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Hey guys! I've got an issue with my 2003 SL500 - and I would greatly appreciate some insight into how to resolve the issue. The hardtop is stuck open. I can't drive it or get it towed like this without risking extensive damage. I've got a few pics attached for reference.
I was opening the convertible hardtop - and the process abruptly stopped while roughly 75% complete. There were no ugly noises - it didn't sound like any major mechanical failures. Just simply stopped moving. Seems to me like it would proably be electrical wiring/fuse/sensor related with that in mind.
On the dash, it continues to read as "in operation" any time I turn the car on. When I try to pull the hardtop lever back - the light bar across the front of the lever starts flashing. No electrical whirring or other signs of immediate life from the hardtop system.
I was (barely) able to sneak the battery out of the trunk & take it to O'Reily's. It tested as working at 100% capacity. The battery under the hood is also tested at 100% capacity. Both are reinstalled.
I found a loose/disconnected wire in the trunk - on the passenger side near the battery - and I am wondering if it might be the missing link in the equation here. Does anyone recognize what this wire is for & where it is supposed to be reconnected to? The wiring diagrams might as well be alphabet soup to me - I've had zero luck making heads or tails of those.
I am open to considering all feedback, and greatly appreciate any and all who took the time to read & respond.
Last edited by FLiPTRUTH; Aug 18, 2025 at 12:41 PM.
That wire end looks ugly. It could very well be the cause of your trouble.
I have a hard top convertible mechanism very similar to yours.
As I recall, there is a 20-30mph speed limit while the top is in operation.
I am assuming that is a no wind limit. Any wind would reduce that speed limit.
Regardless, maybe you wouldn’t want to put it on a flatbed, or hook it up to a tow truck, but if the repair shop isn’t a prohibitive distance away, you could consider driving it there, at the reduced speed.
The repair shop is a bit too far to drive it there. I don't really want to put it on a truck like this. Right now, I'm looking at my options as either 1) get the roof into the trunk personally and drive it to a shop, or 2) get a mobile mechanic to get the roof in the trunk - or better yet - just fix the issue on site if possible.
Since I made the post earlier - I found a very similar looking wire on the driver's side of the trunk. It is fed into a small trunk light. That is making me think that the pictured disconnected wire may very well also for a minor trunk accessory & be unrelated to the issues I am experiencing with the hardtop.
Is it safe to assume that a thorough inspection of all the linkage has revealed that there are no obstructions that are jamming the mechanism in place?
Also, any jam could lead to a surge, and blow a fuse. I seem to remember that you checked the fuses, but sometimes a hairline crack in the fuse isn’t visible by the naked eye. Consider looking at the fuses in that system with a continuity tester.
When it gets stuck there on open, it is usually an issue with S69/11, the roof open switch on the right side of the hinge. The controller is looking for that switch to know that the roof is completely open before it lowers it into the trunk. Have you tried closing it? It should still reverse (close) if that is the issue. I believe that the soldered wire is off of your trunk divider switch. You really should fix that switch, you don't want someone to overload the trunk and damage the roof when it tries to stow.
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