A238 E Class Convertible Roof strings worn and snapped

[patersont]

Hi my 2018 E Class convertible roof would not open fully, when I have investigated it the strings (for a better word) have frayed and one side has snapped. I eventually got the roof to close properly and contacted my Mercedes branch to get them to take a look at it.

In the meantime i did some digging and found a technical bulletin issued by Daimler in 2019 stating cars produced between 2016 & 2019 may get this fault due to possible high tensile stress on the cords during the soft top sequence.

I passed all this info onto the Mercedes branch and they said they would pass this onto Mercedes as its out of warranty for a good will gesture. Got a reply yesterday from Mercedes who basically refused to do anything and the cost is £2000 to repair the dealer has been great but I'm not happy with Mercedes.

Anybody else had this issue? either way i would advise you check the strings regularly and if you see any signs to fraying get it booked in if its still under warranty.

Technical bulletin attached

 

[oneoone]

Hi,
Yep, mine has just snapped, sounds like the same thing. e220 cabriolet, thank you for the PDF

 

[bunty777]

Hi my (E-class cab 2017) has just broken too "roof strings brokern deformed head lining". £2900 to repair which is ridiulous. Taking the face i've only done 17000 miles and living in the Britain we are not always blessed with sunshine. What also kills me is that they changed the design as they knew this was a design fault the strings are useless they are so thin not even good enough to tie your shoes with! Any one have any success gettign mercedes to pay for this as it's obvioulsy a know issue!

 

[patersont]

Hi my (E-class cab 2017) has just broken too "roof strings brokern deformed head lining". £2900 to repair which is ridiulous. Taking the face i've only done 17000 miles and living in the Britain we are not always blessed with sunshine. What also kills me is that they changed the design as they knew this was a design fault the strings are useless they are so thin not even good enough to tie your shoes with! Any one have any success gettign mercedes to pay for this as it's obvioulsy a know issue!

Hi I ended up getting the dealer down to £780 which i presume was the cost of the parts to the dealer as they wouldn't budge any further, Mercedes direct refused to pay towards the cost of the repair. i had to threaten to cancel my service plans and move away from Mercedes full stop before dealer helped towards the cost. I am currently taking this though the ombudsman and they have accepted the case and are investigating. so fingers crossed but the more people do this the more chance MB will be forced to fix the issue FOC. The repair has a two year warranty so you get guess that i am checking every month and as soon as i see any wear then its going back .

 

[Rksagar]

Do you know if this issue is covered by MB extended warranty?

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi I ended up getting the dealer down to £780 which i presume was the cost of the parts to the dealer as they wouldn't budge any further, Mercedes direct refused to pay towards the cost of the repair. i had to threaten to cancel my service plans and move away from Mercedes full stop before dealer helped towards the cost. I am currently taking this though the ombudsman and they have accepted the case and are investigating. so fingers crossed but the more people do this the more chance MB will be forced to fix the issue FOC. The repair has a two year warranty so you get guess that i am checking every month and as soon as i see any wear then its going back .

Hi , Mercedes customer service policy starts at the top !

 

[patersont]

Do you know if this issue is covered by MB extended warranty?

Don’t know I would just give them a ring

 

[Oleks1992]

Hi my 2018 E Class convertible roof would not open fully, when I have investigated it the strings (for a better word) have frayed and one side has snapped. I eventually got the roof to close properly and contacted my Mercedes branch to get them to take a look at it.

In the meantime i did some digging and found a technical bulletin issued by Daimler in 2019 stating cars produced between 2016 & 2019 may get this fault due to possible high tensile stress on the cords during the soft top sequence.

I passed all this info onto the Mercedes branch and they said they would pass this onto Mercedes as its out of warranty for a good will gesture. Got a reply yesterday from Mercedes who basically refused to do anything and the cost is £2000 to repair the dealer has been great but I'm not happy with Mercedes.

Anybody else had this issue? either way i would advise you check the strings regularly and if you see any signs to fraying get it booked in if its still under warranty.

Technical bulletin attached

Yes very common on w205 and w238 convertibles and I've done loads. In most cases you'll need new headliner too cause where the strings break, the c pillar of the headliner trims don't fold away enough and get worn by roof mechanism. You can get repair kit from Mercedes to replace the cords and the eyelets

 

[CabrioChap]

I'm going to look at a 2018 A238 Cabriolet on Friday, is there anything I can see while the roof is operating to tell if the cables are fraying?
I've had my 2013 A207 Cabriolet for the last 6 years and have had zero problems with the hood.

 

[patersont]

I'm going to look at a 2018 A238 Cabriolet on Friday, is there anything I can see while the roof is operating to tell if the cables are fraying?
I've had my 2013 A207 Cabriolet for the last 6 years and have had zero problems with the hood.

Hi I was the same with my A207 but that is a different roof design. See photos of the damage I found too late.

