Mercedes SL500 R230 Trunk soft close fix
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- Опубликовано: 9 авг 2019
- If your trunk soft close isn't working, the air pump circuit has probably timed out due to a leak in the soft close actuator. Here's how to take out the actuator and fix the leaks.
You can buy the black hockey puck actuator new on ebay. Just search "mercedes trunk Actuator Servo" and you will find them for around $54.
To seal the leaks, an epoxy for plastic would be best. 
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My boot also does that first click, and not the second with a pull. This was a very detailed video! Now I'm gonna see if this actually is the problem with my boot. Hopefully it is. Thanks!
Really really well done video!
Additional tips: For folks who intend to try epoxying on this plastic material (i.e. the round black actuator diaprhagm) let me add a couple of suggestions.
1.) Rough up the plastic you intend to epoxy with 60 grit sandpaper.
2.) Then wipe it clean with a quick swipe of acetone. Then don't touch it without wearing gloves while you are gluing it up. It'll hold a lot better.
3.) I strongly recommend JB Weld. It is really tenacious.
4.) For places where there is a passageway plugged by a metal ball, clean and scuff as mentioned before. Then drip a bit of Cyanaoacrylate glue into the hole first. THEN seal over that with JB Weld epoxy. CA will flow in around the ball and provide additional sealing.
5.) On my 2006 R230, there were two cable ties which held the wiring/pressure hose harness to the bottom of the latch mechanism assembly. In addition to everything that Mr. Marco shows, be aware that those two cable ties must also be cut to free up the hose/wiring harness that is attached to the automobile. THEN you can remove the assembly. They are obvious - but look for them on the bracket that holds the large white actuator tank with the red hose attached to it. If they are not there, chances are your car has already been worked on and someone else cut them for you.
6.) As others have mentioned, plastic welding may be a better alternative. I did a mixture of plastic welding, epoxy, CA glue and hot glue gun glue, depending on the exact situation.
Again HUGE thanks to Mr. Marco for this very logical, well laid out, and comprehensive explanation. And finally, the rant;
SHAME ON MERCEDES FOR PRODUCING SUCH A CRUMMY TRUNK PULL DOWN mechanism.
Deliberately installing BRITTLE-HARD PLASTIC parts on a trunk lid that might be slammed to close is a very poorly considered design decision. Cadillacs offered this very same soft close trunklid feature since the 1960's, and even lowly Cadillac designers figured plastic actuators would never work, which is why they had a mostly metal diaphragm and pull down assembly for decades. Mercedes should have known better!
But I guess "precision German engineering" doesn't factor in materials degradation and stresses outside of what is "proper" i.e. "frustrated wife slams trunk because it won't soft close" :-)
Anyway, THANKS Mr. MARCO! Awesome video!
I've heard the shitty type of plastic is a European regulation thing, like it's environmental plastic, not some tough plastic that would last 1million years you'd find in a Toyota
Yes, that's very likely. The Germans are taking the whole global plastics crisis quite seriously, with a heavy emphasis on degradable plastics, whereas I think the Japanese see it a bit differently. I think the Japanese see that one day recycled plastic will be a premium feedstock, just like recycled aluminum. @@benjaminwingchun9665
So many vids on this issue, and finally one I fully understand! Thank you 🙏🏻
Many thanks Mr Marco ... I have previously epoxied and then completely replaced the vacuum actuator unit on my 2006 350SL ... and then the "Close trunk/boot lid" warning light came on again after a few weeks ... preventing the roof mechanism from working ... resetting the PSE fuse did the trick for me ... by far the best of the related videos on RUclips ... if you find yourself in London I will happily buy you a beer!
Best removal intruction on RUclips, had some troble with that small electrical connector
Worked very well, thanks for this!
Used JB Weld (KwikWeld) Dark Grey (Cures in 4-6 hours), easy to apply and strong bond, gave it a day before the install and no more leaks.
The black puck only controls the lock opening and not the closing so if the PSE pump times out during lock closing focus on those leaks primarily, if it times out during opening you know the puck has a leak....
I pulled off the yellow pneumatic hose just by pulling, no screwdriver needed, you don't want to damage anything and create a leak there....
