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Anyone here had more than one repair to their Cabriolet top? Went in for service today and was told that my 2019 E450 top requires a second repair to the liner / set of cords. Quite disappointing, and perhaps the coup de grâce. Stay tuned, but this is most discouraging.
Yes. I’ve had mine replaced at 2 years old and about 17,000 miles. On replacing the chords they then damaged my roof lining which needed replacing as well. The entire scenario was a complete disaster. I posted photos not long ago on here. Good luck. I hope you have more luck than I did.
Well, sadly IMO, my A238 is now owned by my dealer. While it was in the shop I was voicing my displeasure regarding the replacement of the second top, at two years and 21K miles, with the dealer principle, the service manager, and the sales manager, and they said, "Do you want to sell it to us?" So we cut a deal, and my A238 is now absent from my garage. Loved the car, spectacular motor vehicle, however the issues with the top were simply too much for my peace of mind. Now to talk my bride into another R231 SL! Higher used cars prices can sometimes be a benefit. I miss my R231:
I was beyond stupid to trade this on an A238!
Last edited by TennesseeZ4; Mar 2, 2022 at 09:36 PM.
Well, sadly IMO, my A238 is now owned by my dealer. While it was in the shop I was voicing my displeasure regarding the replacement of the second top, at two years and 21K miles, with the dealer principle, the service manager, and the sales manager, and they said, "Do you want to sell it to us?" So we cut a deal, and my A238 is now absent from my garage. Loved the car, spectacular motor vehicle, however the issues with the top were simply too much for my peace of mind. Now to talk my bride into another R231 SL! Higher used cars prices can sometimes be a benefit. I miss my R231:
I was beyond stupid to trade this on an A238!
without being a jerk… yea you where beyond stupid. It’s ok sometimes we get the illusion that newer is better. In this case it is just not. 4 seater convertibles are just not worth the ownership. Had a CLK with soft top that always failed. Hated it so much I sold it for a huge loss but didn’t care. To put simply with MB Cabriolets “The juice is not worth the squeeze”. Now find a nice SL and enjoy top down driving the way it should be! Or if you still love the E with 2 doors just get the coupe put the windows and sunroof down and it’s pretty close to the same without the headaches.
A238 E Class Cab E220 Premium Plus 2018, X253 GLC E220 Premium Plus 2018
A238 E Class Convertible Roof strings worn and snapped
Hi my 2018 E Class convertible roof would not open fully, when I have investigated it the strings (for a better word) have frayed and one side has snapped. I eventually got the roof to close properly and contacted my Mercedes branch to get them to take a look at it.
In the meantime i did some digging and found a technical bulletin issued by Daimler in 2019 stating cars produced between 2016 & 2019 may get this fault due to possible high tensile stress on the cords during the soft top sequence.
I passed all this info onto the Mercedes branch and they said they would pass this onto Mercedes as its out of warranty for a good will gesture. Got a reply yesterday from Mercedes who basically refused to do anything and the cost is £2000 to repair the dealer has been great but I'm not happy with Mercedes.
Anybody else had this issue? either way i would advise you check the strings regularly and if you see any signs to fraying get it booked in if its still under warranty.
As I noted in my OP, we encountered this issue a second time, both under warranty, but the second time placed a great deal of doubt in my mind regarding long term ownership costs. We had really planned to keep that car for a very long time, as we both enjoyed it immensely. However the second failure of the webbing cords simply created the impetus to move on from the A238. Love the car, concerned about the life cycle cost.
without being a jerk… yea you where beyond stupid. It’s ok sometimes we get the illusion that newer is better.
No offense taken, and the move from the R231 to the A238 was spurred by the bride who informed me that it was impossible to take the grandkids out for ice cream, or a convertible ride, with only one seat available, hence the 'rationale' for the trade. Shoulda, woulda, yep. Moment of weakness, and insanity.
A238 E Class Cab E220 Premium Plus 2018, X253 GLC E220 Premium Plus 2018
Great news the ombudsman has just upheld my claim and instructed Mercedes Benz to refund me the £700 I had to pay to fix the fault. See attached still a shame I had to go this route versus MB doing the right thing
Sorry you had to go that route. MB has definitely disappointed me on this issue. There's another thread on this forum and I posted there how to DIY for under $100. Takes time but better than the alternative and giving up the beautiful car.
without being a jerk… yea you where beyond stupid. It’s ok sometimes we get the illusion that newer is better. In this case it is just not. 4 seater convertibles are just not worth the ownership. Had a CLK with soft top that always failed. Hated it so much I sold it for a huge loss but didn’t care. To put simply with MB Cabriolets “The juice is not worth the squeeze”. Now find a nice SL and enjoy top down driving the way it should be! Or if you still love the E with 2 doors just get the coupe put the windows and sunroof down and it’s pretty close to the same without the headaches.
I happily own my second 2016 E 400 Cabriolet. I would like to just drive it for more than a month before the roof breaks. 1 st one had to be fixed and could not be raised manually in case of emergency but was totaled in a hit and run. After 6 months found another and have had to repair the top twice in a matter of a few month after $6000 in parts and labor first and second time. After waiting 6 weeks for a repair I have used it 5 times in the past 10 days and won't go up again.... anyone else having issues..... shame is the car is a joy to drive.
