Project Pluriel Roof Starts Today - Newby help appreciated!

Hi,

My Pluriel search is finally at an end and we collected a 2008 HDi in blue, yesterday to park next to the Picasso. Everything about the car see,s ok, specification, mileage, full service history, overall condition & price but no prizes for guessing what part doesn't work. Clue; it's at at the top of the car.

Which is fine, the price more than reflected us having to get a specialist involved in fixing the roof. Before that though I wondered if there were any straightforward things I could check out myself? Broken switch, blown fuses, jammed mechanism. So far I haven't even gone as far as trying to use the roof, knowing that it doesn't work.

The car was originally for sale fully functional but a week later the roof "just stopped working" so the seller advertised it for substantially less (half price). The only other thing I know at this stage is what I've been told by the previous owner; that the boot doesn't open now as a result of the roof situation.

If anyone has any suggestions I'd be very grateful,

Thanks,

Steve

Hi Steve

steveharman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:35 am If anyone has any suggestions I'd be very grateful,

I would avoid buying the car if the roof doesn't work.

The cost of professional repair can exceed the value of the car making it an uneconomical purchase.

steveharman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:35 am Before that though I wondered if there were any straightforward things I could check out myself?

Find out what does and doesn't work on the roof... test all the modes.

and if there are any tell tale signs like evidence of water ingress into the boot or anywhere else and if you get any power to the roof drive, does it make any noise?

Don't buy a pluriel with a broken roof unless you need it for parts or just want to take the roof off completely and go spider.

Hi!

Yup, I take your points but for what we paid, even as a fixed-head 4 seater 2-door runabout, it drives well, is cheap to tax, insure & run so good value for the price.

I've just tried the roof switch for the first time and absolutely nothing happens - not a light, a click, a whirr or any activity whatsoever. I know nothing about the Pluriel roof aside from what I've read here on the forum, but if anything else electrical was as "dead" as this appears to be I'd first check for a blown fuse.

Is there one that protects the roof motors I could investigate? I've got a C3 Haynes from a previous car but that doesn't cover the Pluriel. Grr... Obviously fuses don't blow for no reason, but I'd be interested in checking.

Cheers,

Steve

steveharman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 19, 2018 4:41 pm Is there one that protects the roof motors I could investigate? I've got a C3 Haynes from a previous car but that doesn't cover the Pluriel. Grr... Obviously fuses don't blow for no reason, but I'd be interested in checking.

I can't say off the top of my head,, but there are plenty of fuses to check and you will get to know the car better when you have found all the fuse boxes.

Have a browse through Fuse box locations on a Citroen C3.

There is the hidden one under the BSM (engine bay fuse box) in the engine bay and one that hinges down in the passenger bay and the others you can see.

I had the same symptoms, changed the roof ECU in the tailgate with one I bought off EBay ( actually the second ECU I bought , first one was a dud ) and this time the tailgate now works. Chances are the roof would too but my cables look worn so i’m Not trying it until these are replaced . Good Luck

Julian

Thanks Julian, that's really useful to know.

Can I ask how you got to the roof ECU please?

Steve

Don't want to ruin it for you, but it's very much possible that the new ECU "knows" that the roof was last closed (on the previous car) & thus the tailgate will actually open :/ - And once you try opening and closing the roof it could stop working.

You could achieve the same thing by manually stopping the roof's mechanism earlier with a screwdriver and moving it in place. (It requires two people to do it - I remember reading somewhere that there's some sort of (screw?) you can access by removing a small, round, plastic cover on the tailgate - You can twist it to move the roof with the motor, or hold it still to make the motor "think" the roof has reached the end of it's travel. You can then press it down to disconnect the motor from the roof, and twist it while still holding it down to close the roof).

steveharman wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:29 am Thanks Julian, that's really useful to know.

Can I ask how you got to the roof ECU please?

Steve

Its pretty easy to get to, the plastic trim on the inside of the tailgate comes off with 6 [? ] screws and then the ECU pretty much sits under the exterior release handle [ so any water can ruin it quickly ], held on with 2x torx head screws[ I'd disconnect the battery before fitting the new one ] While you're in there , check that the wires feeding into the tailgate near the top are not frayed or broken and also that the two screws that hold the tailgate trim near the upper outer sides have not broken through the insulation of the wires either

Julian

Here's a picture so you know what you're looking for. The red arrows point at the roof ECU

Thanks. Great photo & instructions!

Steve