By not washing it or planning a BBQ.Hi Nile
Not sure how you guarantee a sunny day- do let me know!
Mike
Nile, I've just bought a 2004 350 SL, and have had slightly similar issues to yours. Sometimes the roof opens, and sometimes it doesn't (when it's hot and sunny!) the dashboard indicator saying that the consumables are off line, after a run of about 30 mins all works normally. So I took it to an independent specialist in the Club handbooks list, and also emailed the SL Marque Captain of the Club who advised that you need to get a CTech battery conditioner to keep the aux batt fully topped up, as if the system detects a voltage drop then it all shuts down apparently.
When I took the car to the indy specialist, he advised that the aux battery was inadequate as it was just a normal starter batt, the aux needing to be a deep cycling heavy duty AGM type (which I ordered and he installed) to cope with raising the roof. moving the seats etc., which seems to have cured my woes, so far as the roof opened immediately today, having had the battery on charge overnight.
Good luck, they're really great cars but so complex!
Nice one..Hi Mike!
Think your diagnosis might have hit the mark. The car went in for it's MOT and 'B' service last week. Brought the car back home from my tame mechanic (about thirty miles) and noticed that the passenger seat had suffered a little "Overall Rash" (they aren't called grease monkeys for nothing I suppose). So I thought it a good opportunity to give the interior a bit of a clean. Now being a tall chap, one of the joys of owning a convertible is the ease of access to the interior with the roof down. So imagine my dismay when my convertible wouldn't........ well.............. convert. No indications on the dash as to what the issue might be and everything else appearing to work as expected. So my first consideration was a call to the spanner spinners and ask if maybe they might have dislodged something while servicing the car.
Then your post came to mind. I had bought a trickle charger some time ago, but hadn't needed to use it. Any old how, hooked the charger up to the accessory battery in the boot and the charger indicated that it was charging. The battery is Yuasa AGM battery and as far as I can tell, the correct type and specification for the car. However after about three hours the charger showed fully charged. So once disconnected and the boot put straight, time to check the roof. Hey presto! silky smooth faultless operation.
Conclusions. It's probably likely that while receiving it's service that interior lights, etc, etc, may well have drained the accessory battery and despite the drive home, dropped to a charge level where the car would not operate the vario-roof. It may well have been that at the time of my original posting, that the frequent use of the roof within a fairly short period of time and other equipment like the heated seats and air-scarf operated during the trip. That the accessory battery charge might well have dropped to a particular level that the roof failed to operate correctly, rather than a more sinister electro mechanical problem.
So the next job on the list is to get the accessory battery properly checked out!!
So thanks for the advice Mike and hopefully this might enlighten others following this post.
My 230 handled it ok but I only used it occasionally to be honest as a gimmick or on those odd occasions when I was looking out my office window at the 230 melting so opened it up before I went out.Smart top being fitted Friday, this exchange now has me thinking to use they key fob (A major reason for the module as the existing infra red is next to useless) the engine will not be running .
Maybe the R231 battery can handle it as I guess it will be newer and my car is a daily driver but I do not own a trickle charger or empty enough garage to use one if I'm wrong.
I wonder if I can find an Auto start module for the car?
Mercedes SL500 R231
Thinks it's sticky m switch as said. Or one damaged s./ How when getting stuff in out of bootHi there Flowrider!
Not as yet. The car is booked in with a local Benz specialist for an hour on their Star diagnostics kit tomorrow as it happens.
Interestingly the other day I gave the roof another go (sun was out and it looked as if it was going to be a dry day.........just in case!!!!). Opening the roof did the same trick again. Stopped at about two or three inches. So closed it up and tried again. This time the boot opened fully, roof panels packed away, but then the boot lid stops half way to closing. However, another pull back on the switch to "open" the roof rather than close it all back up saw the whole roof stowage process completed and no worrying messages on the dash.
So not looking to waste a bit of sunshine and the opportunity of some open top motoring, I took the car out for a run (local'ish you understand........ Just in case). On getting home about an hour later, parked the car up on the drive, pressed down on the roof switch and about ten or so seconds later, roofs up all snug and secure.
I am wondering, if as suggested, it is either a micro switch fault or as I can feel in my water, more likely an ECU fault. Hopefully being plugged into the correct diagnostics might help.
There is a switch in the door lartch that tells system u have closed door. I had that on v doz a little fiddling with it and my similar issue ref windows resolved.Hello all,
My 2003 SL350...a loveley car that it is , is just starting to over stay its welcome.
I can get the roof to go up and down perfectly but its that final touch where the windows go back up the last 5mm . I can drive the car but it thinks the roof is still closing and an alarm sounds.
When I lock it and walk away they should go up a few mm but nothing happens. Any idea out there in MB land??...I cant be doing with it and its going back on ebay when its fixed. I did happen to let the boot battery go flat...I wonderedn if that was the problem.
John