Mercedes SLK Manual Top / Roof Closing (1998-2004 R170)
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- čas přidán 9. 04. 2019
- Is the Vario Roof on your SLK stuck or malfunctioning? In this video we'll show you the procedure for manually closing the retractable hard top on your 1998-2004 SLK, so that you can get your car weatherproofed and buy yourself some time before diagnosing and fixing it.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
Wife and I went to Home Depot got home fluid leaking from under trunk and couldn’t let the top up. Video saved me today thanks 💯
I was at my nephew's graduation 🎓 and my roof got stuck halfway closed. I called for roadside assistance. He and I were able to secure the top thanks to this video. So much easier to follow than the manual. Thank you!!
This just saved the day for me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel so capable now!
Thank you so much for taking your time to make this video. I just inherited a pristine 2000 SLK with only 50K miles on it and the top probably hasn't been down 10 times in the lifetime of the car. But I was warned that I should learan this procedure for that "just in case scenario". You made it look really and I'm headed out to the car now to locate everything you pointed out so if someday I am confronted with this I can at least resolve it as you said until I can get it fixed properly. Thanks again as this was much appreciated!
This video saved my life! I have a 2001 SLK and it never occurred to me that there was a system to get the roof up and windows shut even if your hydraulics fail. I was so busy when this first happened that I manually closed the roof but I forced it without releasing the pressure as you are supposed to do and I didn't know about the allen wrench and how to make the windows go up!!! I bought this car used and no one ever showed me how to properly deal with the roof if it should fail to move properly, etc.
So, since I don't have a garage presently, I didn't know what to do, so to get a temp solution, before I saw this video, I bought a waterproof car cover and hoped no one would remove it and discover my car was not sealed shut while I drove another old used car that had other problems/headaches to solve that I didn't want to deal with.. But I just used the directions here and Voila! My windows came up easy peazy after I both pulled on the cables on either side of the trunk like he shows you how to do and turned the roof lock counter clockwise. Thank you so much for posting this solution!!!
Thank you so much! Just closed up my 2001 SLK.
I recently bought a 2000 model and had the roof get confused as to where it was in its cycle and refused to close. This great tutorial took all the stress out of the situation. Thanks very much! 😊
Thanks for this video!
The cable on the driver's side was jammed. Eventually we were able to unlock the hinge by one of us pulling up on the hinge while pulling on the cable. Thanks for the video! Now we have to find a place to fix this. Maybe I will try replacing the relay first? But the hydraulic fluid looked low....
Thank you!!!! Y’all are awesome!!!!
Thanks for the informative Video!
Thanks. Greatings from Germany
Always wondered how to do this, thanks
Man, thank you for this video.
Thanks again for taking your time to make this video. I just inherited a pristine 2000 SLK 320 that only has 50K miles on it. In the lifetime of the car that top hasn't been down 10 times so I'm not anticipating any issues. But I have been warned to know the procedure you pointed out here just in case and I'm glad I did. I'll be going out to locate all the parts and locations you pointed out here. Thanks again!
Thank you for the kind words, glad you were able to find it useful. Enjoy that pristine SLK!
Yes. I needed this!!!
Great color!
Ta da ... thanks guys, your advice worked first time.
You're welcome!
Thank you. So very helpful
very usefull, thanks
This was great help
Awesome video, I had to pull on the cables very hard as an FYI to others
i need help my windows won't go up because my trunk won't lock into place
Thanks u sir for clear info. God bless
Thank you
Thanks
What a job to do this
Thankyou! What about the corner windows? They not going up at all
I put mine down for the first time manually after watching your video. Thank you guys. But have a question for some reason the truck wouldn’t lock back. Any ideas. It finally locked after I hit the top close button.
Great
What kind of protection does the car has? Electrical.
On my car was activated any protection. It appears any hose on the rear window and now all windows rear windows was totaly blocked, front windows can be managed only from switches next to gearshaft.
My boot trim is different left handside no panel there is a first aid kit and warning triangle . The other side is (rhs) similar.
Hi... Here I need your help, my hard top is closed completely but the cover- trim ( the convertible part after passenger seat, is up, or maybe that part is called rollover, so customer can't see the rear... Kompressor 2003.
He has no plan to get the roof system done for now but he wants me to put that rollover thing down, now I tried to open the all of the connection at pump, so the pressure kind of releases so it may go down, but it is not only the hydraulic pressure holding up,there is also some lock mechanism, that stops that rollover to go down( this lock can be pressed & than rollover goes down with force) ...as I push it down, it comes up again... I believe it is happening because of the residue oil inside the cylinders & cylinders has some solenoid that are locked/ closed, I can see two thick wires going to rear passenger side cylinder but none to the driver side rear.....
but I am not sure... So did stop here..
Any idea you guys have to bring this thing down..
Trunk cylinders are leaking too much, can't operate from switch
Thanks
Life saver! Thank you
Sorted-got the roof up,Thanks
You went clock wise when turning? Why doe north American car have a Ariel on the rest wing ? Whats it for?
