Loose top latches?

[Andrea]

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone here has experience with an issue I'm having on my 2010 S197 convertible regarding the top latches. I suspect the latches themselves are worn or too loose. Here are the details and symptoms:

- The top latches are very easy to turn and secure; they offer virtually no resistance in their movement whatsoever. Still, they seem to correctly "click" in place.

- I get a rattling noise when driving on uneven roads (right side latch), and the roof itself squeaks a little on the front part.

- When I exceed 75-80 mph, I hear wind noise/whining coming from where the roof meets the headliner. If I pull down on the roof handle, the noise stops immediately. Thus, I think roof is lifting just slightly at speed.

- The roof itself closes nicely, lands on the headliner, and compresses against the weatherstripping with no visible gaps or misalignments. The issue seems entirely related to the clamping force which should keep it in place.

I've searched online for days but haven't found a definitive solution.

I tried a common suggestion of adding small O-rings/grommets to the roof alignment pins, but this had no effect... since the latches feel loose, I'm not sure this is the real answer anyway.
Another discussion mentioned that the latches are supposed to contain removable shims inside, which could be taken out to achieve a tighter, snugger closure. Is this true, and how difficult is it to disassemble the latch mechanism?
Finally, in another discussion the say that the roof pins are threaded, and that they can be made longer or shorter by rotating them... but it doesn't seem to be the case.

I tried looking for replacement latches online but they are not easy/cheap to source (from Italy).

Has anyone experienced / successfully fixed this issue? Any suggestions would be highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Andrea

 

[Andrea]

It turned out the issue was with the roof handles themselves; they were very slightly loose. The passenger-side handle moved maybe a millimeter, while the driver-side one moved nearly half a centimeter when very firm pressure was applied. As soon as I discovered this, I tightened the screws holding them in place. The rattling and wind whistling issues are now gone.

 

[asdrew]

Thannks for updating, glad it was simple.

 

[Andrea]

Ok, I have another update.

From what I’ve seen while going through various discussions, a rattling noise coming from the roof latches over bumps seems to be quite common.

I’ve finally been able to pinpoint the source of the issue.

You can see it in this video that I shared from my Google Drive: Link to the video

As you can see, there are two metal teeth on the handle (I point them out with my fingers).
When the handle is closed, these two parts can make contact with each other if there is any looseness in the mechanism.

In my case, the problem now occurs only on the passenger side, while the driver side's handle is quite solid since I tightened its screws.

As a further proof, if you pull the handle down without rotating it (thus keeping the roof secured), the two teeth disengage, and the rattling noise immediately stops.

At this point, I’m not sure what the proper fix would be, aside from possibly replacing the entire handle...

 

[Andrea]

Ok, here comes what hopefully is the last chapter of this "loose and rattling latches troubleshooting guide."

I solved the issue above by simply giving the metal plate on the handle a good clean and sticking on it one side of 3M adhesive Velcro, which holds really well.

The Velcro adds just that 1 mm of thickness needed to make everything stiffer. Now, as you can see, there's no more rattling when the handle is tapped upon with a finger: Link to the new video on my Google Drive

To do an even better job, you could pop off the metal plate from the handle (it's just held by two clips), put something behind it as a shim, and then reinstall it to add some "invisible" thickness. But for now, this is more than enough.

Hope this thread can help somebody else experiencing similar problems on the convertible!

 

[brasil]

@ Andrea. you did a good job ! but keep in mind.... a Mustang is not a Mercedes -smile -