silviang

Hi,
Just got the SL63 tonight and i opened the rooftop. When I try to close it, the 2 flaps are moving in place but the rooftop refuses to close. I tried every which way to make this work but I have been unable to.
Taking it to the dealership tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone else had a similar problem. Or anything I should try...
A bit bummed...

Thank you!

JohnGigi

I had (and have) the same problem with my SL63 that I got last August. At first, the dealership returned my car saying the technicians could not replicate it themselves so "here you go, enjoy your SL". i called the Manager and complained about the recurring real problem. They apologized and took the car back. After a few days, it was fixed and a technician came out to give me some details.

The factory had sent several service advisories in September on the top problem with the fixes involving a new motor, different alignment settings, and lubing the runners. It seemed to work fine for months, then just recently it started the same problems up again but I haven't taken it back in yet.

Three approaches you can use as get-arounds. First, use the fob since this occasionally works where the car dash button doesn't. Second, if the fob approach doesn't work at first, standing by the top you should notice the top quivers after the wings are deployed, but the top doesn't seem to have enough energy to go up. Holding the fob down, gently but firmly pull the top up to give it some help. Once it gets a few inches up, the motors should take over to closing. Third, you try using the dash button while the car is still moving as that seems to provide enough energy, compared to the battery alone, to get the top past its initial sticking point when it tries to open.

Hope these help while you wait on the dealership to respond.

drgek

Not sure if this applies to a 63, but my 55 just underwent a software update to the rear control unit which ostensibly had something to do with soft top operation.

https://mb.oemdtc.com/2631/update-rear-control-unit-software-2022-mercedes-benz-sl-class

Mike P

Gurus:
The R232 has been a disaster........one of the worse rollouts imaginable , myriad questionable design decisions and most importantly using the early buyers as unpaid beta testers.

I wonder why sales are terrible

MAP-------having reservations about buying a SL63E/SL73 (or whatever it's called) the 2024 models might be delivered in 2026

silviang

Thank you for the community help and the bulletin board link. I will show them this morning to the mechanic.
I tried the 3 solutions offered in the first reply and none of them worked for me - I am taking this as a good sign actually. I do not see myself putting up with less than reliable handling.

Will update the thread when I know more and share
Thank you!

Streamliner

“New motor, different alignment settings???” I’m sure someone will chime in with the “all new cars have problems” catch-all excuse, but this is truly NUTS! How long has MB been building convertibles? There are so many complaints in the forums for newly released MB models, that one must wonder just what was happening at MB during the CCP Virus crisis. Were all the engineers hiding in bunkers? Did no “real world” testing take place? A brand new, very expensive car from a legendary company and one has to experience this kind of crap. Amazing and truly disappointing.

drgek

SL Q1 sales data in the US are 918 units sold, or 38% of the number of 911s in all its various guises. I have no idea if that is terrible or not, but if Mercedes is holding the release of the MY 2023 cars due to unsold inventory they clearly judged incorrectly.
Design decisions are a matter of taste. I think the general consensus is that it's a prettier car than the preceding generation, but that of course is a personal decision.
In terms of being an unpaid beta tester, I have significantly fewer problems with this car than I had with my 991.2 Targa 4S (that top was an unmitigated disaster) and fewer rattles, etc. than I experienced with my 992 Carrera S Cabriolet, both of which had been available for about a year before I received mine. Don't even contemplate what issues new Ferraris have. Leaving my Portofino unplugged from the charger for more than three days was flirting with disaster.

I think it's all a matter of expectations. Perhaps mine are set differently. I enjoy driving my car (and certainly don't consider it a disaster) and can't wait for the weather to finally break to put the top down more often.

Mike P

I consider the introduction a total disaster. MB used to be the gold standard in engineering and reliability The R232 has numerous electrical problems( please refrain from a Ferrari comparison, Ferrari has a well deserved reputation.)
All intros can have issues but I expect better from MB. Please consider the withholding of 2023 from buyers......likely due to lots of unsold 2022..........so much for misreading the market and consumer tastes. Perhaps survey previous SL buyers???? The inability to provide certain colors and options. The dealers are in the dark. The MB leadership must be graduates of Clown College......no offense to clowns.

E55Greasemonkey

The famed SL lives on in name only. Lots of problems plaguing the 232 since it's delayed launch at which time MB was trying to rectify many issues before delivery. You may want to try disconnecting the negative battery terminal in the trunk for a few minutes, if you can even open the trunk, and trying the top again.

