A1EK

HiI've recently been hearing a knocking rattle over uneven ground from the drivers rear right side of the car. It sounds like the catch has slightly moved and causes it to clunk when going over a bump.? There is a lot of mechanism to pin point but I am guessing its the main hook catch?Any advice on adjustment would be welcomed.PS. I do not think its the roof liner as its too much of a clunking metal sound.

kbob999

Often the issue is the roof rubber bump stops have compressed and dried out.
See if adjustments here help: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...p-rattles.html

A1EK

I have cleaned and silicon lubricated every bit of rubber and moving part I can see with the roof half way open.

I will now try the bumps stops.

So just tried adjusting the stops and no change unfortunately.

A1EK

Actually the more I listen, the more it sounds like creaking, so maybe the plastics somewhere. I've uploaded a video...

gregorynp

I’m getting a occasional very loud metallic sound.

gregorynp

Are these the bump stops?

kbob999

I would not expect the bump stops to make this sound. Could be a loose headliner, trim panel, or one of the roof ‘flaps’ rattling.
Get a passenger and have them trace the sound while driving.

kbob999

Follow the link in post #2 for the bump stop descriptions. Note that one set has a plastic sleeve over the stop, which must be pried over the stop to reach the adjustment nuts. Access to the nuts is tight, but a proper 10mm open end wrench will fit.

A1EK

Big thanks to kbob999 - car is now FIXED !!

I can't believe a couple of turns and the rattles and creaks are GONE ! wow !

So to recap, I have had the rattles / creaks over un-even ground since I bought the car a few weeks back and recently paid more attention to them to the point that it was really bugging me. I cleaned all the rubbers and lubricated correctly with dry silicon lubricant, I noticed that the previous owner had gone over the top with grease on the drivers side roof mechanism covering all moving parts as he must have tried to resolve the noises too. I cleaned off all the unnecessary grease and re-applied silicon spray but the noise was still there.
Thanks to kbob999 though I pulled down the plastic tube cover and found the 10mm lock nut, tried one turn and it sounded much better, so went for 2.5 turns and the car has no more rattles, I adjusted the other side slightly too. I also adjusted the lower bump stop as well be the same amount, the images show where they are and what the upper bump stop looks like with the plastic tube cover pulled down.

Warning:
You need to open the roof half way, so be careful when working as it will close after a few mins, you are alerted by a chime. The correct safety measure is to use a tool to support the front edge to the windscreen, or a piece of wood about 1ft long will do.

Tips
Use a little lubricant on the rubber stop to allow the plastic tube to slide over easier and carry a 10mm spanner in the car so you can adjust then drive then adjust more if needed. All in it takes less than a minute to adjust.


The upper bump stop has a tube cover for aesthetics as it can been seen in the cabin. the lower one does not as it is hidden.

Upper bump stop with tube pushed down, using a flat screwdriver, lubricate the rubber stop first to assist,

lower bump stop.

Leej

@A1EK Great write up and pictures!

I have also backed out my bump stops a few turns (on one side) and noises have gone away (I still get a little creak on some hard bumps), but overall very happy!

However, how do you know if you have backed them out too much (maybe roof doesn't close all the way)? Does anyone know of a procedure to properly adjust these roof stops (right now I feel like I'm just guessing and backing them out until no more noises...)?

Lee

kbob999

A1EK - I agree that is a great write up! Thanks for making this clear to all.

Leej - I have read of folks using a thin plastic strip to test the compression at closure. However, adjusting the stops will cause the roof weight to be supported on the stops, and create high compression of the strip. This may make it seem too tight, when it is not.
I think the best course is to keep adjusting one turn until the noise stops.

Frederick NL

I reckon there’s a WIS on this.