Gary C

Ok guys. Just got this new to me 04 clk 500. see new guy thread. Well 3 days into ownership I went to put my top up after driving around all day with it down and I got the "top visit workshop" and nothing. I went online to try and figure out how to put it up manually and a few people said things about a micro switch in the trunk. I play around with the boot and did get it to go up. Now the wife uses the car today and top down and low and behold she calls and says the top won't go up. WTF! I need help! I can't figure out how to get it up manually. No jokes please! lol. I need to get this fixed. I would like to do it myself if I can.

Mka77

I just put "convertible top" in the "search" bar and there is some info there. Just look
at the w209 threads.

Hope its not to serious. Some were quite expense repairs. Good luck with it.

Gary C

Well I seemed to have fixed my convertible top. It turns out I fixed it the first time. And my wife, I love so... was pulling the button instead of pushing it for the top to go up. Yes she is a blond! LOL. But we were out all day today and had the top up and down 3 times and no problems.

Rudeney

If you had the message "visit workshop" on the MFD, then it isn't just an operator issue. Of course this time it could be, but it does sound like you have something going wrong in the mechanism. You might want to get diagnostic codes read on it to see what it is. It could be something easy and cheap like a flaky microswitch (there are several of them used to sens where the top is during its open/close cycles) or it could be something more expensive like a bad hydraulic pump or a leaky cylinder.

Gary C

I'm thinking flaky microswitch. When it happened I pushed on the plastic thing in the trunk with the gas struts. And then it worked. I plan on getting the codes read to see where I'm at. But it has been working fine the last 2 days. I'm also trying to load pictures but they won't go through. I think I have to change my camera settings. Question, will I be able to read codes for a faulty whatever even if I did not get a check engine light?

Rudeney

Yes, the MIL (check engine light) only illuminates when there are ECU (engine control unit) error codes. You car has many other systems (like the soft top, A/C system, transmission, etc.) that can throw errors and do not illuminate the MIL.

Top Hydraulics

Gary C,

Rodney is right - codes read for the soft top malfunction would come from the soft top controller, and you would not have a check engine light for previous or current soft top malfunctions. These codes can be read only at the dealer or by a good shop with Star Diagnosis software. The soft top controller stores old error codes, so the shop should be able to figure out why it said "visit workshop" before.

Code reads are almost conclusive. There are some situations where the top will not move any further (but it will move back if needed) when a micro switch at the tonneau cover does not trigger - this will unfortunately be regarded as an incompleted movement and not show fault codes. It does not look like you had that problem in your case.

We are looking forward to your updates,

Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com

texasgirl3

I have a somewhat related question:

My top started stopping mid-way down, but would continue if I released the switch and pulled again. Seemed slower than normal time frame for the operation (used to be able to accomplish this at a short red light). At the same time I noticed that a portion of the top had come away from the window edge (about 6").

I kept it up for a few weeks fearing I would get stuck somewhere, but risked putting it down on a beautiful day last week, and the next day it would not go up. (thank god for the combi, got me to work on that frigid morning!)

So my question is 2-fold:

1) I've had no error codes, so do I corrrectly assume that means pulling codes would not tell me anything?

2) Does anyone know if the top can be simply reattached (reglued?) to the window? (i.e. is that going to be an expensive fix?)

Make that 3---anyone in San Antonio that can do this as well as the dealer but cheaper? I have been very happy with the dealer here so far, but as we all know they aren't cheap, and being now a single mom, money has to stretch farther.

Yidney

Your top can store codes that do not show up on your dash. But they can't be read with a regular code reader. You need a dealer or large indy shop with an MB code reader. As for the detached top, we'd need a pic to see what you are talking about. It can appear to come away at the sides of the rear window if a cable inside goes slack.

Rudeney

Yidney is correct - you'll need MBZ's Xentry/SDS to read the codes from the top controller, not a generic OBDII code reader.

As for the separation on the canvas, is it at the large seam the runs side to side across the top, or right at the window frame? If it's the large seam, that is glued and you may be able to find a local upholstery shop that can repair it, but I've not heard of anyone having much luck with that. Generally, they end up replacing the canvas, which is also an upholstery shop job - the MBZ dealers will want to replace the entire soft top assembly in one piece as that is all is available to them through MBZ parts.

If the top has just come detached from the glass frame, that can be repaired:

http://benzbits.com/w209/soft_top/RearWindow.pdf

If the water pocket is ripped, that can also be replaced:

http://benzbits.com/w209/soft_top/WaterPocket.pdf

texasgirl3

Tthanks Rodney and Yidney,
I can't post a pic of the separation cause the top won't come up (haven't tried manually yet), but it was along the [driver's] side of the window.
Didn't know there were cables in there...sounds like a possibility. Is that a big deal to fix? I talked briefly with my indy MB mechanic who is really good (not cheap, but good, honest, and creative), but he was too busy today and didn't know anyone to refer me to.
Renate

texasgirl3

So finally got to an auto upholstery shop (Lupe at Auto Seat Covers on Carson in San Antonio) recommended by my MB mechanic, and he was able to glue the fabric back onto where it had come off the cable that holds it to the window. Hope that lasts a while, at least. $65 a whole lot better than $1400 for new top! Still getting the start/stop on opening & closing, and am wondering if the SRS error code that comes on is somehow stopping the electronic process? I only say this because when the top stops operating, the error message comes up. Then if I simply release the button momentarily I can then restart the operation, though sometimes I have to stop and restart several times for the process to complete. Top motor sounds normal (same as before it was starting/stopping).

Rudeney

So you get an SRS error when opening and closing the top? Not a Soft Top error? Have you pulled codes with SDS to see what the error is?