R230 Roof bolts-A Brief 'How to'

reflexboy

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I replaced the roof bolts on my SL today with the newer, modified bolts and took a few pictures that will hopefully help others if they wish to do this simple mod. When comparing the old and new bolts I really cannot see any difference except that the new ones measured two hundredths of a mil bigger on my micrometer and the old ones are painted black. Other than that I cannot say if they have improved the rattle as I have not yet driven the car.
I will do this 'how to' in two posts as I am only able to post three photos per post.

Firstly you will need to get the roof into the 'intermediate' position and either prop it with a piece of timber between the front edge of the roof and the top of the windscreen, or as I found in my case, I ran a strap around the roof section and tied it to my garage roof beams as I found that in order to get to the bolts in question the roof needs to be in such a position that the C pillars are almost vertical. With them in the vertical position the roof is just about at it's see-saw pivot point where it could fall either forwards or backwards, hence I strapped it.
The first pic show the new bolts and the part number and the second picture the position I needed to get the roof at to get good access to the bolts. The third picture shows the position of the bolts that need replacing. In this and the fourth picture I am looking from the opposite side of the boot towards the bolt head, so the bolt heads are located facing the middle of the boot (or each other, inwards, if that makes sense)
 

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reflexboy

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Picture five shows the bolt being undone. For this you will need a T30 Torx bit. The bolts will have had thread lock used on them during assembly so they may be quite tight.
Once the thread has been undone, you may need to prise the bolt out form the hole with a large flat blade screwdriver as there is still a little weight on the these pivot bolts from the roof assembly. Picture six shows this.
Once the old bolt is out, simply slide the new one in. If the new bolt is difficult to get in, then place one hand under the bottom of the now vertical C pillar and wiggle it about a little to move the pivot joint so you can sort of ‘wiggle’ the new bolt in. Tighten up well and that’s one side done.
Repeat on the other side and the entire job is completed.
 

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rpe2

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For the non-SL owners among us, what benefits do the new bolts bring?
 
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reflexboy

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For the non-SL owners among us, what benefits do the new bolts bring?

Apparently they cure/lessen an annoying rattle in the C pillar area of the car
 
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reflexboy

reflexboy

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Does anyone know how these new bolts differ from the originals?
 

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Does anyone know how these new bolts differ from the originals?

Yes if you mic them up the ground part of the shank is shorter, there was some sideways play for the roof arms on the old bolts, shortening the ground part of the shank has taken the play out.
 
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reflexboy

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Well, I have just driven the car an the rattle seems a little less pronounced. TBH it was never really bad anyway, I just thought being a May 2002 car, I would change them. When I compared the old and new bolts they looked identical. Oh well, it kept me busy for an hour.
 

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So on to the next area to check out my friend... I have all but given up on the 'clunk' from mine as I drive over any kind of bump ... Checked c pillars , tightened roof bolts... Still there... Now suspecting the rear window.... So hard to pin these things down... Music up loud and bump avoidance for me ATM ..will check it in summer when I can mess about easier outside the garage without freezing my bollocks off....
 

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The next ones to check are the ones behind the black plastic covers on the sides of the rear glass
 
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Rattle solved.

Well, having done the roof bolts which turned out not to be the cause of my rattle and then me realizing that my car probably already had the modified bolts in, I have finally cured my rattle. This involved all sixteen stone of me being shut in the boot (yes, I was very squashed and I can confirm it is possible-just) and getting an accomplice to push down on each rear corner of the boot lid as that is what needed to be done to replicate the 'rattle'.
It turned out to be the plastic blocks bolted to the the boot lid either side and the sides of the boot shut on the plastic trim. When I go over a bump I got an awful rattle coming from both sides hence I originally thought it was the roof bolts. Wrong! These blocks locate onto each other and are a tight fit. When driving over a bump these make a cracking sound rather like a dry window rubber on the glass. Due to the location of these I couldn't just put a layer of grease on them as every time I leaned into the boot I would get grease on my clothes so I used good old Pledge polish and a bit of rubber and nylon lubricant (courtesy of Halfrauds) and bingo, problem solved.
So any of you with a rattle each side in the rear do check these. A good way to confirm if this is the cause is to cover the ones at the boot opening with a thin cloth then close the boot and go for a bumpy drive. I hope this helps some of you guys with these annoying rattles. Jim.
 

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television

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Thank you for that post,,, good news for all 230 owners :D:D
 
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