Hello all,

So one of our daughters was in a car accident today and not many details are know as of yet. So far we know she has a couple of broken ribs. My wife saw her SUV and said “ There was no more engine” Not sure what to make of that yet, but ok. I do not know any details other than some other people in other cars that were also involved we're also taking to shock trauma. How, why, who hit who, how fast etc. we do not know yet. This was earlier today and it has been on and off raining today. It’s looking like the broken ribs may be the worse of it and maybe a concussion from the airbags, but again we are waiting for an update. They say they may keep her overnight. It could have been much worse, so we are very thankful. She had a small to mid SUV. (Jeep)

The accident got me thinking: How often do you guys drive top down on the highway? Me? I do it weekly if the weather is good. I do not drive the SL in the rain unless I happen to get caught out while in it. I have to admit that sometimes it does cross my mind that if I get in an accident and flip would the safety bars deploy as intended? I always place my work bag in the trunk when top down, so if I do get in an accident the bag doesn't go flying down the highway with my computer in it. I also wonder what would happen if I/ we SL owners are hit in the rear while top down and the damage prevents the top from going back up? What about rain with the top being stuck down from a damaged trunk? How would I get my bag out? Or you get your golf clubs out?

So, do you at all worry about driving top down? Accident wise I mean? It wont stop me from driving top down, but I am really curious about your thoughts. Feedback is appreciated.

 

1. I hope your daughter is going to be fine. I will say a prayer for her and the others in the accident (probably more than one!).
2. I really like (a.k.a., love) my car. But's it's just a car. I drive with the top down whenever I can, as well. If I get hit hard in the rear, the car is going to a shop anyway, and insurance is why I have insurance. I don't play golf.

 

Sorry to hear about the accident. I hope your daughter and everyone else will be OK.

As convertibles go I suspect the SL is one of the safer ones. Mercedes are known for their quality and usually do well in crash tests although I don't know if the SL was ever crash tested as I think some low volume models are not tested. I feel pretty safe driving mine and at my age, my track days are over and I generally don't travel more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit. I feel pretty safe driving mine but we use our X5 for road trips if we are going for more than a few days.

 

Thanks for the well wished. She has been released and is home. Investigation is ongoing into what happened. I think you may have misunderstood my original questions.

-I asked about driving top down on highways, because of the higher highway speeds when compared to city driving. My ask is if/when driving on the highway have you ever worried about an accident and the car flipping and the support bars not deploying to protect you? We do not know that they will work until they are needed.

- Next was if we get into an accident and we have something in the trunk (in my case my work computer) and are driving top down how would we get those items out of the trunk? (if the trunk has been hit and no longer opens? I guess I could start keeping my stuff up front with me until I park?

-Next if you are hit top down and the trunk no longer opens what happens during bad weather? I have never seen a car repair shop that can immediately start work on your car. It sits. I have also never seen a car repair shop that has the room to keep every car inside. You car remains outside until it is time for the work to begin. Since your car has been hit while top down and trunk access is not possible what happens to your car while sitting with the top stuck down outside? I(not stuck down where you can do that overly manual thing to get the top up. I mean opening the truck is not possible because its crunched and so the roof is crunched too?) I guess they might have a tarp? How many shops keep water proof tarps laying around?

Lastly, I dont care about insurance, or worrying about it repairing the car. That was never a concern. My questions were above because I didnt have the answers. Thanks for the feedback though.

 

I am going to search for any safety testing videos on the SL. I have never seen any on the SL before though. I too feel that MB is a safe car. As safe as any German car that is. Most times I stay around 10pmh over the limit on highways. That is just cruising and not rapid lane switching. As for travel I guess it depends on where we are going. Most times we take the SL, because are kids are grown and on their own, so it is just me and my wife if traveling. At some point we may travel with our grandchildren in the future, but we would naturally take the X3 for that.

Thanks for the well wishes. She has been released and is home..

 

I’m very sorry to hear about your daughters’ accident and I’ll pray as well for a quick and complete recovery.

The support bars are designed to deploy; however, my guess it’s 50/50, and because it’s out of my control, I don’t worry about it. I’m not trying to be smart, it’s just that for things out of my control all I can do is mitigate the risk, i.e., drive accordingly.

As for items in the trunk… again 50/50. No being able to gain access, or flying out of the cab during a rollover or evasive maneuver.

A disabled top for sure is a problem. It’s a risk that you can do something about, though. If it’s a real concern for you, you could consider getting a waterproof/resistant car cover something like this.
https://www.weathertech.ca/en/sunbrella/

The more immediate question, though, may be… what next vehicle will make your daughter “feel at ease’.

Again, I hope all goes well with your daughters' recovery, and that this whole situation gets resolved with very little difficulty.

 

Great points.

I don’t let it bother me much, but I was just being honest when I said that I do think about flip overs at times.

As for our daughter, if the two ribs are the worse of it then I think the jeep held up well.Instill haven’t seen it yet. Investigation still has to show speed and other factors such as weather as well as who it who and what started all this. I hope all the other drivers are well too. 3, or 4 also went to trauma.

Thanks for the well wishes.

 

-10-15 years ago I had a mechaninc that drove an old SL, forget which chassis but it was a toilet: hi miles daily driver, chain-smoker, greasy hands etc. He drove over railroad tracks too fast once and the rollover bars deployed. I trust mine will too.

-if I get into an accident and can't get in the trunk I couldn't care less when I next see my work computer. I'm not working on world peace or cancer cures.

-if I'm hit top down and the trunk no longer opens I'd have the body shop pry it open if there was anything in there I needed. Where they store the car is on them; either it's totalled or it better be perfect when it's done.

 

Interesting.

I wonder will they shatter the roof, or back glass if they deploy with the roof up? Being all glass and all?

I don’t feel the same about my work computer, as I own the company. Also I would be forced to interact with my fellow Mb owners via my tiny phone screen and these old eyes!

I get the garage part.

 

Have you heard of The Cloud? It's where all your info is securely stored. Plus, you should always have a local backup. If you have a Mac, it's pretty easy to restore stuff. Windows isn't that hard either.

If I roll the car with the top down, I'll be happy to walk away.

 

Yes.
I have a MacBook Air that I use for work and I am typing this on that now. I have everything backed up. I am referring to the hassle of having to buy another Mac. I would just do as another has suggested and would have the body shop pry open the trunk if needed so I could get to my computer. I would be happy to walk away too. Was just curious if anyone else ever worried about rolling and the safety bars deploying. I have seen videos where cars flipped seeming easily in minor traffic accidents. Don’t think about it much, but it wouldn't be truthful if I said that I never thought about it..

 

If anything the SL is less likely to roll over than my other cars, due to the much lower center of gravity.

I think the big takeaway is to not stress about things outside your control. As someone that suffers from anxiety I acknowledge that's easier said than done. I finally started taking medication for it (Lexapro) after years of increasing severity and numerous triggers, including driving over bridges. I'm often in Rhode Island where it's hard to drive 20 minutes without going over one. The first time* I encountered the Mount Hope bridge into Bristol it took me by surprise: the exit ramp that leads to it is a 270° arc that only presents the bridge ahead when there's no choice but to proceed over it, one lane in each direction. The approach is like a roller coaster: you can only see as far as the center peak until you reach it. I became acutely aware that there are pores in the palms of my hands. I survived, of course, but I chose a return route that avoided the bridge, adding twnenty minutes or so. That may have been the impetus to explore SSRIs. After six months on Lexapro I drove over the bridge with so little reaction I found myself looking in the rearview mirror to confirm I actually had. Subsequent trips have not been quite so effortless but manageable; moreso than some other notorious RI bridges.
*not really the "first time" as I must have driven over that bridge dozens of times in my mid-40s when I worked in the area. The anxiety snuck up on me around 60.

