w208 cabriolet roof mechanism fault local help required Oxford UK please

[markymark45]

Hello fellow MB owners, Im new to forums and message boards alike so please go easy on me....i have just bought a very nice looking w208 clk convertible unfortunatly i had to travel 300 miles for it and it was night time and raining when i purchased it so like A numpty i just took the sellers word for it that the roof worked however the next day when back home i pushed the button and pulled the handle and hey presto it came of in my hand it looks like someone had tried to repair it in the past as a hole had been bored in the centre spigot of the assembly i have today ordered a new handle for it and was wondering if i could call on your expertise and experience to ask is this a common problem....when the handle comes away does it normally break the roof lockinging mechanism on the front header or is it just an easy fix please give me as much information as you can regarding this problem also if anyone know where a roof locking mechanism can be sourced at a reasonable price i would be most grateful thanks in advance for your assistance w208 clk 320 2000 model...

 

[steve333]

Hello fellow MB owners, Im new to forums and message boards alike so please go easy on me....i have just bought a very nice looking w208 clk convertible unfortunatly i had to travel 300 miles for it and it was night time and raining when i purchased it so like A numpty i just took the sellers word for it that the roof worked however the next day when back home i pushed the button and pulled the handle and hey presto it came of in my hand it looks like someone had tried to repair it in the past as a hole had been bored in the centre spigot of the assembly i have today ordered a new handle for it and was wondering if i could call on your expertise and experience to ask is this a common problem....when the handle comes away does it normally break the roof lockinging mechanism on the front header or is it just an easy fix please give me as much information as you can regarding this problem also if anyone know where a roof locking mechanism can be sourced at a reasonable price i would be most grateful thanks in advance for your assistance w208 clk 320 2000 model...

Hi,welcome to the forum,i hope it's only the roof locking handle thats at fault,have you contacted the seller & asked them to give an honest answer as to what exactly is at fault?(lesson learned to check everything works before parting with any cash).You can't check the roof works before you've unlocked it with the handle so fingers crossed.

 

[Ted]

Do a search on the forum.
A member here had what sounds like exactly the same problem previously, and he documented his repair here (although I think he had an engineer friend)

 

[stevey48]

W208 cabriolet

Hello, I'm a new member with my first Mercedes namely a 2002 W208 cab. I don't want to highjack this query but I am struggling to see how to ask a new query! My softtop was working fine until today when after the softtop bow lowered into the boot, the rest of the roof just stuck there although the motors etc were still active. I have checked in the boot and the luggage shield is in place and seems ok. The roof closes ok from this position.
Any ideas/help gratefully received thanks

 

[PiersB]

I have a similar problem stevey48 - did you get any response to your query?

 

[stevey48]

No replies unfortunately but the top did start working ok again for a while but now it gets stuck again. I'm on the case, an engineer friend is going to help me track down the fault (hopefully not too serious) & I will keep this post updated

 

[stevey48]

Ok, I think I have read just about every posting on clk soft top problems a I'm very grateful to all who posted infomation. I have proceded as follows:
1 I checked the micro switch for the flexible luggage cover & it was ok
2 I then stripped the boot down until I could see the pump & the electronics. I found my hydraulic fluid reservoir was on the bottom mark & I have ordered some fluid to top it up.
3 I took the relay out and cleaned all the contacts & checked it was working ok. I also checked all the other connectors
4 With hindsight I should have done this second, I took out all the fuses in the boot, cleaned the contacts & ensured the fuses were then correctly seated.
Result: the soft top now opens 90% of the time first time & the rest at the second attempt. I do push the top up manually quite high & then wait to feel the hydraulics push the top down slightly before it opens.
Next steps: top up the fluid to see if this brings 100% success & also to check the cables tensioning the soft top.
It's a great car with the soft top down & the sun is up.

 

[stevey48]

progress of sorts

The hydraulic fluid arrived & the reservoir topped up. I then opened & closed the top a few times to check for any leaks. I then had to leave the car for a week or so. On returning the reservoir was still at max. I then opened the roof, possibly a bit casually, & it stuck halfway open. I closed it & then watched carefully as I tried to open it again. I noticed that the tensioning cables appeared to be operating in the wrong sense in that they were trying to close the front part of the hood rather than pull it up & back. I stopped the opening sequence & manually pushed the front part of the hood up. I then carried on with the openng sequence & the top opened. I now make sure that the front part of the hood is pushed well up & back during the opening sequence & so far 100% success rate. I have read up about re-placing the tensioning cables or modifying them but think I will carry on with my procedure until it stops working. By the way getting to the reservoir & then putting all the parts back in place is a real pain.