W208 Soft Top Relay

[Hawkwind]

Hi there,
I'm having a problem with my hood, put it down yesterday and it operated normally.

Today I gave it a really good clean in preparation for recolouring and rinsed of with hosepipe. Spent a while under the bonnet, cleaning out the windscreen/wiper drain guttering and then tried to start the car.

Wouldn't start

Jump started it from my wife's Renault and it started up straight away, let it run for a while and then tried to lower the roof, no joy

When I open the release handle, the windows drop as normal and the hood switch lights up, when I pull the switch back it flashes and the roof does nothing at all. I've played with the boot light switch and the other funny roller switch, I've also played with the sensor switch that detects the luggage cover is in place, also checked the fuses.

Searching the forum I found a mention of a soft top relay, can anyone tell me where I might find this?

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions

 

[Ted]

Try disconnecting the battery for a couple of minutes.
You will need your radio code, reset windows and srs.
Also try fully recharging the battery.

 

[Hawkwind]

Thanks Ted, I'll give it a go.

Don't understand why the battery went flat, maybe it's a dud.

 

[Hawkwind]

OK just went out and checked the battery voltage, which reads 12.5V with the car off and 13.98V while the engine is running.

Thought I'd try the hood just one more time before disconnecting the battery and Hey Presto! Worked like a charm :bannana:

I think there may be a fault with my battery, though normally it starts first time every time. The only time the car has failed to start was when the siren was disconnected and the hazard warning lights kept going off and flattening the battery.

Do you guys think that my battery readings are normal, is there a better way to test it?

 

[Ted]

The correct way to test a battery is to fully charge it and the perform a high rate discharge test on it - a good auto-electrician can do that.
Don't just go to Halfords or Kwikfit as they have a vested interest in your battery not being up to scratch.
If it were me, I would charge it up and just keep a general eye on things. Batteries can discharge surprisingly quickly with doors open/ignition on while you are working on them/cleaning them.
Those voltages look about right to me

 

[Hawkwind]

Cheers Ted, the numbers looked OK to me as well, just thought I'd ask for a second opinion.

I'll monitor things for the time being