dsb

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I recommend leaving it at 30 but only using it at lower speeds like you've mentioned. There have been times when I've started to lower it at a light. Then the light changed before the the top was lowered completely. Having that extra speed allowed me to slowly accelerate while it continued to drop. Lowering the max speed could cause a problem in such a situation.

In fact, before the Smarttop, I was once caught in that same situation. I had to drive through the intersection with the top suspended in action, pulled over, then let it complete the sequence... all the while feeling a bit dumb. That was one of the reasons in purchasing the Smarttop.

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DansSlk

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Hi Bill,

I think dsb has a good idea with the roof, if you make sure you only operate it at slower speed's thats great but if you are caught in a situation that you need to get moving then your not stuck with a half opened roof.

10-15 sounds OK to me as a limit for normal use just make sure you have a smooth road also, i have pictures somewhere of an unfortunate SL that had un-commanded roof activation at freeway speed's and as the roof came up the wind took it and ripped the whole tubular frame with the entire roof and trunk lid attached off of the car.

NLBenz, that wouldn't be Steve would it? I understand he does very good work but is quite expensive, I've not spoken to him personally so i certainly don't intend to bad mouth the guy but have a think about what's DIY and what MB can do with warranty protection that you or him won't have.

This bit always tends to baffle people because of the huge difference between the car's but under the skin the 171 SLK is the 211 E, a quick look at some of the part numbers always gets a surprised reaction so your E class is a good measure of reliability to use on the SLK for your warranty choice.

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Zeiser50

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Welcome from France !!

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etyu

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Yes, the CANBUS cover lifts towards the broad side of the assembly (the face that has all the small squares).

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etyu

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I would echo what dsb and Dan stated on the SmartTop.

Program it for 30 mph but only use at 10-15 mph. If you program it at a lower speed (e.g., 15 mph) and say you inadvertently moved at 16mph, the SmartTop will beep and end the roof movement. You then have to lower the speed below 15 mph before it starts moving and this takes another 2-3 seconds for the module to "think" or compute and initiate the roof sequence.

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mtiede

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I sure hope our SmartTops can't fail in such a way. Driving down the highway and having the roof start to open sounds like not a good thing.

DansSlk

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It was the SmartTop, Mercedes controller was fine (never seen one of them do this and they have safety systems for just this reason).

It got a command and acted on it, mod at your own risk right?

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Good points all about the max speed and the SmartTop. I am being very careful, especially with the car being new to me right now. And yes, mod at your own risk, to be sure.

Dan, it is Steve that is NLBenz. You are right, he isn't cheap - that's more true now than the last time I had him do work for me, with the exchange rate between euros and dollars today. But his work was very careful and thorough, and still was less expensive than having the dealer perform the same changes to the car. The parts are the same, version coding is done properly, etc. In fact, the local dealers have used Steve's services on occasion to do work that they had problems with, or for which they weren't getting factory support. Early sat radio installs when pre-wiring was no longer included on the W211, but dealer had promised them to customers, was but one example. Furthermore, I could write a short novel with hard-to-believe experiences with more than one local MB dealer. In 3 of the chapters my car ends up damaged while in the dealers possession, to the point of requiring body work to repair it. Other incidents are more mundane, only involving broken trim pieces in the interior. Simple annoyances like making 3 trips to get a repair completed correctly would be merely footnotes. Some friends are amazed I bought the slk after those experiences with the E class, which was my first MB. So, I'm more than happy to have Steve work on the slk when he is here later this month.

I'll do a search for historic discussions about this later, but if someone throws a pointer here I'd appreciate it. I'm wondering, what do most of you with the 030 package set your tire pressures? I checked last night and found mine barely at 30psi, when the sticker on the door calls for 36/39 front/rear. Will be adjusting upward later tonight, thought I'd ask about preferences among those of you who've had the car and gone through more than one set of tires so far.

DansSlk

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Again mate certainly not intending to criticize the man i just feel for what he does his prices are perhaps a tad high especially as he cannot offer warranty protection.

Your dealer sound's ar$e do you have another one you could use? Why give them your money if they cannot take care of your car right mate.

