Chris Davies

If you can hear the solenoids then it would suggest your switch is working fine. My first step would be to check the level of the hydraulic fluid in the convertible roof motor pump. If you’ve not done that before it’s in the boot on lower right hand side. You’ll need to remove the interior boot trim to get to it. Alternatively, perhaps the handbrake switch is defective / stuck?

Thanks for the suggestion daveyboy1967. Good idea. in the end I tried leaving the car with the rear facing the sun so that the plastic of the replacement window would get really hot. That, along with some repairs to the zip, which had detached from the hood in one area (I used a Speedy Stitcher to stitch it back into place) seems to have done it! There are some creases, and I did have to use some clear sealant to improve the rubbish gasket that came with the window, but it’s ok. Certainly worth a punt rather than shelling out for a new hood or travelling to Coventry to get a new window stitched in. At least now it’s waterproof and presentable.

UPDATE… So. Having tried to zip in the replacement plastic window a few times I have concluded that the canvass of the soft top has contracted over time and so the zip of the replacement will never be long enough to mate to it properly. There’s not much in it, but enough to make me think I’ll have to abandon the idea The remaining low cost option would be to forget about the zip then glue and pin the plastic in place before sewing it in myself after the glue dried. Failing that, it’ll be off to the pros to replace the whole hood. I guess it is 26 years old!

Spare window ordered from Cristal Cabriolet in France; arriving Thursday. I’ll attempt the fitting over the weekend as the mother in law is coming to stay…

Good evening everyone! So, I’m just setting out on the gradual renovation of my 1999 final edition 1.8 Cabriolet. I would like to build up a stock of spares for the garage and squirrel them away for when I need them in the future. There are a few bits I’d be interested in now too: brake bomb; os front headlight unit; central rear light reflector. If considering having a clear out of your stock of old spares, or have a donor car you’d like to sell, please let me know. Especially interested in any panels for the cactus green (British Racing green) model paint code LZ6L. I can assure you that this would be for use on my car and not for resale. Thanks everyone! Chris

Thanks Steve. The Cabriolet has an integrated zip which should make the process a little more straightforward, although I’ve heard that lining up the teeth of the zip can be a nightmare! The replacement window comes with an adhesive strip, but I’m also doing to use a speedy stitche awl to use the original stitching holes to re sew it too. For extra measure I may also use a sealant on the zip teeth themselves too. Leave it with me and I’ll try and document the process.

Hi Steve, There’s no warranty as such for the replacement rear window. I think I’ll take the plunge and install one and then have a go at stitching it in too using an awl and the old holes from original stitching. I’ll photograph and video some of the steps and post it here to help others in the same situation. All the best, Chris

Afternoon all! This is my first post on this forum; nice to meet you all. Had lots of Audis in the past, but never a Cabriolet. Picking it up on Saturday. I do know that it needs a new plastic window in the rear of the soft top. I understand that usually the new screens are hand stitched in for about £300 at soft top specialists. However, I was wondering if anyone on the Forum had used Cristal Cabriolet. Their product makes use of the zip as per the stitched in ones but then has a 3m adhesive seal that you affix to the soft top fabric rather than stitching. I thought I might try this and then if the adhesive is insufficient stitch it myself using something like a Speedy Stitcher Awl. What are everyone’s thoughts on that? Cheers, Chris