I put the top up yesterday before going out. No problems at all that I was aware of. The wife and I did a few errands making a number of stops at different places. At the fourth stop, upon starting the car to go home I noticed the red warning light and the "convertible not latched" message. I ignored and drove home and turned off the car. I then turned the ignition to the on position (without starting) and did not notice if the light/message was on or not (I think it was NOT) but, for good measure, pressed the "roof" button to the closed position. Windows started moving as if the top were fully opened and I let go of the button. Then closed the windows with the window switches. Everything seems fine now without any warning messages (but I have not been in the car today yet).

Is this just one of those annoying electrical system hiccups?

Doug

 

Check your PM!

 

Doug,

What did you do?

When you closed your roof the first time did you hear the chime to tell you that it was completed? I am think that you closed the roof the micro switch was satisfied at the time but was teetering between open and closed position and did not know what direction to go.

Now that you are at home you should open the roof completely holding the button until you hear the tone. Then close the roof until your quarter windows go up and you hear the tone. When you are done take it for a drive and see in the warning comes up. If it does not I would assume your car had a poltergeist moment or it was forced out of sequence. This system is a series of switches, pumps and cylinders that must work together. I have not tested this but was your car in motion when you put the top up?

 

Weird... I got a "Hood not latched" error when I put the top up today. I fiddled with the hood for ten minutes, then I did a search here on Jaguarforums.com and learned that those silly Brits call the convertible top a "hood". The hood is called the bonnet. Anyway, the top wouldn't go down, and the back windows were stuck in the down position. I used that big allen wrench and fiddled with the latching mechanism. Eventually the sensor that detects a latched top started to work and I was able to cycle the top a couple of times. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing.

 

Good job Sam!

 

Good job jaguarforums.com. You know, ten or 15 years ago there were no internet forums where people could go to get their questions answered. The problem I had today would have probably ended up resulting in a dealer service call, and he would have replaced some expensive part unnecessarily, and it all would have cost $1000. Today I can just search the internet and find the answer to damn near any questions I have.

 

Hey guys--I thought I had read something somewhere that said not to hold the button too long after closing/opening so it may be that I let go of the button just a bit too soon on the initial close.

Next time in the car (either later today or tomorrow) I will go through the fully open/fully close routine to make sure everything is in sync. It was just weird that I did not immediately get the warning but, rather, after driving it around most of the day. Like Gus said it could have just been that the microswitch was teetering (I hate it when that happens).

Doug

 

Holding the button too long is a myth! This is what we all have been told and I was told by Jaguar. The micro switches tell the system when an action is completed and if the micro switches fail it will not go to the next step. If the latch switch sees the latch closed it will tell the rams to push closed when they are sensed closed they will close the quarter windows. At the end you will hear the chime. If it is not correct the next step will not take place. When you open the windows go down, the latch opens and the rams retract the latch closes and you get the chime and if that sequence is out of sorts it will not go to the next step. Each action has a reaction and if one is not working properly or out of adjustment it will not go to the next level either open or close. I hope this helps! If for any reason I find a sequence issue that is not what I said it is I will let you know.

You should understand that the install of the pressure valve will also help reduce failures related to pressure failures.

FYI I open and close my roof several times a day and I do not hesitate to hold the button and I have the Jaguar hoses installed not my hose.

 

Several times a day!?!? When I finally get around to opening up the top, I generally keep it open for days on end until weather or something else (my wife complaining about messing her hair) causes me to close it.

Anyway, I took a drive a while ago and the top was up the way I left it after getting the warning light. Since the message is no longer there, I did not bother opening and closing since I was in a hurry. There were absolutely no problems and no messages.

After almost 2 years of owning the car, I am just convinced that odd messages pop up at odd times, primarily due to the multiplexing used in the electrical system. Some minor fluctuation in current can apparently cause false positives in unrelated systems.

Doug

 

I've gotten the HOOD NOT LATCHED message a couple of times. Seems to be if I had interrupted the complete top cycle, even simply stopping in the middle and continuing I would get the message. Putting the top through a complete cycle would make the message go away.

Like Gus, I run my top up and down many times a day. (There's a reason they call this area the Northwet.)

Mike
..and for the 13,000 mile report: Nothing but gas, oil, and wax. The air filter shows some oil misting.
..oh yeah, I "voluntarily" changed the thermostat tower but the old one wasn't leaking...

 

I have to say that even with the new hoses I have (okay, almost new--they are about 18 months old) and the pressure relief gizmo that I installed, I STILL get freaked out every time I open or close the top. I would need to be taking Valium if I were opening and closing the top numerous times a day

Doug

 

Wow man! Say what?

 

I guess the thing is that since the problem has been so prevalent (at least at this and other Jaguar forums, including to myself), and since the consequences of a leak are so dire (messy shower plus expensive fix), it has made me gun-shy even though I realize that the chance of a problem should be nil (hopefully) since I installed the pressure relief valve. I just need to bite the bullet and stop worrying.

Doug

 

You got it! Drive and enjoy the car, life is short!

 

Now you guys are making me paranoid. My car is an 03 and it doesn't have a pressure relief gizmo. My top seems to work fine except at that last moment before the top closes it seems to hang up for a second, then suddenly it snaps into place. Is that normal, or is pressure just building, building, building until suddenly the pressure overcomes some kind of resistance? If it's the latter, I'm thinking I need to quit cycling the top so much until I can figure out what's causing the hang.

 

Hey Rev--I think that behavior is normal. It seems the very last sequence of events (the latch engaging the hook and then finally closing) takes a few seconds. But make sure you install the pressure relief device--sooner rather than later.

Doug

 

It's like $300! I'd rather get new springs to lower the car. I'm a gambler. What are the chances I'll spring a leak?

 

like they say, its not if, but when in this case. Mine was about to go, my ram had a leak and the top stopped working when I took it into the dealer, prevented the shower I believe. So, if your car is my evil twin, I'd be careful.

 

It's the best $300 I ever spent on a car accessory. Just to a search on this and other Jaguar forums for the "hydraulic leak" or "green shower", etc. and I think you will see what I mean. Replacement of the hoses could be about $1,200 or more at the dealer. If you want to do it yourself it looks like it will take at least 6 hours for the hose replacement if your are mechanically inclined.

Doug

 

Sam, thanks for the chuckle. To me its like the fish that swims back and forth in front of the hole where he knows a moray lives. What are his chances? Most of the kits we have sold are to people who just had the problem.

Regarding the "not latched problem" Gus' rendition of how things work is spot on. The controller gets all out of whack if it gets out of sequence. This is where the system hangs up. I'm thinking the not latched problem comes from letting loose of the button too soon so you should wait for the chime. Also, I think the engine should be on especially when raising the roof, which requires the most power. This is what the owner's manual says. It seems possible to me that an older battery alone could not have enough juice to complete the latch operation. This could lead to the teetering switch problem. There are pins that do the final lock in place but I don't think there are any switches that confirm this.