So helpful Thank you. FYI my car is a 2007 SL 550 and everything was exactly the same.
Absolutely fantastic job and performance with camera in one hand. Thank you so much to show precisely every step like this. Never found french to explain like you👍👍👍👍
Thanks for the great video. It helped me today. I had a leak and the usual issues that are associated with it. What I did different was instead of using epoxy, I welded the plastic in all the weak areas you suggested. I didn't use any plastic welding rods. Just carefully melted the plastic and spread it. Worked out great.
Maybe that will be a better long term solution. I have had to re-glue my actuator a few times.
Much appreciate this! I have had my SL550 (2007) for about 24 hours and, after getting it home yesterday, was having the trunk indicator light issue. Was very frustrated and worried with what I thought was an immediately busted roof. Not only did this make me feel far less bothered since it's a simple repair, but I fixed it by resetting the fuse. So, back on the road with the threat of rain I went. THANK YOU! The problem is persisting this morning so I pulled the fuse, waited a few seconds, put it back in, started car, raised/lowered truck and roof operation is working. Until I want to deal with the proper repair, I've added a needle-nosed pliers to the glove box for easy fuse removal and inserting. I'm now a mechanic thanks to you! Love it.
To turn the trunk light off, until you repair the actuator, you can slam the trunk down until the light goes off. I didn't find any ill affects when doing that.
@@MrMarco6900 I cannot get the trunk to slam. Being automated, I guess I'm not sure how to manually close it to create the force needed.
I had the exact same problem. I bypassed the dismantling malarkey and went straight for the fuse extraction trick. Worked a treat and took 2 minutes to get to the fuse. Thanks for the heads up.
Hi, did you remove the fuse while the car is on or while the car is off? Does it matter? Sorry for the lame question but I don't want to make things worse.
Thank you for the very detailed video. Given the work involved, my suggestion is buy the new part (entire actuator assembly) and fix it right the first time. I found the part on amazon $375.
I'm very grateful that you took the time and effort to film this. Helped me enormously. Very generous of you.
I paid for a shop to replace my trunk latch before I saw this very helpful tutorial, I know what to do next time. And if everyone closed their trunk lid gently this latch might last longer and same for the soft close doors
Very helpful!! I replaced the "puck", pulled the fuse, reinserted and trunk soft close worked twice. Then heard air leack. Will remove again and patch the leak. Thanks for showing how to get to the fuse!! Jay
Many thanks for this video. Mine had timed out the PSE pump and using this guide found the leak around the solenoid valve ball bearing plastics. £5 of epoxy resin later and now as good as new. :)
I ran over a speed bump fairly hard and the roll bar popped up and the boot soft close went U/S. 2006 SL350. Thanks so much for the video as the fuse reset worked! FI the roll bar jammed against the roof and only multiple up roll bar pressing(this locks up the roll bar) and then manually helping it enabled me to power it down again. Phew...p.s. the rear fuse box top cover has two clips to its top back that you manually unclip to release the cover.
Awesome video. You have shown step by step how it works and how to open everything and how to put it back. I made few videos and I have not been able to share them bc they have some steps missing. I do have the same issue the soft closing not working and now I feel good about opening it and replacing it. Thank you 1000 times.
Thanks for the play-by-play. After plenty of epoxy, slow close works better than before.
Exactly what I was looking for. Cheers Mr. Marco
Thanks for this video. Just undertook this small project and your video was a perfect guide through it!
Excellent video! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience 😊
Ok! I did this today, replaced the trunk actuator with a brand new one from FCP euro. I’d like to point out a few things missing from the video. Getting that ball socket off is easy, but putting it back into place is a BI?$H!!! Use a metal spackle knife to push up because there’s no clearance to apply pressure and it’s TIGHT so it doesn’t want to pop into place.
Next the original actuator has zip ties and wires-cut the the zip ties. Then you have the play to finagle the actuator. Otherwise it’s impossible. Thanks for the video! You gave me the courage to try it! Mine was hissing like a snake in the grass. Glad it wasn’t the PSE pump!
Thank you for taking the time to create this video. It was very helpful and I fixed my car.
Excellent video. It gave me what i was looking to learn about steps to uninstall and install.
