I wanted to share my DIY fix to a broken top release handle on a 2001 CLK430 Cabriolet. No surprise that I found this to be a lot cheaper than the cost of a replacement part at either the dealer or a junkyard. In principle it's quite a simple repair, but it took two attempts for me to come up with a seemingly permanent solution.

The problem arises when the top release handle pulls out of the top and falls into your lap. In speaking to junkyards, this is the first part that they sell off a convertible W208 (if they'll part out a perfectly good top), so I am assuming I'm not the first person with a broken latch handle.

The disassembly of the front of the convertible top is fairly easy and fast. First, open the top all the way up and leave the rear cowling pointing straight up to allow access to the latch assembly. Unscrew the 4 phillips head screws in the plastic cover over the latch fasteners. Then gently pull up to release the 4 plastic keepers to remove the plastic cover. This will reveal the front "fastener" (MB speak for the latch mechanisms). Remove the t30 star bolts and two 8mm nuts and the fabric strip that holds the headliner. Once out of the car, you'll find the latch mechanism where the handle was once attached. There are two arms, a coil spring and metal cover with two holes in it that hold the arms in place. On the opposite side, see the photos, is a slotted metal cover held down with one nut. The entire assembly is called a "Fastener" and the part number is A2087700026 with the 2013 cost at the dealer, $970. Junkyards in SoCal want 1200-1500 for an entire top, so this fix is a real money-saver.

When I looked at the separated parts that secure the handle, it was clear that the washer that held the handle mechanism in place pulled out. The washer is simply a press fit, so once it pops out, it can't simply be pushed back together without some method of holding it in place. I tried to epoxy this and dimple the washer with a punch to hold it onto the shaft of the handle mechanism. With limited tools, this was all I could come up with. This lasted about 3 months and then fell apart as before so I looked for a more robust repair the second time.

I disassembled the handle assembly and, since I didn't have the tools to drill and tap a very precise pair of holes, I took the parts to a local machinist. For $50 he drilled, tapped and installed two 4/40 buttonhead bolts to hold the washer in place. The bolts need to be removable to allow one to reassemble the entire mechanism. I looked at welding the washer to the mechanism as another alternative, but there's little margin for error on a very expensive part so I chose the bolt method.

The reassembly is simple, but I would suggest one take reference photos, which I didn't do in this case. The coil spring and retainer and other parts need to go together correctly so a photo or two on a smartphone would have saved me time putting it back together. I did apply some lock tight to the two screws and I had to grind down of one edge of the lip in the cover plate (see photo) to allow the button head screws to move freely. Back on the road, the latch works like it should.

Hope this saves someone else a few bucks.

 

JV

As luck would have it this very thing happened to me today in the lot at Home Depot. A beautiful morning was indeed hampered by this WTF moment. My 2000 clk 430 is a great automobile but these top mechanisms are suspect. I like you had the thing apart in my garage when home. I was unable to see the solution as you did. Possible to chat a little with the detail of the handle disassembly and fix sequence? Would be a big help
Respectfully
Deane

 

If you PM me, I'd be happy to help with what experience I have.

JF

 

Thank you so much......As soon as I figure that out I will............

 

Your w208 Convertible Broken Top Handle Fix to Part #A2087700026" post is a life saver. I am planning on taking my assembly to a machine shop near by. I would love to obtain the pictures you reference in your post. Somehow I am unable to take a look at them on the web. Now that the parts are all over my floor mat, I want to see how everything goes together in order and the perhaps the 4/40 button head bolts you had put together. pete.viti@gmail.com 443-790-0990

 

Same deal. Mercedes 2000 430 CLK. handle dropped out. I have to assume that we all have the same issue that jfante mentioned- that there is a ring missing that holds the handle in place?

Here's where I am:
I've got it apart. I've figured out how the parts inter-connected. I'm having touble getting the levers on the handle, and then the metal plate connecting to the handle after that- any suggestions? Then the spring, then up into the hole. All with the plastic cover over it all, so you can screw back in. Difficult.

But then it's not staying in place- I assume because of the ring you talked about. I'll look into the machine screws.

