Leeodwyer

I have a 2005 CLK500. A piece of plastic has broken on what I can only describe as the passenger side hinge that lifts the lid that the soft top is stowed under. It appears easy to replace but I can't identify the part anywhere. I generally use EPC to find parts but the picture on the diagram for A 209 750 05 21 (Hinge) doesn't resemble the actual part. Any ideas what this might be called? Picture attached. Cheers

eastwood

I've found a couple of sites that appear to call this part "[ 5 ] BODY HARDWARE / CONVERTIBLE/SOFT TOP / TOP WELL COMPONENTS / Hinge hinge rear Left" but honestly, the drawing on the site sucks. I've asked for photos. I have a local MB mechanic getting me a price quote too but want to have something to compare.

Rudeney

Mine broke in the same way - it's a common failure. It's called a "soft top compartment hinge" and the part number is A2097500521. The broken plastic arm is not integral to the operation. You could just go ahead and break off the plastic part so that it does not interfere with the hinge and you'll be fine. It's purpose is as a "lock" to keep the cover from accidentally falling down when servicing the system with the hydraulics disconnected. You can get it on parts.com for around $100.

eastwood

OK, I tried that part and it doesn't match anything on parts.com. I wonder if its a different number on the CLK500 vs CLK350 vs some other MB model? How did you get to that part number? Maybe I can do something similar and sort out what the number is for my car.

Rudeney

Leave off the "A" in the part number search:

Rear cover hinge on Parts.com

BagOfWasps

I just spoke to my local MB dealer and they said they have a new part number for this 2077500051 and it costs £78+VAT

E55amgCLK

On my CLK550 convertible (US car imported to Europe where I live, was taken along with relocation), the center part on both hinges of the folding top case cover broke.
Last few times I used the roof, every time the cover closed it made a loud thump and I felt a shock in the car, probably one of the hinges was already broken and the other one was giving up.
Contrary to what was written above, with both plastic center parts broken, the the cover does NOT operate anymore.: it blocks about 1/2" above the trunk lid and about 1/2" overlapping it. With either the top up or down, it cannot close.
The remainder of the broken off plastic arm locks on the center excenter part in the hinge, when moving the remainder of the broken arms out of the way in both hinges, I was able to close the cover, but as is, the roof is now inoperable. I ordered new hinges... you guys are soo lucky in the US with your cheap parts, I think for you the hinges cost about 80-100$ a piece. Here in Europe, they cost 210 Euro EACH (so about 450 $ for the set) . And there are not even new fitting screws with it
I hope the replacement of the hinges will be as easy as it looks....

I understand this part is known to fail after time, probably as the plastic gets brittle with age.
Rediculous that MB quality is so bad that this fails on a 8 year old 40K mls car on which the roof wasn't even used much and as I have found out, over time this part will fail on all CLK's, mostly due to ageing, not really related to intensity of use!!

I also have parts quality problems with my other 2 MB cars, for instance on my MY2009 ML500 the keyless entry door handles on 2 doors failing, the rear hatch lock intermittedly not working properly.... etc really disappointing.

I have owned dozens of Japanese cars over a period of 3 decades and still have several at the moment (I am a bit of a car collector) I have NEVER experienced parts failing like this on those cars.

Rudeney

I can tell you with 100% certainty that the plastic center "leg" on the hinge is NOT integral to its operation. Those plastic parts are used for one purpose - to safely lock the soft top cover open when servicing the hydraulic system. They do rot and break over time. When they do, they will likely interfere with the hinge operation, so they need to be completely removed. After that, unless something else is broken, the hinge should operate as normal, though the cover should be secured through other means when servicing.

E55amgCLK

OK, so the plastic arm may not be integral to the operation of the lid, but when broken off the remainder of it, as no longer guided away from the center excentic in the hinge will lock on it (at least, it does on both hinges on my car).
The remainder of the arm locks hard on the excenter of the hinge getting wedged in when the lid is almost closed, thus blocking the lid from closing. I need to lift the lid a bit with the roof switch and manually push the part off to be able to close the lid.

Rudeney

Make certain that all remnants of the plastic arms are removed. Then, make sure the plastic "ears" on either side of the hinge are folded forward (refer to your owner's manual on "Opening/Closing in an Emergency" for a diagram on this).

ideafix

@Rudeney
Hi, i am new member with an old problem: the plastic arm in the hinge is broken. I renewed this part in 2013, but now i don't want to waste money again.

My old defect hinge dismounted in 2013 is placed on the workbench for revision.
Which parts do i have to remove? Only the rests of the broken plastic arm or all plastic parts including the lever hold with the spring in the lower part of the hinge?
Thanks for help
Martin

Rudeney

Just remove the plastic arm in the center of the hinge. You can leave the "ears".

ideafix

@Rudeney
Sunny Saturday - just removed the complete pastic trash - and ...
... it works - soft and without the loud "plopp"! Great, thanks!


Martin

gschonholtz

Top came back from service, with loud noise and shudder when opening or closing. Not there before. Took back to MB dealer. They pointed out broken hinges on soft top compartment lid. I assume plastic parts were broken during service. They would not admit it than and there, but they are looking into it. Has anyone had same experience?

Rudeney

Those plastic arms just wear out and deteriorate over time. The failure is just as likely to be coincidental as it is due to the service work.

gschonholtz

Answer from dealer was to change both hinges for $900. About 10% of value of car! My local top shop removed the broken plastic pieces for me for a generous tip and top is now working fine. Took them about 20 minutes. Thank's Rodney

Rudeney

Retail on the hinge is $250 each, so $500 each, so $400 labor? No way! It's a 30-minute job at best. What a rip-off!

gschonholtz

While at dealership they discovered "collapsed" engine mounts. Car has very little vibration at idle. Wanted $1300 to replace 3. I told them no thank you. Local shop wants half. They also told me the third mount seldom needs replacement. When should these be replaced? Thank's

Rudeney

They actually don't last very long, especially on the V8 - 40K miles or so. They are fluid-filled and will eventually leak. The rear (transmission) mount is incredibly easy to replace. The two motor mounts are a bit more difficult.

gschonholtz

Thank's again.

gschonholtz

Hi, Tried top and still very noisy when closing. Opening OK. Top shop that removed plastic latch had some trouble removing small residual pieces of plastic on left and right body side of hinge. Left a few small pieces behind. Do you think that is still causing noise? Any hints for removing these? Tool to use? What are the rabbit ears? Thank's

Rudeney

Rotate the "rabbit ears" fully forward. Use anything you like, such as diagonal wire cutters or needle nose pliers to remove any residual plastic inside the hinge.

gschonholtz

Removed every bit of plastic on both hinges. Had to use a drill to remove remnants. Better, but noise on closing top persists. Vibration gone. No noise on opening top,only on closing. When rabbit ears are moved forward, cover will not fully close. Cover and top will close when ears moved back into regular position. Thanks again.

Rudeney

It sounds like you still have some plastic in the hinge. Try removing it - close the top, and open the trunk and you can take it off from there.

Leigh Jenkins