Side door not closing fully

[GeorgeG]

My MP is off the road at the moment (to save on the ludicrous VED). I went to check the leisure battery voltage today and noticed that the side door was not fully closed at its rear edge - about 12-15mm proud at a guess. I tried to close it several times with all the options available: button on the key fob; button on the B-pillar inside the door; button on the dash; and by pulling the door handle in a closing motion. All to no avail.
Has anyone on here experienced a similar problem? I don’t intend to re-tax it just yet just to visit the dealers.

 

[Method7]

Not had a issue with ours. is the door registering as open on the dash? It might be worth checking the runners and latches are clear of debris, carpets and pebbles.

 

[GeorgeG]

Dash light indicates open door and it won’t lock. I didn’t see any obvious debris, but will look again in daylight.

 

[Epigram]

Dash light indicates open door and it won’t lock. I didn’t see any obvious debris, but will look again in daylight.

In addition to method7’s suggestions, it might be worth locating the door contacts and giving them a spray with switch cleaner or WD40.

 

[GeorgeG]

In addition to method7’s suggestions, it might be worth locating the door contacts and giving them a spray with switch cleaner or WD40.

Many thanks for that suggestion. Presumably you mean electric contacts - where do I find those?

 

[Epigram]

Many thanks for that suggestion. Presumably you mean electric contacts - where do I find those?

I had assumed the arrangement would be similar to VW soft close door where there are contacts on the leading edge of the door. I have just been out to look at mine. Nothing obvious. There is nothing hiding behind the round rubber bung half way up the door pillar so bother to remove it. Neither is there anything in the carriage mechanism at the bottom of the door

Suspecting Mercedes have engineered something clever (as with the wardrobe door - a magnetic relay instead of a microswitch!) I found this video showing how to remove the control unit. My guess is the limit switches are in the control mechanism. It would seem unlikely they would have gone out of adjustment or got dirty in such a protected position. In view of the work involved, I hope is a red herring in your case but it’s useful to know where the control unit is.

Stating the obvious but clutching at straws because the vehicle has been standing, is the main battery up to scratch?

 

[Method7]

The door latch is mounted in the rear edge of the door, it might pay to check that it is in the open position so that the locking pin can slide in there. If it’s closed, you’ll need to open or pull the handle and lift the latch at the same time.

 

[GeorgeG]

Thanks for all the advice. I’m not at home at the moment. When I get home I’ll check out the above and report back.

 

[GeorgeG]

Update. My local dealer suggested I contact Mercedes breakdown service as I was still covered. They arrived within 1.5 hours of the call even though it was after 6pm, which was quite impressive as they’d driven 60 miles.
The mechanic manage to close the side door manually - meaning that I can at least lock it now - but could not carry out a permanent fix. His best guess was that one of the several control cables (6 I think) linked to the control box in the door was jamming, in the channel in the side of the van, as it was pulled into the control unit.

It’s booked in to go to the main dealer next week and I’ll post my findings when it’s fixed. A major problem with this issue, if it occurs on a trip to foreign parts, is the inability to lock the van and make it secure.

 

[Danny Raff]

Hi George how did you get on with your sidedoor at the dealer as I have the same problem ?

 

[GeorgeG]

Hi George how did you get on with your sidedoor at the dealer as I have the same problem ?

Hi Danny,
Fortunately my MP was still under warranty because it required a new motor to fix the door issue. When I asked how much it was the reply was basically “you don’t want to know!” Hope yours is still under warranty if it’s the same issue.

We sold our MP last summer partly because we were finding the accommodation too restrictive and although it was a nice drive, I didn’t fancy owning a Spanish built Mercedes out of warranty. If you look at the various reliability surveys many German built Mercedes cars have a poor record - B-Class, C-Class Estate to name two, and they’re very expensive to fix. My cars are Toyota and BMW and have been pretty bomb-proof so far.

Good luck with the door.