BMW E46 Convertible - Top Stops Halfway Down - Wiring Repair DIY

The E46 Convertible top closing mechanism (325 and 330 CI) is ultra-expensive to have repaired at the dealer. Some have paid $600 to $1000 to fix this issue. Many owners will share this same common failure eventually. Mine is a 2005 325 CIC.
I put the top up and down every day, several time per day. Over time, the moving parts wear out. Then one day,the top would only go half way down. I had to close it manually before I could drive home after work.
This DIY addresses the common issue where the control wires in the wiring loom that runs along the driver's side headliner eventually bend until they break. This can result in a convertible top that operates only half way and then stops with red lights blinking next to the switches.
Cause: The control unit (CVM) triggers a fault when a broken wire is read as an open circuit or a faulty position sensor. And then everything stops.
For more details on this issue visit: forum.e46fanati...

[@macie7770]

I don't know why I just watched this whole video, I don't even have a bmw

[@gregh7457]

buy one. you obviously don't have enough grief in your life

[@PAPERBOYS-ek6ke]

😂

[@WolframFiedler1]

Excellent - exactly the same as on my 2001 330Ci: brown wire broken at the first bend. Thanks to the video, I was able to fix it in less than an hour - great tip to melt the loom with a soldering iron, kept the area nice and clean. Now I don't have to look stupid driving around in sunny 75 degree weather with the top up :)

[@brianfitzpatrick7882]

so can I bring my car to you with a case of beer and a large pizza of your choice

[@richardmarshall6751]

Really nice troubleshooting approach ad repair work, using logic and common sense along with a dash of confidence in your ability to fix it, to resolve the problem. I suspect this level of self-reliance was the norm in mid 20th century America, but is exceedingly rare these days.

[@sarcastixx74]

So far I have had no issues with my own E46 M3 roof but when the time comes, I will definitely be using this method to renew the weak points of the wiring loom along the roof frame. Well explained, with excellent visuals to match. Thanks for sharing David!

[@christophervabrinskas6675]

I know this is an old video but I have a similar problem it it stops before the back deck opens, would it would be the same problem? Or only if the deck opens then Doesn’t go further?

[@aadavidb]

Check the latch that releases the "back deck". It's located beneath the back seat. There is a gear and cable latching mechanism that's powered by a small electric motor. The gear and cable assembly gave some plastic parts that may have worn out. But you can replace the assembly. This could be your problem. The roof won't cycle if the deck fails to unlatch and open.

[@ehababujeries1277]

Thank you so much man my m3 e46 2005 had the same problem and the dealer asked alot of money so i did exactly what you did and now i can enjoy my car again thanks alot

[@IAMTVWorld]

Sir you are awesome! Earlier my car used to exactly the same. But from few months I noticed there's no more power to lift the front latch even. But yeah let me check those wires first thanks alot and regards

[@jolyontidmarsh1759]

Fixed my 2004 E46 318 in 1 hour after seeing this! Thanks so much. I had already spent £300 at a garage who'd read the fault codes and just swapped out switches and sensors and couldn't fix it. I used super flexible 18AWG silicone wire that I got from ebay. One wire had severed completely and another one had cracked through the insulation all the way around it.

[@1richbish]

wow. great video. I must check mine... I'm getting lots of codes. my rear deck locks aren't working... do you think this could be caused by the same broken wires?? it's saying the locks aren't working... and Deck position can't be read .. I'm thinking it's the hall sensor but .. I've no idea really

[@BrettHuffmanSuperGenius]

Great video, David -- you saved me. Thank you!

[@YRA928]

Thank you David. I have the exact same issue and followed your video. Thanks a lot for taking the time to record it.

[@jachs7279]

Dave, Great video. One of the best I’ve seen. I checked wires in same location and they were ok. Maybe you can help me decipher my issue. My E46 roof stops 6 inches from the latches, but pump continues running for a few seconds, increasing the noise as it runs until it suddenly shuts down. Question... if a wire is broken, would the pump continue running after roof stops? If not a wire, what else could it be?

[@dillionsimmons1477]

same problem here man....

