is250 Convertible roof will not close

RevPhilip · June 23, 2019

Hi All,

I wonder if anyone could help me. I went to put my roof up and it won't move. I get a warning that says 'check retractable hardtop system'. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone know hope to manually close the roof? Thank you in advance for any help.

Philip

gdh300 · June 23, 2019

That sounds a nightmare. Hopefully you have it sorted by now, if not, does this PDF help?

Manual roof.pdf

RevPhilip · June 23, 2019

Thanks Glyn, I am on the case and will let you know how I get on.

RevPhilip · June 23, 2019

Having read the pdf, I think that the car can stay with a cover over it tonight, as taking the boot lid off and bits of the roof seem beyond me tonight. Thanks Glyn for your help.

gdh300 · June 23, 2019

No problem matey, shame I don't live a bit closer as that extract admits it's a two man job! At least the weather should hold tonight.

Hopefully before you get the spanners out, an owner here might be able to give you a few pointers what to check for. Might be something that's quite common, something really silly that's an easy fix.

Shaunomercy · June 23, 2019

Let us know how you get on revphilip please m8. I'd be interested in what the fault is.
What year is your car ?

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RevPhilip · June 23, 2019

Hi Paul, it’s a 2010. I have had it two years never been any trouble until today!!!

Shaunomercy · June 24, 2019

Mines a 2010 too. Please keep us updated M8.

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RevPhilip · June 24, 2019

Good news is that my roof is fixed and up before all the rain that’s forecast came. A piece of plastic had come off and stayed in one of the holes the roof goes into above the windscreen, so the car thought the roof was already up and closed. I removed the piece of plastic, and the roof went up with no fuss, and my Lexus IS back to its normal reliable self. Thank goodness!

Shaunomercy · June 24, 2019

So where does that piece of plastic normally reside ? Does the roof rattle now ?
Cheers Paul

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RevPhilip · June 24, 2019

Hi Paul,

Hopefully the photos speak for themselves? I found the plastic in the section above the windscreen. No rattles yet, but haven’t driven the car much. I have taped over all the connecting parts of the roof to the car to stop rattles in the past.

EDIT Just looked at the photos and they don't speak for themselves! One spike has a plastic cover, the other one doesn’t. I will seek to glue it back on in the next few days.

gdh300 · June 24, 2019

Phew, glad you got it sorted. Like I said, "...something really silly that's an easy fix." 😁

I can't imagine how expensive a folder roof would be to fix if it ever goes wrong...

RevPhilip · June 25, 2019

I try not to think about that Glyn, as I think the price could be the stuff of nightmares!!!!!!!!!

true blue · June 25, 2019

Hi ,glad you easily got it sorted ,its always a worry at the back of my mind as the car gets older ,but the roof is usually reliable with problems restricted to one of the many micro switches involved .I read somewhere that the Lexus test schedule for this roof involved testing over 20,000 operations!!

Dave

RevPhilip · June 25, 2019

Thanks Dave, That is good news to hear. The car only has 42,000 miles on it, so am hoping that it will be good for a few more years yet. I love having the roof down in the summer....and Autumn and Spring...and sometimes the winter!!!!

Shaunomercy · June 25, 2019

Thanks Dave, That is good news to hear. The car only has 42,000 miles on it, so am hoping that it will be good for a few more years yet. I love having the roof down in the summer....and Autumn and Spring...and sometimes the winter!!!!

You should try it at 2-3am when the night sky is clear and full of stars. Epic.

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Brandon350c · August 30, 2019

Hi guys I’m late to the convo But having same problem .2011 is350c keeps reading check hardtop system.also when this happens the back left window is stuck either up or down as well depending if top is dowon or not..any suggestions or have anyone seen this before?

Beamish · September 1, 2019

Hi Brandon,

I am just guessing here as I have not as yet had any roof problems but I would think that your problem is down to the rear window acting up.

The windows have to be in the completely lowered position for the roof to operate, either going up or down.

From previous experience on a Merc CLK convertible with a similar system there is a microswitch fitted to each window which signals whether it is in the fully down position.

If you can gain access to the window regulator you may be able to spot what is causing the problem with the window operation.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Dec.

Beamish · September 1, 2019

Hi again Brandon,

The instructions below are from the Owners Manual and detail how to reprogram the windows. Might be worth trying on your rear window.

Initialize the function by performing the following procedure. Hold the power window switch in the one-touch closing position. Continue holding the switch for a further 6 seconds after the window has closed. Hold the power window switch in the one-touch opening position. Continue holding the switch for a further 2 seconds after the window has opened completely. Hold the power window switch in the one-touch closing position once again. Continue holding the switch for a further 2 seconds after the window has closed. If you release the switch while the window is moving, start again from the beginning. If the window continues to close but then re-open slightly even after performing the above procedure correctly, have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer. ■Window operation during retractable hardtop operation When the retractable hardtop is partially open (during opening or closing operation), the power window switches are disabled.

Dec.

RevPhilip · September 16, 2019

Hi Brandon,

Sadly my roof is playing up again! This time it’s stuck in the boot and won’t come up, and I get the same message your getting about the roof. It turns out to be a microswitch playing up for the rear windows, not the back window. So basically the switch doesn’t work, tells the car the window is up, when in fact it’s down, and hence the roof stays in the boot.

Car is in the garage currently, local one, not Lexus, the switch is on order, I will up date tomorrow.

Philip

RevPhilip · September 18, 2019

One microswitch and £239 later the roof is working again.

Shaunomercy · September 18, 2019

239 spondoolies... How much was the switch and how much was the labour out of interest ?

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Beamish · September 19, 2019

Hi Philip,

Good to hear your problem has been sorted.

Out of curiosity could you give me the part number of the microswitch which was replaced?

Like yourself I really enjoy using the car with the roof down but would like to build a bit of knowledge with relation to the roof operation should any problems arise.

Many thanks.

Dec.

Thanh Le · February 13, 2020

Go to get a SC430 but Test drive a IS250C -2010 yesterday and love it. Still think about top failure. After a lot of experiences mentioned above, your guys think we can have some ways to deal with microswitches for roof up and down w/o expend lot of money. Thanks

Shaunmcc197978 · May 3, 2020

I have a Lexus I S2 50 C and I was able to put my top down yesterday and had a tough time getting it to go up it kept on freezing then today I tried opening it and it will not open I hear a clicking sound in the trunk and then it tells me check retractable system anyone have these problems like that? If so how do I fix it