Worked great, Thank you. Everything was as shown and as easy as it looked. One extra thing I found the unit that the red and yellow hoses plug into that you have to seal can be easily slid out of assembly to make the glue/epoxy step easier, there are two clips on the back side be the port that is said to be hard to see/plug, close to where the rod connects to the lever. I used gorilla glue clear and let set for 8 hours, now looks and works like new.
Thank you for the thorough video. It helped me diagnose my trunk problem on my 2007 SL550. Would not open automatically, and I had to use the key.
It was indeed a bad plastic vacuum unit, all the clips were broken as you'd mentioned, which I tried to fix with epoxy, but did not have enough epoxy so it didn't hold. I then placed a couple of zip ties and wrapped it with duct tape and wouldn't you know it worked.
I will be ordering a new vacuum unit but am curious how long my MacGiver job will hold so let's see.
I watched many videos, but yours was the best and most thorough in explanation of how to access and put everything back. Also appreciated your tip on making certain I place the bolts exactly where they were before for proper alignment, I'm certain it saved me many hours of frustration. The long rod was a bit tough to get back on but was finally successfull.
Once again, many thanks from California, USA.
Thank you so much! This is truly a fantastic video! So much more informative than a simple parts changing video. Thanks again!
Great video, it was very helpful. I could fix mine by resetting the system according to your instructions. Thanks so much!.
Wow, great job! Also learned from you where the fuse box/ reset fuse
Keep up the great work, thank you!
GREAT information!! THANKS FOR POSTING!!!
Great explanation & well thought through. Thank you 👍
You're my hero! I didn't know about the fuse haha. Thanks brother!
Thank you for this invaluable info! I used Crazy Glue & Baking Soda for instant, hard-as-a-rock repair on all the cracks....
Many thanks, you just save me a trip to the workshop :)
2007 sl550. fix it for 1 minutes. thank you vor video 🤲
Wow I love it ...
It was very helpful, thank you 🙏
Keep on making more videos...great job....🌴👍👍👍🌴
Thanks bud. Worked like a charm and I didn’t have to pay 600 bucks lol..
Thank you thank you thank you. I followed your video step by step. Your detailed instructions were perfect! My trunk now opens like new. I am thrilled!
Resetting the PSE fuse did the trick for me. Thanks for posting this tutorial Mr. Marco!
Great video.....the voice is also very clear and easy to understand. Thank you for taking the time to shoot this video...!!! May I ask ...Do you know the part number..?? Thanks..!!
Thanks! The part number for the whole thing is 2307500185.
Great video, very well done. Thanks!
Thank you very much for an amazing video!! I followed it in order to find out where the air came from but found out my latch was actually working as soon as the PSE pump was reset by removing the fuse! :-)
Hi there, do I need to have the car on or off while I remove the fuse? Does it matter? Thanks in advance!
Very helpful. Thank you for this great explanation.
Thank you for the video. I should have checked the fuse first. Opened the unit and it was practically new, didn’t hear any escaping air; the thing is the latch only clicked once. After pulling the fuse and put it back in, the second click happened. Put things back and worked like a charm. Thanks again for the video. You did a good service!
Hi there, do I need to have the car on or off while I remove the fuse? Does it matter? Thanks in advance!
@@sterlingforbes3872 I had the engine off, removed the fuse and popped it back in. That was all I did.
@@ktran991 Terrific, thank you for taking the time to respond! Really appreciate it. I didn't know if the fuse would reset if it was off the whole time.
@@ktran991 Update: You saved me! Thanks to your help! I learned how to find the fuse box and reset the pump on that fuse. I lost my job during covid and thought my father was going to beat the crap out of me, telling me it would cost at least a thousand to get it fixed. I went and said, it's fixed and he just gave me a look. It wasn't exactly the "I'm proud of you son, good job!" I had hoped for but at least I don't have to ask for help paying for an auto tech.
@@sterlingforbes3872 Definitely saved me lots of money. I had another issue with convertible top’s fluid leak. Probably costs 2k-3k to fix, my brother order a refurbished part for 250 bucks. I couldn’t do it myself but my brother worked at Boeing so he’s mechanically inclined.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Seriously,
Thanks!
Thanks for the explanation... It was useful
you save me time and money thanks
Good video. How about taking apart the console lock next.
