soft top colour

[aeneasm]

anybody have experience of changing colour of soft top. recently purchased 250sl has new biscuit coloured top. need to change to match silver either dark blue or black. can it be prof dyed or what alt are available apart from new hood

aeneas

[Douglas]

My experience says it's possible, but not necessarily long-lived. My last SL had an original dark gray top that had been dyed black. (The headliner was also dyed black.) When I put a cleaning agent (Raggtop) on the canvas, most of the dye washed out, so I suspect you'll have to re-dye it every so often to keep it nice & dark.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[ted280sl]

Aeneas,
  The biscuit top is usually more expensive than the black top. It is possible that biscuit was the original color. I feel very strongly that we are each entitled to our personal preferences on our cars but, did you check to see which color was the original soft top. The original soft top color is included on the build card available from Mercedes. If you are going to change something I believe it is best to make an informed decision.
Regards,
Ted 1969 280SL w/ modifications

[aeneasm]

thanks.the problem is that the colour of the car was changed from green to silver.instead of buying a new black top the guy bought the orig biscuit colour, and fitted the day i purchased the car.my feeling is that since the top is waterproofed the dye may noy "take"

aeneas

[Ed Cave]

Sell the biscuit and cut your loss now. Throw the money you get toward a replacement in a color that makes you happy and looks fantastic on the car.

Navy blue sounds interesting on a silver car, depending on the interior color. If the interior is red or black, I'd probably go black. If it is grey, parchment or blue, the navy would probably look great.

Good luck with it.

Ed Cave
Atlanta, GA


1971 280SL
1973 911S
2006 GS430
2007 328i Coupe

[Douglas]

One more thing to consider: The lighter colors are more trouble to own. They discolor more obviously over time, particularly in areas with more traffic and soot.... like here in NY.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[Ricardo]

I don't think it's very easy to remove one and still have it in nice condition. The contact cement used to glue the strips over the crossbows isn't very forgiving and the risk of using chemical solvents around your interior leather or vinyl might give you reason to tread cautiously too. Though Douglas is right about discoloration as I changed from black to tan last year and already have some smudges from the top rubbing the arms inside and outside against the rim of the soft top well even though I use plastic "shoehorns". Still I like the look of the tan top and it's certainly cooler in summer when the car is parked with the top up.

[aeneasm]

the interior is tan. so is dark blue or black the best to go with silver body and tan interior.thanks for info everbody. will take advise and replace existing top

aeneas

[Douglas]

It seems a pity to throw away a new perfect soft top. I'll bet there's someone out there who wants to trade. You could just swap one entire frame for another in the right color. Check the restoration shops that specialize in Pagodas. I'll bet they can help.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA