98 CLK with a stuck Boot

[GrahamS]

Hi guys here is the first of my CLK problems. My car was recently hit by a white van man pushing the drivers side rear tail light about an inch into the boot. The car has been taken apart, bent back into shape and then the lights put back in and now the boot is stuck shut. It happened once while the lights were out and this was due to an airpipe coming loose and the guy at the bodyshop was able to get in through the gap and connect a compressor to open the boot. He then lubricated the lock tried it 8 or 9 times to make sure it was fixed then put the lights in, closed the boot to check alignment and it was stuck again. I searched on here and we tried the following:

The key goes into the lock but does not turn when the button is pushed in or out.

The release switch on the centre dash does not work with ignition in any of its positions.

The chap was going to try taking the first aid kit out to drop the rear seats through an access hole under the kit in the rear parcel shelf but having not heard back from him I am guessing this has not allowed access either.

The battery had gone flat but has been recharged during a service while the boot was open (2 days ago) and has been checked using the terminal under the bonnet and is still OK (or so I am told)

Having exhausted these are there any other pearls of wisdom out there for getting these boots open or possible faults that may have caused this problem (fuses etc... I don't have a handbook so have no reference details for this or the operation of any of the cars switches) and does anyone know if it will pass an MOT with the boot stuck closed as that has expired whilst it was being repaired.

Thanks for your help hopefully I haven't missed anything obvious on the forum if there is anything anyone can think of I'd love to hear from you or if you need more info let me know.

Cheers
Graham

 

[Individual one]

Hi mate, feel for you, I have the same problem with my wife's convertible, please can someone help us.

 

[CKLclive]

Ok the main reason the boot wont open even if the battery is fully charged
is the switch that powers the boot compartment light if this does not met
fully with the boot liner panel it wont operate the boot lock micro switch
which is on the lock inside the bootlid, so check this first and let me know
it is a known issue on this type


Clive

 

[GrahamS]

Thank you for this info we will have a check of this once we get the boot open. I know he has a lot of the lining out as the car was having the rear bumper removed and replaced and there was also some panel beating to do at the back end. The rear quarter panel that houses the tail light had to be pushed out and the boot floor opposite to the battery side also had to be hammered down following a previous hit (I assume). Is it likely that repairing these two areas could have damaged any of the boot opening mechanism or the boot light electrical system?

This may be obvious but can you confirm that pushing the button in on the boot lock should open the boot if the car is unlocked? or does it also rely on the switches you mentioned above.

Sorry to seem a bit thick but i'm a newbie to this car and am struggling to find anything like a Haynes manual. Would you be able to put a pic on of the location of the various switches you mentioned or are they obvious. My car is at the sprayshop at the mo so can't see it myself.

Thank you for your help it gives us a few more things to try.
Cheers
Graham

 

[GP801]

Just a quick thought. The boot lock is set to the unlock position manually? If the lock is set to lock with the key then I believe it wont open even if the rest of the system is unlocked.

 

[Lockking]

Hi mate, feel for you, I have the same problem with my wife's convertible, please can someone help us.

Open the hood to the stage were the metal hood cover is upright. You can then reach througth and undo the lock catch. 10mm bolts if I remember. Usually the boot light switch coming loose an goes down crooked when boot is shut and jams it.

 

[CKLclive]

if the guy has the boot lining striped out then chances are that is the key
it would be the plastic cover that hides the bumper bolts then covers the sides up to
o/s n/s rear lamps if this cover is removed then when the boot is closed is does not
fully depress the boot light switch hence no feed to bootlock, the switch for the boot light is on the left with the boot open so get him to check this first ok

Clive

 

[Lockking]

Open the hood to the stage were the metal hood cover is upright. You can then reach througth and undo the lock catch. 10mm bolts if I remember. Usually the boot light switch coming loose an goes down crooked when boot is shut and jams it.

Just noticed yours is a 209 Ours is a 208 but I would think they were similer.

 

[Individual one]

Just noticed yours is a 209 Ours is a 208 but I would think they were similer.

No your right mate mine is a w208 clk, so your saying open the hood to upright,

do i then release the hood protection cover and undo the boot lock from inside. sorry about being thick Dave.

 

[GrahamS]

if the guy has the boot lining striped out then chances are that is the key
it would be the plastic cover that hides the bumper bolts then covers the sides up to
o/s n/s rear lamps if this cover is removed then when the boot is closed is does not
fully depress the boot light switch hence no feed to bootlock, the switch for the boot light is on the left with the boot open so get him to check this first ok

Clive

Cheers Clive, had an update today and he actually has the bumper on and it was when he put the lights back in that he got the boot stuck again. I should be picking the car up tomorrow and assuming it gets an MOT pass (it should) I will be able to have a look at this with this thread next to me and see if i can find the bits you are talking about. Thanks for your advice

Cheers
Graham

 

[GrahamS]

More details, I have the car back now and she is looking very nice although the boot is still stuck. I have had a feel through the hole under the first aid kit and found what i believe to be the cable for the rear seat (it is plastic covered and runs from the rear of the parcel shelf to the rear of the back seat rest) but am having no joy pulling this as it just takes up the slack and I didn't want to pull any harder without checking it was the correct cable. Interestingly the seat headrests in the rear now no longer go down automatically either. Do they run off the same pump as the boot lock? The adventure continues......

P.S anybody know how expensive it is to have the rear hand brake drums replaced?

 

[GrahamS]

This is now resolved thank you all for your help. To clarify when you take the first aid kit and its shelf out you are met with a small hole into the boot and some foam padding. If you lift the padding either side of the hole there are two more holes that allow you to push straight down on the seat release cables with a piece of wood or similar to release the seats and gain access to the boot (These are black on my car as opposed to the white air cables to the rear headrests). Once in I removed the trim on the boot lid to get a screwdriver onto the release mechanism and pop the boot lid. Now it was open i set about removing the trim on the right hand side of the boot to gain access to the compressor and found two of the air hoses had snapped off of their 3 way connector (boot release and two headrests) After finding the cable for the boot I connected this to the good connector left and temporarily covered the broken connector to make an airtight seal again and the boot now works just fine off the key fob. Still no joy using the button on the boot lid but many little tricks learned and now hunting for a new connector to fix the head rests then set about the boot lid lock with some WD40.

Cheers again
Graham

 

[lordlee]

Interesting as I have a similar problem where by I was using the boot alot the other day for transporting wheels in and at the end of the afternoon it stopped working. I had had the carpet out all day so I first wondered if it was something to do with that. Having checked all the fuses are ok, which they seem to be, I am now wondering whether it is the pump. Thing is that the light for the centre console release swith isnt coming on any more so I will now check the boot switch to see if it is working properly.
The boot opens manually just fine though so its annoying not to have the auto release.

 

[GrahamS]

Just saw your reply. In my setup the rear headrests and the boot release come off the same air supply. If there is a leak in this line the auto rear headrests dropping will not work either, assuming that is a standard fit to these cars. When the air wasn't releasing the lock I don't think the light was coming on either if that helps with your diagnosis. The actual old connectors seemed fragile new one was fine and the one in question is about £3.25 from a mercedes dealer if you do end up having to replace it.

Good luck
Graham

 

[lordlee]

Mine was the boot pin switch. All sorted now!!

 

[GrahamS]

I'll add that to the list of useful tips for when the mb has an off day that I have learned from here. Glad your car is sorted
Graham