Any Audi technicians / experts in the house? Urgent query

[schmalex]

Modss, please could you leave this one here for a bit to gain some traction?

Folks,

I own a 2007 B7 S4 Cabriolet. This morning, I lowered the roof and it will now not go back up. Quite a PITA considering all the rain due to come over the next few days.

I have tried raising the hood in the normal manner with the switch and the dashboard light flashes as normal, but nothing happens (the roof box doesn't even un-latch.

I found the manual roof opening key and followed the instructions in the user manual as best I could to manually raise the roof, but again, the rear deck didn't unlatch so I can't even raise it manually.

The car is currently sat in a stable (so at least it is dry, but I would really prefer to have a roof that works, or at least is stuck in the closed position!

Can anyone in the know let me know if there is some of trickery I can use to get the roof back up, either electrically, or with the manual closure key (is there a special twist, turn, pull trick or anything that I have to use to get the rear deck to unlatch)?

Any advice would be most appreciated and will earn many Internet beers.

Alex

[rallycross]

Try disconnecting the battery and try again

[schmalex]

I'll give it bash, thanks. Would it not screw other stuff up?

[miniman]

If you have a spare hand / helper, try pushing down on the deck lid whilst trying to turn the key.

[schmalex]

Having had to abandon repairs today due to an urgent wife requirement, I have been promised a dedicated helper in the morning. I must admit I didn't try pushing down on the deck, cheers!

[Vince70]

I doubt it will help but it may be worth giving the handbrake a pull up and down a few times, as there is a sensor in there to work the roof and boot.
Also isn't there a manual override.

[philmots]

Could it be something as simple as a fuse?

[schmalex]

I'll give it a go. Although, on this model, you can raise and lower the roof up to ~20mph or so. Everything seems to be sensing properly. In as far as if I drive too fast and try to close it, I get the normal ecxess speed error message, if I open the boot and try to close it, I get the normal boot open error message.

I think it may have been caused by my finger slipping off the switch just as it was completing its opening operation, which I think has confused it

[schmalex]

philmots said:

Could it be something as simple as a fuse?

I checked the fuses & they all seemed fine. Shame really, as I would have been delighted to make an emergency trip to Halfords!!

[ATTAK Z]

try finishing the opening cycle

[Crafty_]

Hmm, I'm thinking that the deck thingy is probably opened by an actuator (or two), a bit like the ones that operate central locking. If you could get to them and pass 12v over them, the lid would open and you'd at least be able to wind it up manually?

Failing that a dealer may be able to operate the actuators remotely from diagnostic kit, so maybe a mercy dash to a dealer tomorrow morning would at least see the car closed up or left with a dealer in a dry garage ?

[schmalex]

We get into the horse yard at 0630, so are going to do 2 things:

1: remove the battery and reconnect to see if this "reboots" the system and gets it working.

2: try to get the manual operation working

Failing that (and assuming it isn't raining), it will be a mercy dash to the local Audi dealer, with lots of pleading and begging. If it is pissing down, I'll be pulling all the strings i can in the village to find a locked barn to keep it in until the 27th when I'll try the dealer trip again, as at the moment, whilst its perfectly safe, it is a little exposed to the elements if the breeze comes from the wrong direction.

[craigjm]

http://www.justanswer.com/uk-car/3y8ap-wife-s-audi...

[schmalex]

Folks, thanks for all the suggestions. Got up to the stables at 0630 and managed to manually close the roof, so she's all back home safe and sound. Just need a dry day now to do the proper hood reset!!

I never have problems with my Landy, which has got 4 fuses and a carburettor!! Modern cars are too damn complex!!