Tavarish Finds a Cheap & Easy SL55 AMG Convertible Top Fix
Owning an older Benz doesn’t have to be expensive.
Janis Joplin was right. Short of divine intervention, many of us at MBWorld couldn’t afford to own a brand new Mercedes-Benz. Our only hope to own our favorite marque is to take advantage of the eye-watering depreciation typical of luxury car brands and buy used.
But no matter how cheaply you buy your used Mercedes-Benz, it’s still going to cost an arm and a leg to repair. Parts and labor don’t depreciate, after all. The only hope for us is to learn how to fix the cars ourselves.
Internet car personality Freddy “Tavarish” Hernandez is notorious for buying inexpensive used luxury cars at or near the bottom of their depreciation cycles. In this video from his YouTube channel, he attempts to diagnose and repair the convertible top of his $8,900 SL55 AMG.
That, however, is no small feat. Instead of a canvas or vinyl roof, the SL55 has a complicated folding metal hardtop. For $8,900 Tavarish’s car is bit on the rough side. While he can deal with many of the car’s other faults, a non-working convertible top will simply not do. Priorities, right?
ALSO SEE: Three Pillarless Mercedes Coupes for Summer Driving
It’s easy to follow Tavarish’s logic and apply it to problem solving on your own projects at home. The first step was an internet search – perhaps he used MBWorld – to find other owners with the same problem.
From there, he finds that there’s a small metal collar that holds two trim flaps in place, a frequent failure point. From there, he learned that Mercedes-Benz actually sells an upgraded version of the part – more or less an admission of a persistent problem.
With simple hand tools and a bit of intuition, Tavarish was able to fix the problem with a minimal cash outlay and just a bit of time and know-how. What was the best cheap & easy fix on your Mercedes-Benz? Share your thoughts on our forum!
