w209 roof not working

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

madbonky

Active Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Messages
63
Location
Heathrow
Car
R129 300SL, ML 320, C240, CLK 500 CAB, W203 ESTATE W126 500 SEL R129 320
Hi all,

The roof on my 209 will not come down, when you operate the switch the windows come down but thats it, some has said the early w209 cabrio suffered from siezed rams?:confused: does anyone know much about this?

Thanks

Jay
 
Hi I brought a 209 reg 24-11-04 in January 2007 1st thing I did was to 1/2 open the roof and spray wd 40 on all piviots, cams ( hold a rag around to prevent over spray) (it made a great diffrence) its probally a switch or relay but once its sorted give it some preventitive maintenance.
 
Hi Jay, if you ever got your roof problem sorted could you let me know what the problem was as I have the same problem with mine. Thanks, Annie.
 
Please help with my flip top roof. It’s my first Merc and not going well. Had it a week and can’t even put the roof down. I checked it when buying it, but just doesn’t work now. Obviously really gutted as the sun's been shinning and wanna get the shades on with the roof down. :fail

1. Firstly the key fob button release for the rear boot works, as I'd read that boot release and roof issues can be related, so no issues there.
2. The button for rear headrests / roll bar works and drops them as required. If you start roof operation with the roll bars up they automatically drop ok, so this part of the sequence is ok.
3. Rear luggage flap is pulled down and engaged ok. When it's not engaged the dash displays the expected message.
4. So with roof and windows in fully closed position I start the roof down operation pulling up the button, and the roof disengages from the top of the windscreen, all 4 windows fully retract, and you can hear the hydraulic pump working.
5. At this point nothing else happens, and the pump stops running after about 10 seconds. Dash displays roof in operation, but that's it. If I re-attempt to open the roof from there by pulling up the button the motor starts again for about another 6 to 8 seconds and then stops.
6. If I push the button down to close the roof the motor runs again for about 6 to 8 seconds but the roof does not push itself back against the top of the windscreen in order for the latches to close it.
7. However if I try to close the roof using the button and at the same time pull the roof by hand to touch the top of the windscreen then the closure latches on the top of the windscreen close the roof securely as expected, all 4 windows go back up and the roof closed message is displayed.
8. As additional info the 40 amp fuse looks fine with no corrosion and the hydraulic fluid is exactly on the middle mark. Operating the pump does not appear to lose any fluid and no obvious signs of fluid in the back anywhere.

Sorry for my ramblings, but would really appreciate some advise from here. Is there a relay or switch or something that switches the pumps hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic rams? Basically appears that although the pump is running there is no hydraulic actuation to take the roof down or to make it touch the top of the windscreen. Hope that makes sense. :dk::cool: Thanks for any help, Annie.
 
It sounds as though one of the switches has gone faulty, probably at the soft top compartment cover...

One thing to try is to open and close the roof manually (should be detailed in the book) this often works.
 
Please help with my flip top roof. It’s my first Merc and not going well. Had it a week and can’t even put the roof down. I checked it when buying it, but just doesn’t work now. Obviously really gutted as the sun's been shinning and wanna get the shades on with the roof down. :fail

1. Firstly the key fob button release for the rear boot works, as I'd read that boot release and roof issues can be related, so no issues there.
2. The button for rear headrests / roll bar works and drops them as required. If you start roof operation with the roll bars up they automatically drop ok, so this part of the sequence is ok.
3. Rear luggage flap is pulled down and engaged ok. When it's not engaged the dash displays the expected message.
4. So with roof and windows in fully closed position I start the roof down operation pulling up the button, and the roof disengages from the top of the windscreen, all 4 windows fully retract, and you can hear the hydraulic pump working.
5. At this point nothing else happens, and the pump stops running after about 10 seconds. Dash displays roof in operation, but that's it. If I re-attempt to open the roof from there by pulling up the button the motor starts again for about another 6 to 8 seconds and then stops.
6. If I push the button down to close the roof the motor runs again for about 6 to 8 seconds but the roof does not push itself back against the top of the windscreen in order for the latches to close it.
7. However if I try to close the roof using the button and at the same time pull the roof by hand to touch the top of the windscreen then the closure latches on the top of the windscreen close the roof securely as expected, all 4 windows go back up and the roof closed message is displayed.
8. As additional info the 40 amp fuse looks fine with no corrosion and the hydraulic fluid is exactly on the middle mark. Operating the pump does not appear to lose any fluid and no obvious signs of fluid in the back anywhere.

Sorry for my ramblings, but would really appreciate some advise from here. Is there a relay or switch or something that switches the pumps hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic rams? Basically appears that although the pump is running there is no hydraulic actuation to take the roof down or to make it touch the top of the windscreen. Hope that makes sense. :dk::cool: Thanks for any help, Annie.

