I have a 1997 Cab. My top stopped working about 5 months ago. I noticed the wiring in the trunk (at the hinge) was broken and re spliced all the wiring with heavier gauge wires, then check all the connections with a meter. The top worked for about 2 months, then stopped. I took the car to the local AUdi dealer and the mechanic (convertible specialist), could not find the problem, but suggested replacing the wiring harness ($1,100). I asked if that was the problem and he said he "thought the wiring harness was bad". The wiring harness appears to be in good condition. I checked the wires I replaced once again with the meter and still got current. I would hate to spend $1,100 for a 'maybe' repair job. I have the wiring diagram from the dealer but there are way too many connections to check. Any suggestions?

 

Hey Joe,

Sorry to hear about the problems you're having with the top. I have a 98 cabrio with the same problem. I noticed a burning smell in the trunk. It turned out to be a bad relay. After replacing the relay the top works intermittently. The car is now at the dealer to hopefully find the cause. I will keep you posted of our findings. Please let me know what the fix is for your situation. If anyone has experienced this problem before or anything remotely similar please send me a message.

Thanks,
Cabrio J

 

I have the same issue. The right side trunk wires were broken. I will check the left side today.
Has anyone ever lifted the top manually? The rear of the top does not pop open at all. Is there a lock? Or do I need to just push a little harder. I know there is a manual release for the top lid.
Check the trunk lock. According to my dealer, they did two wiring harnesses and the trunk lock. 2 grad. 900 in labor. 1100 in parts.
OH BOY. That is as much as I paid for my fixer upper, plus I need a new window in the top.

 

Hi, in order to lift the top manually, there are two small levers(one on each side of the rear of the top) that must be lifted. They are located under two small doors that flip up on each side. Email me and I can send you a drawing

 

i have the same prob and i had the wiring replaced and it still doesnt work, ive got someone working on it as we speak and will let you know what happens,
is your manual??
rachael

 

hi again,
my brother in law is a star he has fixed it,in the boot is a a selection of plugs on the driver side of the car,there is only one which has a red and a red and black wire on one side and they go into a brown and black and white wire unplug this,then click the boot lock closed with the boot open so as the car thinkgs its locked (it will not work if you dont do this) then get a screwdriver and the bridge the wire joints inside the plug which are connected to the brown and the black and white wires this should pop the lid and then it should work fine,
mine works a treat!!!!
any probs give me a email at mikeystu10@hotmail.com
and i will see if we can help,hope this works for you,but try this before you pay out for the expensive stuff!!!
hope this helps
good luck
rachael
if you want some pics of how to do this just email me and i will send them

 

I've had the same problem on my '96 Cabriolet. The first time, the top would not go down. I figured out that all the wires on the right side of the trunk lid were broken inside the harness casing, so I simply resoldered them back together. This worked great for almost a year, then the car would not get out of park (luckily this happened in the driveway!), I messed around for MANY hours playing with the brake pedal shifter interlock solenoid, and then taking the interior apart piece by piece chasing wires. Ultimately, as I was redoing the wires on the right side of the trunk (as a last resort, even though they ohmed out OK) my son points to similar wires on the left side of the trunk and asks if I checked those. Sure enough, it turned out that the wires on the left side were mostly all broken inside the harness casing! Ultimately it did not cost me anything besides LOTS of my own time.

I believe these cars (Audis in general) are very well engineered cars, but the way in which these wires are supposed to bend so sharply as the trunk opens and closes was not well thought out.