[luketgt88]

This may be a stupid question...but I have just recently been given an old SLK and whenever I parked the car outside for let's say a few hours, the roof would not happen, especially on a sunny day.

I know the heat could expand the parts which may prevent it from opening properly (ie the boot opens but roof wouldn't retract), but this has also happened on a partly cloudy day.

Therefore, it would be great if people can share their knowledge on this issue and all help is appreciated.

 

[Bruce R.]

We need a little more information ............

( 1 ) Does the trunk lid open?
( 2 ) Does the hydraulic pump run?
( 3 ) Does the pump sound like there's enough oil in it?
( By that I mean does it start to sound one way and then change sound?)
( 4 ) Does this only occur when you want to lower the roof, or also when you want to raise it?.
This could be something as simple as a lack of hydraulic fluid, or something far more expensive. Need more info. []

 

[LeCorbusier]

No, not a stupid question at all! (if there is any in this world)

Same thing happened to me. After a few trips to the dealership, they finally admitted that lubing the front hinges do not make sense at all. They discovered that the culprit is the loss of tension in one of the cables that run parallel to the side of the roof-so as the roof retracts, there is a tensile force pulling it away and up.

If you get that fixed (rather than to let them analyze the problem by the hour), it might not be as expensive as you think. It will not be cheap, however. Another possible problem as I was told might be the lack of power in the hydraulic pump that runs it. I was told that sometimes it will leak and contribute to the loss of power.

Whatever it is, it is most likely not the lack of lubrication in any of the hinges when it does not open on any weather. Mine is working perfectly now, hopefully, for another 4 years!

 

[krk230]

i think its a [defective] switch problem...

 

[luketgt88]

RE: We need a little more information ............

Bruce R. - 2/12/2005 9:29 AM

( 1 ) Does the trunk lid open?
( 2 ) Does the hydraulic pump run?
( 3 ) Does the pump sound like there's enough oil in it?
( By that I mean does it start to sound one way and then change sound?)
( 4 ) Does this only occur when you want to lower the roof, or also when you want to raise it?.

Hey thanks for all the reply...

I guess essentially the problem is that it doesn't open if the car is parked outdoor in the sun for a few hours. The roof works perfectly fine when it is parked indoor or not in the sun/heat.

When it is out in the sun/heat for a while, the trunk lid does open, everything works up until when the roof is supposed to open....that's when it will stop but the motor continue to sound like it's moving and the switch continues to be lit...

I asked a dealer about it but he said that's because the heat expands the mechanics/hinges whatever and once it's cooled (which can take hours!!! from my experience) it works fine. But I don't trust him until I hear similar experiences from other SLK owners.

I have friends who own convertibles with fabric cover but never had similar problems.

 

[Bruce R.]

If the trunk opens and then everything stops, it could be a micro switch ...

The older SLK's were known to have some bad switches in the operating system. One was in the brushes on the sides of the trunk where the hinges are, and the other was in the top of the windshield under the plastic covers.
Your dealer is giving you a line of nonsense, this should be a simple fix.
Do a search in the archives for roof, there should be more info there, it was a common problem in the late 1998 and early to mid 1999 models.

 

[Kirill]

RE: We need a little more information ............

I asked a dealer about it but he said that's because the heat expands the mechanics/hinges whatever and once it's cooled (which can take hours!!! from my experience) it works fine. But I don't trust him until I hear similar experiences from other SLK owners.

It may be the truth, but it only means that "mechanics/hinges whatever" should be adjusted. You shouldn't have a problem opening the roof in 100 degree heat.

I saw an SLK at car dealer (not a mercedes) that at first wasn't able to open the roof because they used some cleaner at top of windshield part that got baked under the sun and glued the roof to the windshield, after a little helping push by hand - roof got unglued from windshield and worked fine after it.