I'm interested in the drop-only version. Great enhancement!

 

OK, call me crazy or a heretic, but what the heck is wrong with walking the extra three steps to the car and using your key in the driver's door lock to raise or lower your top from the outside? No mods, no hassle, no sweat!

Wait, maybe it's the cool factor that makes the difference, right guys?

 

Yes sirree, if I'm going to blow my mind on more electronics, this is the way to go. Absolute brilliance!! Now I'll be able to find my car in any parking lot - just look for the sail. As soon as you're ready with a setup you're comfortable with, yell and I'll come running.

 

Sorry guys, my wife has apparently joined the forum under a pseudonym.

 

Not to worry, Rev. We are all on your side. Of course, all our wive's are on hers. Mine simply cannot understand why I had to have the top down today. Hey it was sunny. Fifty-five degrees, but sunny. Fortunately, I suspect most of them enjoy the car enough to tolerate our boyish insanity.

In a pinch, you can claim that you are seeking healing throught the Forum. It's sort of group therapy.

Thanks for letting me share - - -

 

The feature is a great one when the car has been sitting out to rapidly release the hot air inside...and why would you want to stand and waste 22 or more seconds lowering the top with the key when it can be lowering as you approach the car....it's all about being efficient and time management ...and the fact that it is cool

 

Clearing the heat out would be great here in Georgia in the summer

 

That would be cool... It almost seems as though it could be programed into the car to work like that. That was the case with my 3 series BMW atleast...

 

That would be amazing if we could lower the top with the key - please keep us updated!

Some of the programming I do on BMW's allows convertible owners to raise their top with the key (you can already lower from the factory). I also remove the speed limitation as well..

 

For the record, while I admire the Rev's acumen and helpful videos, we are definitely NOT married.

 

> Drop her top with your remote control...

I'd be interested in that option too!

 

Wow, its really great to see so much interest in this !!

Your patience will be rewarded.

I started checking some of the signals in the car, and the door locks did not work exactly as I had originally expected, so I needed to redesign the original circuit. Then the 25 second timeout was botherring me, especially for all of you that have the 'slow' top with the pressure reduction resistor....so I redesigned it again to get rid of that issue. Then I looked at the design, and thought it was now too complicated, so I redesigned it again to make it simpler.

I am also looking into the easiest, quickest and most reliable and non destructive way to tap into the necessary wires.

Meanwhile my wife is trying to figure out why the car is partially dissaembled in the garage during peak convertible season.

 

Tell her that we all appreciate her sacrificing her personal enjoyment of Spring so the rest of us can improve our "coolness factor".
Cheers,

 

i would get in on this, but i'm only interested in the top lowering....very cool.
(keys and fobs)

 

Everyone's remote will work...some just have a different symbols on the bottom row of buttons.

Just lowering the top remotely will have about half of the parts, and simpler wiring, so I think this is going to be the most popular option, especially since it is also the most useful (and cool).

 

> ... using your key in the driver's door lock to raise or lower your top from the outside

How do I do it that way? First I've heard of it (no manuals w/ car)

 

To drop the top: Insert key in door, turn to "unlock" position and hold until the top is down.

To raise: Turn to "locked" position and hold until the sequence is finished - top and windows up. (You can release it sooner if you do not want the windows to close.)

It's fun to discover new things, isn't it??

Cheers,

 

Pffft. Not this week with all the rain we've been getting. This afternoon was finally nice enough for putting the top down. Drove the wife to Reston Town Center for dinner.

 

Almost correct. When raising the top with the key, the first thing that happens is the front windows fully raise the drop a bit, top raises and latches then front windows fully close followed by back quarter windows. So if you release the key early after the top is fully latched the only windows down are the back.

I personally don't like closing the top with the key because the windows being up in the front deform the seals just a bit the pinch them

 

Hmmm, that's not the way mine works. When raising the top with the key, all windows go completely down, the top goes up, the rear windows go up, and finally the front windows go up.

I find it easiest to remember to turn the key in the direction that I want the top to go -- turn the key toward the back of the car:top moves toward the back, turn the key towards the front of the car:top moves toward the front.