 

As a younger man, I drove everywhere with the top down. I once drove an SL all the way from L.A. to Sacramento with the top down. I gave that up about ten or fifteen years ago, due to a few reasons. First, the huge increase in the number of monster pickups & SUV’s, many of which are driven like sports cars by clueless drivers. As these vehicles age, they fall into the hands of teenagers which is a disaster waiting to happen. Secondly, the proliferation of cell phones with so many folks distracted. Lastly, my old ears no longer deal with the freeway noise very well.

When I got my 2919 SL450, I just decided that I would do my best to preserve it and vowed to never take it on a freeway. I like the fact that the windshield has no chips in it and there is not even one tiny stone nick in the paint. To drive California freeways, I only feel secure in a big vehicle like my current S560, which is soon to be replaced by a new BMW I7 electric.

 

From the future! Cool. Does it run on anti-matter? Can you time-travel in it?

 

I guess you're not bothered by the front end of the BMW? Seems everyone is in a race to see who can design the largest and most hideous front end. JMHO YMMV

 

I guess you don't going to the outer Cape much...

 

Actually, YES! Every time I drive it, it takes me back in time to when Mercedes-Benz actually made cars I desired and wanted to drive.

 

I do not like the newer style overly large kidney grill of the BMW SUV. I guess some of their cars, if not all will be doing the same. I like the “regular size” grill of our 22 x3. I cant get use to the new style and they have been out for some years now...I am firm believer of buying what you like though..

 

I was not a fan of the latest BMW 7 Series. It is a different look, no doubt about it. However, at some point, you need to go for what is most important to you. In my case, it is comfort. The I7, which is an all electric sedan, has truly amazing ride quality, a very hushed cabin with a very luxurious interior. Not available on the gas 7 Series, is a non-M Sport exterior design, which has grown on me considerably over the past few months, as I wait for my special order that is currently in production.

As daily drivers, I had five new MB S Class sedans in a row and MBUSA bought back the last TWO! The latest, a loaded 2022 S580 was an absolute disaster of a car, with many issues. Aside from the more serious problems, one of which left me stranded in the middle of a very busy highway, the car was not nearly as comfortable as the previous model. It had a nicer exterior design than the I7, but the car was so problematic that I came to loathe the look. Hopefully, with the I7, I will so enjoy the car, that the odd face will become beautiful to me.

Lastly, I should say that I was one of those “EV Naysayers,” who thought I would never go for an electric. However, the politics here in LaLa Land California, have had gas at $6 per gallon and I’m sick of paying it. I will be able to charge the car in my garage and will be installing solar panels, so I’m looking forward to passing by gas stations. With all that said, the electric propulsion of this new I7 is just so amazingly smooth, quiet and almost “otherworldly” in its delivery of astonishing “RIGHT NOW” acceleration, that you really need to experience it. AND, there is a BMW dealer within walking distance of my office! Anyway, wish me luck. When I need an ICE fix, I’ll jump in Mighty Mouse and go for a spin.

 

I agree with you on the instantaneous torque of many of the EVs. I have driven all of BMW's EVs at 2 driving events in the DC area. The i5 EV is on my list to consider as our X5 is approaching 6 years old and I am researching options at this time. I'm on my 13th BMW but sadly few of their current offerings appeal to me. The 5 series still has the conservative BMW look with a front end that is fairly attractive.

It is sad that MB quality has really declined in the last several years. Our local dealer is having a rough time selling cars and is sending out weekly advertisements offering all sorts of discounts and special lease deals but none appeal to me at this time.

Enjoy in good health your 7 series EV as well as your SL.