Thank you for this video, I think I'll try to the fuse part first to see if that solves the issue... the other mechanical part seems a bit daunting to an amateur like myself.
Update: You saved me! Thanks to your help! I learned how to find the fuse box and reset the pump on that fuse. I lost my job during covid and thought my father was going to beat the crap out of me, telling me it would cost at least a thousand to get it fixed. I went and said, it's fixed and he just gave me a look. It wasn't exactly the "I'm proud of you son, good job!" I had hoped for but at least I don't have to ask for help paying for an auto tech.
Mr Marco. I followed your OUTSTANDING instructions and the roof on my 09 r230 is now operating, so thanks for posting this great video!! However, the soft close still doesn't work and I never hear the PSE pump activate. Any ideas? Is it possible that the roof will still operate even if the latch is electronically dead? Any info will be greatly appreciated.
THANK YOU
what I most like about Benz is how every system reliably fails.
The only variable is what was the failure interval 🙄
Thanks for the demo. It was easy peasy taking out the unit. Unfortunately, it didn't fix my issue. When i open my trunk it makes a hydraulic sound. If i disconnect the battery and reconnect it works for 2-3 tries than stops. The trunk release works from driver door. But when i close it the soft close doesnt kick in
Reset the yellow fuse from the video. If it works again for a few times then quits, then I would be pretty confident that you still have an air leak in the actuator.
شكرا 💐💐💐
sorry if it's posted but does anyone have the MB part number? Thanks Mr. Marco for sharing!!! Extremely helpful!
If you mean the whole actuator it's 2307500185.
When reinstalling, did you just push the lever back onto the ball with your hands, mines all plastic, not metal like yours. Maybe I'll put a touch of WD-40 on it, as pushing it hard seems a little dangerous or is there a correct angle to get it on easier?
Mine is somtimes not closed compleatly , but sometimes it does close all the way . I never hear any wind zhuss . What do you think I should do ?? The part is new on Ebay for 300 Thanks
Thanks for this good video. Can you tell me what the rod with the ball end that you take off first does? I believe I have fixed the unit, but the trunk open light keeps coming on. Does that rod have anything to do with that warning light?Thanks
It appears that the 'trunk open' light your refer to is controlled by a switch inside this assy. The wire pair of the left side is the one for this. The pair on the right side is for the trunk LIGHT.
Thanks! Do you know if it is safe to assume the leak which causes the timeout is always on the puck or on that actuator unit? Or could it just as well be anywhere along the air hoses and eventually affect the locking function as well?
The leak could be anywhere on the actuator or the hose to the air pump. In my experience it hasn't affected the lock function. When it's not working I sometimes need to slam the trunk shut to get it to latch properly. You know it hasn't latched correctly when the little trunk light on the driver door is lit.
Do you think Flexseal would do the trick on the leaks?
What year wad this option introduced ?
Great video! if the PSE pump time out, will the soft door close work? thanks!
If you mean the soft close for the trunk, no it won't work if it times out. If the trunk actuator is leaking, the PSE pump should only shut off that air circuit, all the other air circuits should be working, like the seat, the door locks...ect. (unless they are leaking too). Resetting the fuse should reset any of the air circuits that are timed out.
Nice and cool video👍🏻 one question I have. It's normal a second pull trunk lid? Afte 30 seconds my pump pull an other time. BR Dieter
Dieter, i'm not sure I understand the question .
@@MrMarco6900 Dear Marco, I got the mistake of my trunk lock. It was not a 2. pull. The lock was not at right position. You Video was great to understand the system. Best regards 🙋🏻♂️
I had some electrical problems with the car so I reset the pump by removing the yellow fuse like you showed in the video. It seems to be working ok for now at least, but if you don't mind me asking, how long would the pump motor continue to run once it pulls the trunk lid down? When I put my ear close to the trunk lid, once the lid is pulled down the pump runs for a few seconds then stops. I then open the trunk and it works fine. Then close the trunk again and it pulls down and the pump seems to run for a few seconds before stopping like it did before. Is the pump supposed to run for a few seconds after it pulls the trunk lid down! Thank you again so very much for the great video. Very informative, for sure.
