Thank you for this video. I recently had the same problem on my 1983 380SL. As there was no indentation behind the wire in my car I had to find another solution. To begin with I had a good light which I could put under the cover to illuminate the locking mechanism. I saw that there is a small crack between the catch on the cover and the catch in the body mechanism. I got a very thin 6 inch screwdriver and able to put the end of it in the crack and after a few taps on the end of the screwdriver with a soft mallet the cover sprang open. What helped me most though was to see the mechanism in your video. Thanks a lot.
Thanks a Million This happened to my 420 SL in 2019, I followed your instructions, fixed it Now in 2022 it happened to my Brothers 500SL......back to your video, same fix 😎
This worked a treat, thanks for posting as I would have never got this open. A tip for anyone else is get a really bright light and you will see this indentation at the top of the spring.
Thank you for posting this video . It is very helpful. Also you have a very nice SL. I'll keep your video in mind , in case my 1982 SL380 ever has this issue . Just a thought , I'll always inspect the latch-rod assembly during each use , when I'm operating the soft top and taking off / putting on the hard top. Best Regards
@thaddeauscaldwell7101 hi, what inspection are you doing? I had the storage area open and looked around, there was no crud, leaves, or rust laying around. What am I looking for? Thanks
This video helped me get the latch open. But, now that's it's open, I can't seem to diagnose the problem as to why the lever is not operating the wire as designed. Everything seems to be in tact, but the passenger side latch doesn't rock back and forth when I pull and push the driver side lever. Please HELP!
Sorry, somehow I missed the notification for this! Did you figure it out? If not, is the cable assembly intact from the latch handle (behind DS seat) all the way around to the PS latch? If there's an interruption/break, then the PS latch won't work. Feel free to DM me.
Sometimes a screwdriver is not ideal to reach those places. Buy a cheap pick of the right length and then modify it. A more complicated issue is releasing the pin in the center under the glass and I have made a tool that works nicely for that.
Thank you for this video. I recently had the same problem on my 1983 380SL. As there was no indentation behind the wire in my car I had to find another solution. To begin with I had a good light which I could put under the cover to illuminate the locking mechanism. I saw that there is a small crack between the catch on the cover and the catch in the body mechanism. I got a very thin 6 inch screwdriver and able to put the end of it in the crack and after a few taps on the end of the screwdriver with a soft mallet the cover sprang open. What helped me most though was to see the mechanism in your video. Thanks a lot.
Thanks a Million
This happened to my 420 SL in 2019, I followed your instructions, fixed it
Now in 2022 it happened to my Brothers 500SL......back to your video, same fix 😎
So happy I could help!
This worked a treat, thanks for posting as I would have never got this open. A tip for anyone else is get a really bright light and you will see this indentation at the top of the spring.
got the same issue on my 87 SL. Thank you very much. I am summoning the courage to give this a try.
You just save me hours of frustration. Got it freed up in 30 minutes because of you. Thank you!
Thank you. That was my goal 😎
that was the best tip on the internet I found after searching for couple of hours and trying to do this myself. thanks
Awesome so glad I could help!
Thank you for posting this video . It is very helpful.
Also you have a very nice SL.
I'll keep your video in mind , in case my 1982 SL380 ever has this issue .
Just a thought , I'll always inspect the latch-rod assembly during each use , when I'm operating the soft top and taking off / putting on the hard top.
Best
Regards
@thaddeauscaldwell7101 hi, what inspection are you doing? I had the storage area open and looked around, there was no crud, leaves, or rust laying around. What am I looking for? Thanks
Great tutorial; You saved us
This video helped me get the latch open. But, now that's it's open, I can't seem to diagnose the problem as to why the lever is not operating the wire as designed. Everything seems to be in tact, but the passenger side latch doesn't rock back and forth when I pull and push the driver side lever. Please HELP!
@joecapozzoli9449 Did you get it resolved? I had this issue over the weekend.
Sorry, somehow I missed the notification for this! Did you figure it out? If not, is the cable assembly intact from the latch handle (behind DS seat) all the way around to the PS latch? If there's an interruption/break, then the PS latch won't work. Feel free to DM me.
Thank you! 😂 it's been stuck for me too
Thank you for this, I will t ry this on my 280SL and see if it works as yours.
Sometimes a screwdriver is not ideal to reach those places. Buy a cheap pick of the right length and then modify it. A more complicated issue is releasing the pin in the center under the glass and I have made a tool that works nicely for that.
Cool what’s the tool?
I just laughed at the 6" comment..
THANK YOU!!!!!
I need to try this tomorrow. My ‘83 has the same issue.
How’d it go?
I would like to know as well how it went
Pls use light for dark scenes!
Yessir yessir I sure will! Anything else I can do for you?