rsb323

Thanks Dave, since I posted I worked out how to remove the cover panel where it attaches to the windscreen so I could see the connecting rods etc. I used a drill to operate the mechanism and have managed to realign the forks and the pins so at least I can now attach the soft top. My second problem remains however that I cannot get any movement from the motors to resynchronise the mechanism. I've tried all the advice i can find about removing fuses, opening the boot, closing the boot, holding down the console switch etc but nothing seems to work. I guess there's either a microswitch that needs adjusting or there's a dead electrical item somewhere but I don't know how to go about testing it. If anyone has suggestions please let me know.

Hi, I have a '99 323i convertible. I'm having several problems with the roof. First and foremost when I pull the soft top up it goes most of the way but the last part from the top frame pivot to the windscreen wont straighten out. When I looked closely the top frame pivot is a fork that should slide onto a pin and on my car the fork is going over the top of the pin and jamming the frame. I've included a photo. Does anyone know how to adjust this part of the roof so that the fork and pin interlock? My second problem (which may be linked to the first - I don't know) is that the first time I tried to raise the roof nothing happened so I disengaged the motors to raise it manually which is when i found the first problem. It worked ok when I bought the car but i usually drive it with the hard top on so don't use the soft top much. I've reengaged the motors but nothing happens when i try to resynchronise the system - I just get a flashing red light on the button on the centre console. If anyone can help with either of these problems I would be grateful.

Thanks Dave, I really appreciate the advice. One of the problems I was having was that the key won't turn in the boot lock. I don't know if the lock is faulty or if the microswitch for the hardtop is not working. The good news is that the battery is starting to hold some charge but now I know what size it is a new one is probably the best choice. As far as I can see there is no boot release in the car though. Cheers Richard

Hello Dave (and Trevor in the previous post), thanks for your advice. I used a spare car battery today and good news is I unlocked the boot. I put the battery on charge for about 6 hours and it was then capable of operating the central locking. Bad news is I've just been out again now and the battery is dead again. I'm assuming this means the battery is probably knackered. The handbook says it needs a special battery but does not explain what this means - if anyone knows I'd be grateful of an explanation before I buy a new one. By the way Dave, I'm not sure there is a dash boot release. No mention of it in the handbook anyway. Thanks again for the quick response and advice, it is much appreciated. Richard

Hi Trevor, I will try the jump start again. I was using a portable jump starter so it's possible it's not in great condition so I'll try again with a spare battery.

Hi, I'm a total newbie to this club and I find myself in desperate need of advice. I have a 1999 323i convertible width 51k on the clock. Coming home the other day the traction control light and ABS lights started flickering intermittently the. A few minutes later so did the rollover warning light. At traffic lights the tick over was very unsteady varying between 500-1000rpm. I came to start the car a couple of days later to take it to the garage but it was completely dead. Also I cannot open the boot to get at the battery so I tried to jump start from the terminals under the bonnet. No joy there either, it was still completely dead. I'm at a bit of a loss what to do next and I was hoping someone on here might have advice. Thanks for reading.