The Bentley Continental GTC MK1, built between 2007 to 2011, is a fine grand tourer with limitless headroom and a fabric roof system stowed or erected in 25 seconds at speeds of up to 20 mph.
This handsome and classy open top Continental unveiled at the 2006 New York International Auto Show went on sale at a hefty price of just over £130,000. Today, not only millionaires can grab a taste of performance and luxury open top driving; why not create some road presence and grab yourselves a taste of the Bentley’s winged B?
The tailored convertible roof can be deployed or stowed in just 19 seconds, with the car travelling at speeds of up to 30mph. This transforms the Continental GT Convertible from a luxurious coupe into an open-top Grand Tourer at the touch of a button.
Bentley Continental Convertible GTC Roof Problems
If you are lucky enough to own one of these delightful vehicles, the roof systems as with any other convertible folding roof can have its problems. The most common symptoms of cabriolet roof failure are the roof not opening or closing, no access to the boot area and often a break in the metal roof frame itself.
These can all be resolved with the correct diagnosis and repair, without huge Main Dealer prices to add insult to this problem – Cayman Auto Services have Dealer Level diagnostic equipment and can accurately diagnose the fault for your Bentley Continental GTC Cabriolet Roof system without the need for full roof replacement as most often quoted by dealers.
Cayman Auto Services will look for the most cost effective repair to your Bentley Continental GTC Cabriolet Folding Roof. We have customers travel from all over the UK and internationally – our high levels of customer service ensure a pleasurable trip to us from the moment of booking to arrival and handing back your vehicle and its’ convertible roof fully operational.
Please read on for more help with the most commonly asked Bentley Continental Convertible GTC questions;
How to reset a Bentley GTC Cabriolet Roof System
Customer’s often feel a manual reset will restore a convertible hood’s operation. With some vehicle’s this is a possibility, however with the Bentley GTC there is no manual reset procedure.
It is imperative that the correct diagnostic equipment is used to diagnose a cabriolet roof fault and at Cayman Auto Services, we have genuine Bentley diagnostic equipment.
This diagnostic equipment enables the technicians to carry out relearn procedures once frame position sensors are replaced.
On a convertible roof system positions sensors need to know the position of the roof. The Bentley GTC Cabriolet diagnostic equipment resets the values in the roof ecu to adapt the new position sensor to the vehicle.
The side flaps that cover the frame holes when the Bentley GTC Cabriolet roof system is down contain potentiometers, which need to be calibrated to the vehicle when open and closed. These roof potentiometers need to know when the roof is open before they can allow the roof frame to move.
If these roof components were not calibrated and the convertible roof frame started moving before the side flap opened, the two parts would collide resulting in damage.
How to Close a Bentley GTC Convertible roof if stuck open
The emergency release tool is located behind the rear centre arm rest and is a two person job to close the roof manually if your convertible roof is stuck in the open or halfway position,
The Bentley GTC handbook explains has a step by step guide to close the cabriolet roof system in an emergency.
How to manually open boot
With the Bentley Continental GTC Convertible, most of the boots have a power lift function which is fully electric. The lock mechanism on the boot is also fully electric and is operated from the boot switch, the interior switch or the key fob. If the boot lock actuator or associated wiring or sensors fail, then the boot fails to release.
The boot can be unlocked via a manual procedure via the cable mechanism by inserting a tool into the access hole behind the rear centre arm rest.
What to do if my Bentley Continental GTC Roof Alarm keeps going off
The roof warning alarm indicates that the cabriolet roof system is not locked down correctly or the system is not seeing the roof system is locked down.
If the convertible roof looks visibly closed, yet the warning is still present, a diagnosis is required.
Is your Bentley Continental Roof Frame broken?
We often see owners of the Bentley GTC Continental with the roof frame broken below the rear screen. The cabriolet headlining cords break, which in turn prevent the roof’s fabric from pulling away from the roof mechanism correctly. The fabric gets caught in the framework of the roof system, which damages the cabriolet’s roof fabric and also can crack the roof frame.
Bentley will always recommend the roof system is replaced in its entirety, however in most cases at Cayman Autos we are able to repair.
Bentley GTC cracked frame.Battery Failure can lead to Roof operation faults
The GTC has 2 batteries – the starter and convenience battery. The convenience battery is important to the roof operation as if it gets low it won’t allow the roof to work until it sees the correct voltage. At Cayman Autos, we see regularly see Bentley GTC Cabriolets with faulty batteries and is a common problem with this vehicle.
The cabriolet roof system will not operate unless it sees sufficient voltage from the vehicle’s electrical system. We would always recommend that the battery is replaced with a high quality battery. At Cayman Autos we always recommend a Bosch battery to avoid roof issues.
When pressing the roof lower switch to operate and the instrument cluster display indicates a red roof symbol, start the vehicle and leave the engine running for a couple of minutes and retry the procedure again.
If this has cleared the problem, it indicates that the convenience battery is low. If however the roof fails to operate there is a further fault that requires diagnosing.
Replacing the battery is fairly straight forward and can be carried out by any reputable garage. If however there has been a previous roof problem or the roof has not closed correctly before the convenience battery is replaced, then the system may require recalibration to relearn the roof’s position.
Why is the Bentley roof fabric material? Why isn’t it folding tin-top?
According to Bentley, the customer preferred the ‘Classier’ fabric option. The fabric roof is easier to package into a smaller space and the cabriolet roof works well with great soundproofing and the luxurious style we expect from the Bentley Continental GTC.
With the folding roof down, Bentley tested the GTC and found it only fell only 5mph down on the top speed of 195mph recorded with the convertible roof up.
We would not however recommend attempting to prove or disprove this record, although as a rear passenger apparently the buffeting ceases to be a problem above 160mph as the air shifts further behind the car.
In summary
Perhaps it could be suggested that the Bentley Continental GTC convertible is the ultimate convertible car or at the very least will not be too far from it. This four-seat luxury convertible supercar combines seduction, power, style and craftsmanship.
The Bentley Continental GT Convertible remains a wonderful achievement. Owning one of these is like having your own private jet – in fact, it’s better than that because it’s so much more usable and roof-down, you can enjoy the journey so much more. This was always the world’s most beautifully engineered luxury open-topped conveyance.
We hope you have found this blog useful for the common Bentley Continental GTC roof problems that many of our Bentley GTC Cabriolet owners experience. Having a convertible roof system can be the envy of all our friends, however not quite so fun if the sun is shining and the roof is not opening.
Contact Cayman Autos for Bentley Roof Repairs
At Cayman Autos we have a high level of customer service and turnaround for quick, efficient and cost effective cabriolet and soft top roof repairs. We have customer travel from all over the UK and Internationally for our expertise and knowledge together with the most up to date diagnostic equipment.
The correct diagnosis for your Cabriolet fault is paramount and can save customers time and money on unproductive and ineffective repairs. Please check our testimonials and reviews on Google, Facebook and Trustpilot to give you the confidence to make the journey to our workshop.
We carry many parts in stock and aim where possible to diagnose and repair the very same day. We look forward to helping you with all of your Cabriolet Roof Faults.
If you require some assistance from the team at Cayman Autos, Contact us today on 01737 761599 or visit us at 51 ORMSIDE WAY, REDHILL, SURREY, RH1 2LG.