I happily own my second 2016 E 400 Cabriolet. I would like to just drive it for more than a month before the roof breaks. 1 st one had to be fixed and could not be raised manually in case of emergency but was totaled in a hit and run. After 6 months found another and have had to repair the top twice in a matter of a few month after $6000 in parts and labor first and second time. After waiting 6 weeks for a repair I have used it 5 times in the past 10 days and won't go up again.... anyone else having issues..... shame is the car is a joy to drive.
The broken cords seem quite simple to fix, with reference to LI77.30-P-070145 (do a search to find the longer version that includes pictures, it’s been shared on other MB World posts as well as Google), a drill, a rivet gun, and vice grip locking pliers. A vacuum cleaner, held to the rivets when drilling them out, will make clean up a breeze.
You need to open to roof to a point that the cords and rivets needing work are accessible such that the roof will stay in position once you turn off car and remove key from detection range. It’s imperative to never ever place your hand or arm (or any body part) in a spot where, if the roof retracts or closes, you are vulnerable to being crushed (or worse).
Here are two videos I've found on the process from people who’ve done the repair (the short is a bloke who works at a dealer, while the other guy is an everyday car nut like you or I), very handy. Make sure you scroll beyond the thumbnails for the rest of the post.
Below is a photo of the repair kits I’ve recently purchased, including two I’ve sorted out into a sectioned container to make the install easier (as well as being a fun little OCD activity, kind of like “colour by numbers” for car nerds ). I bought six (Yep, six! Should be sorted for the life of the car if this happens again!) genuine kits on eBay that were sold as a lot for the price that one kit will have costed from Mercedes here in Australia. Paid AUD $180, shipped.
If done properly, and the cords are not pulled too tight during install, the problem shouldn’t recur for some years- allowing for wear and tear from rubbing or degradation from heat. The install is hard to screw up in this regard because the replacement cords are colour coded and precut to the specified length. But, cord number seven (blue), securing the inner batwing trim, always seems to be the weakest link in the setup and most susceptible to fraying.
Positioning of the fabric tape (not shown- I this purchased separately from my local auto store), is critical to make sure everything stays in position during the opening and closing sequence (per the guide).
I have wondered if some modification might make the system better- like changing how the cords attach (using strong knots and loop fittings for easier replacement), or investigating stronger cord alternatives (apparently Kevlar shock cord is a thing). But will stick to the instructions and parts from MB for the time being.
Doing regular checks (like you would oil and tyres) on the cords, fabric tape, hydraulics and seals, and the canvas regularly will help you spot issues before they become problems and ensure least trouble possible.
I’ll report back when I’ve gotten around to this project (it’s on the list, along with my plans to take my wheels off to detail my callipers and inner wheel arches for the Sydney German Auto Fest Concours event coming up in October ).
Last edited by joshuapace; May 22, 2023 at 08:37 AM.
Great news the ombudsman has just upheld my claim and instructed Mercedes Benz to refund me the £700 I had to pay to fix the fault. See attached still a shame I had to go this route versus MB doing the right thing
Could you or anybody else please give me some more info on this Ombudsman case, give me a hint where I can read more about the decision made by the relevant Consumer authority? Is there any site where it can be downloaded?
My soft top stays in half open position for 5-7 min with the ignition in on position, before the chime goes off and the closing process starts. Makes me nervous when replacing frayed cords.
There must be a way to put the roof in service position/sleep mode, though!? How do you do that when you have a MB with a “key FOB”? My car is not completely key less, it has to be started with a kind of a square key turned on in the dash… ( with a transponder/chip that communicates w the car)
Experienced this on my 2013 E350 cab. Was seriously considering a 2025 CLE 450 or 53 AMG Cab but then I remembered this
frayed cabling problem and decided to keep our 2018 E400 Coupe.
Below is a photo of the repair kits I’ve recently purchased, including two I’ve sorted out into a sectioned container to make the install easier (as well as being a fun little OCD activity, kind of like “colour by numbers”
Yes you're a car nerd too, my kind of guy! If you find a better material please share. I'm now on my second replacement set for the worst wear spots.
My soft top stays in half open position for 5-7 min with the ignition in on position, before the chime goes off and the closing process starts. Makes me nervous when replacing frayed cords.
There must be a way to put the roof in service position/sleep mode, though!? How do you do that when you have a MB with a “key FOB”? My car is not completely key less, it has to be started with a kind of a square key turned on in the dash… ( with a transponder/chip that communicates w the car)
In your position the first thing I would try is halfway opening the top then remove the negative battery cable and wait. Better to have it closer to up than down. Once that top drops down it is HEAVY.
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). I bought six (Yep, six! Should be sorted for the life of the car if this happens again!) genuine kits on eBay that were sold as a lot for the price that one kit will have costed from Mercedes here in Australia. Paid AUD $180, shipped.
).
