ben_aip

Hi,
We leased a 2018 C300 Cabriolet since Sep 2018 - been loving it esp with the nicer weather of late. Has a nagging question at back of my mind whenever we enjoy opening and closing the soft top. What if it got stuck midway while in operation going up or down, either with a sensor, a switch or something electrical gone wrong? Does anyone know if there's any sort of manual override mechanism or crank that we can do to lock it up or down to drive to a dealership safely? Or are we stuck with calling roadside assistance for a tow?
Has anyone with a Cab been caught in such a scenario, and if so, what did you have to do?
Thank you all.

splunge

This was one of my first questions prior to purchasing my cabrio and I never really got a satisfactory answer , I'm certain there is no mechanical over ride because the dealer would have been aware or at least checked into it . The only response I got was that to their knowledge the problem had never occurred ! Obviously any electrical or mechanical glitch could cause this situation and the only remedy would be a tow ,hopefully not in the rain ! . I think I will question this again with Mercedes because after a year with the car it still crosses my mind .

ben_aip

Heh Splunge
Thanks for your input. That's what my dealer here in Vancouver seems to say as well. I posted this question to my sales guy last week, who's a pretty knowledgeable chap, he too was caught off guard and had to go ask someone in Service. He got back later only to say that there isn't any manual crank or override to open or shut the soft top but to have it towed in for repairs should anything fails. Seems lame, but...oh well. I guess we shouldn't let this bother us. Rather to keep on enjoying our baby with its top down while we have this wonderful weather to do so!

Off topic, I just read that Merc is going to trim down their vast model and sub-lineups in the next year or so. And that the C and S Class Coupes and Cabs will most definitely be the first to be axed, esp for N. American markets. Interesting eh!

pl626

Weirder still, they are supposedly doing a 2+2 SL model. Someone in the SL forum mentioned that the S-class cab was axed for 2020, so a 2+2 SL wouldn't overlap.

Regarding manual override, here's how it's done in the E-class, I suspect the C is similar...

mrmotoguzzi00

gonna put this link in the E cab section....... excellent info from our UK brethren....

ben_aip

Thank you. I just went into my garage to check. It's not the same in the C. There isn't any 6mm Allen Key with the manual and there's absolutely no mention of this anywhere with regards to the soft top's non-operation in any manual or labels. Upon opening up the trunk, I can see there's no removable or access panel for hydraulic pressure release unlike that E in the video. Though I'm pretty sure the C shouldn't be any much different from that of the E's mechanism. Merc might have changed it with these later model years to not have owners tamper with anything. Who knows....

pl626

There is a small removable panel in the E, but you still have to take a knifeblade to cut open the panel below to access the hydraulics. It's not the simplest of processes, but it is a manual override...

pl626

Did you find any lifting straps in your boot?

ben_aip

Nope - nothing!
No Lifting straps, no 6mm Allen key
Also, if you look at the posted video on the E-class Cab, you'll notice that there's a removable access panel first for the 6mm Allen key to rotate & release the hydraulic pressure, and then in step #2 you'll have to cut into the carpeted cover below that panel, to expose and turn a grey colored knob.

jumpman726

Konigstiger posted this service bulletin in the S-Class forum. The procedure might also work on the C-class cabrio if the top were to get stuck.

SEPT18 – 217, 238 when actuating the cabriolet roof open or closed rear deck lid will freeze mid operation w/stored fault codes B251939 & B251739, open PTSS case (MB technical assistance). Top can be reactivated by manually renormalizing rear windows using window switches - pull the button until the window has closed and hold the button for an additional several seconds.

ben_aip

Heh jumpman.
Thank you for posting this. Don't know if it'll work on the C-class Cab. Nevertheless I'll copy this into my owner's manual, and hope I'll never have to refer to it ever!

Schyler67

THANK YOU! This worked for my 2019 E450. Top would not come out to shut and back flap was stuck open. Thanks for saving me probably $2,000 at the dealer ship for a quick 10 second fix. Key is to continue holding the buttons even when they’re all the way up!

lucasgeezer

Our soft top (2019 C300 cabriolet) got stuck in the half way position one time. The rear lid was pointing straight up. I tried everything I could think of but the top would not budge. I called MB support and was told to open and close all of the windows using the individual window buttons (not the button in the middle that opens / closes all of the windows together). Surprisingly that did the trick. Apparently if the mechanism that controls the top thinks that the windows are not aligned properly the top will not operate. I am not sure how I got stuck or out of alignment but perhaps this will help someone ...

AMG 23

IT WORKED! I spent 40 minutes on the phone with my local Benz deal and nothing. Was on the phone with Roadside Assistance setting up appointment for a technician to come out and BOOM I Google and find this article and this thread. Putting the windows up on the drivers switch 1 by 1 worked. Goddam computers. Lifesaver. Thank you!!!!!

barry5867

Had the same problem. top cover stopped half way through closing. Dealer said they couldn't get to it for a week. Told me to look online for videos showing how to close the top. Ran the windows up individually and kept the switch made for an additional 5 seconds each and PRESTO!! Thanks for the info. I really didn't want to have to drive over the mountain with the top down.

superpop

Had this happen to my 2018 E400 Cabrio as well. Pushing each window switch and articulating the window up and down did the trick. What an awesome forum.

reef87

Here you go guys:

mkaise3

This solution worked! Thank you!!! I have a 2019 C-Class Cabriolet. While closing the top while driving, it stopped with the read lid pointing up. I called Mercedes Customer Service and they said I would have to speak with a dealer. Not wanting to spend money on something which seemed like a glitch, I found this forum response.
I closed and opened each window, holding each button for 10 seconds, and it worked. I believe that one or more windows might have been out of alignment as I may have accidentally hit the "close all windows" button as I was pushing on the "close top" button. Customer Service shoulod have been able to provide this response.