# FAQ - Mk3 Roadster Roof Motor Repairs



## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

Our 16 reg showed a fault for putting the roof down so we had to do so manually. We've now had it inspected by a VAG indie who have spent several hours trying to diagnose the fault and they think the motors are out of sync and one might have damaged bearings. They seem very good but can't diagnose any further without taking the roof out which is c12hrs labour. In addition once diagnosed, if a motor needs replacing they would do the pair at c£500 each side for the motor and c£70 for a drive wheel repair kit (if I understood them correctly). Total bill could be c£2700 ex vat. 
Does anyone have any experience of this and would there be any prospect of Audi contributing a goodwill gesture if we had it diagnosed by the local VAG dealer? It's been fully serviced within the dealer network up to its current 37k and we only didn't take it to them for diagnosis as they didn't seem to know much when we enquired about a leak in the boot lid or the drain tubs blocking. 
Never faced a £3k repair bill in 40 years of motoring so it's a first! Thanks.


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## jester225 (Jan 14, 2020)

Sounds like a lot of money,i had an a4 cab that the roof would only move so far i took the car to an auto electrician that actualy does work for audi,he said that all was needed was new brushes in the motors and a sync switch total cost was 100 quid,this guy is in starbeck near Harrogete,might be worth a trip what have you got to loose,give this guy a call,read his reviews on his site,if i have a problem with mine thats where it will go http://www.autoelectron.co.uk/ hope this helps


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## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

jester225 said:


> ...give this guy a call,read his reviews on his site,if i have a problem with mine thats where it will go http://www.autoelectron.co.uk/ hope this helps


Thank you for taking the time to respond. I think the issue is that accessing the motors to examine them requires removal of the roof so incurs the labour charge.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

As the owner of a 16 reg roadster with 36k on the clock this is a bit concerning.

Looking at your figures, taking off the £500 for each motor leaves about £1700 +vat for 12 hours labour. That's £2040 / 12 which equals £170 per hour labour. At those rates your local Audi dealer may well be competitive. Either way why don't you ask your Audi dealer for a quote for replacing the 2 motors and see how that compares and then you can ask about a good will contribution.

As an aside, have you operated the roof with the car on the move prior to this failure?


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## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

ZephyR2 said:


> As an aside, have you operated the roof with the car on the move prior to this failure?


I'm ok with the calculation of the parts plus labour for a worst case scenario (labour is £69ph +vat), less so the total. Yes, we usually close the hood on the flat just prior to parking on a sloping drive so at about 10mph so well below the maximum recommended.


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## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

Just to update. The car has been fixed by our local AD with the fault diagnosed as a stripped motor ratchet on one side only. Plastic part cost c£90 but the labour another £600. The local AD approached Audi for a goodwill contribution but they declined as the vehicle is just over 5 yrs old so the AD very generously restricted their labour charge to c6hrs rather than the 12 the job is scheduled to take. Anyone any experience of a similar failure or fix? Apparently the other cog was perfectly ok so no idea why only one would fail but it's an expensive fix every time the roof has to come out so roadster owners beware!


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks for the update. Handy to know. 
Would it not have been worthwhile replacing the other cog at the same time as a precaution, bearing in mind the cost of removing the roof?
A lot cheaper than your original estimate though.


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## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

ZephyR2 said:


> Would it not have been worthwhile replacing the other cog at the same time as a precaution, bearing in mind the cost of removing the roof.


I specifically asked the question and was told the other cog was perfect, hence my desire to know if anyone has any reasoning for why one cog would strip but not the other. It's a point I intend to seek Audi's view on.

Sent from my HD1903 using Tapatalk


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

@ *Deepreddave* - I'm curious exactly which part(s) failed. Can you please check your work order/receipt and post the part numbers they listed as replaced?

Also, do you happen to know which fault code was reported?

As to your question about why one cog would fail but not the other; the Mk3 convertible top drive use a metal gear on the motor (shown below) which drives the plastic gears in the mechanism. Obviously if the plastic gear jams, the metal one may damage or destroy the plastic gears when operated. The real question is why did this happen in the first place?

Looking at the *7zap* parts diagram below, Item #26 - *8S7 898 644, Repair set - Drive Wheel*. It would seem Audi knew this design was prone to failing and intentionally offered a repair kit right from the start. It would be interesting to know how this is replaced as it may become a very valuable DIY for the Mk3 Roadster owners.