[@edwinpacheco7807]

Hey did you ever find out what was the cause of the problem? Currently my BMW does the same

[@Almusafirvlogs]

Any update guys?

[@AfshinHaghgoo]

Awesome!! Thanks David for the helpful video.

[@philskellorn2259]

Thanks for sharing David. Very helpful.

[@dazfletcher4085]

thanks for sharing my e46 roof is folding but the back isn't realising i am thinking coud be these wires as well as you can hear the motor working

[@rulebraking]

Awesome - thx much for sharing!

[@hvee4]

Just found this, great video and thanks for sharing, my e46 has a similar issue but it’s the closing that’s the issue in a similar place, I will check my wires though too 👍🏻👍🏻

[@markgoodyear8766]

What a star will be checking mine out tomorrow

[@ermias01]

You are awesome - that helped me solve my problem

[@iseeyou3347]

Hey my roof goes up halfway and stop do you think it is a broken wires

[@bilfbytes]

saved me a few hundred bucks at the garage, much appreciated

[@ml55mbz]

Thanks. I took my e46 M3 to 2 shops . They couldn't figure it out having the car each time for more than a week. Most likely they didn't even look at it. And other shops just told me they didnt want to waste their time with it. And forget even considering the dealer. I scan the codes to a faulty hall sensor. So I cut the loom and lo and behold broken wire. Did the fix pretty quick. Thanks. The car was parked for 7 months with a cover

[@BavarianFanaticVictor]

good video thx David!

[@ifteenarrey7703]

Hi Hope ur ok can you help me please? My E46 2002. The roof only goes half way. I don't know much about cars. 1] the symtom is basically roof stops just like yours but a bit before actually, then inside the red LED just blinks. I have to shut off engine and reset to get car back to normal. THE ROOF LIGHT COMES ON AND GOES OUT AFTER IGNITION START AND I HEAR A TICK TICK SOME KIND OF CHECK I GUESS 2] How do I do this repair? I mean should you disconnect battery? 3] do I need to remove fuses as well? 4] also I see you put up some kind of props to hold up front of roof what have you used? Do you do same for back? 4] How can I be sure it is this, I don't have money to buy computer lead to check what fault it is could there be leak in the fluid in the trunk? Please would be greatful for reply as you clealy know what you are doing. Cheers mate

[@krepko7]

Thank you very much. My 2002 325ci harness hasn't broken yet but now I know what to do when it does...and save a bunch of money.

[@mikeybass0]

Super!!! Thanks for the excellent video, same problem with my wife's 2002 330 Ci. Less than 30 minutes repair time. Great tip about the loom! Thanks, now 'Happy wife...Happy life'! ;-)

[@vippetproducts9163]

Great Video, Sorted my Issue of cover not locking into place. HUGE THANK YOU for your clarity, explanation and step by step coverage of issues. Solved the problem, mine being an Alpina B3S convertible 2004

[@marryyano1]

David you are amazing,i have exactly the same problem,the roof yesterday stopped exactly where stopped yours,red light flashing,but does not work at all anymore ,i put it in manually,tommorow i m gonna do what you are doing in this video,one question i have,i need to calibrate the engine again or....motor is for sure not the problem because is replaced last year ,thank you for this kind of video,helps a lot a loottt,you are smart.very smart.

[@PAPERBOYS-ek6ke]

Good informative video.

[@joseantoniooliveros3132]

Muchas gracias por tu video tutorial. Con el he podido solucionar en problema de mi BMW e46 del 2001. Buen trabajo

[@Nastrusnicu]

Thanks for sharing it.

[@michaeldavid7997]

David - this video is gold. Fixed my 2004 325. On mine it was also the brown wire broken completely, and the green / yellow one was almost broken. I patched those two only and it works now for the first time in over a year. Thanks! If you are ever near Raleigh I owe you a 6-pack!

[@zackhallam914]

My bmw is making a ticking noise from the rear passenger wheel no ABS light on .. could be the ABS ring

[@dianeblair4217]

Thank you so much for posting this video! My 2002 330 ci had the same problem. I had my doubts that repairing one wire would make a difference, but it did! It works perfectly now!

[@execct]

Great video!