 

They bought back my 2020 S560 due to a rough 3-2 downshift that they said they could not fix. They couldn’t fix an automatic transmission? What year is this??? They bought back the 2022 after it spent over 50 days out of service. In addition to numerous other problems, the transmission in the 2022 was just plain sloppy at lower speeds, clunking and hunting for the right gear. When looking at the R232 SL forum, the issues with those cars is of nightmare proportions, in my opinion. Worst of all is that MB has allowed significant problems to continue from one model year into the next, without resolving them, which I find to be absolutely unforgivable.

I feel as though I am not leaving Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz has left me and I am very unhappy about it. Oh well.

 

Watch the last few minutes of this video where they talk about the bottom dropping out of the USED EV market, by as much as 50%. Hmmmm, kinda makes you wonder if the EV honeymoon is over.

I know you probably aren't much worried about resale value for your EV when you get it, but I see it as an indicator of buyer satisfaction/remorse when they realize an EV isn't free to operate, nor is it immune to problems with the drivetrain and other electronics. Besides the absurd prices for new cars, new cars seem to have a lot of new problems with electronics. I'm happy with my 9 and 10 year old cars.

 

I once got caught in a downpour driving between Kentucky and North Carolina. I was on the interstate with the top down, cruising around 70mph, in my SLK320. The weather was partly cloudy to begin with, so I wasn’t worried about the rain. But the downpour kind of snuck up on me. Before I could decide what to do, I was in it. Now I was stuck in a coffin corner. If I kept my speed up around 70, the windshield deflected almost all the rain out of the compartment. But even if I slowed down a mile or 2 per hour, the rain got into the interior. And, if I sped up even a mile or 2 per hour, I could feel the car lifting into a hydroplaning condition. I began a desperate search for an overpass, or an exit with a gas station equipped with a covered fueling area. I eventually got on the other side of the downtown, now acutely aware of another shortcoming of a convertible car.
To OP, add that to your list. I think that the kinds of guys convertible drivers are, tend to be less risk averse than the rest of the crowd.
One day, if someone asks, I might even share my M.A.O. theory(which is based in a lot of little known fact).

 

I agree. I was leaning toward trading our X5 for an EV but glad I did not. You can buy a used one at a greatly reduced price but I'm not convinced it makes sense. Issues with reliability, lack of charging infrastructure, dealer support and depreciation are among my concerns. Our X5 is a great road trip vehicle, gets close to 30 mpg and has been trouble free. I'll stick with a ICE vehicle for now.

 

I am a “mostly” retired older fellow. I drive about 10 to 20 miles a day, almost exclusively between my office & home. I can charge overnight in my garage. If need be, I could charge at my office. A few times a year, we drive up to Santa Barbara, which we should be able to do without recharging. If we drive up to Carmel or Napa, there are many places to charge there, but that’s only once or twice a year.

The BMW I7 that I have on order will be leased for 36 months. When I’m done with their car, I’ll give it back to them. There is a BMW dealer about 1/4 mile from my office. If there are issues with the car, it’s an easy drop off. If issues persist, here in LaLa Land California, the Lemon Law is our friend and I am very adept at using it.

For my daily driver, the most important things to me are an ultra smooth ride, a very quiet, very luxurious cabin and a very substantial mass that gives me a fighting chance on the mean streets populated with 3+ ton SUV’s driven like sports cars by very distracted drivers. Short of a Rolls-Royce, the big electric BMW is the closest thing there is, at least for me. And, I agree that new cars, especially big luxury cars, are so heavily laden with electronic gadgets that they can be a lot of trouble. That’s why I stay with new cars under warranty. That and the fact that new cars are pretty much my only vice. This new BMW will be my 61st new car.

Lastly, I was a very vocal EV naysayer, firmly believing that I would never go down that road. However, after my last new MB, a 2022 S580 that MB bought back, I was so disgusted with the crummy, sloppy, “slush box” transmission and other issues, that when I took my first test drive in the I7, I was absolutely astounded at just how great the car drove. Add $6+ gas to the equation and going electric became a no brainer for me. YMMV.