Great Video. My astra snapped the cables that open the cover for the softop and burst the hydraulic ram on the left . Too much work to fix but this video enabled me to close the roof. One of the plastic brackets shown in video snapped during the melee. I unscrewed the threaded shaft, took off the broken plastic , abraded it and superglued it together in situ. I then threaded the shaft back in and did a manual wind to lock the roof. Didnt have to unbolt the whole unit. Couldnt have done it without video. Kept the car on the road until it went to scrappers. Great.
Great video for a common problem on these cars. Now that the replacement parts are available online, you don't have to suffer the exorbitant prices for metal replacements from a certain repairer in Aussie. With regard to the very tight screws retaining the locking mechanism (Locktite has been used), I found by supporting the roof edge when folded down, and giving the screw heads a very FIRM smack with a hammer and brass drift, it allows the screws to be undone without stripping the head. I also replaced the screws with Allen head cap screws so the issue never reoccurs. With plastic blocks that are just cracked a little, I have used stainless steel cable ties to provide reinforcement and a fix. Two slipped under the plastic mechanism and crossed over do the trick. Getting them TIGHT is the issue and you may need a SS cable tie gun.
Thank you very much for this video. I could finally take out the broken latch and it had exactly the same problem as yours. I ordered a new part from UK and hopefully will arrive soon. I will replace that plastic part on both sides as the car is 2002 and the other one may also break in the near future. Big help mate!! So appreciate your work here in posting this guide!! I will post again once the part has arrived if I will encounter any difficulties.
Hi mate . Just fitted new latch motor , everything working spot on . Crackin video and thanks again for headin me in the right direction. Much appreciated. Cheers.
Thanks Killa. this video what I was looking for to fix my BMW E46 top. The latch is identical to my 325CI. You could help a lot more people if you edit the video title to (Vauxhall Astra & BMW E46 Convertible Roof Latches - FIXED). Thank you again!
Great video! Probably off the exact topic a bit but mine has a problem with the motor that drives the latches. The plastic worm wheel that runs off the motor's worm gear has broken in half. I'm not having any luck at all chasing up the gear itself or the motor. Are you able to point me in the right direction?
At 1:40 you can the the motor on the left of the screen that operates the latches, its held in place with a couple of bolts/nuts. Thanks for the question.
Thanks for the nice video..I have a diffirent problem..My roof wasn't opening correctly,needed help with my hands and stucks at the beginning of opening..I checked the hydraulik oil at the back,i saw it was under the minimum line and also i saw some liquid out..i put some new oil in the pump bewtween the minimum and maximum line but when i start the operation, it begins to throw out the oil from a part near to right back seat under the roof,,all the oil out...and of course the rood didnt work...do you know what kind of problem is this??
Yes, it sounds as if it has a leak in one of the high pressure hydraulic pipes. It is fairly common. If you are able to view into the compartment where the roof is stored when its fully open you will see a number of hydraulic lines and will be able to see the leaking one. I don't know which country you are in but the are lots of business that make hydraulic pipes and you can easily get a cheap replacement. Original ones are really expensive. Hope this helps. Thanks for the question.
Yes..You are definitely right..:)i cant fix it by my self,i ll go to an opel engineer and i ll see what price he will tell me for this damage..I pray that he won't 'kill' me with the cost:)..i ve got cousins in Melbourn :)
Sent you an email today to this address killawattgarage@gmail.com requesting PDF. Having the same problems as Trystan below. Hope you can help me out? Regards Mick
Cracking vid, mate. Most useful bit of info I've found on repairing the latches on this car which I know I'll need some time in the future. At the moment I've got problems with the tonneau cover/ deck lid not locking into place in either the opening or closing sequence. The latching cables are broken, but I think there is a sensor not getting a signal that the deck lid is closed. Beeps madly, and the roof won't fully close, however it does fully open. Any help you can offer would be really appreciated. Thanks
Great vid KWG, really appreciate it. Have had hydraulic pipe come adrift and when manually operating roof broke the roof latches AND the flexible drives, even with a tiny allen key. Working on it though with your assistance. Two questions, 1 any ideas for flex drive replacements, and 2. Are there any vid resources about for how to replace the hydraulic hose/s that you are aware of? They are something I haven't done much work with. Cheers. Kinglake Col
Hi and thanks for the comment. I have replaced the hoses a couple of times. Each time I removed the leaking hose I took it to a local hydraulic hose maker. Cost about $60-$80 Australian but the quality was high. It's pretty straight forward to replace one hose at a time. Once done top up the fluid and operate the roof and it will self bleed. I use fluid like this. www.nulon.com.au/products/hydraulic-fluids/iso-32-hydraulic-fluid As for the broken flexible drives, I wouldn't want to suggest a suitable replacement, find some good second and ones. Plenty of these convertibles out there getting stripped for parts. Let me know how it goes happy to offer help.