[@dalerichardson2617]

Awesome video thanks a bunch. 👍👍 Hopefully this is my problem 😁🙏

[@ScottPeters188]

My 2003 will unlatch, then it just stops there - doesn't go any further than unlatching, I get a flashing red light, and it will not re-latch, I have to crank it shut manually. Could this be the issue? I checked the boot storage, that seems fine - oddly enough the trunk still opened even though the top was in the unlatched position that threw me a little.

[@ShafiJ1968]

Great video!

[@oiygfdxssfgg]

Great video

[@michaelshort1210]

Mine had the exact same problem thank you dude so much for the video you saved my life. Seriously can't thank you enough

[@NewBritainDan]

Did this repair last through the years? A word to the wise, putting an inflexible solder joint anywhere near that area where the top hinges will increase potential future failure.

[@geraldhitchens8130]

You can get scrap multi strand winded wire from the wreckers,preferably selfserve

[@peter479]

Thanks a lot for your advise and clear instructions! Due to these fortunately my roof is working smoothly again 😀

[@ethanmiles20]

would this apply to 1999 e36 M3 verts with similar trouble?

[@MrHengDoItAll]

Hey David mine it e36 m3 , it open just motor top release from windshield frame that all . nothing move at convertible cover. Do you have any idea what happening ? thank you

[@aadavidb]

+Raksasok Heng Is the rear cover opening? I would check to confirm whether the rear cover latches are activating. The rear cover latch is actuated by cables under the back seat. The forums have more information about how to check and repair the rear latch mechanism. The front of the roof can't start moving until the rear window section lifts and hatch opens. And since it's easy to check the rear cover latches, that's where I would start. But you could also read the codes or remove the interior cover from the driver's side rear access to use a multi-meter where the convertable wiring harness comes to a junction. Worst case is you have a hydraulic motor or controller problem. But I'd start with the simple wiring and cable stuff first.

[@markanthonydiamond]

Excellent video! Thank you for taking the time to share!

[@owentaylor6659]

Brilliant, exactly what was wrong with mine.

[@jesssettle6711]

David - have 2004 325ci that like you I raise and lower the top almost daily. 2 days ago upon lowering the top everything stopped just as the header raised just above the top of windshield and red light began blinking. Thanks to your video, rather than beginning hours researching function of the pump, the hatch mechanism under rear seat, fuses, etc, I opened the harness at that bend

[@jesssettle6711]

and found broken wire. Resoldered it and fixed the problem in about 20 minutes! Thank you thank you!!

[@TheOriginalChazno5]

Very good job. You should work for BMW 😃

[@minuhbizniz]

this vid has solved my roof issue, thanks you

[@arisnavarro]

I had the same exact symptoms as your car except that my broken wire was in a different location toward the rear of the car... there's another place where the wire loom constantly bends and my green wire was broken there.

[@joaquinbello1984]

hey Aris, where exactly the wire in the rear???, I fix the brown wire in the front but top stops midway during opening. please help, picture will be nice. thanks

[@77northfork]

Thank you David. Great video that helped me fix my top.

[@jean-paulmaurel2372]

Fantastic video, I am going to try it...

[@agy2k2]

This is awesome thank you!!!!!

[@philfox9059]

Thank you so much !!!!! Bmw wanted a hell of a lot of money to tell me what they think is wrong. I looked at what you did and went outside and sure enough found the light brown wire broken apart. Thank you !!!!

[@philfox9059]

And it works great again !!! :-)

[@michaellambert2612]

Well done my friend, thanks for sharing

[@GuardianofClevelandHeights]

Yesterday, the top on my e46 convertible stopped 2 or 3 times at about the point marked at about 0:06 in your video (thats a guess, but definitely sooner than yours). Each time, I clicked the close button and it went back down and locked into place. I drove it over to my mechanic, and it happened again. He gave it a little help, and it went down. I then drove home, tried it a few times, and it went down no problem. Same thing this morning, no problem. The only other thing I noticed different is that your's seems to be initially quicker. to separate from the frame. My mechanic replaced the motor with a new one a few years back, so he said it is almost certainly not that. I assume that my situation means its not likely the wiring, both because it wasn't at the 90 degree bend, and I'm not sure why the little help would matter if it was the wiring. Thoughts?