 

[CabrioChap]

Hi I was the same with my A207 but that is a different roof design. See photos of the damage I found too late.

Oh, that does look different. The car I am looking at is on 21k miles, so hopefully the roof hasn't been exercised too much.
Thanks for the picture, I now know where to look.

 

[patersont]

mine only had 18k on the clock so I think it’s more a frequency problem

 

[CabrioChap]

The hood on this thing looks virtually un-used. The cables all look OK. I shall keep an eye on them though.

 

[patersont]

Great news the ombudsman has just upheld my claim and instructed Mercedes Benz to refund me the £700 I had to pay to fix the fault. See attached still a shame I had to go this route versus MB doing the right thing

 

[Glenno15]

Great news the ombudsman has just upheld my claim and instructed Mercedes Benz to refund me the £700 I had to pay to fix the fault. See attached still a shame I had to go this route versus MB doing the right thing

Hi I'm currently in the same position e220 convertible amp line premium 2018. Noticed roof not shutting on inspection cables if you can Call them that had snapped and were fraying. Took it to local Mercedes needs new roof lining £3k goodwill offered 15% want the whole repair covered should not be happening especially as merc knew of the problem previous convertible 37000 miles no problems. What did you have to provide to the ombudsman would be useful to have a case no to refer to as ombudsman has set a precedent. I presume the fact that there was a technical report that highlighted the issue swung it.

 

[patersont]

Hi I ended up getting the dealer down to £780 which i presume was the cost of the parts to the dealer as they wouldn't budge any further, Mercedes direct refused to pay towards the cost of the repair. i had to threaten to cancel my service plans and move away from Mercedes full stop before dealer helped towards the cost. I am currently taking this though the ombudsman and they have accepted the case and are investigating. so fingers crossed but the more people do this the more chance MB will be forced to fix the issue FOC. The repair has a two year warranty so you get guess that i am checking every month and as soon as i see any wear then its going back .

Hi I'm currently in the same position e220 convertible amp line premium 2018. Noticed roof not shutting on inspection cables if you can Call them that had snapped and were fraying. Took it to local Mercedes needs new roof lining £3k goodwill offered 15% want the whole repair covered should not be happening especially as merc knew of the problem previous convertible 37000 miles no problems. What did you have to provide to the ombudsman would be useful to have a case no to refer to as ombudsman has set a precedent. I presume the fact that there was a technical report that highlighted the issue swung it.

Hi please see attached I simply filled in the forms detailing the conversations and quotes from the garage hope this helps

 

[Glenno15]

Many thanks for that I will be taking my case direct to merc as its their problem and not dealerships fingers crossed

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , I have no idea how many times a convertible car roof is opened but these repair costs are extortionate using each roofing opening cycle as a bench mark.

 

[danieljacklin]

Tony paterson, i owe you a VERY large beer!!! A few roof straps had broken and frayed on my E Class, but the roof was still operational. Mercedes Aylesbury (part of Vertu) sold me the car originally, and quoted me £4.3k to replace the straps as it is outside of warranty. I emailed a complaint to the CEO's of Mercedes UK and Vertu (you can easily find their details online), including a copy of Tonys two documents on this thread, and explaining why i thought Vertu were at fault and should repair for free. i pretty much just quoted what Vertu's obligations were per the ombudsman ruling in Tony's case. Mercedes rejected the complaint, and i assumed Vertu would do the same and i'd have to go to the ombudsman.

I've just had a call from the dealership - they are going to cover 100% of the cost of the repair! Not sure what i would have done without Tony's documents, i doubt i'd have complained to this extent or gone to the ombudsman, probably just paid a couple of thousand for an independent garage to repair it.

So thanks Tony, you have save me a small fortune!

 

[patersont]

Tony paterson, i owe you a VERY large beer!!! A few roof straps had broken and frayed on my E Class, but the roof was still operational. Mercedes Aylesbury (part of Vertu) sold me the car originally, and quoted me £4.3k to replace the straps as it is outside of warranty. I emailed a complaint to the CEO's of Mercedes UK and Vertu (you can easily find their details online), including a copy of Tonys two documents on this thread, and explaining why i thought Vertu were at fault and should repair for free. i pretty much just quoted what Vertu's obligations were per the ombudsman ruling in Tony's case. Mercedes rejected the complaint, and i assumed Vertu would do the same and i'd have to go to the ombudsman.

I've just had a call from the dealership - they are going to cover 100% of the cost of the repair! Not sure what i would have done without Tony's documents, i doubt i'd have complained to this extent or gone to the ombudsman, probably just paid a couple of thousand for an independent garage to repair it.

So thanks Tony, you have save me a small fortune!

You’re more than welcome Daniel, I am pleased you found my post useful and helped you get the fix repaired. Enjoy the summer with the roof off