Convertible top works intermittently

2006 Boxster S . One day while putting the top up I think my finger slipped off the switch and I got a message on the DIS that top was not all the way up. I pressed the switch again and nothing. I rocked it back and forth and the top went into the full up position. Strange. But the next time (a couple of days later) I drove the car the top did not respond at all to the switch. Nothing. No window movement, no relay clicks, nothing. Fine. Drove it a few places and kept trying the switch each place I stopped. Nothing. Until it worked! Okay, top is down. In garage a couple of days, top down, and go to put top up. Nothing. Searched these forums came up with nothing. Also - maybe related maybe unrelated as there is an unanswered thread where someone posted a different issue that included the top and alarm - I bought my car in June and the alarm never worked - I thought maybe it just wasn't equipped with an alarm. Now, it works. Door is locked, top is down, I reach in to pick up something from the console and the alarm goes beep beep beep. AND - just for additional info because this seems like an electronic gremlin - I added a sprint booster (well, a clone) - doesn't seem to be likely as a cause, but its electronic and I just added it.

Sprint Booster clone is what I have - it only connected to the accel pedal, so it's not likely to be the issue. My first guess would be to check out the switch itself - it could be worn or failing. If you have a suitable OBD tool, like the Foxwell , you can trigger the up/down that way and if it works reliably then it's likely the switch (or wiring to it, if course). Has the car ever had water issues or been rained on with the top open? These could affect the switch/wiring as well.

I still have my perfectly good switch that I swapped out when trying to chase down issues I had if you should need a relacement

I had a similar issue that came up while my981 was in the garage for another issue. Tech found faulty solder joints on the control board and motor, said he saw this frequently.

Microswitch or console rocker switch? Shipping shouldn't be too bad with that ! I am going out to pull the center latch cover off and inspect the microswitch.

I am pretty convinced its the latch microswitch - when it was up(closed) and I opened the latch, the windows did not move and no other motion. After driving around a bit (as described above) it worked. But now, the top is down (open) and nothing happens when I push the switch - I think that is because the microswith still thinks it is latched and won't try to lift the roof.

Confirmed - its the latch microswitch. I took down the latch/dome light assembly and when I touched the "two metal bars" on the microswitch assembly the roof would operate. Protip: always search Planet-9. I read this thread because I couldn't figure out how to remove the homelink circuit boards. Unfortunately, I read where it said this: HINT: To keep the buttons and frame from flying off into the darkest recesses of the car, I found putting some painter's tape on the buttons and frame kept them all together as it was pried out. The only part then that will go flying is the rubber goober behind the buttons that make the contact for the switches. Watch for where it goes. It's not magnetic so you need a bright flashlight to locate it. Yeah. Well my parts went flying. Including the rubber goober. I have not yet found them all. Grrr.

I fixed it! There are several videos (like this one or this one ) on YT on how to do it. 986 and 987 use the same switch so have the same issue with weakened solder. I did not even remove the switch from the assembly to resolder the ends. Top now goes up and down on demand! And I found my Homelink button parts to include the rubber goober! This is the culprit:

I love it when we have a happy ending! Glad to hear it! And yeah - those damn buttons are a real PITA.. and after I got them off and the assembly down, I found out I didn't have to drop the assembly to replace the interior dome lights. The plastic lenses just pop out, and you can pull the bulbs straight out and plug the LED replacements directly in. Good to have this in our database of fixes.. it sounds like one that might happen to others.