[@aadavidb]

I agree with you. It would not seem to be an electrical problem since it continues to operate with a little nudge. What happens if, while opening the convertible top, you hold your hand against it and try to stall or limit the movement? Make it strain gently against the flat of your hand pushing against it, and see what happens. If it was a hydraulic issue I would expect it to act as if fluid is surging past an O ring somewhere. During this test I expect the car top might keep pushing against your hand, but remain stationery. This might also point to the hydraulic pump or motor, (even though you already replaced it). But the fact that the problem is intermittent is curious and I can't theorize why. Maybe it's affected by temperature. Hydraulics might also be affected by temperature. Is the problem worse on cold days?

[@GuardianofClevelandHeights]

@@aadavidb kinda late coming, but I have been told what the problem almost certainly is: the elastic straps inside the top are stretching out. As you might know, replacement is extremely expense, because the entire top has to be replaced. On the other hand (so I am told), the easiest fix is just to give the top a light push at the point the straps are most stretched each time I open it. I should be able to do this indefinitely. The car is in great (not mint) shape...but its also 20 years old and this issue only happens periodically, maybe once every 15 opens. I'm not interested in spending the money to replace the top entirely.

[@tonyrunyon375]

Nice 👌

[@placidnick100]

@David Bartholomew Great video, Just one detail missing on how the trunk flap opens? My e46, everything works but the trunk flap doesn't open and the top gets stuck midway. What do I need to diagnose/fix?

[@aadavidb]

The "trunk flap" rear lid is unlatched by a cable and gear mechanism that's actuated by a small electric motor. It's located under the rear seat and is known to fail to unlatch after wearing out. Search the forums and you may find other videos that show how to expose, examine and repair the latch. Here's one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJTUnpWBg9yJpac

[@placidnick100]

@@aadavidb I see. I pulled out the rear seat and see the motor is moving and the latch is engaging. Here is the video of the top-down sequence. What area can we diagnose? kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4OqoaSCncqIjNk

[@aadavidb]

@@placidnick100 Your rear hatch isn’t raising. Your problem is different that the one I solved. The rear hatch cover must first unlatch, and then motor upwards. Something is preventing that. Suggest you focus on the rear hatch mechanics and sensors. Try to use a code reader to see what is being reported. Check that the motor under the rear seat is actually unlatching the hatch cover. Parts there may have become stripped or worn out. Sorry I’m unable to offer more help. I sold my BMW 3 years ago.

[@graemerogers]

great vid

[@josepha8146]

Hi dave, very instructional video. My car's top only opens from the latch but does not move at all. When I manualy opened it some more to expose the wire harness and inspect the individual wires, there is no visibly broken wire although they all had a bend or permanent crease at the point of where they bend. Do you suggest I strip the wires and look at the inside or could it be something else altogether?

[@aadavidb]

Sounds like you have no hydraulics at all if it unlatched and then fails to move. S uggest you check the hydraulic pump in the trunk.

[@josepha8146]

David Bartholomew I am afraid that it may be that. I actually spliced new wires on 5 of the slim wires even if there was no visible break but it did not do anything different. Some people say that there may be another breakage point at the bend near the rear passenger side. I am not confident with dealing with hydraulics. Would you suggest I open the harness there or just take it to an indie bmw mechanic for professional help? By the way, would you know how I can possibly close my top again? Because i bent it back originally, now it doesnt want to straighten all the way for me to use the allen key to manually latch it. It is about 6 inches away from the latching point and doesnt want to straighten the frame. Is there a lock or a step I may have missed? Any helpful advice is appreciated..... thanks.

[@danielhassani1]

Thank you so much

[@rrmech11]

Nice job

[@jasondoe5741]

Was your button flashing red?

[@aadavidb]

Yes

[@bry100ful]

That was amazing advice mate you took me to my problem and sure as hell the exact wire as yours was broken and I'v fixed the problem two thumbs up on your advice mate top marks

[@robertoleeva985]

Dang !! what a good video. Thank you for taking the time to upload this and sharing your experience. I definitely learned a lot.