
Hydraulic Pump - R231 SL-Class - Rebuild & Upgrade Service
There are two options for placing your order:
1. (Most affordable) You send in your malfunctioning R231 Hydraulic Pump, and Top Hydraulics rebuilds it.
- The rebuild includes electric motor replacement or rewinding if necessary, service of hydraulic valves, and upgrade of internal seals in the pump to eliminate current or future pressure loss or internal bypass. Three years warranty.
OR
2. (Fastest) Expedited Core Exchange Option where Top Hydraulics ships parts from our inventory first
(includes $150 surcharge a $300 Refundable Core Charge).
- Option 2 means that you get a rebuilt & upgraded pump from Top Hydraulics' inventory first, then you ship back your original part for credit of your $300 core refund. Top Hydraulics ships the pump as pictured. You get a pump that has been rebuilt to outlast and outperform OEM.
The R231's hydraulic pump aka hydraulic unit is a complex, high-performance pump with integrated valve block, two different output pressures, high-end electronic noise suppression, and high flow rate.
Intermittently working pumps are often mistaken for internal leaks in hydraulic cylinders. While internal leaks occur in OEM roof cylinders on occasion, almost every hydraulic pump will fail eventually on account of some design flaws that Top Hydraulics fixes with its upgrade. Thus, your pump will be better than a new one.
Is your pump blowing a fuse every time you try to use it? That is a clear sign for a short from the pump's electric motor, and Top Hydraulics' rebuild will take care of it.
Do NOT drill a hole in the reservoir - the filtering in the original pumps is insufficient, and tiny plastic shavings can cause significant damage to the pump and the valve block. Top Hydraulics may have to charge extra for rebuild service on pumps with severe contamination or holes drilled in the reservoir. An additional charge may also apply to pumps that have been abused by DIY repair efforts or severely damged by fire or water. Note that the latter is rare, but we want to mention it for completeness.
The upgrade service for hydraulic convertible top pumps replaces sensitive parts inside the pump with re-designed, precision machined aluminum ones, improves fluid filtering on those pumps that need it, services the valve block, solenoids and check valves, upgrades electronic components, upgrades internal seals, and replaces the electric motors if needed. Top Hydraulics' service makes these high-performance pumps better than brand new ones!
Final test includes pressure test in all pump stages, flow test, and endurance test.
Pump removal is quite simple. Disconnect the pump from the wiring harness, remove the bolts that mount the pump frame to the car, and turn the pump on its side. Now you will see all the hydraulic lines going into the pump, held in place by two retaining plates. Each plate has numbers engraved where the lines go in, and the lines (hoses) have the corresponding numbers printed on them in red or white ink.
We suggest that you remove the mounting frame from the pump - it makes shipping cheaper and easier. Do not attempt to drain fluid from the pump. Instead, wrap the pump inside a large garbage bag, and then inside another one. That should take care of keeping oil leaks contained, and it will protect your pump. Buffer the parcel well inside, and tape it up well.
Top Hydraulics will not guarantee that the rebuilt units will be cosmetically perfect, but they will work well. For example, if you send us a pump in a bent mounting frame, then we may use our best efforts to straighten out the frame, but we will not replace it. We do not replace damaged electrical connectors - please package your pump carefully.
Once we receive your pump, the turn around time is 3-5 days for rebuild/upgrade service and we will ship the pump back to you by Priority U.S. Mail (2-3 days delivery time in the US). For international shipments, please select "Express Mail Box". International Express Mail arrives in most locations worldwide within about one week.
US domestic customers send in your pump with or without mounting frame - international customers please ship without the mounting frame.
A2318000130, A2318050124, A2318050092, A2318000072, A2318000372, A2318000472, A2318000572, A2318000672, A2318001515, A2318001615, A2318001715, A2318001815, A2318001915, A2318002015, A2318002115, A2318002215, A2318000172, A2319051600, A2318000272


FedEx 2-Day Delivery
Most orders placed within the USA will ship via FedEx 2-Day Service.
FedEx Priority Overnight Service
Orders placed with FedEx Priority Overnight Service can typically ship same day as long as the order is received before 11AM Pacific Standard Time
FedEx International Priority
For Customs clearance, you must declare a value on the package you are sending us. Please note: parcels with a declared value under US$750 enter the US without incurring taxes, duties or clearance fees. Considering that you are sending us broken parts for repair, it is most reasonable to declare a value under US$750. You can insure your parcel only up to the amount that has been declared as the value for customs, so your best insurance is good packaging. It is extremely rare that parts get lost on the way to us.
Please be sure to drain or cycle all fluid out of your parts, then wrap them in plastic, so that the parcel does not get soaked in oil. It is generally a good practice to double box pumps or sets of cylinders because heavy parcels take quite a beating in international transit unless you are using a premium carrier such as FedEx. Clearly, you don't want to just stick a part into a cardboard envelope without any further protection or buffering. Buffer your parcel well inside so that parts don't rattle around or the parcel gets crushed from others on top of it. Ideally, tape all around all surfaces of the parcel, which generally provides excellent protection against losing components that are trying to escape through small holes in the cardboard.
We use FedEx International Priority for almost all outbound international shipments, as they tend to offer the fastest and most secure service. Due to our shipping volumes, our rates for return shipping your parts via FedEx International Priority are typically equal to or cheaper than Postal Service. We cannot offer shipping labels for your shipment from you to us - you will have to shop around for the best option to ship your parts to us.
In the rare event that you feel you have to declare a value over US$750 on your parcel shipping to us, please understand that we will need to be reimbursed for any importation fees or duties incurred. You agree to this by accepting our terms and conditions when you place your order. On high value parcels, we are typically charged an Entry Prep Fee (currently about $25) plus 2.5% tax on the declared value of the package, there are oftentimes delays in customs, and it can take a while for us to receive the actual customs invoice.
Depending on the parts you are sending us, your customs declaration might say "hydraulic cylinder for repair" or "hydraulic pump" for repair. Please note that DHL does not like to carry hydraulic parts or used car parts in some countries. If your carrier asks for the "harmonized code or tariff" of the parts you are shipping, those are 841221 for linear actuators (cylinders) and 841360 for pumps.
At Top Hydraulics, we pride ourselves on providing new and remanufactured parts with unmatched quality and longevity.
It is very rare that our parts fail. Obviously, we are only human and we could have made a mistake or one of our components might indeed have had a hidden defect. Please contact us first when you suspect that you have a warranty case, so that we can try to help right away. It could be that the failure you are experiencing is caused by a different component or that the installation was not quite proper, so we like to be in touch first to go over the situation with you.
Unless stated otherwise, there is a 3 year warranty on all new and remanufactured parts provided by Top Hydraulics. This warranty is transferable. All parts manufactured or rebuilt by Top Hydraulics have unique markings, so there is no additional paperwork needed to transfer a warranty. The warranty does not cover labor, direct or consequential damages. The warranty is void when the parts have been abused or have been installed incorrectly, or when brake fluid or stop-leak additives have contaminated your hydraulic system..
You will have to send your failed part(s) back to Top Hydraulics for a warranty evaluation. In the extremely rare case of failure on rebuilds or new parts shipped or provided by Top Hydraulics, Top Hydraulics' warranty covers only parts and is limited to rebuilding the products previously shipped by Top Hydraulics, or replacing them, or refunding the rebuild fee at Top Hydraulics' discretion. If the failure was our fault, then we will refund reasonable shipping costs, as well.