Great video, thanks, but can you please explain how to remove the fabric lining to the roof to reveal the screws holding the cover in place? It's all very tight and looks like it's been done from the inside of itself!
hi mate great job and great video can you tell me where you can get spare hoses and connectors from as mine has poped and and cant be put back on thanks john.
Hi. Great video but can you please explain how to remove the fabric lining to reveal the screws holding the cover in place. It looks like it's been done from inside itself!
G'day...I'm hoping I can assistance:) I have no power it seems to power roof,anti theft and window switch next to roof button on mid console isn't working , if those brackets are broken , does the anyone theft still work(turning key in door lock to turn blinkers on) I checked fuse 15, fuse it fine.. totally at a loss?
Great Vid, I bought a 2005 Holden Astra model and it beeps 6 times and won't open at all nothing happens. I took it to a mechanic and he couldn't fix it and now beeps 12 times with no action. Can you please help me? Any advice will be appreciated
@@killawattgarage Thanks for the link. I took my Astra to local Holden dealer (Geelong Victoria) where they ran diagnostics but there were a few faults that came up & they did not know where to start and said they couldn't help me. Do you have any contacts in Geelong or Melbourne that specialize in fixing these roofs that don't charge a fortune?
Great video, I'm in adelaide SA and find it hard to get anyone to look at my roof without charging UNBELIEVABLE prices, so I'm trying to educate myself as much as possible, your video saved me "thousands", thank you . I have a small hydraulic oil leak in roof, I've looked at my hydraulic oil bottle in the boot ( very low) can you assist with getting me started here? With my roof in the closed position, I went to open roof with button, stopped. Few centimetres tres from windscreen " beep beep" closed the roof immediately and then noticed that trickle of hydraulic oil running down the left hand side of my car ( rear from boot lid) Thank yo in advance
Brodi Harris in where the roof retracts is a number of pressure lines and hydraulic rams are located on each side in the roof. You will need to stop the operation mid way through to be able to see the mechanics of the system. Any good hose manufacturer can make up a pressure line and if you remove it they will charge around $50-100. If a hydraulic ram is leaking I generally replace with a good second hand unit. I will double check to fluid I use as the Holden fluid is at a crazy price. Email me at killawattgarage@gmail.com as I have and PDF resource I can send.
I need help. In a bit of a financial pickle so can't pay to get repairs. So my girlfriends car is an Astra 2002 I think, she when to open the roof today a hose on the left side seems to have burst and oil is coming out. Right now the roof is in a closed position about 5-10cm from being completely shut. I just want to shut and lock the clamps for now but not having much luck. I don't want to push down the top for fear of more damage. What do I do?
At the 0:20 second point you can see me manually unlatch the roof. You essentially need to do the opposite. Don't push down on the roof just manually wind and the roof will lower and lock into position. It will take a fair few turns to fully close and lock the roof. Don't force it. You can them fix the hose whenever. I suggest getting a hydraulic hose company to make the hose after you have removed it yourself. You should get some coins in change from a $100. Let me know if you have any questions. cheers
Hi, thank you so much for this. We managers to fix this. I now have a problem with the switch to open the roof. It keeps beeping and won’t open the roof. Did this happen to you?
Hello 👋🏼 I know this was posted 2 years ago but hopefully you will see this. My roof will not open and it doesn’t make any noise like beeping I thought maybe no power ? Do you have any suggestions?
