Help - boot won't open

Help - boot won't open

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J_S_G

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

251 months

Tuesday 10th November 2009
quotequote all
2003 SL55 AMG. Came to the car on Sunday to find the boot wouldn't open - not on the remote, not on the electrical release button on the driver's door, and not on the key. It's had a new boot battery recently and all electrical consumers are *online*, so it's not a lack of charge for the mechanism, etc. If I try to put the roof down, it says it can't do while the boot cover isn't closed; I was pretty sure I had closed it before shutting the boot - have never forgotten before(?!?)

I'm wondering if something's got stuck inside it causing the issue... all that's in there's an almost empty hold-all, but with a few flappy straps that could have caught on something.

I've tried using the manual key in the lock, and turning it all the way to the right (turns fine, boot doesn't open), centre (turns fine, boot doesn't open), and left (turns to within about 10 degrees of facing that way, but was VERY stiff to get it to there, boot doesn't open - used pliers to gently apply some force, boot doesn't open). When I say "doesn't open", there's just no response to pulling the boot-release handle - no click/whir/anything. And you can't push the manual lock barrel inwards in any of the positions I can get it to.

The fuse diagram is, naturally, in the boot and inaccessible, but I've checked all of the blade fuses in the box under the bonnet and they're all fine.

Any ideas before I go write an all-too-certainly-substantial cheque to MB?

Thanks. smile

J_S_G

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

251 months

Wednesday 18th November 2009
quotequote all
Cheers for the advice, chaps.

Outcome (to help anybody who dredges this thread up in a search in years to come)...

Turns out the boot mechanism fuse had blown. The fuse is in the secondary fuse box, located in the front-face of the storage compartment/back-seat-ette behind the driver's seat. It's the green fuse, if that helps. (Can't remember the exact fuse position). Replacing that sorted everything.

What caused the fuse to blow was water in the boot getting into the lock mechanism electrics, which are stored at the bottom of the boot; I'd had the boot open for a few minutes while it was raining. The electrics are stored in a box (sensible), that's encased in highly water absorbant foam (not so sensible), basically a giant sponge laying on the boot floor, mopping up everything and feeding it into the electrics there.

The fix I've done to avoid any future issues: I've taken the mechanism out of the foam surrounding the plastic box it's in, and mounted it on four 1/2" 'feet' to keep it off the boot floor.

smile

J_S_G

Original Poster:

6,177 posts

251 months

Monday 23rd November 2009
quotequote all
mercedes tech said:
J_S_G said:
Cheers for the advice, chaps.

Outcome (to help anybody who dredges this thread up in a search in years to come)...

Turns out the boot mechanism fuse had blown. The fuse is in the secondary fuse box, located in the front-face of the storage compartment/back-seat-ette behind the driver's seat. It's the green fuse, if that helps. (Can't remember the exact fuse position). Replacing that sorted everything.

What caused the fuse to blow was water in the boot getting into the lock mechanism electrics, which are stored at the bottom of the boot; I'd had the boot open for a few minutes while it was raining. The electrics are stored in a box (sensible), that's encased in highly water absorbant foam (not so sensible), basically a giant sponge laying on the boot floor, mopping up everything and feeding it into the electrics there.

The fix I've done to avoid any future issues: I've taken the mechanism out of the foam surrounding the plastic box it's in, and mounted it on four 1/2" 'feet' to keep it off the boot floor.

smile
its called your pse pump, iirc the insulation also helps to not absorb the moisture from the air, so I was told on my mercedes courses some years ago,

It would not have been caused by leaving boot open for a few minutes, if it was soaked your boot seals are leaking.
Thanks - that sounds like the fella. smile

The specialist that looked at it said the foam around it was also for sound deadening, etc. But it really was just like encasing the box in a sponge that soaked EVERYTHING up.

The boot definitely hadn't leaked before that, and hasn't since - the toolkit in the bottom hadn't gone rusty at all, etc. And since drying it out, it's not even damp in this latest *torrential* rain. I took a hose to the boot (when closed!) to make sure, too.

You're right, though - I the boot was open for more than just a "few minutes"... I should have clarified - it was probably more like half an hour, maybe more, in absolute driving rain. (Long story - and unavoidable!)