Rear compartment locker door opens when driving - 2017 V220

[Grand Tourismo]

Hi,
I have been having a little trouble with the rear locker door slamming open when hitting even a minor bump in the road (the locker with the MP logo on it).
On inspection it seems the gap between the door catch and the locker surround is simply too large and the latch is not engaged enough to keep the door shut.
I spoke to my local MB dealer who told me that there is an official MB "TIP" document about this repair and there are some official MB plastic spacers which effectively space forward the hinge to make the catch engage at the front better. But he couldn't order them as the part did not exist on the system for MB UK and he would need to put a request in from Germany...blah, blah and on and on.

So it's easier if you just fit some washers or a spacer to gap it correctly yourself...remove the rear roller blind by popping off the plastic end covers and removing the two screws, if you're lucky and you have the right tools you may be able to loosen the hinge bolts from here but the access is poor, so if not remove the door seal a little and the plastic panel that is in the way and voila you are on easy street!
The official gap for the door to cupboard shell is 3mm but I would make it a little tighter if you can, just check the door opens and closes without interference.
AND REMEMBER, the locker door is covered in the lightest colour cloth you will ever see in a car!, so you need to keep your hands and tools ultra clean, wear gloves or do whatever you can to mitigate the risk of getting any oil or grease onto your locker door cloth or surrounding headlining!!

Good luck and happy fettling!

 

[Marc o Polo]

That's great GT - now we can all just get on with it when it happens.. I wouldn't mind sight of that MB tip doc. I wonder how many pages it runs to....

 

[Scrumpy]

Mines doing this with only a blanket in thanks

 

[Sailorman]

This issue is probably more common than MB will admit and in part is cause by the fact that the locker door can flex, particularly when loaded. Ours (2017) has been unusable for as long as I can remember so when I had the roof replaced in May (blisters - took 2 years to get a replacement) I asked the MB body shop to fix this too. Sadly all they did was replace the lock with a new one which of course made no difference, something I demonstrated on collection by putting my fingers in the gap and with so little force caused the lock to trip. Worse I discovered that they had marked the underside and punched a hole in the material. Two months on I am still waiting for them to suggest how they plan to resolve this.... My locker comes down even when empty, just as it did on the M11 a few weeks agon returning from Stansted reducing visibility. I have also tried to engage with MB customer service on this but as yet have received no response, perhaps predictably. I will try the hinge idea.

 

[Grand Tourismo]

This issue is probably more common than MB will admit and in part is cause by the fact that the locker door can flex, particularly when loaded. Ours (2017) has been unusable for as long as I can remember so when I had the roof replaced in May (blisters - took 2 years to get a replacement) I asked the MB body shop to fix this too. Sadly all they did was replace the lock with a new one which of course made no difference, something I demonstrated on collection by putting my fingers in the gap and with so little force caused the lock to trip. Worse I discovered that they had marked the underside and punched a hole in the material. Two months on I am still waiting for them to suggest how they plan to resolve this.... My locker comes down even when empty, just as it did on the M11 a few weeks agon returning from Stansted reducing visibility. I have also tried to engage with MB customer service on this but as yet have received no response, perhaps predictably. I will try the hinge idea.

I would try it...it takes about 15-30 mins and completely transforms the usage...it means you can put stuff in without threat of the locker vomiting your possessions all over the boot at the slightest hint of a ripple in the road.
Please, please, please heed my advice about keeping everything ultra clean...no oily hands on the headlong please!

 

[Tony Bartlett]

I did the ‘shim’ thing and it works. Took a bit longer than 30 mins but part of the time was hunting out a plastic item that could be cannibalised to make the packing shims. The lid of an old bicycle puncture repair outfit worked with a bit of drilling and junior hacksawing.

 

[JBizzle]

Does anyone know the part number for the latch (roof side not door mechanism) as I think we broke ours by overloading (sorry Marco!) I’d love to replace it and have everything stowed safely again - it holds empty for now!

 

[enano]

I did the shim thing too and it helped for a while. After some time the door opens again driving over bumps, especially when it has any weight inside. I finally chose another solution...