Can always find them on eBay, just search 'Astra roof latches' lots of different sellers are there. You can also buy genuine but the price is very high and I have found the aftermarket ones to be of good quality.
Hi there, I have a 2005 ts astra convertible,the problem i have is when the roof starts to open it needs a little push, and then works fine. any ideas thanks.
Great video mate, just wondering if you have a way to get to the latches when the roof is locked closed, my passenger side has failed with the roof closed but drivers side is still working.
Unfortunately not. Usually you have to cut a hole in the plastic trim next to the latch to get access to manually open it. Plenty of new plastic trims in wrecker yards.
I got side tracked into watching this! My oil reservoir had almost emptied. I had never looked at it in 17 years of ownership. I topped it up with the correct grade oil and was looking for some time and a fine day to reset the roof. I went to work on it and found the reservoir completely empty. Obviously a leak somewhere. Researching the leak brought me here! I don't need to replace the latch mechanism at this time, but this is a great video should I need to. As an aside, we have the UK model of this car. Spares are not readily available in the UK, is that different in Australia?
Hi the two laches have arrived. Now the rods inside the latch is very hard to screw in. I need to use a tool to screw it in is it normal? Will the motor of the latch damage if it is too hard to move the rod? I don't know what else to do as it is just too hard to move it manually. The original one was very easy to turn but not this replacement.. Any advice please would be appreciated. Thanks
Looks like the items I received have the threads a little damaged... probably been used previously... Should I return them or can I used them like this? I had to wait 2 weeks from Uk to Australia to get them.
If the threads are damaged send a message to the seller, just to be sure. I would expect the threaded spindle to have more resistance than the old one but it should be binding.
He told me they are all like this and I should try to install it but it is hard and I can only screw the rod with pliers. Do you think it's ok for the small motor to have all this resistance in closing the latch? I may risk to burn the motor if it is too hard and I need to replace both latches as both cracked. I noticed your latch is gold in color like the original that was on my car and mine are silver. The thread it is hard but more and more I screw in and out it's getting just a little loose. Just my concern is the little motor. did you noticed if your latch had more resistance then the original one?
Lt. Nimitz if it’s really tight or could install one latch at a time and carefully watch and support the roof through the cycle (be careful) The gearing on the motor does make it quite powerful.
My Astra's back hatch won't open for the roof to fold in :( Have had this problem for over a year. I thought it just needed hydraulic oil, nope, not the issue. Any help would be awesome and I would imagine save me a shitload of money!!!!!!!!!
Most times it's a failed hydraulic line. You will need to manually open the roof. 1. Lower the windows. This is important and easily forgotten. Failing to lower the windows can damage the roof mechanism and may even result in the windows breaking. 2. Open the roof latches using the supplied hex tool through the grommet in the centre of the front edge. It takes a lot of turns, so be patient, and the latches appear to stop moving a long time before the mechanism has fully opened - the side “flipper forks” move during this time to raise the front edge of the roof by about 10cm. When the latch is fully open, the mechanism should feel a little stiffer, but don’t force it as this will break the plastic blocks or damage the flexible drive shafts! Do NOT use a power tool to drive the mechanism - this will almost certainly break the latches. 3. Open the boot. 4. Push the release lever on the left-hand side of the boot fully forward and wedge it there. 5. Close the boot lid. 6. Raise the rear windscreen. 7. Push the release lever on the left-hand side of the boot fully forward and wedge it there, then close the boot lid. You should now be able to open the deck. Once in here have a good look around, hopefully you will see your problem. I have a good guide that I am happy to email you. Email me at Killawattgarage@gmail.com
Hey man good stuff but I can’t find the bloody lever😂 all I see is the hydraulic oil on the right. Do I need to take all cover off in left hand side to find that lever
Mitchell Rose that lever is on the left hand side, but it’s hard to find. Don’t need to remove any panelling maybe just the wind deflector if that is still in your boot. The lever is accessed through a slot in the plastics.
