help! cant get top down

[bongo babe]

hi all, just put my top up to show my mum our new bongo, took keys out of ignition to go in house for 10 mins, came back out put keys in ignition and top wont go down, am i being blonde and not done something or should i start to panick before my husband comes home !

[Veg_Ian]

These may sound condecending but not meant to be. Check: have you pressed the cancel switch in the roof before hitting the down button? Is the handbrake on and gear in Park? Switch engine on. Still no joy then waddle the handbrake about. There's a microswitch behind the handbrake lever and the contacts sometimes get gunged up. If waddling doesn't cure it then you need to remove the console and clean the contacts. It might be at this point you wait for hubby to come home and and accept the ridicule

[MountainGoat]

Ian, you forgot to mention that before doing all you advise you should restart the engine.

[helen&tony]

Hi
Put gearshift in park, handbrake on, start engine, ensure bedboard for roofbed is down, open the access hatch to sleeping area, look up inside to the roof, ensure the light is off, and you will see a switch. press the switch, and you'll hear beeping. Press the roof close switch up by the upper rear heater vents, and the roof will close. Halfway through closing, it will stop lowering . Take your finger off the button, and press it again until the roof is firmly closed.
Oh, make sure your lover didn't leave his shirt up there
Job done.....hubby will never know
Cheers
Helen

[helen&tony]

Oops....must have been writing as you posted replies
Helen

[bongo babe]

thank you so much you've saved me lots of hassle, i hadnt hit the cancel button, do you have to do this every time you want to put the top down?

[MountainGoat]

Yes or the rooftop tent will not come down (It is locked in place).

[bongo babe]

thanks helen u answerd last question for me, not lover afraid just little boy, did make me laugh though

[bongo babe]

yes top locked down mountain goat, thanks for all help

[pippin]

To save the athletic climbing and the race to beat the time-out of the unlock cancel switch it is possible to rewire the roof-mounted switch and mount it somewhere sensible, like on the dash.

I did it and, if you search way back, I posted the details on here.

[westonwarrior]

The engine does not need to be running to raise or lower the roof but it helps.

Glad you got it sorted.

[MountainGoat]

The advice given on page 106 of the Mazda Bongo Friendee Owners Handbook is that the engine should be started to close the Rooftop Tent. Presumably this is to save the battery from running flat.

[westonwarrior]

Yes your probably correct on that but it will come down without the engine running but the ignition, on so thats not a reason for it not to come down.

[mikeonb4c]

To save the athletic climbing and the race to beat the time-out of the unlock cancel switch it is possible to rewire the roof-mounted switch and mount it somewhere sensible, like on the dash.

I did it and, if you search way back, I posted the details on here.

I thought about this and why did Mazda put the switch in the roof. I came to the conclusion that it was to oblige you to be looking around the roofspace to make sure everything is stowed properly before lowering the roof and risking expensive damage. The halfway stop point I reckoned was put there for the same reason. I'm grateful to Mazda for this as I am a very easily distracted person (cant you guess ) and thus a likely casualty. So I now have a 'check everything and watch progress as far as I can from inside the roof' routine.

[samuel]

Mike

Good point about having to go into roof space to push button. I must admit i check it everytime as we have a five year old and all sort ends up there. I believe it wouldn't take much to knacker the roof winding mechanism!!

As for stopping half way down isn't this so the front of the tent can be pulled in. Mine will stay outside the roof line if i don't pull it in.