Main.TrailIndexPage | Interior | Interior.Carpets

Carpets

This component is part of Interior.

Definition

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  • Its technical name & common name(s)
  • part # - start year & end year
  • which area it belongs to - engine, transmission, body, injection etc, link back to the relevant section

Function

Describe, in general terms the function of this component. Meaning what is it there for and what role it plays. Describe how it works, the inside mechanism. Use diagrams to explain.

Maintenance

Describe common maintenance procedures, and common faults that may occur. Describe how these may be diagnosed and resolved. Again, include diagrams, photographs and explanations. Where possible, include measures, tolerances, weights etc.

  • Symptoms when it faults
  • How to test if it is faulty - what tools to use
  • How to fix / change

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Does anyone have any experience with the rubber mats in the front footwells? Although they were standard equipment (as least for the early cars), you almost never see them. The one car that I did see them on also had what appeared to be foil-covered insulation pads beneath them. Does anyone know if this is correct? Also, what (if anything) went under the trunk mat? I have typical American 'jute' padding underneath the trunk pad, but I doubt it's what DB would have used originally.

My 1970 280 SL has the aluminum-backed insulation under the carpeting as well. Under that is a 4-5mm bitumen plate for sound deadening. Nothing went under the trunk mat and I think jute is probably not so good because of the moisture retention?

I am trying to reconcile conflicting information that I have received from various sources concerning original colors of headliners for W113’s. I am told that there were three shades of off white, but I am not able to define which shade was correct for my 280 SL which has a blue interior and exterior and according to a chart of available options put together by Richard Hattaway should have a white headliner (code 9002). There is also cream (8036) and light bamboo (8038). I don't know if these are MB codes and designations for those headliner shades, but all the sources I have turned to in Los Angeles. GAHH, Veteran Upholstery Supply, World upholstery etc. , use their own designations. Most of their colors vary and I have seen at least five different shades/ colors of the MB hole pattern headliner fabric. I would describe them as follows:

  1. White (clean, white as snow)
  2. Beige or off-white, has a very slight beige or tanish tint (I guess I could see it being called light bamboo?). In the past I just thought it was an aged or nicotine-stained originally white)
  3. Tan or cream? is maybe a little lighter than a brown card board box, definitely not an off-white
  4. Grey, this is clearly grey, definitely not an off-white
  5. Off-white with an ever so slightly grey tint (this shade is possibly being called Grey by some suppliers, but is not close to the previously mentioned actual Grey).

Of course each supplier insists that their two or three shades are the only true shades originally used on our cars. Can anyone shed any light on this issue? I have taken every single piece off the hard top to repaint it and it will never be this way again so I'd like to use the correct shade of headliner, which I believe to be something quite close to white or MB 9002 white, if that is in fact the MB designation.

Achim says: Two quick answers to your questions and concerns.

  1. The headliner is still available from Mercedes; I don't know the part number right now (113 795 anything) and it is available in different colors. I got mine a very few years ago in WHITE (snow white) and it was about 110 German marks. This should be today equally to roughly $70 in the US.
  2. As far as I know (this is definitely the case for the 230 but it should be the same for the 280 SL) there were two colors for the 230 SL - white and light cream and very likely three for the 280 SL - the three described by you. The color codes you mentioned are the original actual codes by Mercedes which they use today. These sometimes differ from the color codes they had in the 60ies. 230’s with blue interior always had white headliners and (I strongly believe) 280’s too! But unfortunately I have my color code lists, which are original from Mercedes, at home in Germany - not here in NY. My recommendation: buy a new headliner from MB. Personally, I always check first whether a part is still available from Mercedes and how much it is. If a part is too expensive or no longer available then I check other sources. I strongly recommend to you all to do the same. You won't believe how many parts are still available nowadays and often really affordable.

I'm trying to make the decision now with my 230 SL. Here is what I have figured out so far:

  1. The vinyl used in the 230SL is different than the vinyl in the 280SL. The 230SL version is no longer available. The 280SL version has a much coarser grain.
  2. The sellers of interiors usually do not know there is a difference - be careful what you buy!
  3. The same is true of leather.
  4. The 230SL used a basketweave insert; later models used a pinhole pattern. Make sure you see a sample of the insert as well.
  5. The best ones I've seen so far from from GAHH and World Upholstery. Best bet is to send them a sample of your current interior to match.
  6. The top of a 230SL seat is about 1.5". The 280SL is about 2.5". Make sure the upholstery will fit your car.
  7. Replace the horsehair pads at the same time you do the seat covers. All the ones I have found have been 2.5" thick: the recommendation is to trim the back so it is thinner. I am not sure it is that simple. The pictures I have seen show the 230SL seat as less contoured than the 280, so the result may still be incorrect.
  8. You can order a complete leather interior, with pads and boards (for the doors) for $2200 USD from GAHH.
  9. The GAHH seat insert pattern is not correct: the holes between the pleats are too large and too widely spaced. "That's the way it is", they said (nicely) when I pointed this out.

I still haven't decided where I am going to buy mine. I have natural light vinyl now (#114), which has to be replaced by natural light leather (#219). I'm looking for other SLs that have this leather installed, and waiting for some more samples to arrive. Comments, disagreements, questions?

Try http://www.cabrio.de. They use the MB factory in Sindelfingen to do the leather perforation pattern with the original tools as used on your SL.

My late 280SL came with the front and rear of the long sill carpet piece missing (driver side)...I hope to get a piece of carpet, cut and bind it myself...the rear 20 inches and the front 24 inches are missing...can anyone help with a template or dimensions of this piece? I have the entire passenger side, is this an exact mirror image of the driver side?

Yes the carpet is an exact mirror of the passenger side. Use that one as a pattern and reverse the cut lines so you have two opposing sides. you will need to investigate where the piping border goes as mine is in tatters from long exposure to the weather and moths.

Achim says: interior items are one of the toughest problems we go through during restoration. Although solutions often seem to be so simple (GAHH or others) but in rality they aren't at all. If you do not find the color you are looking for, the only solution is to buy a material (either raw skins or already sewn) and re-dye it a bit darker. The other solution that most people do in this situation is to exchange the whole interior to have it all in a matching color. The original MB tex seat covers were still available a few years ago. However, one major drawback: color code numbers have been changed over the decades, thus, it might be very hard to find out whether your color code 114 (which is the data card code) is still available. For instance, interior code 220 is/was leather dark blue - original color code 5300 which is now replaced by 5020 dark blue. Thus, it might be necessary to do some serious detective work.

I read the archives about cleaning vinyl...I have tried: soap and water, dishwasher detergent, Vinylex, etc...and three different types of brushes, plenty of elbow grease but the 30 years of dirt won't go away...it's not grease or oil, just plain old fashioned dirt... At a car show on Sunday, one person looked and suggested that the dirt was under layers of vinyl protectants like Armorall and that I have to remove the surface layer to get at the dirt...he suggested a wipe down with lacquer thinner to remove the top layer then a cleaning...any comments?

I would caution you strongly against using any solvents to clean your seats. Take a stroll over to http://www.leatherique.com. George and Christie have products that work wonders for MB Tex and leather. I've been using their products for years and can't say enough good things about the products and for the service and support from Christie and George.

To get 1st class material for upholstery, carpet, tops & headliner, GAHH in CA has a very good reputation. World Upholstery is also good & I used them for leather seat kit, wool carpet, windlace, wool "mouse fur" for headliner & Top material for sunroof in the restoration of my Ponton sedan's interior. Both are top dollar sources. Bill Hirsch has a good rep as a supplier of leather, MB-Tex, carpet & conv.top material & is a vendor who's been around awhile & who advertises regularly in The Star as does Bud's Benz from whom I recently got a good price & decent quality for MB-Tex seat kits for my 230SL. Square weave carpet is available from multiple vendors in wool & synthetics, but is not exactly like the original, I understand; but close. Bud's Benz (in The Star) will sell you a refinished wood kit, but best quality probably would be from your own wood removed & sent to Heritage Wood Works in NC, also in Star.

I have almost completly removed the interior MBTex door panel on a 70 280sl, but it is caught up on the door relaease lever and box. How do you remove the black plastic concave box that surrounds the interior door release lever, so I can remove the door panel??

The little plastic piece has two small slits at the end of the plastic (I think that these slits are on the end toward the rear of the car). Use a small "pick" (one of those pointed ice pick type tools you can pick up at the hardware store). This will pop the plastic off.

Pull the release handle out as though you are opening the door. Where the handle comes through the surround, at its forward most part, put a small screw driver under the plastic and pry it out. Beneath the plastic is the metal surround, which has a screw in the center holding it to the door frame. If I remember correctly, the handle itself is held to the door by this same screw. So, once the screw is out the handle is held only by the linkage that connects it to the door release. Be careful when pulling the panel past the handle. The panel comes off without problems, but you can not be heavy handed or you can tear things up a bit. Once the door panel is off there are days worth of projects lurking inside the door. One of the most important things to take care in doing is to glue plastic over the inner door prior to its reinstallation. This is the water protection for your door panel and if not done correctly will lead to the panel and its covering being damaged.

The heater levers is probably the most involved job in the dash besides the heater core & blower. I've never worked on these, but I've read the horror stories here. Understatements like, "You'll lose a little skin off your knuckles." Or, "MB assembly line techs. in the '60s must have been 10 year olds to get their hands in there." Besides the difficult space to work in, there are many steps to access the space and do the remove/replace itself. Reasons for the break? Well, the round levers move wires that move flaps. Flaps get stuck shut if not used. Dirt accumulates on wires and hinges over time. Plastic gets brittle over time. When people work on the radio or remove the instrument cluster or something else in that area, some people recommend to lubricate this system to prevent your type of break. I think frequent use is almost as good and much easier.
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