CLK350 Cabrio roof

[Matt32AMG]

For the third time I'm having to take my CLK Cab down to the dealership to fix the roof. It's stuck down again.

The real hack off is that there doesn't seem to be an easy way to manually raise the roof in the event of a roof failure. And when talking to the dealership they say it's a two person job and is tricky to do!

So with that in mind, given that the above is the case is correct, one presumes one must not use the facility of the roof down unless the weather forecast is good for at least two days either side of the planned trip with the roof down, just to ensure the interior doesn’t fill up with rain water in the time it takes you to drive to the nearest MB dealership to have the roof nailed up temporarily. Then book it in at a future date to have it fixed properly.

Ok so this will be “fixed under warranty” and will be for another 15 months, but what happens outside of warranty and it’s still playing up? Worse, what if we’re driving caught in a rainstorm and 100miles away from a convenient MB dealership to fix it, by which time we then find all manner of electrical shorts due to rain saturation has occured? Kinda makes you think what’s the point?

Anyone else having these issues? Is there a slick way of manually raising the roof?

 

[x332race]

Any idea why it keeps sticking down...

The procedure for raising the roof manually is set out on Pages 405-411 of my Owners manual...seems to be very complicated and time consuming.....the manual states that it is a complex technically demanding procedure requiring a great deal of force!!

We have had convertible CLK's for over 5 years now and have never had a problem with the hood despite regular use....

it is possible for the hood to "stick", if the boot is slightly open, the flap in the boot is not correctly positioned etc....check all these things...could be a sensor that is a problem.

 

[Simon_M]

Nightmare, I know you mentioned this problem before - having the roof stuck down is a nightmare scenario. If it started to rain adn was stuck down I think I woudl drive it to the dealers and leave it there, regardless of whether they ar eopen or not. They can fix the water ingress too!!

S

 

[Matt32AMG]

Any idea why it keeps sticking down...

The procedure for raising the roof manually is set out on Pages 405-411 of my Owners manual...seems to be very complicated and time consuming.....the manual states that it is a complex technically demanding procedure requiring a great deal of force!!

We have had convertible CLK's for over 5 years now and have never had a problem with the hood despite regular use....

it is possible for the hood to "stick", if the boot is slightly open, the flap in the boot is not correctly positioned etc....check all these things...could be a sensor that is a problem.

After three and a half hours down at the Dealership the car has a failed micro switch and relay. There is also a leaking hydraulic ram that is being posted down overnight, all will be fixed on warranty. (I also asked them to make a note of this issue on the computer as I have a feeling this will not be the last time this happens, and once out of warranty, who gets to pay then I might ask. (I've been having issues with the roof since day 1)

As for manual raising of the roof, my quick glance this morning in the Owner’s Manual didn’t tell me much. Though now having subsequently looked since I got back from the dealership and looked properly, it’s on pages 422-430.


Make no mistake, having done this process this morning at the dealership, it took two hefty blokes to do this including myself! As for my nearest and dearest helping, she’s definitely not cut out for this job, her beautifully manicured nails would definitely be a goner as would her sweet loving nature!

Technical? No. Sheer grunt? Yup, by the bucket load. Boy do you ever have to tug on the straps to get THE ROOF COMPARTMENT LID TO MOVE! Mental note to myself, check or ensure to include Allen Key in onboard tool kit, (as I didn’t notice one), this to release the pressure relief valve on the roof hydraulic system. (Its in the boot compartment). Without undoing the pressure relief valve all the way, the roof will never be pulled up manually. I know firsthand because the technician forgot to do just that today when we were going through the process, and heave as you might on the straps, the soft top compartment cover will not budge!!

So in short, provided you have the inflatable Russian Shot putter in your tool kit, this to assist with manual roof erection in the case of failure, if not you better hope it doesn’t rain too hard before getting to a service station.


NB:The roof will not deploy if the flap isn't in the fully down position. The fact that roof got stuck down indicates the flap was in the correct position when first operated. So that ponted to a failed microswitch.


Cheers M

 

[Matt32AMG]

Nightmare, I know you mentioned this problem before - having the roof stuck down is a nightmare scenario. If it started to rain adn was stuck down I think I woudl drive it to the dealers and leave it there, regardless of whether they ar eopen or not. They can fix the water ingress too!!

S

Hi Simon, the insurance company would write it off.

This scenario happened to a local SL owner who's roof got locked down as had happened in the CLK today. It had covered some 4000 miles from new. It rained and all the electrics got shorted.

Ok so they fix em. Err not. Cheaper to right the car off apparently, and let someone else have the headache. The car was sold for a little over £30k, a bargain for someone who doesn’t mind replacing all the electrical systems in the car as MB/Insurance company wouldn’t cover / warrant them. This so I’m told alledgedly, is a fact.

Hope your still pleased with your car!