Soft top questions from a rookie
 

Hi all, just picked up a 2007 CLK 550 with 29k miles. Spent its life in a garage when not used and and I will also keep it garaged...top appears mint and does not leak. There will be times on the weekends when I may not have access to a garage...couple of questions....

Can this top withstand 3 days of rain?
How about torrential downpours?
Any tips or suggestions on how to care for the top?

Thanks:y

nice find! coming from an 04 that was garage kept as well it seems the seals in the hydraulics also go bad when not used frequently, so it can be at a disadvantage as well. Had to send over all of mine to Klaus. But as far as the top. I can vouch living in Miami it withtands a good amount of rain. Besides a couple seals in the front edges i had to fix. (get a couple of drops here and there) it def takes on the storms. =)

there are cleaners and protectants i purchased through these guys.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/exter...-top-care.html

Thanks!!:y

Mine sits outside 24/7 365 days a year. 2 feet of snow, rain, and lots and lots of blazing sum. Looks brand new after 6 years.

The canvas material used is very good - not like the old vinyl crap used int he 80's. Unless it gets damaged, it should be completely waterproof. Most leaks are due to bad rubber rather than canvas problems.

As for the hydraulics, Klaus is the expert. I have not needed his services yet, but based on feedback from other members and my own research, he seems to offer the best prices and quality. I believe these systems benefit for moderate use as opposed to non-use. This will keep the seals freshly lubed. I operate my top a lot. If it's above 60F, and dry, it's down. Even above 50F with good sunlight, it's down. i have the Smart Top module, so I remotely raise it when I park at the office, then down when I leave. I would guess mine goes through over 200 up/down cycles per year. So far, so good.

Thanks guys, just what I was looking for!

Airmousam,

Sounds like your top should be in great shape.
I see that you are located in New Hampshire. Is that where the car has spent most of its life in a garage?

The reason I'm asking is related mostly to the hydraulics, since folks have brought it up. While the seals in the original hydraulic cylinders are designed to last some ten years in a hot climate (and even less in very hot climates or in hot & humid climates), they will be good for a lot longer in a moderate or cool environment.

Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com

http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/diag...209diagram.jpg

Hi Klaus, yes, always garaged in NH. thx

Enjoy your top without hesitation - you should be in great shape! :y

Klaus

For even more enjoyment, get one of these:

http://www.mods4cars.com/sms/shop/in...ode=view&id=50

You can operate the top remotely via RF with three clicks of the SmartKey fob. You can open and close with the inside button with one click (instead of click and hold for 30 seconds) and at speeds up to 25mph.

Something to think about, thanks...

Main Lift Cylinder Broke in Half
 

Question for Klaus,
My 2006 CLK500 Main Lift Cylinder P/N 209 800 0872 just broke in half.
My wife runs this top Up/Down all the time, I'm guessing 500 times so far, always worked great. Until the cylinder broke.
The Piston remained in the cylinders top side with the hoses attached. So then comes the removal, The top end of the cylinder came off no problem.
However; I'm having trouble removing the locking clip from the bottom pin. It is out of sight and between the steel bar and right rear quarter panel.
I thought of maybe a small mirror and pry the clip off ??? Any suggestion would be nice.
Also I will need to remove the Hydraulioc hoses from the cylinder... Are there any tricks to this ????...before I tear something up.
Also, at your site, do you carry cylinders without a return core?
Thanks in advance,
Joe

Joe,

it's a shame about your 2098000872 exploding. This is fairly rare, but I have seen a number of cases already. Roughly the same quantity left side 2098000772 or right side 2098000872. The cylinders were designed to hold up to the operating pressure and forces in the system, and the W209 is the only modern cabriolet where I have seen this issue with cylinders of the same wall thickness, diameter, and operating pressure. I would appreciate getting your damaged cylinder for analysis/data collection. I am assuming that there is some pressure spike from a harmonic oscillation involved, possibly linked to air in the system. It would be very useful for me to know if there was already air in the lines before the cylinder exploded, from the fluid level being low after one of the seven cylinders had sprung a leak before. Did the system sound slightly different during operation before the explosion?

