My wife is in the market for a new car.  Through the leasing company and Audi we were able to borrow an A4 Cabriolet for a weekend.

Wanting to make the most of it we decided to drive up to the Suffolk Coast for the weekend.  First impressions on the M25 & A12 were favourable.  Noise levels were no higher than in any normal saloon car, no drafts and no leaks.  With 190bhp (PS actually - the horses in Europe are slightly smaller) I would describe the performance as adequate rather than exciting, which gives you a clue as to the weight of the power hood mechanism and the strengthening in the bodyshell to make sure there were no rattles squeaks or shakes, even with surprisingly stiff sports springing.

In Alderburgh we parked by the seafront, and had lunch.  Time to try it with the hood down.   Ignition on, handbrake on and hit the switch by the handbrake.   No clips, no pop studs - just hit the switch and wait.  Fantastic.  In theory......

The hood started to fold, the rear cover came up, and then, halfway up, the process ended.   Try the switch again....   nothing.....  Ooops - this could be embarrassing.   Lots of people around and here we are in Audi's finest pose-wagon with the hood stuck halfway.

At this point we resorted to the manual (instructions - always read as a last resort), which suggested there was a key for manually operating the hood under a cover on the left hand side of the dash.   Not in this car there isn't.  There is a breakdown number though, so we decided to call that and ask for advice.

The manual states clearly that the boot must be closed for the hood to operate and the luggage shelf in the down position (OK there, I had checked).   The boot lid and hood cover will otherwise collide.   Audi make sure that the boot is closed by operating the boot lock so the boot can't be opened when the hood is halfway up.   Guess where our mobile phones are........you got it......locked in the boot.

Sara walked into town to find a call box, too embarrassed to stay with the car.  I waited a discrete distance back, making sure the car was OK, but far enough away to suggest it was nothing to do with me.

After half an hour and with some advice from the Breakdown line, success.  On right hand drive cars the manual key is under the cover on the right hand side of the dash.   We set to work to put the hood back up manually. 

I lift the (heavy) steel boot cover up, and lean under to pull up on the hood. The cover falls down, cracking me hard on the side of the head.  The manual process takes a good ten minutes, lots of puzzling and instruction reading and a fair bit of swearing!

Suffice to say that over dinner that night, with a large bruise and significant swelling on the side of my head we decided that we wouldn’t be getting the cabrio version of the A4!  Good of them to lend it to us, lovely car, helpful breakdown service, but the omens aren't good.  The saloon will do nicely and save lots of money.  We are not cut out for posing.

The next day I used my Alfa Romeo Duetto for the first time in many weeks.  Snapped the two clips on the screen rail down, lifted the hood over my head (all from the driver’s seat) and thirty seconds later set off for some hood down motoring in a car designed nearly forty years ago.  The cool breeze reduced the stinging bruise on my head nicely!