This is the same problem I am having. Did you find the solution?:confused:
 
Hi. I would say your best thing to do would be get it on a star machine to get the fault codes and actual values checked.

As said above it could be one of the microswitches not recognising its open or closed position so this will then stop the roof from working.
 
Hi. I would say your best thing to do would be get it on a star machine to get the fault codes and actual values checked.

As said above it could be one of the microswitches not recognising its open or closed position so this will then stop the roof from working.

Yes as already stated it will be one of these little micro switches but they are quite pricey for what they are so best get the codes read to identify which one
 
Thanks... I am going to take it in this week (today is a holiday in Canada) and have it hooked up to computer. In the meantime, does anyone have a diagram of where I can find the "relay switch" for the soft top? I've read other posts where people have replaced this switch and it solved the problem and was a cheap replacement.. wishful thinking, maybe?
 
Took the car to the mechanic today and....

  • No fault codes on the computer, then reset codes anyways, no luck.
  • Motor/Pump are working
  • No leaking, fluid level is between min and max
  • Does not think cylinders are the issue
Background: Roof is fully closed, when pressing the roof switch, you hear the motor running and you see the rear of the roof is trying to lift from the cover lid but won't detach; it looks like it's "stuck".

Mechanic: I explained to the mechanic that I "shoved" the cover lid closed before and it hasn't opened since. He explained that because I shoved it closed the issue is likely "electrical and not mechanical, the limit switch is confused, it thinks the roof is in a different position than it actually is."

Recommendation: mechanic's next steps would be to spend 2-3 hours ($110 per hour) diagnosing the issue by taking apart the inside of the trunk to access an area behind the metal plate where electrical work for the roof operation is housed and would test each switch and also have a visual look to see if something is jammed.


Do you think it is worth paying $375 to have the mechanic try and diagnose the problem using the recommended next steps? or can I do this part myself and save $375?
surrender.gif


Thanks.
 
I think he is trying to rip you off slightly.

He doesnt need to access all that area to test the microswitches he can check the actual values of the switches via the star system like i said above.

Is the mechanic you have taken the car to a mercedes specialist???
 
I think he is trying to rip you off slightly.

He doesnt need to access all that area to test the microswitches he can check the actual values of the switches via the star system like i said above.

Is the mechanic you have taken the car to a mercedes specialist???

Agreed. Star can diagnose all this very quickly and a genuine dealer wouldn't need to go this route
 
The problem with a W209 is there is no real manual opening procedure. You can get to the pump area etc but releasing the back latches is not easy to do manually.

They are a pain in the back side.

We had one recently, all actual values were fine, roof just didnt want to move.

We were too busy to start taking apart the boot to get to the mechanism etc so customer took it to dealer. They had it for 6 weeks and couldnt get it working... Not sure what the situation is now...

In most cases though, disconnecting the battery for 20 mins, then connecting and re syncing windows etc and then trying it normally does the trick.
 
Update: Just got back from the MB Dealership...

Charged me $150 to hook up to computer: no fault codes, but they thought it may be the limit switch.
Charged me $150 to manually open roof to inspect limit switches: limit switches are fine. Then decided to charge me for 2 hours ($300) to open the roof because it was more difficult than anticipated.

So: $450 basically got me the following the "recommendation to fix the problem"

MB Recommendation to fix problem: I need to replace both Hinges on the cover (#207-750-00-51) $649.20 for 2 plus 2 hours labour and replace 1 "covering" (#209-750-05-25) at $269.00 plus 1 hour labour.

So: An additional $1500 to "fix" the problem.

I was under the impression the "broken hinges" that they want to replace did not play a role in the functioning of the roof to open or close, but rather as "support" when the roof cover is in the up position. The "covering" may be more plausible.

Thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • hinge.jpg
    hinge.jpg
    43.9 KB · Views: 56
  • covering.jpg
    covering.jpg
    58.7 KB · Views: 51
I think the hinges are overpriced, worth checking eBay as they do occasionally come up for sale and as the plastic bit is a guide i suppose it could be putting the lid out of alignment. Perhaps an indie could replace them for you for less?
 
Hi, did the hinge cure the problem when replaced? I have a 2003 CLK with a top not working and my right side hinge is broken in exactly the same place.
 
xxameht said:
Hi, did the hinge cure the problem when replaced? I have a 2003 CLK with a top not working and my right side hinge is broken in exactly the same place.

Don't know if it did but a replacement hinge can't help but improve things!
 
Thanks, mine stopped working last week, put the hood down ok, pressed the button to raise it and nothing. Also got a big red dash warning saying "Please release roll over bar" Only thing that I can see is this piece of broken plastic.
 
Hi, did the new hinges cure the problem as mine is also stuck open and I have a broken hinge as well. Exactly the same place as yours
thanks
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom