I can't tell you how grateful I am for this and all your other videos regarding this car and its convertible top! I searched for hours before I found yours and it is the exact information I needed! There were a few times I ran into a snag that made me worry that I couldn't get it done. I knew there were no other videos that were like yours. But then all I had to do was go back and rewatch your video and I found the answer to the very thing I was having trouble with! (Example: my roof wouldn't stay locked!) You had all the answers and without going off topic or rambling on, as so many TH-cam videos do, you taught me everything I needed to know. Thank you for the insightful and very well produced video series!
Wow great video! I got my 2007 R171 SLK350 in late 2006 and drove it for 16 years and got lucky that the roof never malfunctioned. I was on the edge of my seat and super nervous throughout the entire video even though I sold my car a few years ago 😂
Thanks for the kind words. It is smart to be proactive on the cylinders if you plan to hang on to the car, so that the preventative maintenance is done on your terms, as opposed to an emergency repair.
Hola Thanks for your quick response! Thanks to the video of opening the hood you can understand how to do the procedure. In any case, your confirmation of the procedure is very useful to me.
Good job! Very informative videos. You helped me figure which of the sequencing switches were not activated so we could get the windows up on a malfunctioning hydraulic unit. ❤
Hello Klaus, I followed the steps in this video but at the last part where you moved the right trunk lid cylinder from its backward position to the FORWARD position, how did you do that? I can’t seem to move the trunk cylinder forward because it was hard. I was connecting the cylinder with the ball joint while trying to move it both to the forward position right?
This was a great help, unfortunately I allowed the pressure to release but my lock on the roof still moves back enough to trigger the sensor. Any suggestions? tia
There are three ways to relieve extra pressure in the pump's reservoir: 1) Disconnect the rod end (top) of one of the trunk lid cylinders from the ball joint for the trunk lid. This means you will have to reconnect it once the problem is fixed that made you close the top manually in the first place. 2) Disconnect one of the hoses from a trunk lid cylinder while you manually latch the front lock cylinder: this will let a little fluid (less than an ounce) come out of the hose and depressurize the reservoir. Don't forget to reconnect the hose! 3) Take out the pump, hold it with the reservoir pointing up, crack open the fill plug, manually lock the top, close teh fill plug. This way, only air escapes, but it's the most labor intense approach.
Hello, I need to open the hood of my SLK 350 (171) manually. The hydraulics on the hood broke. The hood closing video is excellent. Do you have any video to explain manual opening? I'm from Argentina and the official dealers are very very expensive at the moment. thank you
We don't have a video on manually opening the top - the process is easier than manual closing it. Lower the windows, close the trunk divider, open the pressure relief valve on the pump, open the trunk lid as shown in the video on manually closing the top, unlatch the front with a 6-mm Allen wrench, manually retract the top. Please contact us directly about shipping parts to Argentina once you know what you need.
Any modern convertible top will fail at some point unless the car gets wrecked prematurely. The failure is predictable, depending on age, use and climate. It is completely preventable with preventative maintenance, at age 10-15 years, which entails replacing the five cylinders and the pump. See tophydraulics.com/40-r171-slk-class-04-11
The quarter windows should close with the push of your top button after you have fully locked the top and the switch on the right trunk lid cylinder is giving the signal that the trunk lid is secured. We are going over the three ways to secure the trunk lid starting here in the video: th-cam.com/video/pcQm1CXNK8c/w-d-xo.html
@@TopHydraulics Since my trunk lid wasn't closing, I followed the rachet strap method, locked the top, and could close the lid. The front lock (now repaired, stayed in locked position) previously leaked a fair bit of oil, so the pump reservoir is definitely not full and, in fact, will need to be topped up. Once everything was in the closed position (roof, trunk lid, pump relief valve closed), I tried operating the switch to close the rear window with no success. I can hear the pump running, but nothing happens. Any suggestions?
It’s the reverse process, make sure to lower the windows first: Windows down, open the valve on the pump, lift the trunk lid, flip back the trunk lid, unlock the front of the top, etc…
First of all thanks for this but a couple of things. First, the tight quarters make it very difficult to slide the clip down the hydraulic tube. In the open air sure it is easy. Down in that hole not so easy. Second, separating the sensor from the tube will most definitely break the plastic base on a sensor that can be almost 20 years old. It is plastic. The plastic that was used in this video is new. The plastic on your car has seen many elements and temperature extremes. It will break easily. So while this can be done and possibly with success, the chance of failure does exist.
Thanks for your comment, I agree that the chance of failure exists and that quarters are very tight down by the trunk lid. I'm not sure that I understand the comment correctly, though. I have separated the sensor from the cylinder repeatedly in the car and it didn't break. Of course, one has to be careful and of course, plastic can break easily. However, no new plastic was used in the video - it was all from the car in the video. Klaus
@@TopHydraulics The plastic sensor that you showed being removed from the hydraulic cylinder and the cylinder itself was from that car? I’m not trying to be negative here. I would have never known this switch even existed before watching your video. It at least guided me in the right direction. However I can say that my sensor plastic was way more brittle than this. My car probably lived a different life than the one in this video. I’ve owned it for 17 years. Either way thanks for the video. I was just trying to tell people that the area in the trunk is VERY tight and mistakes can happen easily in such cramped quarters and just to be careful.
@@fitfogey If your switch was brittle, then it was a good thing this happened while you were working on it, as opposed to having a top malfunction due to a faulty switch at some random point. The part number is printed on the switch: A1718207610.
Reverse the steps, but first roll down the rear windows with the console button (if it does not work, fix that electrical issue and test the roof again). Open the valve in the center console, and the roof locks near the rearview mirror. Put the trunk lid in the described position...and open the roof using most force on the c pillars.
I can't tell you how grateful I am for this and all your other videos regarding this car and its convertible top! I searched for hours before I found yours and it is the exact information I needed! There were a few times I ran into a snag that made me worry that I couldn't get it done. I knew there were no other videos that were like yours. But then all I had to do was go back and rewatch your video and I found the answer to the very thing I was having trouble with! (Example: my roof wouldn't stay locked!) You had all the answers and without going off topic or rambling on, as so many TH-cam videos do, you taught me everything I needed to know. Thank you for the insightful and very well produced video series!
Wow great video!
I got my 2007 R171 SLK350 in late 2006 and drove it for 16 years and got lucky that the roof never malfunctioned. I was on the edge of my seat and super nervous throughout the entire video even though I sold my car a few years ago 😂
AMAZING! I can't wait to order the replacement cylinders but knowing how to close the top in an emergency is very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words. It is smart to be proactive on the cylinders if you plan to hang on to the car, so that the preventative maintenance is done on your terms, as opposed to an emergency repair.
Thanks Klaus! And thank you for always doing an awesome job on the cylinders that I sent in👍🏻
Hola
Thanks for your quick response!
Thanks to the video of opening the hood you can understand how to do the procedure. In any case, your confirmation of the procedure is very useful to me.
I am thinking of getting a slk soon , this really helps me out.
Thank you for the extrememly helpful and clear video.
Great super video this will help people who have a problem with their roof.
Good job! Very informative videos. You helped me figure which of the sequencing switches were not activated so we could get the windows up on a malfunctioning hydraulic unit. ❤
Great Video. Excellent explanation
Amazing thanks very much🙏🏽❤️🙌🏽🌟👌
Thank you for your clear and precise explanation. It is very helpful
That is so great !
Can’t wait to see you do that when it rain in Florida on side off the highway! 😂
Great explanation!
Would be great to have a video about how to replace the hard top fluid with a new one.
Filling the pump with fluid is covered here: th-cam.com/video/l6ZZb2VCJ3A/w-d-xo.html
@@TopHydraulics Excellent!! THank you very much!! 👍
Amazing, wow! This is great to know, holding thumbs I never have to do this.
Haha... Holding thumbs?
@@BourneCreatives Fingers crossed, that better?
Hello Klaus, I followed the steps in this video but at the last part where you moved the right trunk lid cylinder from its backward position to the FORWARD position, how did you do that? I can’t seem to move the trunk cylinder forward because it was hard. I was connecting the cylinder with the ball joint while trying to move it both to the forward position right?
Thank you very much! It's very helpful!
This was a great help, unfortunately I allowed the pressure to release but my lock on the roof still moves back enough to trigger the sensor. Any suggestions? tia
There are three ways to relieve extra pressure in the pump's reservoir:
1) Disconnect the rod end (top) of one of the trunk lid cylinders from the ball joint for the trunk lid. This means you will have to reconnect it once the problem is fixed that made you close the top manually in the first place.
2) Disconnect one of the hoses from a trunk lid cylinder while you manually latch the front lock cylinder: this will let a little fluid (less than an ounce) come out of the hose and depressurize the reservoir. Don't forget to reconnect the hose!
3) Take out the pump, hold it with the reservoir pointing up, crack open the fill plug, manually lock the top, close teh fill plug. This way, only air escapes, but it's the most labor intense approach.
very well done video
Hello, I need to open the hood of my SLK 350 (171) manually. The hydraulics on the hood broke. The hood closing video is excellent. Do you have any video to explain manual opening? I'm from Argentina and the official dealers are very very expensive at the moment. thank you
We don't have a video on manually opening the top - the process is easier than manual closing it. Lower the windows, close the trunk divider, open the pressure relief valve on the pump, open the trunk lid as shown in the video on manually closing the top, unlatch the front with a 6-mm Allen wrench, manually retract the top.
Please contact us directly about shipping parts to Argentina once you know what you need.
Thank you sir
Is it common for these power roofs to fail? The mechanics of this roof are so cool to see function.
Any modern convertible top will fail at some point unless the car gets wrecked prematurely. The failure is predictable, depending on age, use and climate. It is completely preventable with preventative maintenance, at age 10-15 years, which entails replacing the five cylinders and the pump. See tophydraulics.com/40-r171-slk-class-04-11
very good job!!! what is the size is the allen wrench to Open the valve in the center console?
M6
Hey Top hydraulics i was wondering how do you close the little rear windows
The quarter windows should close with the push of your top button after you have fully locked the top and the switch on the right trunk lid cylinder is giving the signal that the trunk lid is secured. We are going over the three ways to secure the trunk lid starting here in the video: th-cam.com/video/pcQm1CXNK8c/w-d-xo.html
double tap down and hold on the same button for putting the convertible down. it will lower both side windows and the rear windows
@TopHydraulics i had to install xentry on my laptop some russian helped me out and then i can control my little windows
you can do it without that. for the R171 SLK (at least 2006 and up) its built into the car. You just can't control one at a time.@@plank5370
@@TopHydraulics Since my trunk lid wasn't closing, I followed the rachet strap method, locked the top, and could close the lid. The front lock (now repaired, stayed in locked position) previously leaked a fair bit of oil, so the pump reservoir is definitely not full and, in fact, will need to be topped up. Once everything was in the closed position (roof, trunk lid, pump relief valve closed), I tried operating the switch to close the rear window with no success. I can hear the pump running, but nothing happens. Any suggestions?
This is excellent! I just wish you also had a video to show the opposite. I’ll just assume you do the same thing but a few things in reverse?
Correct, it’s the same thing more or less in reverse. Don’t forget to lower the windows first.
I need to know how to open the roof manually.
It’s the reverse process, make sure to lower the windows first:
Windows down, open the valve on the pump, lift the trunk lid, flip back the trunk lid, unlock the front of the top, etc…
Good video. I hope I never have to do it.
First of all thanks for this but a couple of things.
First, the tight quarters make it very difficult to slide the clip down the hydraulic tube. In the open air sure it is easy. Down in that hole not so easy.
Second, separating the sensor from the tube will most definitely break the plastic base on a sensor that can be almost 20 years old. It is plastic. The plastic that was used in this video is new. The plastic on your car has seen many elements and temperature extremes. It will break easily.
So while this can be done and possibly with success, the chance of failure does exist.
Thanks for your comment, I agree that the chance of failure exists and that quarters are very tight down by the trunk lid. I'm not sure that I understand the comment correctly, though. I have separated the sensor from the cylinder repeatedly in the car and it didn't break. Of course, one has to be careful and of course, plastic can break easily. However, no new plastic was used in the video - it was all from the car in the video.
Klaus
@@TopHydraulics The plastic sensor that you showed being removed from the hydraulic cylinder and the cylinder itself was from that car? I’m not trying to be negative here. I would have never known this switch even existed before watching your video. It at least guided me in the right direction. However I can say that my sensor plastic was way more brittle than this. My car probably lived a different life than the one in this video. I’ve owned it for 17 years. Either way thanks for the video. I was just trying to tell people that the area in the trunk is VERY tight and mistakes can happen easily in such cramped quarters and just to be careful.
@@TopHydraulics One last thing. Can you provide the name and part number of that sensor? I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
@@fitfogey If your switch was brittle, then it was a good thing this happened while you were working on it, as opposed to having a top malfunction due to a faulty switch at some random point. The part number is printed on the switch: A1718207610.
@@TopHydraulics Thank you.
How to open the top manually
😮
Reverse the steps, but first roll down the rear windows with the console button (if it does not work, fix that electrical issue and test the roof again). Open the valve in the center console, and the roof locks near the rearview mirror. Put the trunk lid in the described position...and open the roof using most force on the c pillars.
Poor guy. Mercedes can do better than this key stone cop skit. This should be on Saturday Night show. I got a laugh out of his struggles.
Thank you very much!!!! Good job!!!