A recurring 'is the top broken?' question is answered by marque experts: the A124 top is designed to stop a few inches short of the windshield header, and the owner must manually push it up on opening and pull it down to latch — this releases tension in the taut roof and is normal, not a fault. Buyers repeatedly mistake it for a hydraulic failure.
A124 top design quirk: last inches are manual by design
Mercedes-Benz W124 E-Class · driving