The toothed piece would move around to adjust to the curve of the inside of the body that it's up against I would think.

You need the outer rubber grommet as well.

The chrome caps stick on top.

It might not be worth trying to make it work. Perhaps that's why it was never fitted in the first place.

I managed to get a Hirschmann power antenna from a W140, which while it's mounting bracket was different I could adapt it to fit the mounting points inside the car. The mast on that was also snapped off but I was able to make a replacement Uro one fit after a bit of work rethreading and other things.

 

Cheers, this helps A LOT. Is the outer rubber grommet not the thing in the picture? (3rd picture)
The OEM antenna is going USD 240+ Online... I might just try to rebuild mine to fix it. I do not use the antenna, but I absolutely hate to see a giant hole in the car since its currently broken.

 

There is a smooth outer grommet that fits over this one. Unfortunately they are difficult to get at the moment in OE MB part right now. Part no: 129-827-02-98. I'm not sure it's necessary for function, but probably helps keep the seal underneath (the one you have) in better condition. As the top seal is a relatively hard rubber, almost plastic like.

Hirschmann 6000KE is the model I think that these came with, or a variant similar. If you see a picture of those you can see the bulbous ball near the top, this would sit in the concave part of the grommet that you have.

If you have one of those yards out there were you can pick your own parts I would keep an eye on those. Not only keep an eye out for SL's, but any Mercedes from the late 1980's until they stopped fitting power antennas. About the mid 1990's for most of their standard sedan models. So that's E, S and early C classes. I think some other marques had these antennas too. Usually it was just a MB wiring loom that plugged into the standard Hirschmann connection. You might have some luck with Jaguars or BMW's, but a mid 1990's XJ that I came across at a scrap yard had a different brand antenna.

Looking at yours more closely, the chrome ring under the 'teeth' part of your antenna might be the piece that sits in the concave part of the grommet.

 

There is a smooth outer grommet that fits over this one. Unfortunately they are difficult to get at the moment in OE MB part right now. Part no: 129-827-02-98. I'm not sure it's necessary for function, but probably helps keep the seal underneath (the one you have) in better condition. As the top seal is a relatively hard rubber, almost plastic like.

Hirschmann 6000KE is the model I think that these came with, or a variant similar. If you see a picture of those you can see the bulbous ball near the top, this would sit in the concave part of the grommet that you have.

If you have one of those yards out there were you can pick your own parts I would keep an eye on those. Not only keep an eye out for SL's, but any Mercedes from the late 1980's until they stopped fitting power antennas. About the mid 1990's for most of their standard sedan models. So that's E, S and early C classes. I think some other marques had these antennas too. Usually it was just a MB wiring loom that plugged into the standard Hirschmann connection. You might have some luck with Jaguars or BMW's, but a mid 1990's XJ that I came across at a scrap yard had a different brand antenna.

Looking at yours more closely, the chrome ring under the 'teeth' part of your antenna might be the piece that sits in the concave part of the grommet.

I have been looking around locally for yards and part-outs that have a power antenna assembly but no luck yet. I might just buy a second after-market antenna since I do not have all the grommets/fittings whatever. Should still be cheaper and easier to find than an OEM unit.

Based off some googling, these are super common fault points - so I am also considering just forcibly extending the mast, and have it permantely extended. I hand wash this car and it is garage kept, so there should be no reason it has to keep retracting/extending.

 

What I don't remember from my antenna, nor can I find on eBay sales of used OEM antennas, is the ratchety teeth bit. That is the sign of a universal kit, IMHO, that needs flexibility to fit whatever.

 

Try the Junk Yard

 

I have searched this forum, mbworld, youtube, reddit, and facebook - and I am unable to find a full or at least relevant tutorial on how to do this.

I got my r129 with the power antenna already broken. The mast was broken off in a car wash, and the motor no longer works. The silicone gasket around it is also completely shattered/cracked from old age.

The previous owner gave me a new replacement antenna, and gasket. HOWEVER, it is not OEM and some aftermarket part. I found it on ebay and it says compatible with my model, as well as having the same wire connections.

However, for the life of me I cannot figure out how it goes together as there are multiple pieces, and even some adjustable metal toothed piece, which I also do not understand the function of.

If anyone has any advice or tutorials for this I would appreciate it. TYIA.

I will add relevant images below. 1999 SL500.
View attachment 2828468 View attachment 2828469 View attachment 2828470 View attachment 2828471 View attachment 2828472 View attachment 2828473

The rubber seal is available on eBay. Grommet Here's a repair tutorial... Repair tutorial Here's the antenna Antenna Plenty of parts Parts

 

Bookmark @Lee Wireless post above folks. Very helpful stuff.

 

When I got my car someone had already replaced the OEM antenna with an Hirschmann universal which looks very similar to what you have. From what I can recall they had to drill a new bottom mountain pointing for the motor. The metal strap thing was bent and attached to the factory top mountain point.
When I installed a new OEM grommet, I had to trim down the end to make it fit correctly. The one thing I don't like though is it's a lot taller than the factory, so I rewired the antenna to stay down while listening to CDs/bluetooth.

 

You may find what you need there.

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Mercedes Benz SL500 Antenna Parts, 1248201675, 1408270001, 12982702987C45, 1298270387C45

 

Now what about actual replacement? I’ve removed mine and did a swap but found it impossible to bolt it back in due to the charcoal canister rubber hoses being in the way and the tight space. How are you all doing it?

 

I don't have those hoses there. Not much help for you in your situation though. Maybe the hoses and components need to be be removed to fit the antenna, and then the hoses refitted.

 

MacGyver would have used duct tape

 

Becker Auto Sound has rebuilt and warrantied MB parts (Hirschmann,129-820-16-75) - you can trade in what you have against the new unit. Something important about using the original MB part- you'll need the proper bracket to secure it. Becker should have that along with the pig tails if you need to splice the OEM connector back on.

The antenna seal is two pieces, as already mentioned. The part numbers for the antenna grommets are 129-827-02-98-7C45 for the top and 129-827-03-98-7C45 for the bottom... unfortunately NLA. But you might be able to find NOS on eBay

The universal kit you have in the original pictures - I have used that before. It should work fine too... basically it uses that metal bar (with holes in it) that you bend to secure the antenna in place instead of having a bracket. Once you put the antenna through, the caps (one black plastic piece first, the chrome piece on top of that) go on top and then you can screw on the top of the antenna. What's missing from your picture is the assortment of grommets they usually include in a separate bag. You have the bottom part but not the top part. If your antenna wiring is already cut, you might just wire that up and give it a shot until you get all the parts needed to restore it.

Here's a video that might help where I restored the antenna / head unit / etc all back to stock on my 1994 SL320