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## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

SwissJetPilot said:


> @ *Deepreddave* - I'm curious exactly which part(s) failed. Can you please check your work order/receipt and post the part numbers they listed as replaced?
> 
> Also, do you happen to know which fault code was reported?
> 
> Cheers!


The receipt shows "A8S7 898 644 repair kit" so does that help? 
I've no idea about a fault code, we just got a dashboard message saying there was a roof fault and it wouldn't close, so had to be closed manually. 

Sent from my HD1903 using Tapatalk


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Here's some additional information if any of the Mk3 Roadster owners. You can find the workshop manual for download here -



https://cardiagn.com/audi-tt-fv-general-body-repairs-exterior-edition-12-2018/


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Deepreddave said:


> The receipt shows "A8S7 898 644 repair kit" so does that help?
> I've no idea about a fault code, we just got a dashboard message saying there was a roof fault and it wouldn't close, so had to be closed manually.


As suspected, that's Item #26.
Okay. You'd need an OBD device; (VCDS, OBDeleven, Carista, etc.) to look up a fault code.

If you can get the parts back from the shop and post pictures of what was replaced, that would be great since I can't find an actual image of that part on the internet. Just drawings as shown above. It would be very interesting to see what damage had occurred to understand if this was a wear issue or some other failure mode.


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## Deepreddave (Apr 4, 2020)

SwissJetPilot said:


> As suspected, that's Item #26.
> Okay. You'd need an OBD device; (VCDS, OBDeleven, Carista, etc.) to look up a fault code.
> 
> If you can get the parts back from the shop and post pictures of what was replaced, that would be great since I can't find an actual image of that part on the internet. Just drawings as shown above.


Thanks but I suspect not given I think it's located within the hood 'bay' and the garage had to remove the hood to determine the cause of the problem. I'll wait to see if anyone else has experienced a similar problem before writing to VAG customer service with some questions/comments.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

I followed up with *Deepreddave* on his repair and this what he came back with -

_"We ended up taking it to the local VW Audi Dealership and they confirmed it was a plastic drive cog on one side which had worn. The other side was fine. They charged £750 to fit a new one, which was pretty reasonable in that they said the full bill ought to been nearer £1200, the vast majority being labour to remove and refit the hood mechanism. VAG wouldn't contribute anything despite it being just over 5yrs old, 30k miles and full VW service history.

Having to keep checking the tubs weren't blocked by leaves etc was too much of a worry so we sold the TT shortly after. Shame as no complaints with the car other than the poor design of the tubs/drainage and we'll be replacing at some point but with a convertible hard top to avoid any similar issues."_

Now all know now why Audi offers a repair kit for this top.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

When running a fault scan, it's best to use a VAG-specific OBDII device since generic scanners can throw bogus or incorrect fault codes. You can read more about them *here*.

Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) aka 'Fault Codes' related to the Mk3 convertible are associated with the following components. For more information you can read through the Self Study Program for the Mk3 Convertible (click *here*). The primary components of the convertible top system are in black text. Associated fault codes are in blue.

Convertible Top Latch -open- Switch F294
01996 - Cabrio top lock switch (F294) open not a plausable signal​Convertible Top Latch -closed- Switch F295
01995 - Cabrio top lock switch (F295) closed not a plausable signal​Convertible Top Locking Motor V223
01997 - Convertible Top Locking Motor )V223)​Convertible Top Front Closed Position Switch F202
01091- Switch front Canopy (F202)​Convertible Top Open Position Switch F171

Convertible Top Motor V82
Convertible Top Motor 2 V576
Convertible Top Front Lock Switch F172
Convertible Top Locking Readiness Switch F542

Power Top Operation Switch E137
Convertible Top Control Module J256

Secondary fault codes associated with the primary faults code can include -
02000 Switch position not a plausible signal​02024 Perform adaptation - No or Wrong Adaptation​008 - Implausible signal​


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Here are the service instructions to remove the Mk3 convertible top, pull the motor and install Item #26 - *8S7 898 644, Repair set - Drive Wheel*.

As noted in the instructions, this is a two person job and will take some considerable skill and knowledge of the convertible top in order to do this correctly since the entire top has to be removed from the vehicle.

While it may be possible to do this yourself and a friend, it may be best left to Audi's Service Center or try finding a shop that specializes in soft top work and knows the Mk3 well enough to do this.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Seems when running a fault scan, the codes B196EF0 & B196E97 reported by OBDeleven don't seem to coincide with any Google searches. If any Mk3 Roadster owner has a problem with their top, and access to a Ross Tech VCDS, can you please post your fault scan so we can figure out what codes to expect.


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