Smart car Roof screen issues

[SheepRock 0]

OK so check this out:I just bought an 08 passion with the glass roof. 4 hours after I drive it off the lot, the screen wont open to expose the roof. The dealer has already been notified and is setting me up with a rental so he can fix it.Anyone out there with screen problems? if so, any idea if theres a DIY fix?Bad way to start a relationship, but I have patience.....

[MikeT 744]

Lots of these have been crapping out, sorry to say.

[Razorback 0]

At SCOA there are a few threads about this problem but I'll tell you about my experience and what you may expect. I had to take my car back to the Dealership for the sunscreen coming off of the track THREE times before they replaced it. They finally determined that the sunscreen that was in my car was warped, crooked, skewed so no amount of "adjusting" would have fixed the problem. This was over a span of 4 months. When I was there another person was there for the same thing but theirs had only come off the track once and theirs was being replaced too, so you can expect that your sunscreen to be replaced. I also heard a rumor that the sunscreens are to be redesigned and I had inquired at a couple of Dealerships, one said they knew of a redesigning of the sunscreen while the other did not so it may or may not be true... Hope this information helps you.

[Duck 16]

The sunshade on the new one is a real weak point, IMHO. It's a good idea, but not implemented as well as it is on say, the B-Classe.-Iain

[SheepRock 0]

Yeah, its painful. The damn thing automagically fixed itself for a few pulls this morning and then somehow got snagged up again. +1 on the "weak point" comment. its easy to tell just by feel that this component wont last long at all.Im guessing its just a loose thread someplace messing things up.

[yolanda 0]

I've got a 450 and I"m not familiar with the setup of the 451 screen. However I removed my screen entirely, track and all, and added a suction cup window screen on a roller (for shading baby in the back seat sort of thing). It fits neatly over the unscreened part of the glass and I can unroll it across from driver's to passenger side to catch on a suction cup there.

[Duck 16]

Yolanda, aren't those typically very narrow? Or did you find a wide one?That's a great idea, though!-Iain

[yolanda 0]

Yes, they're narrow, but happen to be just as wide as the "unscreened" portion of the glass, where it's clear, where the dots stop. I dunno, do the new ones not have the silk screening on them? I sometimes consider scraping it off the glass entire but I'm not sure that's a good idea re: solar heating.Anyway, I stuck the roller blind above the driver's head, and unroll it across to the passenger side, and it's just right to cover the part that has no black dots. It's not opaque, it mimics the black dot area of the screen and provides just enough shade for relief.Fortunately, that season is behind us for another year. (actually unfortunately, I prefer heat)

[ValgardForkbeard 2]

Yes, they're narrow, but happen to be just as wide as the "unscreened" portion of the glass, where it's clear, where the dots stop. I dunno, do the new ones not have the silk screening on them? I sometimes consider scraping it off the glass entire but I'm not sure that's a good idea re: solar heating.

Some time ago, someone (Duck maybe?) posted about scraping the dots off the glass, and found that there is etching in the glass, so the result is even worse than the dots.MG

[Duck 16]

Yeah, they won't come off.-Iain

[yolanda 0]

Thanks for the warning, Duck. It would really suck to have to learn that on my own!

[Tom P. 0]

The sunshade on the new one is a real weak point, IMHO. It's a good idea, but not implemented as well as it is on say, the B-Classe.

-Iain

Well... I must be one of the lucky ones because mine has worked flawlessly since getting my 451 last January. I estimate that it has been opened and closed a few hundred times by now.

Of course... now I have jinxed myself!

[Duck 16]

I think the problem (from my limited hands-on experience with it) comes when one side jams slightly and then the whole thing cocks to one side. Then it starts to wind all wonky and it's fuggered.If you're really careful and twist your hand in such a way to guarentee that the front bar is always parallel to the reel, it will operate smoothly.-Iain

[SheepRock 0]

Good points, and the idea about the baby screen is a good one. the 451 lacks the dots and im glad its that way.The screen fails when cold. thats what ive (sort of) been able to determine. Does not work in the morning. Drive a while, let the ambient air get up to snuff and voila! no more problem. probably one of the metal guides is just slightly too tight and needs to expand. This has been demonstrable for the past 3 days.Im annoyed only because its new. The baby screen would work for me if the car was a few years old, not a few days. I just finished off my first tank of gas for pete's sake (454km with 2.5l left in the tank - not too shabby compared to my old sunfire), and to be honest, given the prevelance of the problem, im suprised that a company like mercedes would have kept it at all. Its something ford would do, not the europeans.

[MikeT 744]

You don't know the Europeans very well, this is their stock in trade!

[SheepRock 0]

lolis no one reputable?I know a guy who bought a bently and now all I hear is how crappy bentleys are once you get past all the prestige and appearanceand here I thought it was just the americans...

[Duck 16]

So I took a very close look at the roof screen mechanism tonight while dropping off my '06 for service.The fabric of the roof screen is supported and guided along the travel by two sewn-in tubes along the two outside edges. The tubes are slipped over two aluminium rails, which are mounted only at the front of the roof section. They cannot be supported at the back, because the fabric tubes slide off at that point and roll up with the screen around the winding drum.The rails however are guided by two C-shaped guides that are mounted right before the reel. On the demo model, the screen wasn't retracting properly (just as others have reported), and this was directly caused by the left guide rail not being clipped into it's guide clip near the winding drum. The result is an uneven winding during retract, leaving a floppy mess of fabric after it's about half retracted. I tried for about 3 minutes to pop it back in, but because the C-clip is gusseted, it's resistant to being forced open to slip the guide rail back in.I didn't want to play with it any longer, because I didn't want anyone at the dealership to come over later and think I'd broken it (when I was just trying to fix it). :)It's not how I would have designed it, personally - so, I hope they're going to issue a revised unit at some point that won't be prone to jamming. Not sure how the screen works on the B-class, but the loaner I've got right now also has as screen that won't retract properly.-Iain

[SheepRock 0]

Just to back up duck and Mike T's comments about the screen for the roof... it does appear to be a problem.I was at the dealership to (finally) get the roof looked at. the service girl (cute as a button of course) was entirely suprised that the screen roof failed, and was adamant that this has never happened before in her experience. she goes to the back to get a service guy. they both come out to see my car. the service guy looks at it for 2 seconds and says "yup. shes toast. order a new one, we see these all the time"The service girl just stares at me while I chuckle, looking all cute and making me want to ask her out for coffee or something.Im hoping to sneak in the car next week for a screen replacement. in the meantime, it has mysteriously fixed itself then broke again. I tried to determine the specific issue as per ducks comments, but alas, I dont have the skills to pay the bills myself. Thank god for warranties.

[Razorback 0]

Since having mine replaced. It appears that the one I have now is working very well and correctly. Time will tell if there is a problem with it in the future.

[SheepRock 0]

UPDATE: I took my smart in to get the screen for the roof replaced finally. I just wanted to give a shout out to David Morris in Edmonton for the service. It might be the fact that the car is brand new, but I've never had hassle free help before.Aside from the service girl clearly suffering from short-term memory loss (heres to partying during high-school - Go whitefish!) The guys not only had the screen fixed AND the car scothguarded in one day, but they lent me a B200 for free to get around in while they do it.Also, they had a 2006 CDI there with 280 miles on it for sale. Im happy with my '08, but I wept anyway.