error code: Top is locked
 

Yesterday I put the top on my car down to install a rear seat cover. Within 20 minutes I tried to put the top up and got an error code of "Top is locked" The top would not go up and I was unable to access the trunk. Within 10 minutes or so the error code cleared and the top came up. It is currently at the dealer and they have no clue. The service manager said maybe something got wedged in the trunk....are you kidding me....So needless to say I have no confidence in them. I have no garage and can't chance it. I also plan on driving it to Cape Cod next week with the top down for most of the week weather allowing and don't want to find myself between a rock and a hard place.... Anyone else have this issue? it has 63k on it. Thanks in advance for your insight.

Gabby

Did the dealer say whether they scanned for any of the stored codes? Where are you located? there should be other dealers near you that you can call ask to speak to a service manager. The stored code should suggest what set off the error - ie a specific switch/sensor, but if the problem doesn't repeat its really tough for any tech to say with certainty what the cause is. Not sure if throwing parts at an intermittant fault or one shot error is the way to go at this point. Did you do anything from the time the error was set and when it cleared?

It is not unusual for someone to be unable to diagnose a problem. That scenario is better than throwing parts at it to make the customer feel like something was wrong only to be guessing. I guess the dealer is expected to have a diagnosis for everything?

Those tops have microswitches to let the system know where the top is physically. Any number of things could have caused your issue including something in the trunk that blocked the convertible top.

You cannot go through life worrying about what might happen. Run the top up and down a few times. If it works, life goes on.

Hi,
They have not scanned it as of yet, I'll hear back tomorrow hopefully. Apparently they were short handed today. I turned the car on and off a couple of times and let it sit for maybe 10 minutes. The error code came on the last time but the roof was lifting and then it cleared from the screen. Just trying to be proactive. If I had a garage I would wait until another fault but thought with vacation coming up better to be safe. Is it common to have a fault come up and never see it again ?

Thanks for your time,

Gabby

Hi Tony, I'm not saying that the dealer should have an answer for everything however they don't seem to have ever heard of the code at all. I guess if I would have felt more confident if he said something to the effect of no I'm not familiar with that but no doubt we'll figure it out instead of oh wow no never heard of that... I doubt something in the trunk blocked anything since the car never moved. You seem to be taking my post personally as evidenced by your snarky answers. sorry if I offended you. Trust me I don't live life as an alarmist but no garage and rain without a top is a problem and my wanting to have my car running perfectly for vacation seems to me to be responsible. Please don't respond if you cannot do it with compassion. I'm here for help not criticism. Have an awesome weekend

I did not take your remarks personally. My point was that it is okay to tell a customer that you don't know what's wrong. I have never seen that message on the display either and I've been selling/servicing Volvos for 20 years now. I can make a few guesses but I would not diagnose the problem without some type of evidence.

I also totally understand your position of not wanting to be caught in the rain.

Hey Tony,

I'm being told that my battery is weak and that may be confusing the car causing the error message or fault. They inspected various parts of the top and all seem to be in working order. They are doing software updates and changing out the battery....as soon as they find one. I should have it Tuesday morning. I guess this is positive although I can't help to remain skeptical. Your thoughts? I know this could have been far worse but ultimately it is costing me $500.00 for a battery between the dx cost and the battery itself and I'll live with that if that is in fact the case. This is one area of my life that I can be taken advantage of because I have no clue in this arena.

I'm concerned that you believe that you are being taken advantage of. The first time they told you that they didn't know what could have caused the problem and you found that frustrating and had "no confidence" in them.

Now, they have a theory and you are also skeptical. I really don't know what to tell you.

Error code
 

In my view, you are being taken advantage of. As long as they only have a theory of what the problem is, or it May be that, they are gambling with your money. The reality is that these tops are very complex and their training on repairs is minimal to none. Bottom line is they don't know what they're doing and you are going to pay to train them. I have seen this dynamic play out many times throughout the 45 years that I have been part of the auto repair industry. If you trust what they tell you at an auto dealership it will most probably be costly. If this problem is intermittent it could be very costly to solve. They will just keep guessing and throw parts and labor at it. Hopefully it's only your battery and you are lucky enough to keep these clowns away from your car. I stay away from the dealership and go to the smaller independent specialty shops for repair or learn how to repair it myself. This way has worked well for years. But occasionally you have to go to a dealership. Just remember: They are not your friend. You are a $ sign. Good luck.

