R230 SL350 soft close

[s5tuart]

Do they all have the soft close boot?
If they have mine doesn't work. Also the boot lid seems incredibly heavy to lift up. Perhaps I need some new struts?

WDB2304672F048681

 

[Blobcat]

Do they all have the soft close boot?
If they have mine doesn't work. Also the boot lid seems incredibly heavy to lift up. Perhaps I need some new struts?

WDB2304672F048681

There is a lot of weight with the vario roof, I’d be lubing the mechanism and replacing the struts

 

[peterws1957]

Do they all have the soft close boot?
If they have mine doesn't work. Also the boot lid seems incredibly heavy to lift up. Perhaps I need some new struts?

WDB2304672F048681

Could be wrong but I thought all had this feature. If it's not working there's a leak somewhere which appears to be fairly common. Plastic locking mech sometimes leaks but can be repaired. If central locking etc still works I would say there's your problem. Fortunately the struts are fairly cheap (in MB parts terms) and easy to replace.

 

[s5tuart]

Central locking works fine. I'll get a pair of struts on order
I thought they all had the soft close boot too. Drat!
Do you know anywhere that does refurbished locking mechs?

 

[Timeandleisure]

I don’t know if the 350 has a soft close boot but I had a similar experience on the 500, which resolved by replacing the struts. As mentioned before, straightforward and one of the cheaper fixes…

 

[s5tuart]

I don’t know if the 350 has a soft close boot but I had a similar experience on the 500, which resolved by replacing the struts. As mentioned before, straightforward and one of the cheaper fixes…

Yes indeed. I have a pair on order and I think even I can do the work myself

I'm really hoping I don't have to fix the soft close thing though

 

[Denis O]

As has already been said, the boot mechanism is extremely heavy so be careful when you do it.
Once I'd done mine the boot would lift about 6 inches when using the drivers door release button.

 

[Timeandleisure]

Yes indeed. I have a pair on order and I think even I can do the work myself

I'm really hoping I don't have to fix the soft close thing though

Hoping it does the trick.

Also something that you may have already done, but check the reversing light bulb covers for any cracks… whilst you’re there. You can get ingress which can lead to all sorts of trouble.

 

[s5tuart]

Hoping it does the trick.

Also something that you may have already done, but check the reversing light bulb covers for any cracks… whilst you’re there. You can get ingress which can lead to all sorts of trouble.

I think I've seen a YT video where they were replaced by LED ones with no canbus error

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I think we need a new thread called ‘living with an R230’ listing all these little idiosyncrasies

 

[s5tuart]

I think we need a new thread called ‘living with an R230’ listing all these little idiosyncrasies

That is a very good idea!!!!

@Blobcat ??

 

[mercmancdi]

When changing the struts be handy to have someone take the weight of boot , I was changing a strut ( not mb ) and one popped off and boot lid fell and the strut had shot to one side so badly damaged the edge of boot.

 

[s5tuart]

When changing the struts be handy to have someone take the weight of boot , I was changing a strut ( not mb ) and one popped off and boot lid fell and the strut had shot to one side so badly damaged the edge of boot.

Yikes! Good tip I will only do them one at a time but I have a golf bat I found and can use that to wedge it
Thanks

 

[Blobcat]

That is a very good idea!!!!

@Blobcat ??

You make the thread, I nail it into the right section… not with “no more nails” though, as that’s not waterproof…

 

[Blobcat]

Yikes! Good tip I will only do them one at a time but I have a golf bat I found and can use that to wedge it
Thanks

I recommend wood, It’s always good to have stout wood when strutting…

 

[s5tuart]

You make the thread, I nail it into the right section… not with “no more nails” though, as that’s not waterproof…

Ok. I'll think about the format. Thanks

 

[Mark Q]

I recommend wood, It’s always good to have stout wood when strutting…

That's what I used when I did mine.

 

[LostKiwi]

You make the thread, I nail it into the right section… not with “no more nails” though, as that’s not waterproof…

Neither are R230s so it's perfect.

 

[LostKiwi]

All 230s have soft close boots. A common problem with them is a split diaphragm in the soft close unit. New boot latch to fix which isn't cheap.
Before doing that check all other air lines and the ball bearings used to seal the latch galleries - they have been known to leak. If they are a dob of good epoxy to seal over the ball bearings will fix it.
Starts out as no soft close then get worse to the point it won't unlock the boot. Make sure your metal key works in the boot. It's a matter of time till you'll need it.

The reason it first becomes visible on soft close is that requires a lot of vacuum to work so loss if vac shows there first.

You can test if vacuum is the issue by disconnecting the rear battery for 5 mins and reconnecting. If it starts to work there's an air leak.

 

[s5tuart]

You make the thread, I nail it into the right section… not with “no more nails” though, as that’s not waterproof…

Done

Living with an R230

Arguably one of the most loved and most hated Mercedes of all time the R230 can raise heart rates for the quality of the driving experience and the frustrations of ownership. This section is where you may be able to find some answers and information. Please post your experiences and your tips...

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