[sublimefiend]

Apologies in advance if this is the incorrect place to post this! I just joined this thread but I need some help. I'm 17 and just bought myself my first car. 07 bmw 328i hard top convertible w/ 98k miles & salvaged title. Its running great, just needs maintenance.
However, I've been having many issues with the drop top, it will get half way open or half way closed before getting stuck. Usually solved by turning the car off and on. The key fob opener works on the top, not great, but has issues closing. The latch on the right side of my trunk is broken, (my dad broke it after inspecting the car right after I bought it.) so the trunk doesn't latch perfectly flush. I found a small white plastic trigger that when pressed made a ding sound, causing the broken trunk latch to stay in place allowing the trunk to close. I need to get that repaired but $$!!!. Anyways, after that, there is a warning light I cannot find jack information about online, in the manual, etc etc. Can anyone help me identify this? I believe I attached it. Thank you so much!

[Efthreeoh]

Why was the car a salvage title? If it was in an accident then the top may not be in proper alignment with the body. If you are hard up for dollars just for a latch, then you may have difficulty owning this car. That notification relates to convertible top trouble codes. You need to scan the car with a BMW scan tool to find out what the code is triggering the notification, then diagnose from that point.

If you do not yet know how to wrench on cars as DIY, buying a salvage titled BMW was probably not in your best financial interests.

[E93Dude]

Originally Posted by sublimefiend

Apologies in advance if this is the incorrect place to post this! I just joined this thread but I need some help. I'm 17 and just bought myself my first car. 07 bmw 328i hard top convertible w/ 98k miles & salvaged title. Its running great, just needs maintenance.
However, I've been having many issues with the drop top, it will get half way open or half way closed before getting stuck. Usually solved by turning the car off and on. The key fob opener works on the top, not great, but has issues closing. The latch on the right side of my trunk is broken, (my dad broke it after inspecting the car right after I bought it.) so the trunk doesn't latch perfectly flush. I found a small white plastic trigger that when pressed made a ding sound, causing the broken trunk latch to stay in place allowing the trunk to close. I need to get that repaired but $$!!!. Anyways, after that, there is a warning light I cannot find jack information about online, in the manual, etc etc. Can anyone help me identify this? I believe I attached it. Thank you so much!

The horror…the horror…..

Why is your dad not in jail for child neglect? Unless he is a genius shade tree mechanic, he should never have blessed your purchase of this car at 17. It is (a) an old BMW, (b) a convertible, and (c) a salvage title. The E9x is a GREAT car if properly maintained, but it will (emphasis here) OBLITERATE you wallet if you neglect it and/or have a major repair to deal with. The E93 convertible model can be fantastic, but the convertible mechanism is fiendishly complicated to service, and even BMW only lets specially certified technicians service that part. And buying a salvage title with convertible top malfunction is a terribly risky business. Did you not thoroughly inspect the car before purchase?

Look, you own the car now, and one thing in your favor is that there is a lot of support in this forum for every conceivable problem. Someone has encountered it before. Be prepared to ask questions here and you will learn. couple questions:

— any other issues with the vehicle? What damage did it suffer?
— any service records?
— as already noted by someone more accomplished than I, buy a cheap scan tool and pull the fault codes for your top. Amazon or Harbor Freight have plenty of decent choices. Post the codes, and let's go from there. If you take the car to a mechanic, you will leave +$1,000 poorer after parts/labor for a convertible top failure.

Over to you. Or sell, and buy a used Miata or Mustang. Avoid Audi….equally painful to your wallet, and more junky overall. A VW with lipstick.

[e90yyc]

E93Dude Back in my dealership days I remember seeing one of these hardtops disassembled in a tech’s bay. It looked like a meth head had broken in and taken an entire car apart. All I could think is there’s no fucking way that’s going back together.

OP: If I was you I’d just perma-chop the top.

[JRgully]

I'm dealing with almost the same problem, lets hope someone can help us!

[Brian86]

Don't listen to the doom and gloom.

It's an N52 car, by not buying the turbo it's already saved you tons of money in repairs for the important part. Getting from A to B.

As long as the roof can be closed, it's just an e92 with a smaller trunk. There's almost always a way to get it closed. An excellent beater for a kid learning to turn wrenches.

[Efthreeoh]

I forgot about this thread. The OP posted once and never came back. Hopefully he got rid of the E93 and bought a Honda.