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My fear with the SmartTop is accidental activation by ME. I wear a bracelet on my right wrist, and it has gotten wrapped around the control knob more than once. Equally worried about the wife accidentally bumping it when she sleeps in the car on road trips. 10 to 15 limit sounds like a good idea to me. I have not yet programmed it, but plan to this week.

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2007 Black/Black SLK55 AMG (Green Filters, SmartTop V1, Eurolight Clear Side Markers, R170 Modded Antenna)
2007 Pewter/Black ML350
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billh556

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Dan, I have even less publishable names for the dealers. Note the plural - this happened to my car at 2 different local MB dealers. I would barely believe that if I were reading about it in someone else's post, but it really did happen. I'm still a customer of the 2nd dealer because: 1) they told me about it up front, and didn't wait for me to discover it; and 2) they've gone to great lengths to make it right and compensate me for the events.

Still hard to believe... and I'm now in the habit of carefully walking around the car when I pick it up from a service visit.

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Hello Everyone,

I've been reviewing these forums for a couple of weeks now and have been meaning to submit a post to thank all of you who take the time to share your comments and experiences as fellow SLK owners. This has been the greatest resource for all things SLK. I initially stumbled upon this site as I was searching for information regarding setting up the integrated phone system in my 2005 SLK 350. I found more information on this site than I could have imagined and have been hooked on it ever since. It didn't take long before I got distracted by what I reading regarding the SmartTop module. I can see why so many agree it is a must-have mod for any SLK. After reading through the experiences of those who already have the SmartTop, I felt confident I could attempt the install as well. I ordered mine a few days ago and it should be getting delivered TODAY! I know what I'll be doing later...I can't wait. In fact, I went out to my garage and dropped the top the old-school, "stand-right-next-to-the-car-thinking-to-yourself-this is cool, but I feel stupid standing here" way. Only this time I thought, "Man, I am so glad there's a cooler way to do this. This is going to be awesome!". Hopefully all will go well with the installation. And if not, I know where I can go for support. It's great reading about how much other are enjoying their SLKs...makes love mine even more. Next project - setting up the intergated phone system with the Bluetooth puck. My car has never even had a phone cradle installed...or the TeleAid activated, for that matter. I just feel like I'm really missing out on some cool features. Anyway, thanks again everyone and I'll be seeing you around.

Happy Motoring!

Eddie

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Welcome OUTTATM!

Welcome to the discussions.

SLKman

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billh556

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Welcome! LOL, it seems funny as a newbie to be welcoming someone else here. But I think you'll find, as I did, this is a great and helpful bunch of folks.

Looking forward to reading about your SmartTop install. Try not to drain your battery playing with it after the installation is done!

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I would also add...
when using your top while driving only lower on smooth surfaces to avoid any stress on hinges. I am sure they are built strong but why take the chance?

I like to let mine down while leaving the parking garage but avoid the speed bumps while it is lowering.

JMHO

SLKman

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jbanks15

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read, read, read the instructions for the install of the smarttop. if it does not arrive today, go to the website and download and read, read, read it. again the toughest part is getting the canbus cover off. follow the instructions posted by the members. good luck!

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etyu

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Welcome Eddie.

God speed on the install. Hopefully you've decided on drawing power from the fuse box instead of crimping the wire, although either way will work. I'm just biased towards using the power from the fuse box.

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Wow. thanks everyone for the great advice, the welcomes, and the well-wishes...this is exactly what I was talking about...you guys rock! I downloaded the installation instructions from the website the very night I ordered it. I've gone over so much, I think I could recite it by memory, frontwards and backwards. I swear I'll probably run out of my office the second I see the delivery truck pull up to the building! I will post again with an update on the install. Hopefully my message won't start with, "Well my battery's dead, but the top works great!". LOL.

For those who might be thinking of ordering the SmartrTop module, I would like to mention that the retailer I purchased mine from not only had the lowest price I could find online, but their level of customer service and follow-up was top-rate. They are Elite Pro High Performance Auto Parts http://www.elitepro1.com/ , and the Owner/Sales Manager is Daniel Costello. Though their online store doesn't have much for SLKs, he mentioned it's not near what they stock in the store or can obtain from their suppliers. Ok, now you guys are going to think my posts are always going to be two miles long. They won't be, I promise. Well, maybe the next few...then I'll be too busy watching the top go up and down and draining my battery.

Eddie