MikeFairbanks

Check this out. 1996 SL500.

Last night I was learning how to manually raise and lower the soft top. I have the tool, went through the various locks, and all went well. I opened the storage well, raised the roof manually, latched it properly in the front, closed the storage well, and then placed the back of the soft top into place (the two hooks into the two small holes for the hooks).

I went into the trunk, as a YouTube video showed (supposedly the same year model) to look for the two red holds for the open-ended wrench to operate.

Those two pieces don't seem to be there. In the YouTube video they were accessible by opening two small rectangular panels just outside of each trunk hinge. My car didn't have the rectangular panels. And when pulling away the trunk liner I still didn't see the specific latches.

Yikes.

Does this mean I am forever doomed to working with the hydraulic/electrical system? I sure hope not.

I can always engineer my own solution, but I don't want to permanently alter the car. I may change my mind and want to rebuilt the hydraulic system someday.

Thanks for any advice (too bad this forum isn't more active. It's really good. I guess the car is relatively rare).

Je Suis Moi

I had to manually close the soft top on my 1998 SL500 and found that the manual is correct. MBZ appears to have been mainly concerned that the car could be driven so that it could be taken to a repair facility - preferably theirs.

MikeFairbanks

Well, that's what they think. I'll just come up with my own form of engineering that doesn't permanently alter the funtionality or looks of the car. My goal is to learn to get the top up and down as quickly as the automatic feature. I'll also design several allen and open-ended wrenches that match the color of the interior and have them fitted inconspicuously so that I can pop each lever in a second or two, bring the top down, and store it.

And the other way around as well.

Merc Mania

Mike your ideas about bypassing at least part of the hydraulic roof plumbing makes good sense, and I know there will be quite few other forum readers besides myself who stand to learn valuable time-saving shortcuts, if you would be so kind as to explain in some detail here the methods and DIY hardware that you find effective as this complex hydraulic system is deconstructed.

Like the old saying goes : 'Where there is a will, there will be relatives.'

Sadly I am today modifying my forum member profile here to reflect the fact that my anticipated first ever R129 purchase did not materialize a week ago as hoped, thus demoting me to the lowly status of a mere wanna-be SL-Meister, fated to lurk in the shadows, and learn vicariously until such time as I succeed in rounding up and corralling one of these prized beasts.

MikeFairbanks

Part of the learning is understanding the way the car thinks. I noticed that when I manually unlatch the top from the front (above the visors) first, the Windows won't operate. I had to go through a bunch of silly motions to get the system to reset and act normally again. Developing a simple manual system will be tricky if it confuses the system.

I enjoy the car. Miss powerful, fast, and handles well. However, the systems weren't thought out well, in my opinion. There are a lot of quirks. Simplicity has its advantages.

For a car like this I wish it had manual everything, for the most part. I'm actually enjoying the automatic transmission, which surprises me. But I don't need power windows and roof. I don't need automatic headlamp wipers.

Hopefully I can get some systems simplified and others disabled. I just want to drive.

cliffyk

The rear latches can be manually operated on the '96+ models, you just have to remove liners in the corners of the trunk to get at them--and they are not red and not as easy to get at:

right side


left side


You have to lift the latch lever while pushing the bow down lightly to get the tang on the bow into the lock; and then push the lever down (while pushing on the bow with some force) 'til it clicks to lock it.

The right side it a bit *****y to do with the OEM tool because the fuel filler neck is in the way, a shortish 10 mm open-end wrench works better.

Also be aware that the latches themselves are just pot-metal castings that will not tolerate a lot of manual operation--especially the front latches where the Allen key socket is steel cast into the pot-metal latching piece.

This is one of those "don't ask me how I know" things. The limit switch on the left front latch was bad, and though the Allen socket was intact it was just spinning the the cheap cast latch. I had to use a Sawzall to go in-between the the windshield frame and the RST header ant cut the latching bracket in order to open the top

after the cut


the damage


welded and painted


This car is not especially well made...