Any advice on how you were able to put it all back together? That would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

I'll try to walk you thru this, best I can. It's a case of trial and error and once you figure it out, you'll see how complicated and simple it is at the same time. Love those engineers who designed this handle. Here goes....

The left and right rods simply slip over the pins on what I'll call the central axle. This has the handle on one end and the part that popped off and caused your misery on the other end. You have to take off the handle to be able to reassemble this assembly. There's an allen screw in it that comes out. You can leave the handle on if you want, but it will have to be removed to put the plastic cover on and then you can reattach the handle.

There are plastic sleeves on each pin where the rods slip on that you should have from your disassembly. The rods are held on once you have it all assembled. The spring only has very light tension when the arms and levers are in the closed position, note the hole in the photo that just shows the tip of the spring. There are three holes. It should only go into this one, in my case anyway. There's a metal flat piece with a bent over tab on it that goes over the spring and the arms and holds them in place. Then you put the axle through the hole (see photo 1) and attach the metal washer with the two button head screws that your machinist has kindly installed for you. Once you attach that washer, and the cover plate (see photo 2) everything is held in place. You can turn and test it.

I did mess around with the spring, the metal tab and the handle assembly a bit to figure this out. As noted, there is very little spring tension when you put it together, so if it isn't working, try rearranging the parts. It only goes together one way.

If you examine the handle, you'll see that when you "open" it, the plunger moves, so you can only reassemble it with it in the closed position (if my memory is correct).

If you can't figure it out, either get a friend to take a look at it or PM me. As I mentioned, once you see how it all goes together, it makes perfect sense. Good luck with it.

 

Thanks so much. It really makes sense to me. I have to get the screws put in. Find the washer of find another one I can use.

One more question: How do you have the roof when you do this? In other words, I have the roof closed right now. I can manually attach the handle to the levers and disengage the roof, allowing it to retract. I can lift up the roof from this position and access the handle area, although it's kind of upside down.
I can also retract the roof to the point where its down into the body of the trunk but the cover hasn't closed yet. I hesitate to do that however. Once before, I opened that roof and didn't complete the cycle before I turned the car off. All of the motors and sensors had to be reset at a Mercedes mechanic. Your thoughts regarding that?

Thanks again.

 

You should look around for the washer. It went somewhere and you'll need it to take the "axle" to a machinist to drill and tap holes for the button head screws. If you can't find it, take a 1/2" metal flat washer. Show the machinist the photo, so they understand where the screws need to go. There's very little clearance, hence the button heads rather than standard cap screws. I got those at an Ace Hardware, and I believe they were 4-40 x 3/4"

As for the reassembly, I think it's easier to reassemble it with the top at the windshield (closed, but not latched, if you know what I mean). You can do it with it in the trunk cavity, but I believe I found it easier the other way.

As for the top settings. Usually it only loses those if the battery is removed. I messed with my friends top for days and never had a problem moving it back and forth. If you leave it partially raised, it will slowly drop back into the trunk. But that really shouldn't effect anything. You can google that or search here for how to reset it. Just like the windows, there's a way to do it known only to the chosen few.

Cheers and good luck with it. You're saving about $2000 by DYI vs. the dealer.

 

Thanks so much I know what to do, I believe. You've helped tons.

BTW- I notice central coast CA. I'm located in Morgan Hill- Northern Central Coast. Wondering if you're nearby.

 

I'm at the south end of the central coast. Good luck on the top handle. It must be a common problem with those cars since they changed over to a totally automatic top not too long after the 208 Cabs.

 

Jfante started it all off, god bless him. Without his original post I would not have had the confidence to fool with it and I am fairly handy. I saved $1,600. I endup up drilling a hole in the shaft that pokes through the other side of the long bracket that runs along the front edge of the top because my hardware was a little different than Jfante. You have to take the long the bracket off the front of the top. My pictures are below. One is a profile of the handle hardware. I drilled a hole perpendicular to the shaft that is on the otherside of the handle. It is this shaft that protrudes throught the long bracket and pops out the other side. After drilling the hole in the shaft, I fed it through the bracket and put a cotter pin through the hole to keep it from falling out of the bracket. With an allen wrench, you can remove the handle from the hardware so that you can assemble everything into the top and then put the plastic cover back over the long bracket and then the handle back on the spring loaded hardware at the very end of the process. So far so good, this has been a very durable repair.

