Vaneo 1.6 Petrol Doors Not locking and Interior light staying on intermitantly

[Jeryp]

Hi

I hope someone can help. This morning my Vaneo has started playing up.
When i try to lock the doors with the keyfob they lock then immediatelly unlock. If I hold the keyfob down they will lock after popping up once.
Also when i tried to drive it the intrior light stays on.
I opened the Drivers door and re shut it and the light went off for a min then came back on.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome,

Car is thinking a door is still open - check the door contacts

 

[Jeryp]

Thanks for the reply. Do you know where the drivers door contacts are?

 

[emteell]

Hello Jeryp and all reading this,

Something similar is going on with my Vaneo.

I have just bought a 2004 Vaneo and it is displaying exactly the same behaviour (first attempt to lock with key fob fails; second attempt to lock succeeds, if done within a few seconds; interior lights stay on permanently when engine is running). In addition to that, when the car is locked, if I press the front (lock) button on the key fob it unlocks all the doors except the driver's door. No rhyme or reason.

When I test drove the Vaneo prior to purchasing, it was daytime and I did not notice the behaviour of the interior lights. I subsequently discovered that none of the lights with festoon bulbs (above cockpit and above middle row seats) were working at all and that this was because the bulbs had been removed, so I installed new bulbs only to discover that they then wouldn't switch off and what was actually going on.

When the car is stationary and locked, the interior lights will eventually switch off, but only after about 5 minutes. I previously had an A160 on which the lights dimmed to off within seconds of the car being locked, so I know that something is not quite right there either.

I have also noticed that when the car does lock, the hazard flashers do not flash 3 times to prime the alarm. I've tried unlocking the driver's door by inserting the key in the lock. That should set the alarm off after a few seconds, if it is primed and working. On my Vaneo, it doesn't.

All in all, in my case certainly, there seem to be 3 linked things happening: locking, interior lighting, alarm.

Like you Jeryp, I have searched in vain for the door contacts. They must be built into the door latches on the driver and passenger doors and the tailgate, as I can't see anything separate. There are two spring loaded cylindrical protrusions on each of the sliding doors which might be light switches.

Question for anyone reading this who may be able to help:

If the locking/alarm priming and interior lighting issues are all linked, is a failed contact in one of the doors the most likely reason and how do I go about testing/remedying?

FYI: I've checked what I think are the relevant fuses (22, 39) and they are intact. According to information I found elsewhere the alarm is controlled by relay K46, located in a relay box towards the LH rear of the engine compartment, but I cannot find any relay box under the bonnet. Can anyone tell me where else to look for that relay and how to test K46?

FYI 2: Interior light switch is in the central position (i.e. automatic on/off)


Many thanks in advance.

 

[Jeryp]

Thanks for the reply.
I still have the error and its exactly the same as yours.
Ive purchased a second hand front drivers door lock complete as I was told the switch was inside there but havent swapped it yet as it looks very fiddly.

 

[M80]

Thanks for the reply.
I still have the error and its exactly the same as yours.
Ive purchased a second hand front drivers door lock complete as I was told the switch was inside there but havent swapped it yet as it looks very fiddly.

You might try moving the D hasp a smidgeon outward. It is possible that the lock isn't latching around it reliably.

 

[emteell]

Hello M80,
Thank you for your taking the trouble to make a suggestion.

I don’t know exactly which part the D hasp is and Google hasn’t helped. Can you provide any more pointers or a picture?

Thanks in advance

 

[M80]

On the B pillar, the lock of the door engages with the D hasp.
So at the same height as the pull handle on the outside, I would expect to see the lock mechanism, that mechanism should clasp the D hasp on closing.

I'm not familiar with you type of mo mo, but on mine the hasp is held by torx bolts.
Loosen with caution, so the hasp doesn't freely move.
Then nudge it outward by perhaps 1mm.

 

[emteell]

On the B pillar, the lock of the door engages with the D hasp.
So at the same height as the pull handle on the outside, I would expect to see the lock mechanism, that mechanism should clasp the D hasp on closing.

I'm not familiar with you type of mo mo, but on mine the hasp is held by torx bolts.
Loosen with caution, so the hasp doesn't freely move.
Then nudge it outward by perhaps 1mm.

Hello M80,

Thank you for the additional information.

I loosened and repositioned outwards the D hasp on all 5 doors, but unfortunately without any change. In the meantime a local independent mechanic ran a Mercedes Star Diagnostic scan, which suggested I need a new central locking control unit (A4144460016 Part no. 410 215 012 001). Mercedes have none available new butI have found a used one online. Can anyone tell me where on the car this part is located? The same mechanic told me that the control unit will have to be reprogrammed to match my key fobs and that this can only be done by a Mercedes workshop. Is that true?

 

[emteell]

Hello again Jeryp,
I'm making some progress, thanks to the fact that I speak German and found a similar thread on this topic and symptoms on a German forum (https://www.motor-talk.de/forum/zentralverriegelung-spinnt-t1314566.html).

There several people found that the source of the problem lies in the 4 spring loaded contacts on the front edge of each of the sliding doors. Each of these has two soldered wires. Numerous people report there that one or both cables had become detached and caused the symptoms we are both experiencing. The posts date from 2007, so not a new problem and the consensus there is that this is an example of blatant poor design.

