Heya, been awhile since I last posted. Busy busy.

Anyways, I currently have an 01 CLK 320 which I like very much. However, I just saw an 02 CLK 320 Conv with 39K miles that has my made my ears perk up. Can anyone give me a primer on the convertibles? What's better or worse about them then the coupes?

For instance:

Are they noisy with the top up?
How difficult is it to wash them?
Can I go through an auto wash or is it strictly hand washing?
How tough are the tops? I
Is this a car that can stay outside all year or should it be garage kept?
Does the top require special treatments or anything?

Any other things you think I should know?

Thanks for your time and thoughts!

Regards,
-Bouncer-

 

I dont know any answers about the washing stuff... but i did test drive one before i bought my coupe. The thing is, it felt significantly slower than the 320 coupe (which isnt blazingly fast to start out with). If i were you i wouldnt get the cabrio unless it was a 430cab. The top felt pretty durable and it was quiet on the roads i drove it on. The extra weight just really makes its presence felt. The cool thing though is that the rear triangle windows roll down in the cab, which i think looks pretty awesome if you got a hard top for it. You could probably keep the cab outside, but i would imagine that the sun and elements would fade and significantly shorten the life of the top.

 

I don't have a 320 cab, so i can't speak on it's power. But the 430 cab feels fast enough for me. The top of clk cabs are insulated. A lot of my friends all say the car feels like a hardtop beacuae it's so quiet. An other good thing is that the back window is made of glass, meaning that u will never see those yellow stuff that are found on the plastic windows.

I have to say the biggest negative side of the cab is that the body shuttering. Because it doesn't have the top to stiff up the chasis. The car flexes a lot. On bump roads the steering wheel jigs more than the hard tops.

Maintenance is not an issue with the tops. they seem to be made of tough material. Get the black top if u don't plan on garageing it.

 

Most convertibles will shake more than their fixed roof counterparts. But trust me, the modern ones are a lot more solid than the convertibles that were available 10-15 years ago. The Germans do build all of their convertibles from the ground up, they aren't made from coupes with the roof cut off.

The top material is made from a material that is similar to Sunfast. And if you're familiar with boats Sunfast has another trade name called sunbrella. So if the stuff can stand up in a marine environment it'll be just fine on your car. I was looking at a CLK 320 Yesterday and I was inspecting the top for signs of wear and it didn't seem to have any. The car was an '01 BTW.

Yes, there is some maintenance you can do to help ensure a longer service life of the top. Keep it clean. Don't use automatic carwashes (mainly avoid the hot spray on wax.) But there is some stuff called Raggtopp. They make a cleaner and an aerosol protectant. When the top is brand new, you'll notice when it gets wet, the water will bead up on it. Eventually this stops. If you use the protectant it will bead up again and virtually wipe off. I use the stuff on my Miata that has a cloth top and I only have to use it 2-3 times a year. The material is very resistant to fading. That's part of the reason why it's now used on many cars. Just remember, with a convertible, don't leave anything in it, in plain sight. Or you'll have a slashed top in no time. Personally if someone wants to steal something from my car I'd prefer it if they would just break a window. As long as it's not the rear window.

 

The cabs are much heavier than their coupe counterparts. The CLK430 cab acceleration was almost equal to the CLK320 coupe...so that's a consideration.

Also the body isn't as rigid - but it's significantly better than most other makes - MB over engineers the cabs.

 

I have had my convertible 430 for 2 years. I have had 5 other convertibles, 2 different VW's, Mustang GT, Saab and a old MGB. The Mercedes is by far the quietest, solid, and fastest convertible I have had. I have also driven BMW, Volvo, Crysler and other convertibles. I think Mercedes has done a great job with the car. The top is very thick, very quiet and very easy to clean. I have used nothing except pure water to clean mine, I have never used any car wash, soap or spray on. I have never taken my car to a drive thru car wash either.My top is blue and it looks just as good today as it did in 2003. I don't know about power difference between the coupe and conv, as I have never driven the coupe, but I think my 430 is plenty fast.
Hope that helps, good luck.