I am a "newbie" to the Mercedes world, having (finally) bought myself the SL I have wanted for years. So this is probably a typical "newbie" question... What is the best storage method for the hard-top (flat on floor, wall hangers, or what?), and is it worthwhile too invest in a hardtop-hoist?

The temptation of not having to bribe the "significant other" to help haul the top off during our (few) rainless days makes a hoist attractive, but I have not been able to find a UK company offering them. Does anyone know of any such company?

Thanks

SteveG

Ps - For those interested: the new joy is a '99 SL320, Silver, and excellent! :)

hi-
congratulations on your new baby!
lots of posts on this topic. you may want to
do a search on hoist/storage/etc.

I have a hoist system from eztop and love it! They
are a us company and can be found at:

http://www.eztop.com/


great product and great people to do biz with.


oh, even with the eztop hoist, i still get my SO to help.
I want to avoid any potential mistakes......

Thanks lymlyt,

The website was most helpful and their product is exactly what I was looking for. Shame about the shipping charges to the UK from the US though (ouch!).

I'm sure there must be a source here in the UK, other than MB who want about US$1000 for one! I can see more searching of the web is required.

Cheers

SteveG

My Benz dealer (here in the USA) will remove the top, check out the soft top, store the hard top, wax the hard top, and reinstall it in the fall all for the fee of $400 USD. Personally I'll buy the hoist.
tony

Wow!! For $1000, you can get two motorized hoists in the US!!!

I have found then sold at Performance Products http://www.************************, Precision Auto Designs http://www.precisionauto.com and Beverly Hills Motoring http://www.bhma.com. Generally sold for around $150 in the US.
Electric hoists are also available for around $500, but I find that to be an absolute waste of money unless you have a physical disability, or like to install and remove your hardtop as often as you open your garage door.

I installed my unit in my garage in a couple of hours, and the (careful) installation and removal of the top is a one-man operation (since my one-woman doesn't care to get involved). Takes me about fifteen minutes to do either task.

For extra protection to your hardtop (especially if you have an earthy kind of garage) is to get the hardtop cover (about $50) as well. That way, if your top is stored for long periods, you won't get in your car and find a tarantula or something crawling across your headliner!

Look at post 15311 on the Tech Help thread, Mar 19, 2001; Roof hoist, 560SL.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/15311-roof-hoist-560-sl.html

Hoist and carriage at less than £90
 

Try looking at
http://carpartsdiscount.zoovy.com/results.cgis?catalog=&keywords=hoist&x=10&y=10

I've recently bought one and it works a treat plus the delivery and carriage control is great (it took 5 days to come of the 4 - 10 days quoted).

Cheers
Jim

I made my own with a boat winch from Northern Hydraulics, pulleys and cargo straps from Home Depot all for about $60.00 US.

John Roncallo

I bought mine from Performance Products several years ago, and it works very well. At that time, I paid approximately $185. :)

SteveG,

Like you I'm here in the UK; and my wife doesn't like helping me get the hard top on and off. Besides, every time she has done it, she has nearly dropped it.

Storage: get yourself a stand or cart. There is one from the dealer which is competitively priced and works well. It is about 160quid. You can pick them up on e-Bay for less, some are proper MB jobs, others are third party. The attraction of the MB job is that it folds up when not in use. Without a stand or cart, you run the risk of chipping or scratching the top, or damaging the locator pins.

As for removal, again, the dealer will supply a hoist. I have the Mercedes-Benz hardtop shuttle. This is a crane on wheels (like an engine crane) designed by MB for removing and refitting the hardtop as a one man job. It is excellent in every way. The advantage of the shuttle is that you can line up the crane with the car, which is a lot easier than lining up the car with a hoist fixed to your garage roof. Also, you don't need to fix it to your garage. Finally, with the hoist, it is still a two man job, one to operate the hoist, the other to guide the top into place.

Your MB dealer has both the shuttle and the garage roof hoist. I don't know about cost. There are a number of hoist manufacturers who advertise in the pages of Mercedes Enthusiast. There is usually a garage roof mounted hoist for sale on UK e-Bay (I search in e-Bay motors under "SL" or "129"). A hardtop shuttle appears on UK e-Bay about twice a year. I have attached a picture of my shuttle.

I hope this helps.

http://www.fototime.com/F8E87AA72919704/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/F4685B86F54F73F/standard.jpg

edit: I've just noticed how old this post is: where are all these old posts coming from?