 

Hi Pete. Thanks for the very kind words, I really appreciate them. I'm also thrilled that what i stumbled upon has helped some others fix their cars and save a lot of money. I was an econ major and always enjoy ways of eliminating wasteful spending. I know it's a lost art these days.

We are lucky to have this forum to share our comments and solutions. Today's cars are so complicated, it's rare to be able to fix something as complicated as a Mercedes Benz. The W208 is such a great car, they've reached a point now where what was a very expensive and sporty car is now a very affordable and sporty used car. 208's are a bargain if you factor in reliability and the fun factor. Anyone looking for a great used car should take a close look at them. Keep on fixing those old rides, it's much better for everyone.

 

this is really awesome. Thank you so much.

 

Fantastic posts guys. Both look like great fixes. Pete, what drill bit did you use to drill the hole? Mine just broke today.

 

I completed this fix and it has really held up.
The metal rod you're drilling through is fairly tough and thick. You need to get a cotters pin that is thick enough to endure the stress. The drill bit has to be just thick enough to allow for both ends of the pin to go through, but no wiggle room.
I strongly suggest you have a drill press for a precise hole drilled. If you don't, go by a machine shop or someone who can do it.

 

I am curious what year your car is rroth. I have a 2001 but after drilling the hole and making sure the pin fits properly it does not come together like your pic. It seems that the metal part that the cotter pin goes through does not go through the metal casing. It seems that my part more closely resembles Jvfante's pics. I will play with it tonight and posts some pics if I can get it fixed.

 

Okay, just an FYI. For my model Car---W208 430 CLK. The Pin system does not hold up. After three uses it just bent right out. The reason being is that the two examples shown above are for two different type tops. Mine is identical to the first set of pics. Therefore there is too much play to allow the thin metal of the pin to bend. Since the hole is already drilled, I will try a thicker nail. If that fails then I will try the first example.

 

The handle popped off and fell into my lap.
I have a 2000 Clk 320, I need help with getting the hole drilled to try the cotter pin method. If anyone can give me a name of a machinist or a person who can help. I'm located in the Encino area in CA. Please help, it's an emergency.
PM me

 

I've read the extremely encouraging posts and viewed all the posted pics but my release handle parts don't seem to look the same. When dismantling the release handle, the only other two parts I found were the "tension spring" and the other part which is a round piece of metal, hole in the middle, two small holes on either side of that and four upright threading pieces, for lack of a better way to describe it. For some reason, I am having difficulty attaching my pic of the pieces and am hoping the description may be enough. These pieces literally fell out when I removed the plastic cover. Therefore, I'm wondering if a piece could have fallen underneath the mechanism and I am missing something? I would love to save the $1000 quoted by my mechanic, just for the parts! Any help would be extremely appreciated!!!

 

James please give me a call and I can explane the process with support pics.....This site is fantastic and all the guys have been an Excellent resource for me .....732-804-6747

 

After living with a non functioning top on my 2000 CLK 430 cabriolet, I finally approached the "fix" outlined in this forum using small cap screws and a machinist. He was a master craftsman and drilled and tapped the handle mechanism as described and countersunk the cap screw heads so the top would be flat. I was then able to rebuild the latch without disassembly by removing the cover fascia, peeling back the cemented top soft molding, and assembling the washer/latch handle by maneuvering the screw into place and tightening with a cut off Allen wrench .Once the cover plate was back in place(1 nut), the reassembly took only 5 minutes. Works like new. Only one scraped knuckle. $20 repair! Thanks to this forum.

 

how do you remove the pin to get the actual handle off?

 

Is it just an Allen wrench?

 

I'm based to the west of London, UK, and have the same problem with my 1999 CLK. If someone knows anyone in the M40/M4 corridor who might be able to do this fix, please could you message me.
Thanks for any help.