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      06-12-2014, 03:41 AM   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jparnes1 View Post
That's the old roof mph. the new is about 25 mph.
Yup, I can operate @~10mph too, that's definitely the old one. Sucks!
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      06-12-2014, 10:16 AM   #68
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
Yup, I can operate @~10mph too, that's definitely the old one. Sucks!
It is a bit annoying. I have been moving the roof 2-3 times per day for 2 years with no issues yet.. touch wood.

Total speculation here.. Are the lines rubber? If so, are we actually better off using the roof often?
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      06-12-2014, 04:28 PM   #69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nicknaz View Post
It is a bit annoying. I have been moving the roof 2-3 times per day for 2 years with no issues yet.. touch wood.

Total speculation here.. Are the lines rubber? If so, are we actually better off using the roof often?
I don't even know where the wires are...aren't they the ones encased in that shoelaces thread material? No idea.
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      06-12-2014, 08:48 PM   #70
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I bought a 2009 last month, and had the option to continue the extended warranty (Hendrick Auto) for three driving seasons for $1300. Quite frankly, it was the roof mechanism/pump, etc., that scared me into making that purchase.

Hopefully I'll never have a claim, but it seems pretty complex to me.
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      06-13-2014, 08:37 AM   #71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
I don't even know where the wires are...aren't they the ones encased in that shoelaces thread material? No idea.
The wiring harness and the hydraulic hoses are bundled together, it's one part for the whole roof and costs $1,600!
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      06-13-2014, 09:22 AM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
I don't even know where the wires are...aren't they the ones encased in that shoelaces thread material? No idea.
Pictures are on Post #22
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      06-13-2014, 03:21 PM   #73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdeslandes View Post
The wiring harness and the hydraulic hoses are bundled together, it's one part for the whole roof and costs $1,600!
Ouch...that would be quite the nightmare.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BugsBunny View Post
Pictures are on Post #22
Thx. Unfortunately, those pix aren't too clear. The differences in what is supposedly a good fit vs not are minute.
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      06-15-2014, 01:07 PM   #74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility View Post
those pix aren't too clear.
What is not clear?

To answer some other questions:
Hose material is Thermoplastic. If they were made of rubber , they will blow up like a ballon. Operating pressure is 150 to 200 bar.

It is not recommended too open your roof while driving.If you drive over a bumber or similar , the roof/lid will start too swing.Mechanic can buckle or twist.

Open the roof while the engine is running. Otherwise, battery will drain after a view cycles.

Check as described in post 22, the line and the "shoelaces"-material. If you detect any damages, visit your dealer.

If you don´t have any leaks, but you can´t open/close the roof:
let the dealer check the sensors of the roof mechanic.There are more than 10 Hall Sensors and Microswitches which controls the status+position of the roof and the trunk lid.In most cases a Sensor or a Microswitch is faulty.

regards
Zettvier

P.S.:
I open/close the roof up to 5 times a day (during summer).No problems.....
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      06-15-2014, 02:24 PM   #75
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I think he means the pictures are not clear/low resolution.
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      06-15-2014, 03:02 PM   #76
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Actually, I meant that the differences between what is 'good' and 'bad' are very subtle, can't really tell. Nothing wrong w/ the resolution/pix quality.
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      06-11-2016, 01:01 PM   #77
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I thought I would revisit this thread as I got one of the dreaded hydraulic leaks just above the back corner of the passenger side window. Luckily, I was still able to operate the roof to show the repair shop exactly where it was. I am using my local Indy shop for this. The part at his cost for the hose bundle with wiring harnesses was ~$270 but the labor is intensive. It required the roof to be taken apart and removed, the trunk to be paryialldissassembled and is very tedious to route the new hoses and wires. My car has been in the shop for 2 weeks as he is working it around other jobs as I don't use this as a daily driver. I'll let everyone know how it turns out but I expect a steep labor bill after seeing how much needs disassembly to work this.

Fwiw, it seems like a poor design as you have to replace the entire harness rather than being able to repair sections.
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      06-11-2016, 05:25 PM   #78
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I bet a decent hydraulic line supplier could supply a inline connector/s and splice in a repair.
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      06-12-2016, 09:16 AM   #79
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigendbob View Post
I bet a decent hydraulic line supplier could supply a inline connector/s and splice in a repair.
I believe you are probably right. Unfortunately, it was pretty difficult to find the leak without breaking down the roof assembly so I felt I needed a pro as I was worried I'd do more hard than good poking around in there.

