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W208 cant get in boot. Not even with charging point powered

jonnyg

New Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2013
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20
Car
W208 CLK 430
Hi All,

Im hoping someone can help point me in the right direction with the boot that wont release on my X plate W208 clk 430 cab.

Ive been a bit of an idiot.

Ive had a dodgy battery for a few months (I dont drive it very often and no power in the garage to trickle charge it). Ive had to jump start a couple of times. Ive always got into the boot fine using the inside switch or the remote with a bit of persistence.

The last time I made sure my jump leads were out of the boot and manually locked it. I did try to get into the boot with the key but the key wouldnt go in at all.

I went to open the car and take it for a drive on the weekend and everything is dead.

Ive got a new battery, Ive powered the charging point infront of the AC unit in the front right and earthed the negative to the chassis.

All lights come on in the car, i can operate, seats, windows etc.

I can lock and unlock the doors.

but the boot wont release. There is no light on the boot release button either.

Ive tried locking, unlocking, with the switch and the key fob.

Nothing, cant even shift the boot.

Ive managed to get the key part way into the boot and Im using GT85 every so often to try and ease it up. Im betting the key has never been used on the boot since new.

As its not a coupe, I cant get in through the back seats.

Is there another alternative to get into the boot rather than just persistence and hope that I can ease the boot lock in time and get the key.

If only I had bought a battery earlier and replaced!!!!

Kind Regards,

Jon
 
Well , at least you're not using WD40 , which has no lubricating properties at all !

I'd be inclined to persevere with this approach , perhaps using a proper graphite lubricant for locks .

I'd be moderately rough running the key in and out of the lock - you're trying to loosen the tumblers - maybe with it fully in and whilst trying to turn the key hit it with something to send a shock down the key to loosen any stuck tumblers .

I was looking at exploded diagrams of the back of your car

the one linked below seems to show holes where loudspeakers go in the back shelf - I don't know whether removing the parcel shelf covering and a speaker would give you any access to the boot - or even whether it would do any good

Rear end for Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 parts catalog

This one shows the bootlid with its attachment parts , including the locks

in particular the locking rod - part 41 - might unlock the boot if you can access it - this , as a very much last resort might be by smashing the rear left tail light unit and see if you can remove the inner lining of the bootlid from there ???

The only other option would be to drill out the lock barrel then unlock with a screwdriver or the like - you then have the PITA and expense of jumping through hoops to get a new lock ordered from MB to match your existing keys and locks .

Rear lid latch-type lock, rear lid attachment parts for Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 parts catalog

http://mbfans.me/EN/mercedes/c/1/a/...nal stop light, and license plate lamp/sg/240

I know you really won't want to start pulling the car apart , or damaging bits , so suggest trying to free off the lock for a while yet .

That's all I can think of for now .
 
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The locking bar is not part of the CLK (cab) locking system I think maybe its on the coupe, I actually had my lock out on Sunday and all thats connected are the two Air Lines and a few electrical connections.

I am not sure that there is a physical way to gain any access to the lock other than from outside at the actual lock. Drilling the barrel would work, but as above, stick with trying to free the barrel/pins.

Just checked, the new barrel is circa £280 OUCH!
 
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thanks guys. Im trying to tease the key in and out every hour and adding more GT85. Fingers crossed.

Soo annoying as I was in the boot two weeks ago. It did cross my mind then to just latch the boot open so I could change it!!! Hindsight is a wonderful thing
 
thanks guys. Im trying to tease the key in and out every hour and adding more GT85. Fingers crossed.

Soo annoying as I was in the boot two weeks ago. It did cross my mind then to just latch the boot open so I could change it!!! Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Thats why I had my lock out, I found the barrel was stuck so have started working on it before I get locked out. As you say, "hindsight"

I am trying to think of a way in but even if you broke the o/s light panel I dont think your arm will get close enough to the lock. Make sure you come back with how you get in as I may need to know at some stage.

It could be that the vacuum seal in the lock has a leak so you cannot get enough pressure from the PSE to power unlock, so stick with the lubrication and jiggle.
 
We have progress.

I thought Id try for the umpteenth time today with the charging point.

No luck. So I sat in the car and was pressing switches. I then decided to turn the key 1 click, still no luck,

Then I turned the key to have the ignition on (but not turning far enough to start the car).

Voila, the boot unlocked and the boot unlock button lit up. I quickly changed the battery and now everything works.

I just need to dig out the key for the radio, fingers crossed I have it.

On another note, Im going to keep going with trying to release the lock.

I dont want to be stuck like that again. :-(
 
You can’t lubricate something that is seized up, GT85 is a lubricant, that is not what is required for that lock right now. You need penetrating oil, Use WD40 or some other penetrating oil, have the boot lid fully open and flood the lock with WD40, don’t shut the boot so as to allow the oil better access to all areas of the lock.

Dec

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I had the boot lock issues on my CLK55. Once I got into the boot (via the Ski hatch) I disassembled the lock mechanism and cleaned each of the barrel tumblers, it was not a major job. I tried GT85 and WD40 but found that Three in One oil seemed to work best in my case.

I also fitted a trickle charge lead to the battery and ran it thorough a slit I made in one of the rubber grommet in the spare wheel well. I simply swop the modified battery grommet for a fresh standard grommet when taking the car out. The battery is then constantly on charge, avoiding flat battery issues. Glad you got in BTW.
 
Time to ditch the gt85 then!

I will have a look at the other options you have all posted and give it a whirl. I want to make sure I can get in
 
This weekend I decided it was time to sort out the boot lock. I removed/repositioned the lock so that I could put a bag under it to capture all of the oil as it was washed through. I then used a small tin of WD40 with the straw attached and applied this to all parts of the lock, both inside and out. It took about 10 mins of squirting and reinserting the key to finally get it moving, then I sprayed some more until it felt clear of debris.

Once it was all cleaned up i sprayed some white grease over all moving parts and put it back together, I now have a fully working boot lock :)
 

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