targa rear window problems, again...!

I am having real problems with the rear window on my 2003 targa, the last and most annoying yet which happened yesterday is firstly the roof wouldn't operate so I opened the rear window and had to shut it again by holding down the window whilst someone pressed the button on the drivers sill, then I tried the roof and it worked, great I thought, so I locked the car and went away for about 15 mins came back opened the car and the rear window opened as well. It then kept opening the window every time I unlocked the car to the point where the window would not shut at all. I had to then disconnect the motor and lock it manually by rotating the locking mechanism. Ok so now its locked and isolated but now back to square one the roof does not operate and also now the added problem is that the rear wiper is now not working..!. My local OPC has said to take it in and they will TRY and find the problem, my only problem with that is how many hours labour will be charged while they TRY to find the mysterious problem. Anyone who has got any ideas what the offending part might be it would be much appreciated. Many thanks Ian :?:

Feel your pain; I have my Targa in bits at the moment. I have replaced one of the rear fabric curtains but I'm also trying to find a leak. Here are some thoughts: I guess the wiper and the roof may not work if you have forgotten to connect the lock back up, I should imagine these systems all share the same ground line and 12V rail. Is your battery fully charged if not that slows the roof down a lot to the point of not working. If you have been playing a lot the battery will run flat mine has a lot then then the alarm goes off! Also there are 2 rubber stand offs if the tailgate is too high you could try winding these in bit. If the roof is stuck, you could try applying spray grease this really helped on my car. Before I did this the roof was really struggling and I had to help it with my hand sometimes. It means you have to strip some of the interior out and I would allow half a day for this (Porsche probably do it in 20 mins). For the plastic runners on the 4 fabric curtain things I found Vaseline was good for getting them in and out, carful not to use to much though you only need a bit. With the tailgate open as you know you will inhibit the sliding roof. I found on a couple of occasions the tailgate would not self shut after I had removed this part. I had to cycle the ignition and press the tailgate button / lock the car a couple of times to get it all going again. I don't know if any of this helps the only other thing I would do is check fuses? Otherwise maybe get some diagnostic done they may shed some light on it, you may have a faulty module or connector?

Thanks StormWalker, The roof has always been ok, (touch wood) as long as the rear window is shut properly also no probs with the curtain (its still working...Shh) as I keep them lubricated them with teflon, so my problem is really down to the rear window, I had removed the motor that drives the lock but it is still connected electrically. I'll have a go at it tomorrow and connect it all back up and see if winding the bungs in that you mention help the situation. I had a look at the map of the fuse box and couldn't find the fuse relating to the rear window mechanism, but I'm thinking now it may be something to do with the rear wiper as its stopped working too. I'm also thinking that as soon as I get the rear window working properly then the roof will work as the curtain is working but a sensor somewhere is not allowing the roof to function as it thinks the rear window is not shut properly. I'll post on here tomorrow and let you know if its worked or I've gone back to the drawing board.. :? Thanks again.. Ian :thumb:

Hi both, I also have trouble with my roof sticking from time to time and needing a helpfull push to assist the motor. What spray grease/ what teflon lube (is that a spray also?) are you talking about and where would I get some? Thanks. No problems so far with my rear window (touch wood) except in hard frost when it would freeze shut. Immediately after pressing the release button (and it not popping up) it would "sense" I had shut it again and re-engage the latch. Cue one Harry in the back seat trying to push up on the inside of the window whilst pressing the release button with my big toe. Only occurred to me later I could have used the button on the key!! Still love the Targa for useability - I keep telling the wife it's a practical small family hatchback.

Definitely sounds like the interlock on the rear hatch isn't happy or confused. Does the horn beep if you lock the car? I had mine get confused once and had to let the cars electronics go to sleep with the hatch open and the car unlocked, 15 minutes should do it. Then started it up, pressed the open hatch button again and shut it. Seemed to work for me. The rear wiper and roof are probably ok, both get disabled when the hatch is open or thinks it's open. Things to check: Check the spigot drive through the glass for the wiper is correctly aligned and not fouling with the drive plate on the car. Check the drive plate is not lose. Check the rubber mounts in the lower corners are not holding the hatch off the latch. (Tip: wiggle them from inside the car with the hatch shut to see if they are under excessive load. There should be a bit of tension) If you get a few drops of water on the rear seats from time to time you'll probably find the drain hoses at the back of the roof section are not correctly routed through the plastic fitting at the front of the curtains. See pic. Fortunate to say I don't have much experience of leaks, except this one when I nudged the hose out whilst refitting a curtain. I use Silicone grease (Divers O'ring grease) and use it pretty liberally, especially around the joint edges between hatch and roof. Gave up on the sprays as they go everywhere and didn't lubricate or inhibit rattles as well! Also use self adhesive furniture feet felt pads to stop the wind breaker creaking.

I used just normal spray grease from Halfords, as for the plastic pipe as seen in the diagram I extended this by inserting some 3/8" clear plastic pipe so the water that drains of goes to the bottom of the gully. Seems to work a lot better.

Hi, I had and still have a problem with the rear window. I can open the window approx twice in one day.. and thats it..it refuses to open for another day, then the same the next day, its infuriating after you put a jacket in the back and cant retrieve it without climbing through the back seats. It finally gave up (in the open position) and I paid a visit to OPC and they repaired it in 15 minutes explaining it was the fuse, although I can live with it its a bit of a nuisance. Norrie

You should be able to get teflon grease at your local cycle shop.

Well, I've been down to my local opc and it turns out that when they had the car in for its MOT they had problems with the rear window and they seemed to think it was one of the sensors as it sometimes locks and then opens in one cycle and when it does lock it still tells the ECU that it is not shut properly so the roof and rear wipe won't work. Its going in on Thursday, I'm hoping it won't be too expensive as my warranty just ran out a few weeks ago, fingers crossed...!.

Could you please tell me where the hose is located as I've had a bit water on the rear drivers side seat once or twice after a heavy downpour. Thanks.

If some one can tell me how to add photos ill add a few of what a Targa looks like stripped down a bit. Maybe some help for future generations!

right above the B pillar (between the door and side window) you'll see a crescent shaped cutout and a gap between the roof curtain fabric and the sliding curtain fabric down the back. In there should be the plastic piece in the picture, and hopefully the hose! Route it as shown and hopefully problem solved :thumb:

You have to reduce the image size for posting, 256k max for images. There are several sites that do this for you. Good ones are http://www.imageoptimizer.net/Pages/Home.aspx http://www.shrinkpictures.com :thumb:

Cheers oze172 I'll have a look tomorrow.

Ok thanks Ill try and take some shots Thursday night. Because of the water ingress I would like to be proactive. I was thinking about wax oiling while the interior is out? You will see when I post the photos that there are lots of nooks and crannies.