SmartTOP/RemoteTOP works half of the time

half of the time i can't seem to be able to open or close the top using the key while standing 2 feet away from the car. the car locks/unlocks, but top doesn't move. today for example it hasnt worked at all. the one touch operation of the top from inside works fine. opening/closing top from a key by holding it inside the door works fine. any suggestions? the problem is that its not a "always works" or "always broken" problem - its intermittent..

you got to keep the button pressed for a couple of secs!....but if it doesn't work at all...even after reprogramming....email wilhemtely(?) and they will give you instructions....I had to send mine back....and the new ones work perfectly...

yeah, already sent them email. just tried disabling/enabling this feature and still no luck. yeah, i hold it for 5-10 seconds -- nothing. at least good to know i am not the only one who had problems.

spoke to Stephen at Whilhelmy-IT and he is sending a new unit. he says he never seen this scenario before given how my dashboard LED rapidly flashes when i hold down the remote button (meaning their unit is not completely dead)

It seems since I've installed the remote top component that my remote range has decreased(I'm probably killing the car battery by opening and closing the remote top without the car being on). Now I have to be pretty close for it to work 100% of the time.

Stephen was great with customer support. i called him twice during weekend. one time was 10PM sunday night, and interupted his dinner. it was kind of emergency, not installtion questions. but he offered me great help. my smart top works great.

Your remote signal still follows the same path, through the air to the reception antenna, then into the remote receiver .... before it ever comes into contact with the Remote Top. With my (admittedly limited) understanding of RF transmissions, I do not see any way the Remote Top installation could affect the reception range of your receiver. Have you performed the TSB to extend the range?

yes, you are correct that RemoteTOP does not affect the reception range. however, my reception range was crappy even before the RemoteTOP. i thought it was a porsche standards. what is this TSB you speak of to extend the range?

Technical Service Bulletin # 9662 dated 8/13/04 describes the method to modify the reception antenna for the remote receiver. Contributing members at RennTech.org can access all the TSBs, including this one. It is very quick & easy. Takes about 15-20 minutes and, for me, led to a dramatic increase in range ..... from a few feet to 15-20 feet.

oh never mind. the power of yahoo search: Insufficient Range of Remote Control, TSB # 9662 http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=4958

heh, we both posted at 02:50pm GMTA since my car under warranty, i guess dealer can do this for free? also, can somebody pls explain the difference between renntech.org and rennlist.com? why is "renn" in both of their names? are they related?

Renn comes from the German word "Rennen" which means to move rapidly, or fast, or to race.

one has all the diy's and the other (this post) all the other stuff.....and yes the range sucks...but than again i don;t have to open the car from a mile away!!

I was actually leaning toward the thought of opening and closing the top with the car off was/is draining the battery or me holding the remote button 3x's longer than normal is draining the remote button battery, thus reducing my range.

One thing I would do is recheck the connection. Mine was intermittent 3-4 times and then stopped. Sent the unit back and it was replaced (NDF). Re-installed and it has worked perfectly since.

I just want the top down by the time I go to start the car. If you start the car while the top is cycling the top will stop and you will have to finish the cycle by pressing the button on the dash board.

Again, based upon my limited knowledge, I do not think that is likely. On draining your car battery by cycling the top: the amount of power required by the remote receiver is so miniscule that this is hard to imagine. A car battery weak enough to send insufficient current to a very small solid state device would be a battery that would not function for the much larger demands that occur constantly. Additionally, whatever draining of the battery occurs during top cycling is made up for within seconds after the car starts and begins charging the battery. If not, I would once again point you to much larger problems. On wearing out the key fob battery by holding it longer: these are batteries designed to last for years, and you are only describing additional daily use measured in seconds .... or, at the outside .... a minute or so. Your theory could possibly apply to a key battery that is already on its death bed, but not, I believe, to a battery within its normal life cycle. I have no idea how old my key battery was when I bought my car (which was 4 years old at the time), but it is still going strong 18 months later, and I use the Remote Top constantly. Not busting your chops at all .... just food for thought in your quest for an answer.

my limited knowledge (and my autoshop classes in HS and college) agree 100% with your limited knowledge

yeah, same here: problem started happening intermittently and now doesn't work at all. connection is fine because the dashboard LED flashes rapidly. hopefully its just a defective unit and replacement will be trouble free.

Don't assume the connection is fine with a flashing dash light. Try unplugging and re-installing. Also are you using the velcro? Make sure it is tight.

i am not assuming, i am going by what Stephen at Wilhelmy told me. he made it sound if the dashboard led flashing rapidly, it means their unit is receiving the signal but something is failing (since their unit takes over LED control of the car). its not the one using velcro. velcro is for SmartTOP while RemoteTOP goes under the seat without velcro.