718 Spyder RS - Convertible top not fully locked / do not drive

[Wapping]

I am getting a very strange warning come up on the dashboard.

The roof on my Spyder is completely off and stowed away properly, the rear boot shut neatly. I am suddenly getting repeated warnings that: ‘Convertible top not fully locked’ at standstill and then ‘Do not drive any further’ coming up in red, when on the move. In short, the car thinks that the roof is on and that it’s not properly secured, when in reality the boot is safely stowed away in the boot. The erroneous red warning is doubly annoying as you cannot clear it on the move.

Reattaching the roof, clears the warning. Removing the roof again, brings up the warning afresh, usually within five miles or so of driving.

I found:

a. If I reattach the roof, there is no warning.

b. If I then remove the roof again, there is no warning for about five miles. The red warning will then flash up and cannot be cleared.

c. When the roof is removed and before the warning displays, I can make it flash up on demand. To do this on the move, I insert a finger into the hole in the block where the roof catch would normally engage. In the hole, there is a small flap. Push the flap up and the warning flashes, lower the flap and the warning disappears.

d. When I got home, I found that when the small flap is pushed up with a finger, there is a tiny ‘click’ and another tiny click when the flap is lowered. It sounds like a small switch, hidden away in the moulding of the female part of the forward catch. The closest I can get to the sound and feel of the ‘click’ is the small switches on the brake and clutch levers of my motorcycles, activated when the levers are pulled in and released.

It is as if the switch or the wiring loom is getting confused, believing that the roof lock is not fully engaged, when there is no roof at all.

The US forums are reporting very similar problems. I guess they enjoy better weather on the west coast, so have been driving around topless longer than we have here in the UK, so the problem is more regular there?

 

[ralphmusic]

There are three sensors on the hood system. One in your point c in the windscreen frame and one each in the rear wing latches. As you say this seems to be a recurring issue with stories on Rennlist, other forums and CSC on WhatsApp. I have not (yet?) had the issue.

I don’t know how responsive your OPC is but with mine I would expect them to check the fit of the parts in the windscreen frame and absent loose parts to raise an issue with Reading, as they have with the fit of my Weather deflector.

I have had a couple of roof not stowed correctly messages which are irritating having closed the rear deck only appear once I’ve driven off. At least these can be ignored until a convenient scheduled stop.

 

[Wapping]

Thank you.

I’ve contacted Porsche East London, emailing them with the problem. I’ll see what they come up with.

Reading some more, it seems that a lot of the US problems, revolve around the ‘Convertible top not fully locked’ warning coming on when the roof is on. I am still baffled as to why, when the roof is off, the warning appears, not least as (with no roof installed) there is nothing to lock. Something is tricking the three sensors into thinking the roof is on, clearly. I can only assume the same ‘trick’ is occurring when the roof is fitted, too?

The warning can be safely ignored, not least as I know there is no roof present. The problem then is that the warning is permanently displayed on the instrument screen, obliterating the ‘pop-up’ information. You can’t cancel or shrink the red warning down, other than when stationary. I guess this is a safety feature, as an unlocked roof would indeed be dangerous (and very expensive) should it rip off when driving.

 

[ralphmusic]

I read your posts on Rennlist. Perhaps the issue you are seeing is caused by the fin sensors which detect that the hood is not stowed correctly. The switching on the windscreen frame is perhaps your tickling of the sensor - which according to Rennlist thread also can suffer from wiring damage.

So generally, hood up no issues, fin sensors are triggered if stowage is not perfect?

 

[alexkolasky]

I am having the same problem with mine took it out yesterday with roof off which I left in the garage and got this below mine has been doing this on and off with roof on and off and not all the time i have made sure all connection points are properly closed I am going to contact my local dealer Cambridge but chances are it wont be do it when I go in as you have said the warning is permanently displayed when you move

 

[keithn]

I have the same issue and have raised it with Cambridge. My work around is to push the little flap where the hook goes in the windscreen header rail, turn the car/ignition off, pull key out & lock it, and then unlock & restart.
It is a pain but it solves the issue for me. Will post an update after speaking with dealer next week.