It looks like the leak was caused by the hose rubbing up against one of the bolts each time the roof was open or closed...
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      06-25-2016, 01:53 PM   #80
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I finally got my vehicle back after about 4 weeks. The bill was $2,000 including parts (the new hose and harness combo was $266). It operates perfectly now but in the process of breaking the vehicle down and putting it back together, a couple of plastic trim parts had some clips break so I'm going back for those panels to be replaced when they come in.

Glad to have the car back but 2k for a hose leak is nuts. BMW made this part very hard to service.
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      05-17-2017, 12:33 AM   #81
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigendbob View Post
I bet a decent hydraulic line supplier could supply a inline connector/s and splice in a repair.
I also noticed the hydraulic line leak issue on the passenger side while opening the top last week. And I used 2 hose couplers from Cabriolet Hydraulics and 1-1.5 feet hose to fix the leak.

There are 2 hoses. One is pressurized while the top is opening and then other one when the top is closing. The crack was where the hose bends while the hardtop is in closed position. So, I cut the hose 6-8 inches before and after the crack and put the couplers with the new hose there so that the hose can still bend freely.

Fortunately the process was simple and costed me just $100 for everything. I hope this helps someone who struggles with this in the future.
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      05-17-2017, 01:33 PM   #82
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sanyam89 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigendbob View Post
I bet a decent hydraulic line supplier could supply a inline connector/s and splice in a repair.
I also noticed the hydraulic line leak issue on the passenger side while opening the top last week. And I used 2 hose couplers from Cabriolet Hydraulics and 1-1.5 feet hose to fix the leak.

There are 2 hoses. One is pressurized while the top is opening and then other one when the top is closing. The crack was where the hose bends while the hardtop is in closed position. So, I cut the hose 6-8 inches before and after the crack and put the couplers with the new hose there so that the hose can still bend freely.

Fortunately the process was simple and costed me just $100 for everything. I hope this helps someone who struggles with this in the future.
Is there a need to replace lost fluid?
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      05-17-2017, 03:22 PM   #83
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That's the same spot I developed a leak. It was due to the hose rubbing against a screw head on the hinge. I wish I would have known about this fix, as it is a huge savings.

Did you have to fill or vent the hydraulics after the fix? Wondering if any air bubbles in the lines affect the system.
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      05-17-2017, 06:35 PM   #84
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The top hydraulics will automatically bleed itself during operation.

Quote:
If excessive operating noise is heard during operation, the retractable hardtop should be opened and closed several times in order to automatically bleed the hydraulic system via the fluid reservoir.
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      05-19-2017, 01:46 PM   #85
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Sorry, for the late reply.

Yes, I had to refill the lost fluid. The container is right next to the hydraulic pump in the trunk. As Tangent mentioned, the bubbles in the hoses did cause the top to jerk for a couple of seconds but after that it was smooth as before. I added a little more fluid after the air escaped the hose.
I used hydraulic fluid from Febi, it was $21 for 1 liter. Way cheaper than BMW fluid.
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      07-06-2017, 03:37 AM   #86
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Thanks sanyam89 for the fix, hopefully I won't need to but good to know.

I'm wondering if someone has any *preventative* measures? Would wrapping the sensitive area w/ electrical tape or something else do the trick? Where is this area specifically?
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      07-08-2017, 12:12 PM   #87
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Open the top partially and look for the hinges where the hose and wire bend with the hinge/linkage. In mine, the scraping of the hose against the top of a screw with sharp edges caused the leak. Had I noticed it, I probably would have wrapped the hose in that area with something flexible or put a coating on the screw. Be careful you don't use something too rigid if you wrap the hose which might kink the hose when the top folds.
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      07-08-2017, 10:33 PM   #88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kosd View Post
Open the top partially and look for the hinges where the hose and wire bend with the hinge/linkage. In mine, the scraping of the hose against the top of a screw with sharp edges caused the leak. Had I noticed it, I probably would have wrapped the hose in that area with something flexible or put a coating on the screw. Be careful you don't use something too rigid if you wrap the hose which might kink the hose when the top folds.
Thanks, I'll need to check it out.
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