into roof problems... there alot of e36 and e46 convertibles out there. e85 z4, z3... a lot of e93 with similar roof... so they all need help with roof systems at some point dont they..
Ask around from some car diagnostics guys about who have tackled bmw roof systems... someone is bound to know someone thats right for the job.

I found that first bmw shop that fixed my rood over a year ago that way. Went to a car diagnostics shop, asked about fixing my roof wires. That diagnostics shop refused to do it... bmw roofs too fiddly for them.. and if it was a mercedes convertible then they would do it. Figures, they often have SL-s in the parking lot. But then i asked if they knew anyone that did BMW roofs.. then they pointed me to the indy bmw shop i ended up going to. It was in another city but cant always be that lucky and find someone close.

[javis20]

If you have a decent diagnostic scanner you can check the status of the roof micro switches and hall sensors. If the light is blinking, it may even tell you exactly what sensor signal is missing. Even diagnose Dan started with a scanner telling him exactly what was wrong. Get something like Bimmergeeks Protool if you have an android phone or tablet. If you want a handheld you can get a Foxwell NT530.

[daelf]

Hmm looking at the state of the sensors it looks like the cowl state is the culprit. The cowl is locked: no unlocked: no and reached: no

Which does not seem to be valid set of conditions.

I guess the question now is how to get to those sensors / wiring since everything is all locked up in the trunk. I'm going to guess there is some manual process to open things up.

[B21]

Originally Posted by daelf

Hmm looking at the state of the sensors it looks like the cowl state is the culprit. The cowl is locked: no unlocked: no and reached: no

Which does not seem to be valid set of conditions.

I guess the question now is how to get to those sensors / wiring since everything is all locked up in the trunk. I'm going to guess there is some manual process to open things up.

ISTA and Bimmergeeks Protool will allow the trunk lid to be popped

And `foxwell 520

[RobbiZ4]

Originally Posted by Y888

There is an awesome yt channel “diagnose dan” i wish i had that kind of guy in my neighbourhood

OMG, Forget it! It's funny, but doesn't help in hardly any case.

[RobbiZ4]

Originally Posted by daelf

...it looks like the cowl state is the culprit. The cowl is locked: no unlocked: no and reached: no
Which does not seem to be valid set of conditions.

Just check for a 2nd time. This would be extremely untypically on an E89, I've never seen that as an issue.

Have a look at this...
⌛ E89: Collection of the 7 typical age-related defects in the roof environment
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=148657


Hint:
Get all 4+2 wires replaced by flexible ones in the rear roof shell and care about the other typical bullets. Once this is done, the roof will function perfectly again.