328iC How to access folding top motor when locks won't open
 

I need to access the folding top motor and locks on my 1997 328i convertible with fully automatic top. Driver side lock won't unlock with motor or with crank.

Has anyone ever removed the folding top motor cover, and can you describe how it is secured in position? This is the interior cover above the windshield that covers the motor and the locks.

Clearly the cover was designed to be removed when the top is open, but in my case the locks cannot be unlocked by either the use of the electric motor or by hand cranking the emergency lock release. Right now the drivers side of the top is locked and the right side is not. When turning the crank to lock the top I felt something give, and now turning the crank either direction is not moving anything. My sense is that one or both of the cables that go between motor and the locks (I assume they are cables) have broken.

I need to know if the cover is held in place by any screws or other fasteners, and would like a description of "standard" removal procedure to help me try and conceive of a way to remove it without totally destroying it. I haven't found any part explosions that indicate fasteners are used, but I also don't see what the best locations might be to try and free it if it is held in place only by pressure and such.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to chop it up and look for a new cover. Mike