Put her away for the winter
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Bunker ----I too am curious about the green tape. I see you have the "hard" top installed for storage. Is it better to store an SL with the soft top stowed in the Winter? I hope we get some opinions both pro and con with some compelling reasons either way. I have always wondered but never took the time to really investigate which way is the most desirable. Regards....BAMeyer
040 96' SL500, 368 08' E550 4Matic, 9147 13' Sprinter 2500
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The tape was because he was polishing. I personally would think if you are storing it for the winter I would think the soft top up would be best because the windows and top wouldn't be folded in the same position which would probably cause some nasty creases.
This of course is JMHO.
This of course is JMHO.
2008 C300 Sport (W204) Retired, 2014 C250 Coupe Retired, 2017 C300 coupe & 1998 SL600 Sport (R129)
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Generally I belive tape is used (I use it) for polishing after clay bar application. Just peal the tape off and done, otherwise you are left with a mess on the non painted stuff and it can take a while with a toothbrush to get it clean again.
05 C215 CL 500, 96 SL 500 PANO,96 W124 220CE,03 Smart 450 Cabrio, 96 W124 220CE, 07 Ford Transit!
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Mercedes 250 se re- commision - Detailing World
Mercedes 190 SL the love affair starts - Detailing World
1963 Mercedes 230 SL W113 Tidy Up - Detailing World
Detailing? Check out this guy:bowdown:
Mercedes 190 SL the love affair starts - Detailing World
1963 Mercedes 230 SL W113 Tidy Up - Detailing World
Detailing? Check out this guy:bowdown:
Update
Firstly I had the hard top on for the last couple of outings. So I polished the whole car including the hard top. Green tape is just to keep the polishing compound away from the chrome and rubber. It's like a 5 or 10 minutes to tape up a car. Better than 1/2 hour later with a tooth brush. I should have removed the tape before I took the pictures. At least I'll know she will be ready (nice and shiney) to take out in the spring. I take off the hard top for the winter and store the car with the soft top up. Keeps it streched nicely and dosn't leave folds in the back window. Got the battery tender hooked up. I didn't put her on jack stands this year but did add 10 psi more air to the tires. I'm told that carpet pieces also help to reduce the effect of tire flat spotting. Any coment on that?
Firstly I had the hard top on for the last couple of outings. So I polished the whole car including the hard top. Green tape is just to keep the polishing compound away from the chrome and rubber. It's like a 5 or 10 minutes to tape up a car. Better than 1/2 hour later with a tooth brush. I should have removed the tape before I took the pictures. At least I'll know she will be ready (nice and shiney) to take out in the spring. I take off the hard top for the winter and store the car with the soft top up. Keeps it streched nicely and dosn't leave folds in the back window. Got the battery tender hooked up. I didn't put her on jack stands this year but did add 10 psi more air to the tires. I'm told that carpet pieces also help to reduce the effect of tire flat spotting. Any coment on that?
Winter storage
First of all I must confess - I live in Calif and I am not forced to park my 97 SL320 during the winter months. Having lived in Chicago I can readily identify and feel your pain. That aside, let me toss in my opinion on the soft top/up controversy when it comes to storage. My car was urchased new in 1996 by a lady who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. She owned the car for the first 8 years if it's life. The car was meticulously maintained by the Mercedes dealer that sold her the car. It would appear she took delivery of the car with the soft top down and either chose not to ever use it or perhaps forgot it was there. The next owner bought the car from her as a present for his wife. They kept the car at their vacation home in Pallm Springs. They did not use the soft top either. When I purchased the car two years ago I had the seller demonstrate the workings of the soft top through 4-5 cycles just to make sure everything was in good order. The top and the windows are still like new. My routine is to wash the car - let it dry - and drop the soft top in the fall. I then replace the hardtop and drive it that way until around April when I remove the hardtop and start using the soft top again. Long story cut short - I don't find any evidence that long periods of top down storage of the soft top damage the top or the windows. I DO NOT use the towel layed on the rear window trick some recommend.
JRE---Thanks for sharing your experience (s) with having probably the (possibly) extremes CONUS Winter weather. I put the hardtop on our SL the first Winter we owned the car. Didn't really notice anything intolerable with the way the soft top and windows looked the next Spring, but I did ensure that the sun was shining brightly and the temps were warm when I deployed same.
I do feel that you do best what you do most often and the old saying "Use it or lose it" can apply to most any car that sits a fair amount of time. Accordingly, I tend to push a lot of buttons when I take to the road---save for rear window de-ice and traction control (snow-chain button). Comprende? Regards....BAMeyer
I do feel that you do best what you do most often and the old saying "Use it or lose it" can apply to most any car that sits a fair amount of time. Accordingly, I tend to push a lot of buttons when I take to the road---save for rear window de-ice and traction control (snow-chain button). Comprende? Regards....BAMeyer
2008 C300 Sport (W204) Retired, 2014 C250 Coupe Retired, 2017 C300 coupe & 1998 SL600 Sport (R129)
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Not an issue with modern tires these days. Don't worry about it :thumbsup:
RP
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