Can this process be used to lower the top as well? Had a pump seal broken underneath the roof and I figure all my hydraulic fluid leaked out. I need to address that as well. Anyone know where that stuff is stored? I need to figure how to check it and fill it up again.
man please help me i got my slk to service 4 times they always fix it and its broken for 5. time today the hydroluc is leaking from bottom of car and i tried to close it manuel by trying your steps but the cable in the ride side is not opening the lock i guess its stuck or nkt working left size is ok but right is not do i have to pull it more powerfull i am scared to give more damage or is there any other way to open the right lock from the trunk please help !
question. when i put the roof back as described and lock in the place, the trunk refuses to latch. Any ideas
is there a way you can make a video on how to fill the hydraulic liquid? looks like mine is almost empty and it may be the reason why its not going up or down
Top Hydraulics out of Oregon has great how-to's
All this in a rain storm !😂😂
🤣
How do you roll the
Are you in Toronto Canada I want you to fix the roof on my 2001 slk 230 asap
How did you manually trigger the front micro switches ? I have 1997 Slk230 R170 and my vario roof will not go down. When I press the button the side windows begin to lower but almost immediately stop and then the switch starts blinking. I am lost on what I should try next. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you
Sorry, just saw this comment now. On ours, the micro switches weren't being properly triggered by the nubs on the top latches (they were broken). After removing the windshield header trim, we unbolted them from the car, let them hang, and triggered them manually in order to let the windows come back up. In your case it seems like all the requirements for the top to start opening are met, and something is stopping the progress halfway through. My first check would be the latches that lock the top to the windshield header, those are hydraulic and likely to fail.
What happens if the back windows are not go up?
R171 has this issue. You need to use obd2 to ask computer to do this. This is the difference.
Can’t figure out how to make my rear windows work at all
My car trunk lifts differently from yours it lifts from rear up we broke a cable trying to pull what to do
I opened my by this video but the windows wont come up, how did u do it?
Does Mercedes still stock all parts for the roof particularly the ones that tend to fail?
What is the list common items to fail and prices?
Easy or Difficult to DIY?
Just considering buying SLK but concerned the parts may be expensive and/or very hard to find. Thoughts?
The most common reasons for the roof to fail are relay module issues, or leaking hydraulic cylinders. In the odd case, the issue may be as simple as not having enough hydraulic fluid in the reservoir in the trunk.
There is a video on CZcams that covers the relay module issue. I can't recall the cost of replacing it, but I imagine it would be under $30 USD.
There are 5 hydraulic cylinders that lower and raise the roof. Over time, they start to leak, due to the biodegradable seals that Mercedes put into these cylinders. When one or more of these hydraulic cylinders develops a big enough leak, the electrical roof will stop working.
Dealers will potentially charge you thousands of dollars to replace them.
However, there are cheaper options available, such as having a third party rebuild the cylinders. The only issue here is that you will have remove the hydraulic cylinders yourself, or pay to have someone do it for you. The same goes for re-installing them.
It's a somewhat labour intensive job, and will take at least a weekend to do. From a difficulty standpoint, it's more involved and challenging than changing oil. If you have any mechanical aptitude, it is definitely do-able for the average person.
Check out Top Hydraulics out of Oregon. They specialize in rebuilding these hydraulic cylinders, and you will save thousands of dollars compared to having a dealer replace them. Top Hydraulics has excellent how-to videos on removing and replacing the hydraulic cylinders.
Good luck !
He's not kidding about shops high prices when cylinders need replacing. 5 years ago it was $1400 to replace one at an authorized garage. Within 18 months and 10-12 uses, it was time for another one. Even the fluid cost considerably more than expected
How do I manually trigger the small windows to go up??😓
What if your cables have broken off or won’t release
Hi, thanks for your videos, but I ask you for advice, I have the two rear glasses the two triangles that do not rise, can you tell me how to proceed to fix them?
Thank you
Donato Re did you ever get your rear windows to roll up ? I can’t get mines to roll up either but I closed the top
Alexis Tamia did you ever figure this out
Anyone get the small two windows to roll up? I need help
czcams.com/video/HTuZjn9Qy2M/video.html
Check out you same question in this video comment section regarding small, rear windows not rising. Answers were posted under the question by @beermeboi_007
I out the top back up manually but the reverse latches aren’t latching and I believe is preventing my rear quarter windows from rolling back up. Also there’s an annoying beeping noise and a flashing red lightning from the roof button indicating that the tru k isn’t all the way latched. Is there any way I can roll these windows up manually? Or lock the trunk?
Im having the same problem man :(
@@Nohaytranza I ended taking it to a local shop. They manually raised the windows for me and disconnected the actuator so it won't roll down again until I get the whole roof mechanism fixed eventually. they charged about $100
Beermeboi 007 i rolled the seat up, behind the carpet is a cable, disconnected it, and jump started it with the battery and a cable i took off of an old fan sitting in my warehouse, they automatically went up by themselves, then i closed the roof no problem.