I have just checked the contacts on both of my sliding doors. On each side there is a problem with one of the contacts and the other is OK. On one side both cables are detached and on the other side one cable is detached (see pictures).

The contacts clip into the door edge. They can be prised out and checked by depressing the retaining clip (located vertically in the middle left and right) by carefully sliding in a flat bladed screwdriver - a bit fiddly. I now need to figure out how to remove the door trim in order to access the connector on the other end of the cable, remove the contacts with their cable, resolder the wires and reinstall. I plan to remove all the contacts and resolder all the wires, even on the "good" ones, to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Hope this helps us both.

PS Does anyone know how to remove the trim on the sliding doors on a Vaneo?

Hi

I hope someone can help. This morning my Vaneo has started playing up.
When i try to lock the doors with the keyfob they lock then immediatelly unlock. If I hold the keyfob down they will lock after popping up once.
Also when i tried to drive it the intrior light stays on.
I opened the Drivers door and re shut it and the light went off for a min then came back on.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[emteell]

Hello again Jeryp,
I'm making some progress, thanks to the fact that I speak German and found a similar thread on this topic and symptoms on a German forum (https://www.motor-talk.de/forum/zentralverriegelung-spinnt-t1314566.html).

There several people found that the source of the problem lies in the 4 spring loaded contacts on the front edge of each of the sliding doors. Each of these has two soldered wires. Numerous people report there that one or both cables had become detached and caused the symptoms we are both experiencing. The posts date from 2007, so not a new problem and the consensus there is that this is an example of blatant poor design.

I have just checked the contacts on both of my sliding doors. On each side there is a problem with one of the contacts and the other is OK. On one side both cables are detached and on the other side one cable is detached (see pictures).

The contacts clip into the door edge. They can be prised out and checked by depressing the retaining clip (located vertically in the middle left and right) by carefully sliding in a flat bladed screwdriver - a bit fiddly. I now need to figure out how to remove the door trim in order to access the connector on the other end of the cable, remove the contacts with their cable, resolder the wires and reinstall. I plan to remove all the contacts and resolder all the wires, even on the "good" ones, to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Hope this helps us both.

PS Does anyone know how to remove the trim on the sliding doors on a Vaneo?

Update. Fiddly repair but it worked. Everything working now as it should (locking, alarm, interior lighting). Great feeling after so much frustration barking up several wrong trees. I managed to remove enough of the trim to reach inside and disconnect the switch assembly from the connector, so that I could take it indoors and reattach the cables. I recommend adding a bit of extra cable, as Mercedes skimped in that department and I suspect that is the main reason they broke off in the first place. It's pretty poor design.

To remove trim, first remove the window surround and the plastic covering the door opener, then use a wooden wedge (and a mallet) to release the clips on the base and side of the door. That's the hardest part. I released enough to be able to slide my hand in and release the connector to which the assembly was attached. Hope this helps you Jeryp and others in future. Amazing to think that the forum post I found containing the solution was from Jan 2007.

 

[PaulJFleming]

Update. Fiddly repair but it worked. Everything working now as it should (locking, alarm, interior lighting). Great feeling after so much frustration barking up several wrong trees. I managed to remove enough of the trim to reach inside and disconnect the switch assembly from the connector, so that I could take it indoors and reattach the cables. I recommend adding a bit of extra cable, as Mercedes skimped in that department and I suspect that is the main reason they broke off in the first place. It's pretty poor design.

To remove trim, first remove the window surround and the plastic covering the door opener, then use a wooden wedge (and a mallet) to release the clips on the base and side of the door. That's the hardest part. I released enough to be able to slide my hand in and release the connector to which the assembly was attached. Hope this helps you Jeryp and others in future. Amazing to think that the forum post I found containing the solution was from Jan 2007.

So many thanks!!!

I've had this issue with my trusty steed for over 6 months, and have turned off the autolock as the interior light kept coming on. Quite simply, I've scoured the web on and off to find a solution but none came to light ... until today!!! Today, I stumbled across your post, and your follow ups to say how you dealt with the problem - which is absolutely fantastic! Thank you!!!

I'm now off to pull the inner door trim away and wrestle with badly soldered wires

Thank-you once again for your persistent posting and the updates which have proved so valuable in helping me find a solution.

My best regards,

Paul

 

[emteell]

Hello Paul,

I'm pleased to know this might help you. Nine months on I haven't had any further trouble.

Pry out the door sensors as a first step. You should be able to get them out far enough to check whether or not the wires are still connected to them. In my case one on each door had lost at least one wire. If one of the two wires is still attached, you might manage to carry out the repair in situ. I couldn't so had to remove the trims on both sliding doors. The door trim is not that easy to remove. You need to start with the trim around the window. I found a kit like this one useful: https://tinyurl.com/ymwua5m9. Once you have access to the inside of the door panel you can disconnect the connector and remove the sensor module (sensor, wire, connector) completely, then change or repair the wire. I added an additional short length of cable using terminal blocks at either end. I wasn't able to solder the cable directly onto the contact on the sensor, so I twisted the bare copper end of the cable around it then applied solder and sealed it all with some heatshrink, which will hopefully help the whole thing last a bit longer.

Good luck!