Hey mate so my roof is just beeping (12 beeps) whenever I start the car. A pipe burst and I've refilled the hydraulic pump reserviour. But the roof won't even try to open/close. I'm following some instructions that outline I have to reset the roof by: a: making sure the font edge is unlocked and 10cm above windscreen b: make sure the rear window is vertical (is this even possible when the front edge is 10cm from windscreen? I can only get a 30cm gap minimum) c: all four windows are down d: the tonneau cover is closed but not latched e: the release lever in the boot is not wedged (he must mean forward) "the roof is then reset simply by starting the engine and holding the roof closed button until the roof is fully closed" I've followed all the steps but it just beeps when I start the engine. Doesn't even try to seal itself shut.
The hex key turns a cog, if you are feeling no resistance or connection through the cog I would assume that the cog is badly damaged. Thanks for the comment.
G'day Killa. When you open the roof manually do you need to touch the lever at the back of the car L/H side.??? also when you finish the job can you close it in auto mode ?? or we need to close manually ?? Thanks. All the best to for 2018 . Cheers from Australia. Patrick
Winding the latches open unlocks the front section above the screen, then the lever in the boot needs to be used to unlock the rear roof. I manually closed the roof to the point that the latch motor begins and watched them operate and close. Be sure the have the latches at the same point when reassembling as only the left latch as the sensor which stops the latch motor.
Hi mate, My partner has just bought an 02 Bertone Astra, and the roof isn't operating. When the switch is pressed to open the roof, you can hear the mechanism try to do something but after a few seconds of no movement, we get a few beeps. Is the likely cause a broken latch? We've had a wrecker offer us a whole back cut of another astra with a working roof for $400 but would like to try all other avenues before we resort to that, seeing as we can't store half a car in our suburban lot. Thanks in advance!
Sup3rBeast yes it sounds like it's broken latches. Email me at killawattgarage@gmail.com and I can send you a comprehensive resource for repairing these roofs.
Hi the B1302 is referring to the Accessory Relay circuit. This circuit maintains power to the roof for a short amount of time after the key has been removed. Start with checking the relay.
Hi mate. Just replaced hydraulic hose. Holden reset roof and fault codes. Worked a couple of times . Now nothing but the roof motor working. Cant even wind roof shut manually with hex tool , just spins and no movement on the latches. Would this be the little plastic blocks that could b cracked ?
at 12:32 with the motor or hex key spinning you should see the movement of the cables transferred to the latches. If you are not seeing this your problem is the gears within the motor. They can be sourced 2nd quite cheaply. Using a power tool on the hex key is a common cause of breakage. Let me know how it goes.
GARY KELLY ensure that both latches and in the same position as they operate together and need to be doing the same thing at the same time. The passenger side has the switch that ensures the motor shuts off once it is fully latched. Take it slow the first time and just press the switch on and release it to move things slowly, checking ad you go. Ensure battery is fully charged or have the engine running.
Nice Video Killa Watt, I will attach a link to your video in our Astra Convertible Blog. B.T.W we fix a lot of the hydraulic oil leaks related problems at the other end of the roof.
Hi I am George I have one BMW 2003 CONVERTIBLE E46 one latch is Jam , I don,t open these , I try Manually but not only one side is open do you know any possible trucki , for me thanks
Sometimes you have to cut the trim in front of the latches to pry them open. Then replace latches and the trim. In the Astras it is a plastic trim piece, can't remember what it looks like on the BMW. Sorry I don't have a better solution for you.
Hi, My Daughter has a 2003 astra and the latches failed. With the help of your video i bought the broken parts of ebay and replaced them. Now i can close the roof manually but if i try to open it the buzzer sounds and it won't open. Any idea what it could be?
chris Heylbut flick me an email at Killawattgarage@Gmail.com and I'll send you a full instruction manual of how the roof operates and what the fault could be.
My Astra H Twintop MK5 roof stuck and won't open. There is a long allen key in the car but I can't seem to find anywhere that will go into. When I press the button the buzzer sound 3 times and nothing happens.
Hey mate just an issue as i was opening the roof i heard a cracking or popping sound , but the roof opened. However as I was closing the roof it failed to lock. Why and what can i do as a temp measure to keep the car secure? Also my car did not have an allen key can i purchase one? Cheers
At a guess it sounds as if the latches broke, which means it won't lock closed. As a temporary measure your best hope is to tape it down. With a little more work you could pull off the internal plastic cover and manually make the damaged latches lock in place. This is what most people do until the next summer and then fix it properly. Hope it works out for you. Thanks for the question.