How do you manually stow the roof on a 2006 SLK 280 if the hydraulic fluid has leaked out and it will not function. Can you make a video of that procedure.
Hello, we can definitely do that video when we get another R171 chassis SLK in for parts.
Hi mate, Currently my roof is open and cannot close, when i press the close button, the window go down but nothing happen after that. i took it to my mechanic and they accidently pull the right cable and it broke. what can i do to close the roof now. please help. thanks
When I pull the cables in the trunk, nothing happens.
My Y2K Corvette and 2004 Miata had manually operated tops and I worried about this problem with the Z4 until I traded it. Not a fan of hydraulics.
Necessary evil. We're talking cutting edge/luxury cars vs yours. Apples to oranges my man. Mercedes-Benz invented the car... the rest just follow suit. As little as I care for newer cars, Mercedes-Benz is making supercars to this day with the likes of AMG Black Series etc... They made the first supercars ever with the 300sl. No car prior was fuel injected. Guess you better get rid of those fancy cars ya got cause hey man Mercedes-Benz invented that too.
My top is not working Moter ok madules ok but hardtop not working plz help
Hey i have a slk 230 97 and my latches to the trunk wont close what could be wrong i dismantled all plastic and saw that there was a wire and some cable connected?🤔
Same problem!! Help!
@@jasongiles5603 yeah its really weird i dont have a leak i have checked all cylinders and wires and my pump runs🤔 the only problem i have is the damn latches who dont lock 😅
I'm playing with this now. If i figure it out, i will let you know
Ok, yes I dismantled everything also. I cut the black braided cable that runs to some kind of mechanism that is locked in the open position. Specifcally, the black cable is pulling the catch away from the latch, exactly like a hood latch. After cutting it, it locks, and you use the manual gray pull cable to release it. So two options 1) fix the system to normal operation ot 2) cut the cable and save your precious life seconds. Now, i can get vack to having fun tuning my roadster. I hope this helps!
I think i bought the left front fender from the car in the video!
Looked back, that was it! Thank you sir!
Can I open the roof manually too?
Been looking for a way to lower manually all over the internet for 6mnths and still haven’t found a solid ‘how to’.
I managed to close the roof but the trunk reveres opening latches didn't latch, please help i tried what you did in the video but it didn't work
Its been a couple days since we talked, were you able to get them to latch? If so, any special tricks to share with us on here?
@@RedlineAutoParts i didn't manage to make them latch, i have decided to wait till i buy a new cylinder and have the whole system fixed maybe then it will latch
Thank you for very much for the responsive customer support I greatly appreciate it
Right where ?
Why won’t my cable on the left side won’t release
howp to open manually?? 😢
I was able to do 99% of this. The roof will not latch on, I tried 3 times. Each time as I try to align it, it jumps up last second then incorrectly locks in place.
I know you get tons of questions but can you please tell how to lower roof manually? Because the reverse of these instructions do not work for this
czcams.com/video/JHINS0wAZxk/video.html
@@oqkdsi Thank you!!!!!!!
Can you open it manually too?
Would love to know this, as well!
How do you get the back windows back up
with the car on accessory or running, press the convertible top switch the same way you would to raise the roof, and the rear windows will raise up.
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate people like you who take the time to help others selflessly. May you be blessed
tastyorange but what happens if you press the switch and the red light doesn’t turn on and back windows won’t go up ...
@@williamcanas3253 czcams.com/video/HTuZjn9Qy2M/video.html
Very helpful video. Thank you. My only suggestion is that you never say "basically" ever again. It is a filler word like "y'know," "kind-of," and "literally."
Peace, out!
My top is not folding can you help ?
Does it initiate the process of rolling down the rear windows, then not doing anything else? Or it doesn't initiate any portion of the process.
Yes, I recently replaced the 2 main lift cylinders and top lock because the right main cylinder was leaking. After putting everything back together it won’t go past the service position. The windows roll down, the top retracts from roof but stops in a 90 degree angle like something is holding it.
I have a video and picture do you have an email address I can send you a video of what it is doing?
Could you please help me with something, so when I want to open the roof top it start to leak from the side and not sure why.
If the leak is coming from the front panel on the passenger side it is more than likely the hydraulic line that goes to the passenger side locking latch that got damaged, or the latch itself that is leaking.
There must be a dozen better places for the CD changer than the Freakin trunk!
Very common for late 80s to early 2000s luxury cars
This was early on with CD players in trunks. Even having a CD player in a car was fairly new in 1997!
So easy even I could do it lol
interesting video! I didn't know this was a hydraulic actuation; I would have thought electric motors would have been better suited.
as always, I'm happy I'm driving a soft top Miata and not a more complex and luxurious Mercedes product. I'm curious if the PRHT Miatas (NC2 & NC3) have a similar process?
The NC Miata's PRHT are thankfully all electric!
Explícame en español porfabor
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This was great help