Roof Failure error message

Where are you located?

 

Get this looked at right away. Do not use (leave it in whatever position it is in) the roof anymore.

My roof failed and damaged its self when it folded opened (guide pins dented top of roof). After a tense waiting period, FNA covered the damage under warranty otherwise I'm sure a serious bill. I only got one warning that there was a problem, don't push your luck.

Turned out pump fluid was low/leaking, easy fix otherwise.

Good luck.

 

I had one failure in my first Cali, the 2010. It was a Hall Effect sensor and was easily troubleshot and replaced at the dealer. I agree, leave it up or down, wherever it is now and let the dealer troubleshoot it. No failures with the top in my 2012, so that's 50,000 Cali miles total with only one component failure since late 2009.

Rick

 

I have had the roof failure on my 2013 several times the adjustments were ok and the pump was ok . So it was decided that I needed to charge my battery ..which I did and I have found that seems to take care of it.. I drive my car every day but sometimes it is only a few miles ..

 

Do you move your top with the engine off? I always start the Cali before raising or lowering the top. At car shows I will put it up & down a dozen times with no trouble, starting the Cali first of course.

Rick

 

No only with the engine running...

 

I have a roof noise issue. Even over relatively smooth roads, there are numerous creaks. When I go over a speed bump, it sounds like a "wap" sound, as if the roof is jumping up and down.

There must be something that can be done to adjust it. So far, two visits and it's still there. Other California owners I know report no noise, everything tight. Is that the consensus? i.e. this is not normal, and should be fixable, right?

 

No sounds from my roof... Probably need to poke around while in motion to localize the sound... Tho after my last service I would swear they changed the software driving the roof closing seems faster now...

SV

 

On my 2011, I developed a few creaks and an occasional pop. FOSV lubed and adjusted the top to remove the causes of the noises.

 

Never happened in either of my Cali's

Rick

 

ERROR MESSAGES
There should not be any "Roof failure error messages" or else every Cali owner would be getting them, wouldn't we? I used to design and write software for controlling factory robots and error messages were always coded in the software to deal with known conditions, none of which are normal. It is not black magic. Each error message has well-defined conditions for their being displayed or reported.

So if your car get keeps getting these messages, the dealer needs to find the cause and sort that out.

SMALL NOISES FROM THE ROOF PANELS
As for noises from the retractable roof, mine had an alignment problem caused by improper assembly at the factory and it caused a dent on my roof panel as well as made some horrible noises. My dealer sorted that out and it's working smoothly now.

Other noises you may hear when you go over bumps may be cause by slight movement of the rear roof panel (with the rear glass) sits over the rear cover which opens when stowing the roof panels.

You have to realize the retractable roof is not rigidly fixed to the car. It has to move. It also has to sit on the rear cover without damaging it so it cannot clamp down on it with "irresistible force". Therefore it can shift slightly if the car is jolted. What you may be hearing is a "dry" rubber seal shifting on the rear cover.

You can apply some "Gummi Pfleger" or rubber seal protectant on those parts to cure that source of potential noise. These protectants restore the suppleness of the rubber seals. Regular cars, even very rigid sport sedans, have the same issues with the seals in their door or sunroof. All car openings use rubber seals to prevent water from entering while avoiding damage from 2 unconnected hard objects being in contact while the car is going over bumps. Those seals can dry out or collect dirt over time - you have to maintain them.

BIG NOISES
However, if you hear a big "clack" or "bang" when you go over bumps, it's likely there is a large gap between panels or a loose object that needs fastening.

 

I've been getting regular roof failure signals...always when the roof is up. Can someone tell me how to check the hydronic fluid to make sure is not low?

 

In the trunk you will see a small panel on the left side, if you open that up, that is where you would find any leaking hydraulic fluid.

However, if the roof is completing the open or closing cycle and then you are getting a "roof failure" message once it's done, it's more likely that one of the Hall sensors is bad.

I have gone through this with my top recently, they just replaced one of the sensors and it seems to be okay now. But the top would operate correctly, and either I would get the failure message as soon as the roof closed, or I would get it sometimes going over bumpy roads with the roof open or shut. Definitely did not seem to be related to the actual mechanics of the top.

Can be difficult to trouble shoot because it is intermittent. On my car, they took their best guess at which sensor to replace and so far, so good.

 

where is the hydraulic oil tank for the roof on my Cali 2011 ???