R129 roof seal

[jonthetourist]

I have been investigating the source of wind noise after a longish journey with the hood up recently.

The folding mechanism sits on a rubber seal above the bodywork, but both metal and rubber end about nine inches behind the doors. This leaves a gap between mohair and metal through which you can poke a finger.

Can any SL experts tell me if that is right? The car has had a replacement hood in its twenty years, and this looks like a flaw to me.

Any help appreciated.

Jon

 

[Sp!ke]

yes I have the same on mine if I am understanding your description correctly - it would appear to be normal.

 

[Doodle]

Yes, absolutely correct.

 

[EDZ649]

All ragtops create more wind noise when the roof is up than their metal roof counterparts. What you are describing is normal.

 

[jonthetourist]

Thanks for the feedback -especially to anyone who went out to their car and checked.

I am familiar with soft-tops and their deficiencies in general. I was just surprised that MB, having convened some very fine engineering talent to design the roof of the R129, chose to leave a gap inches from the driver's ear.

Yet another reason to get the top down

Jon

 

[Doodle]

TBH I suspect that gap will contribute very little to the noise factor.

It's also a necessary evil to allow the folding to take place, as if it was solidly joined in that location there would be much more bunching and wear on the hood material.

 

[jaymanek]

think thats common to pretty much every SL going back from the R129... Its just the only way the hood can hinge properly.

 

[James1976]

Yup, it's right. I have to say having had more "modern" convertibles the noise in my R129 was somewhat of a shock.

Apparently they're luxurious in comparison to the R107. Is that the equivalent of motoring in a silver cross pram then??

Top down's the way to go though. Having said that I've got the hard top on it now to tempt the summer back - and doing a lot of miles over the next few days and it's wearing and damn noisy on the motorway...

 

[Doodle]

Not really a fair comparison though, you're dealing with late 80's hood technology - over 20 years old now.

It was still streets ahead of what else was on offer at the time.

 

[jonthetourist]

Not really a fair comparison though, you're dealing with late 80's hood technology - over 20 years old now.

It was still streets ahead of what else was on offer at the time.

Hmm, my point of reference is a Saab 900 convertible I had a while back. It was K reg compared to my SL's J, but had a triple-layer hood and no gaps. You did have to manually close the seal on the windscreen with a lever, and it certainly didn't fold away as neatly.

As an experiment, I have put a small towel in the car, and next time I drive it with the top up I am going to bung it above the gap and see if makes a difference.

Jon

 

[jaymanek]

The r107 is noisier but I think the drive is miles better than a 129. I find the 129 just far too heavy. The r107 in 500 form is powerful, smooth, solid, planted and yet feels nimble.