Yidney

Based on your top change experience, how exactly does the cloth top attach to the top of the back glass? What does it look like? On the sides it's just the water bag, but I'm interested in the top. I have a sort of popping sound when the body flexes that seems to be coming from higher up, and not from where the top meets the body. I'm picturing some plastic strip sewn to the top that slides into a channel on the glass frame or something that might be dry, but I have no idea.

Rudeney

I'm probably going to make this more complicated than it is, Basically, the canvas is just sandwiched between the glass frame and an aluminum frame that sits underneath the canvas. The canvas has pre-cut holes for the bolts where the glass attaches.

This WIS doc make help:

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

There is no plastic on the top - just the canvas. There is a seal on the underside of the glass frame. Its nothing more than the same self-adhesive "Frost King" foam weatherstripping you can buy at Home Depot. It sits against the canvas is and compressed when the bolts from the glass are tightened onto the frame.

The headliner does have a plastic strip on its edge that snaps into a channel in that aluminum frame. Maybe the noise is there?

dzmitry

Overall look on aluminium frame under rear window


Plastic stripe


Groove on the frame
If you don't mind I'll add some photos. I recently replaced roof on my CLK so i have tons of photos related to the topic

Yidney

Hmm. That area does not look like a source of movement. Those pictures sure make me hope my top never goes bad. I wonder how long it took to install one for the workers who did it every day. Dzmitry, how long did it take you?

dzmitry

It took me about two weeks working one or two hours during evenings but I also removed and washed headliner. Also there is some differences in earlier models right in the most complicated part and my roof was trashed there so I spent some time trying to figure out how to assemble rear part back :-D
Later I found very helpful video how to replace water pockets it can help as well (unfortunately video quality is poor)

dzmitry

If you'll decided to replace your roof I made a video how to deal with zippers Rodney mentioned in his tread. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG2Y...ature=youtu.be)
I also installed Robbins soft top and my opinion exactly the same as Rodney's: quality is really nice.

Rudeney

Besides the aggravation with the zippers, my big problem was that I undid all those straps on both C pillars and then could not figure out how everything went back. I was told ahead of time to keep on side intact for reference, but I got overzealous. It took me two full days over a weekend, bu I think I could do it all again in half that time now.

As for the Robbin's top, the only part of it that seemed less substantial than the OE was the water pocket and the plastic tabs that fit at the base of the C-pillar area. Those pieces just seemed much thinner than the original stuff. Otherwise, the canvas and seam was at least 10% better than OE.