I need to buy a new top for my '86 560SL, in the spring. Meantime, I want to do my homework on who would be the best choice (which led me to this thread), and getting the new seals in hand, over the winter months. So far, I have a new storage lid seal, #15 below, and new #17 windshield post seals.
I'm confused about the side window seals. There are 2 seals on each side that are obvious, a vertical seal at the back of the glass, and a horizontal seal, split at the point where the top bow folds. In the diagram below, I think these are #10 and #11.
I keep reading about seals that are sometimes supplied with the top, and which seem to be part of the window sealing arrangement, but are these the same seals that fit into the trims around the glass, #'s 10 and 11, or different?
I don't want to buy seals that I will get with the top for free....
World Upholstery shows a pictorial with seals.
They say seal #9 is included with their tops. There is no information on #18. Is #18 a seal or something else? Do all the top manufacturers include #9 with their tops, and is this sewn into the top?
And you deliver. Eye dee 10 tees. Let's produce better seals. To proper specs eh?
We have installed the new soft top using the world upholstry instructions. Wow never again.........
The first line in the instructions is to lift the front bo to vertical position, The real meaning is the rear bow..... Great start...
After that we put the instructions aside and played it by ear...
1.
Start at the back, this is the best method as the canvas has stitching that can easily be set into place.
2. work each bow making sure that the stitching is aligned over the bow.
3. do the front bow (front of roof, the one with the catches) we only fitted out to the double stiching at this time
4 set the wires into place and secure at front with screws and washers
5. clamp down front of hood (with the roof locking screws) then push rear into locking position.
** Note no rubbers fitted at this time***
6. Fit verticle rear window flaps into position (we fouint this easier to let the rear bow unlock, taking the strain of the posts where the canvas will be fitted.
7. now fit the window rubbers.
8. front corners of front bow.
9 Fit chanel and rubber to front.
10. fit rubber to rear bow (this is very dificult and as yet we have not fitted this rubber, we may need to get this job done by a proffesional.
I just purchased a top from Germanex. Germanex called their material German. Now I know, at least as much as my Alzheimer's will allow, when I called him he said it was the original German material. But now, because of the info from another user on MBWorld, I called and he said they carry two "German" materials, classic and A5 (never heard this nomenclature before) but don't have any classic left, in my color of Blue/Tan. According to the installer what I got was Stayfast. According to him the quality of the build was good, at least as good as the GAHH he orders normally, and the price of 350 shipped was good as well so just be careful.
Did I get taken? Don't know. To Germanex's credit he did offer to have UPS pick it up and returned at his expense but by the time I got the installer it was already on the car. Maybe I was less than completely clear in my request but I think I should have been told that there were two options on material and told the difference and offered a choice.
So bottom line is I think Germanex should be avoided due to his less than complete answering. I won't call it deceit but I do feel a bit snookered.
After having the top installed, by one of the best in the area and has been doing this for 40 years, it appears the top is a little out of square. The seam across the back bow runs straight down the middle of the bow. The stitching across the top bows are dead straight. However, the welting where the top does the L shape transition from the top of the window to the front frame is over the chrome on the Passenger side and behind it on the Drivers side. A difference of say a half inch.
Germanex's response is that they've done 10K of these and they are all cut from the same computer so it's my installers fault. There is nothing he can do.
taking it through the car wash does it cause any problems?
I haven't taken it through a wash. I don't normally do that anyway. When I picked it up form the installer we were having a significant rain, 5 inches in 3 days, and there was leakage, some but not much. However, the installer said that the stitching has to swell and it will seal up. So I'm not sure how much of the leakage was from the stitching and how much, if any, was from the edge.
I only said to stay away because I asked for original German canvas but was sent stayfast instead because I didn't ask for "Classic". Also, when I complained about the cut I was told, paraphrasing here, "there could not be a problem since all tops are cut by a computer". No ownership of a potential problem.
However, the welting where the top does the L shape transition from the top of the window to the front frame is over the chrome on the Passenger side and behind it on the Drivers side. A difference of say a half inch.
I finished installing my new top last week. I ran into a problem at the front corners too. After much trial and error, I finally got both sides to match. The problem, or part of it, is that the original metal corners are not the same! Strange, on a Mercedes. You have to stretch the material carefully to avoid getting the first bow seam wrong. That said, I'd be more inclined to blame the fitter than the supplier. If I can get right, an amateur doing his first top, the pro should certainly have figured this out.
Also, this top had the big seam, the rolled edge, cut short at this point, but the GAHH top that I replaced had long extensions that could be pulled and glued more easily under the corners.
(My rear corners, just behind the door windows, suck big time though. All wrinkled. Hope yours came out better.)
... You have to stretch the material carefully to avoid getting the first bow seam wrong.
Bow seams all are spot on and dead down the middle and no wrinkle on the corners
Quote:
That said, I'd be more inclined to blame the fitter than the supplier.
Maybe but he is the one all the best resto shops and high end dealers in the DC area use. Also the Germanex attitude of " it is cut by a computer so it can't be wrong" is a bit disingenuous it seems to me.
I mean has a worm gear ever missed a tooth, the fabric ever been slightly off square, the sower ever missed aligned the seam, or other possible problem areas in the manufacturing process.
I would have thought at least to hear something along the lines of send a picture so we can see what the issue is or let me speak to the installer, or lets try and figure out how to fix this, or or or.
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