2000 CLK430 Convertible Top Not Closing
 

I have a 2000 CLK430 convertible with 26K miles. I seldom drive this car and leave the top down in the garage. I tried closing the top today and rear hatch slow opened and the top did not even come up. Please help.

Is there a way to manually close the top?

Regards,

Neil

did you check your fuses,make sure your tray in the trunk is fully closed. you also have fluid however, you have to take the trunk carpet out etc...to check it. also check your owners manual, it has instructions on how to manually open/close your top...good luck

Thanks for the info. I just filed the convertible hydraulic reservior and was putting the top up when fluid started leaking in the trunk. The hydraulic fluild was leaking from the top inside the trunk. Any advice on fixing the leak would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

the mechanic said mine leaked slowly for years. if its leaking/shooting out you will probably need new reservior/pump etc...the problem is its not holding pressure which is not letting the top raise up or down. pull all of your carpet,panels etc... and you will see your reservior. get someone to operate the top and check to see if you can find the leak. if it gets stuck you can use the thin weird tool in your "tool set" to slide between the back seat and the hard tonneu cover in the middle and you will feel/hear it "latch/catch",,,turn it and the cover will open and then you can manually operate the top. depending on how handy you are you can replace the pump its not a big deal or,,,find someone that would do it besides the stealership....it will not be covered under warranty,,,feel free to contact me to let me now how it worked out or if I can help further, tony

My 01 clk430 tops stops going backward when I open it and I have to shove it with my hand to get it to continue to close. Lubricating the hinges helps but I still have the problem. Does anyone know if this a low fluid or alignment issue? I hear others have the problem but the dealer is not familiar with it.

Im no mechanic but sounds like a fluid issue to me. it seems as if it has just enough fluid to get it to a certain point. if you dont know how to check your fluid let me know.

Thank you. What is the procedure for checking the convertible top fluid level?

if its stopping pretty much before the top goes back you could need the cables that pull the front backward. if you push up where the grab handle is on the top to push back the top then it operates...you need the cables. how far into the opening procedure does the top stop working. is the top go back at all or stop? 75 percent of the time the tension cables go bad therefore the front of the top doesnt "bend" backward or up. if the top works fine after you push up the front then the cables are bad or broken. but the problem could be any number of microswitches for the top. knowing when it stops is crucial to help the diagnosis.

chassis221 is hitting the nail on the head. mine just happened to be a fluid issue. our mechanic said excactly what chassis221 stated, it just so happened to be my fluid.

convertible top closing
 

I noticed a severed elastic strap on each side above the driver and passenger window protruding from the top. Could this be the "cable" that is refered to? The straps are about 1/2 in wide and badly decomposed -possibly due to weathering. About 5 inches are hanging from each side.