Operating the top 500 times should be no issue at all; design criteria is at least 10,000 cycles.

In response to your questions:
1) Removing the bottom pin of the main lift cylinder is the most time consuming part of any W209 CLK cylinder removal and replacement. The normal procedure is removal of the inside quarter panel (the large trim piece next to the rear seat) for access, after removing the rear seat. See attached WIS pdf from some previous post. You may save some time removing the remnants of your old cylinder in some ingenious way without removing the panels first, but then installation of the replacement will be an uphill battle. Once you figure out the panel removal, the rest is a breeze. This leads to the answer to an unasked question:
2) If you are taking out one main lift cylinder already, by all means do yourself a favor and take out all seven cylinders for rebuild/upgrade. It will not be much more work at this point, and you will have to do it sooner or later. We can work out some kind of package deal that includes a replacement of your bad cylinder.
3) Below is an illustration of my favorite method to remove hydraulic lines. Obviously, you don't have to worry about retracting the shaft first in your case... ;) Top Hydraulics includes new o-rings for the hydraulic lines and instructions for re-installation with the rebuilt aluminum cylinders. Hang on to the original hydraulic line clips.

http://www.crossfireforum.org/forum/...ne-removal.jpg

Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com
http://www.tophydraulicsinc.com/en/24-w209-clk

Thanks for your detailed response. Sometime this week-end I shall work on removal of the rest of the cylinder. I may try some sort of Smoke & Mirror trick before removing panels. I will let you know the results, and take pictures too.
Talk to you soon,
Joe

Smoke, mirrors, and rabbits
 

Good luck. Don't forget to share pictures of you pulling a rabbit out of your hat. You know how it is: no pictures - it never happened... :)

I would be particularly interested in the photos of you putting the rabbit back into the hat, i.e., installing the replacement without removing any panels. I'm not saying it's not possible - would be really helpful to see how you did it, in case you can pull it off.

Klaus

www.tophydraulicsinc.com

Another question. I generally wash my cars at home, but on occasion I will use a touchless wash.. I know they use a harsh chem at the start of that wash to loosen the dirt. Are these washes harmful to the top? Thx

Personally, I would not run the cabriolet through any sort of car wash. I hand-wash only. I use "interior cleaner" from Griot's Garage and a plastic bristle brush for cleaning the top.

Probably pretty solid advice thanks:y

Broken Cylinder
 

CKK500 Convertible Main Lift Cylinder failure.

Klaus,
I worked with it for about an hour before giving up on a short cut. The only thing I was able to do was to bend up the center of the clip, but could not push or pull the clip off....Due to the confined space and limited visiblity.

Dag Nabbit, I'm gonna have ta follow your steps and remove the rear seat and side panel. One of these days.

I attached a few pics of the attempt.

Thanks for your help,
Joe

Good morning!

I have a beautiful 2006 CLK Cabriolet that is garaged 50% of the time. I noticed this morning that the convertible top seam just above the rear window is coming apart...unglued!!

Any suggestions for repairs??

I have heard of people successfully repairing this using contact cement. Open the top "halfway" so you can relieve tension and get the cement into the gap. Use a clamp to secure it an let it dry.

I could swear I read a post a while back about somebody who found a repair place what would use some glue made special for that purpose that cured with sound waves or something. Anyway, once you try a glue that does not hold, your are pretty much done for because nothing else will stick to it. I'd do some pretty thorough research before trying anything. Nothing special about Mercedes canvas, so read up generally on repairing convertible top seams.

I am ready to order this cylinder:

Right main lift cylinder 2098000872 Please send an email to klaus@tophydraulicsinc.com when and if you are ready to proceed on this.

Please E-Mail me back with instructions or call.
Thanks
----Driving for Fun----
Thanks,
Joe Walton

I sent you an E-Mail to your site.

Resurrecting an old thread I know but my cylinder blew up just like yours!

Is it safe to operate soft top on the go? I always thought that wind puts pressure on the soft top and rear panel when both in UP position (like sail). No? m I wrong?