Wolfman

It seems like there is not a single thread in this forum where the usual R231 crowd posts the demise of the brand due to some technical glitches, throwing in everything from sales to introduction issues. For the courtesy of the OP keep these threads clean unless you have relevant info to post.
Otherwise I will have to do this. Thanks...

Also, for frame of reference, our last brand-new SL (R231 facelift) also refused to close the hardtop regularly from day one. On that car it was a switch in the A-pillar... yet the brand miraculously survived as did the SL nameplate

silviang

Hi, Just finished with the dealer - they fixed the rooftop closing issue for me. It was indeed related to the bulletin board pointed in the thread.
It works now.

Thank you again!

drgek

That's great to hear. Enjoy your car!

JohnGigi

And I love my SL63. Allowing for a few issues, the positives way offset the negatives. I've never had a perfect car so am not whining now.

JohnGigi

“all new cars have problems”

Tifoso48

Agreed, all this whinging and whining by a small group of members who do not even own a R 232 and who are upset that MB did not build a R 231 2.0 does get a little old and repetitive.
There is no doubt that MB botched the launch and that it has a few annoying issues, especially related to electronics, battery and energy management. It is also very annoying that as a result of this botched launched, they are holding back MY23 frustrating yet another group of new buyers - all pointing to either arrogance or MB being " tone deaf:.
However, I am encouraged that MB sold 2100 in the 3rd and 4th quarter and 900 + in the first quarter which for most of the country is not convertible weather. The only thing I am wondering if these numbers are actually sold or delivered to the dealers ( and thus there are still about 400 hanging around waiting for a buyer?

As the proud owner of an SL63, I will say that I am enjoying this car tremendously, it certainly is more comfortable than my AMG GTS ever was and I have made my peace with the idiosyncrasies of the electronics. Other than getting the error messages which really have not done anything other than being annoying, I have ( knock on wood), have had zero issues with the car since taking delivery.

Streamliner

Wolf, you must know that many members here, myself included, highly respect you. With that said, you are saying that we cannot comment on what others write unless YOU think the comment has merit? I would venture to guess that more than half of all threads on this site get hijacked, as the discussion morphs one way and then another. Why is that a problem? As long as the discussion is held within reasonable limits of decorum, why should anyone care? Someone says something, someone else comments and away we go. It’s like a few guys making acquaintances at a car show and then telling stories and making comments, etc.

As for comments that are critical of some current MB products, what’s wrong with that? How I wish I had seen more negative comments on the W223’s before I got myself saddled with the $153,700.00 piece of junk that’s my daily driver and daily headache. If this site is just supposed to be a cheerleading squad for Mercedes-Benz, then it will be a waste of time for anyone to visit it. And look: I didn’t even post a photo of my car!

kcirm

I'm really surprised why people still use the unpaid beta tester thing.

Everyone knows that the first MY of a new generation, especially a full design, is taking on a huge material & functional risk.

Everyone knows this is true for Mercedes.

Everyone knows this is true for all car brands
​​​​​​Everyone who's owned many new gen first MY knows this.

Even people working in car building factories across different brands agree with this and literally say they learn to get better & smoother after the first MY. Some even say to wait for the 3rd MY for big redesigns.

We know all this, yet still find the opportunity to act surprised. Guess what, this will never change, because there's no way for a car manufacturer to test out every edge scenario and still be profitable. Lemoning your car will literally be cheaper for them, due to diminished returns on testing. Except if you're Rolls Royce, and even then it's a maybe.

Wolfman

We like to insure that the forums are welcoming to members and thread topics and posts that are productive. Coincidently, the R231 forum is a perfect example on how members are helping one another and thus created a great community to discuss their cars, all of the good and bad that goes with it. This thread was actually a good example of members assisting the OP.
The issue here in this forum is that too many posts in these threads are off-topic, brand bashing, not relevant or simply designed to inflame to the point that actual owners are complaining about it or choose not to participate. Which is not OK.

Respectfully, if you have no interest in the car, what it stands for or assist any current owners with their questions then why you are actively participating in the R232 forum? If it is simply to vent and disrupt conversation of others, then it will be mistaken for trolling.
I understand your issue with the S-Class; unlike prior models it appears to be a perfect example of a poor fit and/or faulty product. Very discouraging to say the least. But I have seen plenty of critical comments from W223 owners in that forum and there are several owners here that have experienced problems. None of these posts would ever be at issue and those aren't the ones we are discussing here...