Wow - that's being pretty hard on the dealer, don't you think?

Actually I was being rather kind. Apparently my experience has been different from yours. I worked for dealerships and was an advocate for people who thought they were being taken advantage of by dealerships. So, I have seen this from both sides and try to look at it fairly. At the end of the day, you have the customer, who wants something for nothing. The customer is trying to get something for nothing from a dealership that is greedy, dishonest and a lot of times incompetent. The usual way it plays out is that the dealer holds all the cards and the customer doesn't know what to do.I wish I had a dollar for every time I made the comment " so you were just guessing at what the problem was".
So, no, I don't think I was being hard on the dealerships. The shoe fits. They have more than earned the right for my criticism.

I operate under the premise that most people will do good work. Any business needs to make a profit to continue and that is no different for an individual. My experience with my local Volvo dealer has been superb but yes I am a regular customer as a used car dealer selling mainly Volvos.

You could probably argue that any repair shop is a learning experience in process. Years ago when I started my business, I guessed on a lot of Volvo issues until I figured them out. I nearly replaced the transmission in a 240 until a friend showed me the overdrive relay issue.

Let's not hang the dealer out to dry. Neither of us was there. I would certainly only let them work on the top.

There could be bad people anywhere with any profession. I can't count how many times I've had a customer bring a car to us after an indy shop couldn't figure out a problem or hacked some repair.

To my point of greed, dishonesty, and incompetence, does anyone see anything wrong here? This dealership is charging $500 to replace a battery. I can purchase the battery for .$135 or have independent shop do it for .$247. This means $250 of this bill is for diagnosis. Pretty much anything electric on the C70, battery test should have been first. I can't see that much time and charge to come up with " our best guess is we think you might need a new battery". I might be ok with it if it actually fixes the problem. But the whole thing smells kind of funky. I could be wrong though. Oh, I really didn't intend to insult any reputable dealers in the room.

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So how it played out was the battery was $238 the install was 79.... They charged me a diagnostic fee of 130 and they changed a bulb which was $36 all in all parts were 240 and labor was 250..... Can I change a battery? I can ...a bulb..I should have.... But I have limited time off before I take off for my vacation so I told them to go ahead with the service. I talked to a couple repair people that have worked on my car before and they weren't familiar with the issue so my thought was to bring it to a dealer who might have some familiarity or at least if it doesn't work out bring it back to them and have them make good. it's a crapshoot, yes, I'm naturally suspicious because I'm a typical girl when it comes to these things and I have been taken advantage of. I had a repair shop insist that I needed a new timing belt on my old Saab. When I walked out to my car and walked back in and showed him the receipt for a repaired timing belt that happened 8 months prior he didn't have a lot to say. My mom was a service writer back in the day when no women were seen in that industry and she put me through college on her commissions. she had a following because she was honest but she told me the stories of some of the guys she worked with and how they sold services to people that they didnt need. I picked the car up today and they're confident that this is going to be the fix along with the software updates I just keep my fingers crossed. Thanks for all your input and help guys.
kgab

Sounds like reasonable prices for a dealership.

Was your Saab timing belt done at the same place that was recommending it again? That would be hard to excuse unless they don't have electronic record keeping. But otherwise, timing belts are often recommended based on time and mileage. If I have no history on a car and no indication the timing belt was replaced, I recommend it if it is due. If it was done elsewhere, it isn't my job to dig through someone's glove box for an old receipt. If it wasn't done and it breaks, I'm sure the customer will be quick to point the finger at me for having just inspected it and not recommended it.

Not the same place for the Saab but they told me it was dry rotted and needed to be changed. You mechanics are real sensitive on this page. I'm not saying you should be digging through my glove box or anything else for that matter. It normally wouldn't be there...plain and simple they lied to me.