Intermittent noise from the roof on my 635d convertible !!

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi again to you all out there.

Upon activating the hood there is an intermittent noise that sounds like a groan (but not Metallic).

It sounds as though it is at the very front as the roof begins its cycle !

There is also a similar intermittent groan just before the roof  lands in the 'latching' position and the hooks are deployed.

 

Any help/advise would be much appreciated and faithfully applied.

[Greydog]

Morning John

Check the hydraulic fluid level

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

8 hours ago, Greydog said:

Morning John

Check the hydraulic fluid level

Dave

Hi again Dave. Thank you but where is the hydraulic fluid reservoir ?

[Greydog]

Hi John

Is your car soft top or tin top ? The Soft tops have a hydraulic system 2 hydraulic rams (left and right) and 2 hydraulic tension rams the pump has a built in reservoir which if it is the same as the one I have seen it only holds a small amount of fluid (top up bottles are 250ml). It sits in the storage area for the roof

First check all the lines run your fingers around them feel for any wetness/leaks check the rams are clean and all joints are clean If no sign of leaks then remove the trim in the storage area or boot to expose the pump. The pump has a nylon tank with minimum and Maximum marks on it (while you can unbolt the pump for better access DONT undo any hydraulic lines there is a fill plug on the pump body if the fluid is low before topping up look for leaks

Check online You Tube may have some helpful videos

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi again Dave. Mine is the soft-top.

This sounds to me like a technicians job as I cannot find anything in the owners manual !!

Where are the lines located ?

I cannot find anything specific on YouTube and the only one that looked as though it might help was buffering something silly !!

 

I have looked into the storage area by stopping the action of the soft-top and cannot see anything other than a few neatly arranged bits of pipework on the NS & the OS but there is no reservoir or topping-up facility.

[Greydog]

It will be in the Boot then behind the lining trim. The lines you see are the Hydraulic lines 

If you are not confident then talk to a BMW Specialist or trusted Independent

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Hi again Dave.  Well I went into Preston and saw my BMW Indy this afternoon and he immediately declared that the groan  at both commencement and completion of the cycle to be the motor or motors that control the 'latching and unlatching of the hooks that secure the front of the convertible hood.

I will get a 'fix it' date tomorrow when I ring him after lunch.

He suggested that the moving parts within the motor/motors expand and contract with the heat and that they need stripping and lubricating and then they will work again as intended and without the very very audible groan from each of them.

[Greydog]

Hi John 

Sounds like goodish news hopefully not expensive

As the suns out you could just leave the top down, no noise then 🤣🤣 

Me I don't even have a sun roof 🤣😂 so I can report no noises plus I don't have enough hair to allow the wind in it 😂

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

2 hours ago, Greydog said:

Hi John 

Sounds like goodish news hopefully not expensive

As the suns out you could just leave the top down, no noise then 🤣🤣 

Me I don't even have a sun roof 🤣😂 so I can report no noises plus I don't have enough hair to allow the wind in it 😂

Dave

Hi again Dave. Yes - i suspect an hour or so of labour at circa £60.00 per hour !

I live in open rural countryside and on the flight path of some really filthy birds with bowel issues (it is a good job that cows don't fly !)

Leaving the top open outside of my bungalow is not an option;as far as the hair is concerned that is not a real issue either because even with the seat at the high position I am not in the draught zone !

The convertible has a really neat feature that allows the hood to be dropped and yet the rear window can be left in place as a deflector instead of using the folding one that then turns the car into a two seater !!

 

Yesterday I drove back from Fleetwood - a distance of some 40+ miles with hardly a hair out of place - yes,I am still well blessed with enough that I still use a comb

No-longer do I have the Elvis and Billy Fury look with the DA and the widows peak; they have gracefully disappeared into oblivion - alas only evident in photographs of the late 50's and beyond.

[Greydog]

Not far from where we live is an Industrial estate and Sea Gulls nest there. I didn't think a bird could do that much !!!!! 🤣

Enjoy the Summer 

Dave

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:20 AM, Greydog said:

Not far from where we live is an Industrial estate and Sea Gulls nest there. I didn't think a bird could do that much !!!!! 🤣

Enjoy the Summer 

Dave

Hi Dave. Which part of the UK do you live and suffer the effects if an industrial estate that is enough that it attracts seagulls into the area.

Landfill sites are the usual haunt of seagulls !

There is a mixture of birds that fly over my bungalow roof consisting mainly of Magpies,Crows,Wood Pigeons and others with massive bowel issues.

The stuff that they leave behind on-route needs removing rather quickly because  it affects the lacquer  and leaves the paintwork looking pretty dreadful and if it is left even overnight it will not only decimate  the lacquer and go through to the paint finish below and boot and bonnets are the inevitable targets.

[Greydog]

Hi John

Sunny Sussex 🤣 

The Land fill site is around 5 miles away (as the Seagull flies) the Industrial Estate where they congregate and nest around 1/2 mile and like you we are on the flight path 

We also have our fair share of Magpies, Crows Pigeons, one of our sons put an Owl silhouette up on our roof, the Seagulls take no notice at all the pigeons were the only ones who gave it a wide berth until they worked out it never moved now they sit beside it 🤣🤣

The E70 has a Ceramic coating which seems to make it easier to wash (regularly) my wife's car lives in the Garage (wonder how that happened)