@@killawattgarage Thanks mate. This morning followed your instructions and tried it manually the left sided latch locked however right is still loose. I had a look in the windscreen cavity and the left side had a black locking device whereas the right is missing is that normal?
Hello my astra cabriolet the roof started to go down and then stopped working and just keeps bleeping do you have any idea what is the problem thank Stephen
Hi. I have got a 2003 g astra cabrio and the roof isnt opening. The Opcom codes is b1300 b1301 and b1302 the all of codes is hall sensor's mistakes. the roof latches is broken the left and the right side too. i think if i repair the latches,the roof is will be working. sorry for my english,i learned ,but it was long time ago. do you have some idea for me? Thank you,and this video is king
Hi mate I have a code of B1306 roof works but when I open it, it beeps and I have to keep pressing it had new latch motor and ecu still the same any ideas please
paul smith if the motor and ecu have been changed and I am assuming it’s the first stage of the roof opening that lifts the roof from the windshield that is failing. The motor performs 2 tasks, undoing the latches and to lift the front of the roof with those arms that extend from the latches. Double check the latches aren’t cracked and those arms are moving. Another check will be the micro switch in the left latch, it may be mechanically OK but the switch isn’t working and the ECU sees an error. Will double check that code for you and reply again. But some suggestions to start.
Killa Watt Garage hi I have replaced the cable in the left latch it has like two little black boxes, I have also looked the the plastic blocks and there is no cracking at all
Hey buddy what is the mechanism that the Allen key goes in called? I just bought an astra 2md hand and went to shut the roof for the first time and it won't lower to the windscreen it just keeps clicking both ways.. Hilp plzzzz thx stacy
I've got a fault with my roof all of a sudden. It worked perfectly until the battery went flat (as I'd not driven the car for a while), I charged it up and refitted it. The roof just went mental the first time I tried to open it, relays clicking like mad and it stopped and beeped! I managed to get it all the way open and fully closed again, but now it work at all. When I unlock the door and open it, the roof alarm beeps. When I stop, I out the handbrake on, then the roof alarm beeps when I release the handbrake! The central locking now doesn't work on the boot either! Any suggestions? I'm thinking broken wires causing a short, rather than mechanical failure like in this video. Oh, and when I lock the car, the roof alarm beeps then too! Does the ECU think the roof is not fully shut maybe?
Killa Watt Garage Last time it closed, it did so electrically and it was totally fine. It stopped working then. The central locking on the boot lid was fine until late on today. I had been in the boot a few times, so maybe the split is in the loom to the boot lid.
Manny Maley I forget to ever update this. I fixed mine. It was the switch in the top of the windscreen at fault. The car thought that the roof wasn’t fully closed, due to the switch being faulty. I didn’t have to replace the switch, just cleaned up the contacts and it started working! The roof was totally fine after that!
The Hall Sensor is the small magnetic switch in the left-hand side latch. Either your latch is broken or the sensor is faulty, as the ECU is not recognising that the latch is closed while the roof is fully down. Best place to start would be to remove the plaster cover over the latches and look what's going on. I have further info that I can email you, just message me.
Can you please send me the pdf to assist me. My roof doesnt work. Its a holden astra soft top 2004 model.seings thoe i am a girl. I know tech nothing bout cars. But my brother who is a mechanic of 30 yrs pluss has taught me all i need to know. Id love a guide into what u think i shouod do please. As ill be doing it myself. What parts do i need. Where do i get them. I noticed u said ebay. I did look them up. nice and cheap. But what parts i need is my question and if you could send me as much info to help guide me thrue. Ps wish i could hug u. Legend. X
I got side tracked into watching this! My oil reservoir had almost emptied. I had never looked at it in 17 years of ownership. I topped it up with the correct grade oil and was looking for some time and a fine day to reset the roof. I went to work on it and found the reservoir completely empty. Obviously a leak somewhere. Researching the leak brought me here! I don't need to replace the latch mechanism at this time, but this is a great video should I need to. As an aside, we have the UK model of this car. Spares are not readily available in the UK, is that different in Australia?