I'm sorry, I can't seem to find any details in the WIS on the PSE pump operation but I'm sure it is there somewhere. I'm not sure how long the pump should run but I hear it running for maybe 2 to 4 seconds. I believe it pumps til it senses the correct pressure then shuts off. If it runs too long before it reaches the correct pressure it will shut that port off. You then have to do the fuse trick to reset it.
@@MrMarco6900 Thank you so much for the quick reply and the additional information. Your videos are great. Very informative, providing enough detail and clear images. Thank you again and best regards, Mike
Thanks for the detailed sharing.
What do you estimate is the quantified measure of the pressure being contained?
Wouldn't even begin to guess, but I'm sure it's pretty high! Seems like it would take a lot of pressure to break the tabs on that black hockey puck.
Can you bench test for leaks. I replaced the puck and there is still a small leak. Do you test with vacuum or air presure?
I would test it while it's still installed and hanging down from the trunk lid. You can put some soapy water on the little ports with the ball bearings and see which ones are leaking. I haven't heard of anyone finding leaks other than the ball bearing ports or the puck. Could possibly be leaking at the air input hose connector, the yellow one, or from that hose back to the PSE pump. I don't think a bench test would work 100% as you have electronics in there that open and close ports.
When I close mine I don't here anything no motor running no air nothing where does it get its air from, does it get air from the same pump for locks roof because they also don't work all the fuses are good any help would be very thank full
Both get the air from PSE pump. It's in the trunk under the hydraulic pump, (bottom left) If you are sure the fuse is good, you might have a bad PSE pump. Search Mercedes PSE pump and you'll find a few good videos on how to fix it or replace it.
Do the ball bearing serve a purpose, dont they need to suck air back it there?
I can't see a purpose for the ball bearings. I just know it starts working again when you seal them up.
Actually its vacuum which operates that
Hi there, do I need to have the car on or off while I remove the fuse? Does it matter? Thanks in advance!
Generally it's good practice to always have the power off when replacing electrical components or fuses, but in this case it doesn't matter. If you pull the fuse while the car is on or off, you'll hear the pump activate when you re-insert the fuse.
@@MrMarco6900 Terrific, thank you for taking the time to respond! Really appreciate it. I didn't know if the fuse would reset if it was off the whole time.
@@MrMarco6900 Update: You saved me! Thanks to your help! I learned how to find the fuse box and reset the pump on that fuse. I lost my job during covid and thought my father was going to beat the crap out of me, telling me it would cost at least a thousand to get it fixed. I went and said, it's fixed and he just gave me a look. It wasn't exactly the "I'm proud of you son, good job!" I had hoped for but at least I don't have to ask for help paying for an auto tech.
@@MrMarco6900 Update: Well I spoke too soon. The fuse trick worked but only for a few hours. So I'm guessing that means I have a leak. I think I read that a few people glued the little box as a fix? The video makes it look so easy to fix but I'm intimidated and fear I'll screw it up.
I can’t remove the thing from the ball head also the ball head is plastic
i dont even get nothing out of my pump?? any ideas why it doesnt come on at all?? i opened it up the motor still works when i apply direct power to it but when its connected theres nothing and the fuse is good any other fuses or relays??
Per the schematic, the power comes into the PSE on the larger connector, pins 2 + 6, red/white and brown. Check to make sure you have 12 volts between those two pins on the connector.
MrMarco6900 thank you sir i will do that asap
4:42 lol
I just replaced mine and still the soft close doesn’t work what am I doing wrong do I need to pull a fuse or something?
Yes, you probably need to reset the fuse. Start at time 4:10
@@MrMarco6900 thank you for your reply and I will keep you posted 🙏🏻🍺
Works better without it.
You'll be fixing it again soon.
Sl
Awesome instruction! Thank you so much... it worked for me too :-) Just one addition... I highly recommend taking the actuator apart a little more BEFORE glueing to get access to all holes with the ball bearing. There are two "hooks" on the opposite side of the pipe connections. Best to find with a strong torch. See this picture from German forum: img.motor-talk.de/JxnX45ol81hNDKvN.131.jpg DO NOT GLUE THE ONE WITH THE RED ARROW! ... for me clicking the rod back in has not been easy ... hints welcomed.