My wife's MCc convertible top stopped working last week. Only one side pulls back when we press the 'open' button.

Anybody else experience this or heard of this problem?? I know the techs have seen this before, but was wondering how common this is.

Car is going into Niello next week....

By the way, this is the 3rd top on the car...

ken

 

Is this the same problem being discussed in this thread?

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=78450

Sorry to hear about all the roof problem. It's not as much fun to have a cabrio if you can't get the top to go down!

 

Yea, thanks for the link katesmini. Sounds similar.

I found another post here

It's a bummer since the weather has been perfect for top-down...

k

 

Ken sorry to hear about the troubles. Hopefully Niello can get you squared away.

What happen the last few times to the top? We just bought a Cabrio from Niello back in June.

 

Our top had the infamous 'wear' marks show up. Being a blue top, it was quite noticeable. They replaced it under warranty, but the subcontractor screwed up and put a tear in the fabric (in addition to chewing up the rubber trim along the edge). They had to order another top and redo the install with another new top and trim. I understand they do the top replacements in-house now.

Unfortunately, the wear marks are back, which will be inspected next week. Niello has been good to work with, aside from the inconvenience... I have to drive 60 miles to get there...

 

Niello has really improved their service over the last few years. Hopefully they'll take good care of you next week.

At the Mini Mania open house, I ran into a gentleman that had some serious issues with his cabrio roof not closing correctly and it had something to do with the auto adjust in the headlamps. He said the techs & MINI USA said this was a one in a million type of case and bought the car back from him. I don't know if posted the story & issues on NAM or not. I asked him to post them on GCM board, but he has not yet.

 

That's a strange one. Can't imagine how the headlight sensors can affect the top...

Congrats on your new convertible by the way... Have you had any 'issues' with your new convertible?

 

No issues with our cabrio at this point. It's the Mrs car though. I drive my MCS mostly. She loves the cabrio.

 

warranty. on my rx7 vert i disconected the motor links completely and used human power to put it up and down when the top stopped working consistantly. about 2x faster overall. only thing i missed was targa mode.

chances are it is a bad connection to the motor.. doubtful that a car this new would have a bad motor. it does happen though. if you were adventurous you could pop the rear panels off and check for corrosion on the motor connections, which would lead to a leaky top. doubtful but why bother when service will take care of it speedy and FREE!

 

Thanks defylogik, I think I'll let MINI fix it - I have an appt for next Tues. I'm hoping they will replace the top again due to the wear marks...

 

Just an FYI (I'm sure that people here didn;t do this, but it bears mentioning):

Putting the top down while wet or dirty can cause wear marks as well. The extra friction caused by moisture or grit acts like sandpaper. I'm sure that if the tops are being replaced under warranty, this wasn't what happened to them, but it's good to get into the right habits early to care for the top, to whit:

1. Clean the top and protect it with something like Ragtop or 303 Areospace protectant often (as soon as water stops beading)

2. Never put the top down wet.

3. If the top is dirty, use a shop brush (available from an art supply or hardware store) combined with a lint roller to easily clean away the worst of the grit w/o having to wash it.

4. Keep the back glass clean - our Minis get a LOT of munge on the back, and the glass DOES rub up against the top when it's folded down.

Happy (open top) motoring and good luck, Kenatminiamania!

 

imagox, thanks and good points. I think a lot of people don't realize the convertible tops need just as much attention as the rest of the car.

 

My neighbor who works for Jaguar/Rover told me an interesting anecdote about the early mini top motors when I told him that I have ordered my MCSC. He told me that the BMW team leader decided that they did not need too robust of a motor, as they would only open and close occasionally. Forward to the first auto show highlighting the mini converts, with the press and competitors sitting in the mini and pressing the up and down button repeatedly. He says that they had to put a sign on the car forbidding the use of the top up/down button.....

Hopefully they have that problem figgured out by now!

Can't wait for Basil to get here!

 

I guess the 303 is the best stuff on the market. I've heard from a few different folks. We have not used it yet. Just rinsed the top with a little water and dry it off. I'm going to 303 the top before the "rainy" season... Will 303 cause the water to just roll off?

 

Yes, 303 works great. I've also used Raggtopp which works as well. Make sure you use their 'cleaner' product before applying either. They recommend 2 or 3 coats on the initial application then an occasional maintenance coat as needed. It will make the water 'bead' off just like wax on paint. But you have to be careful in heavy rains because the water just streams into the car when you open the door!!

If you get overspray on the paint, clean it off right away. On my last application, I masked off the roof with painters tape and newspaper - PITA!

I ended up getting the big jug of 303 after the first spray bottle because you use quite a bit with each application.

Have fun!

 

Good to know Ken. Thanks for the info. Where did you find the large bottle of 303?

 

Got it from here, paid $65 for the 128 oz bottle last Dec.

http://autogeek.net/303fabricguard.html

 

Thanks for the link Ken.