RonnieRenaldi

I bought a pair from ebay for $59 shipped!
Got them installed, works perfect.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310497475813...84.m1439.l2649

solomed

Karl:
Tried to do as you said above to change the shock. I got the trunk lid open without the top opening but the key would only turn about 40 degrees. I tried the key in both directions but it never went to 45 let alone 90 degrees. I put the trunk in different positions with the "flaps" closed etc but the same thing happened. Any tips?

Thanks
Perry

Karl G

I checked the service manual and it says 30 degrees counterclockwise should enable the manual function for the trunk handle. I've edited my original post to reflect this.

spearstrvlr6

How difficult is it to replace the center console spring? This has really been bugging me.

oldstocks

Simple repair info for a simple mechanic. Then ask to all for the info. I was tired of getting hit in the head. Ordering per your info tonight.

oldstocks

I popped the clips off the old strut attachments since they were being tossed. With the new ones, I left the clips on and snapped them in place.

The biggest change is they do hold in place at any height. It now takes a little effort to shut the trunk.

jnice72

Thanks Karl for parts and instruction clarifications.

I ordered Stabilus struts from AutohausAZ, part #SG403056.
Struts were $42.87 each with free shipping. This was slightly cheaper than Amazon, but only by a couple of dollars.

Autohaus AZ did not have the strut for the roof mechanism (Stabilus SG303007), so I ordered one from Amazon (fulfulled by Auto Barn) for $58.95 + $7.95 shipping.

The tubular frame strut for the roof was the most difficult, only because of access. The bottom is by the battery in the trunk. I almost couldn't locate it at first - it literally is just on the other side (opposite) of the hydraulic cylinder on the right side next to the trunk latch that begins the roof open/close sequence.

Definitely get a broomstick or other implement to prop the trunk lid - even with one strut still on it is not enough to hold it up.

Ggoodenow

Thank you so much for posting this link!!!! Exact match for the $180.00 MB dealer repair quote for my '07 SL55. $19.92 + shipping. New part # is 9416K11. Thank you Karl G!!

cnterline

Center Console Lift supports number is PM1065

gatesdad

How do you remove the retaining ring to allow removal of the old strut?

RoundTheBenz

Just get a flat head screwdriver under there and pry them off.

IngenereAMG

I have had to replace my trunk struts 3 or 4 times since '03. You would think that these could be engineered to be more durable. Thankfully its an easy fix.

bscheube

hi all, i just followed the instructions for replacement for all 3 of the struts. worked to a "T". thanks KarlG and others took me 5 minutes for all 3. My problem is now that they are replaced I let the tubular strut assembly slide back into the "down position". Although it is not latched all the way and the wings are still out. I tried to see if the vario roof control would maybe rectify the situation but it says close trunk on the screen or roof actuation in progress. if any of you have run into this please let me know what to do. I can attach pictures if needed.
Thanks for the help. Bob

NYCBethesda

I am so happy to have found this sight. I know little to nothing about car repair. I was repeatedly getting the "trunk partition" message and found this sight. It showed me how to find the sensor switch. I checked that it wasn't being pressed in all the way and realized that the canopy had a little too much slack in it. This made me realize the gas strut had gone bad. I took the part number off of the gas strut (in case you have the same year/model car, it is: 209-690-00-59) and ordered it from RMEuropean - it was only $21.70! The Mercedes dealership told me it was $140, that i'd need two, so that would have been $280 plus $250 to install. INSANE. The part arrived today and I switched it out no problem. I used a flathead screwdriver to pull it off and popped the new one in in less than a minute. The top works great again and my husband thinks I'm a superstar. Thanks so much and thank you so much for posting about this.

Nor Cal SL55

I have been driving my car more with the better weather lately. When opening the trunk, it will sometimes open about 3/4 of the way and stop - it seems that there is too much effort to open. I can push it all the way up and it stays. It closes fine.

Also, it appears that when I put the convertible top down, the trunk opens slower than I last remembered, showing more effort in the movement.

Otherwise, the trunk mechanism works ok.

Is this a tell tale sign of a shock issue? trunk/top motor?

TIA

compaddict

iTrader: (1)

Subscribed.

PoCoAMG

When my top opens, the trunk seems to fly back and "hit hard" when it is at the final position. I look at other people's trunk when it opens and it just appears to be smoother than mine. Struts as well?

Cheers!

Shaun

Nor Cal SL55

Looking more closely at the lift strut shocks now, I am seeing some oil at the end of one of the trunk struts. Thought it might be lubricant from the shock ball joint, but the convertible top mechanisms haven't been serviced in some time. It's got to be a leak.

At the top 1/4 of the trunk opening the shocks will hold the trunk in place. 3/4 and down, the trunk will not hold at any given point when I operate the trunk manually.

I'm gonna replace the struts and also make sure the convertible top is serviced.



Shaun, it looks like there is a stop sensor on the drivers side motor strut. maybe your is loose? It kind of just snaps into place - see attached pictures

kbob999

There is one more gas strut not mentioned here. It is for the hinged portion of the rear shelf. If this strut goes bad, the roof hangs up on the hinged portion when closing the Vario Roof. #11 in the picture.

Part is 230 790 00 79, or Stabilus 192848, with a whopping 11 pounds of force (50 N). It's only about $10 in Germany, but by the time it is shipped to USA, the best price I found was $65.53 shipped from www.mbpartsdelivered.com

57staff

Just ordered the trunk lift struts from Autohaus AZ. They have both the lid support SG403056 and the Tubular Lift Arm support SG303007 - this one is P/N SS-2307500136 Stabilus in the catalog.

Frederick NL

I found (I hope) the part number for the center armrest strut: Stabilus 6408PN 0140N. At least that is what it seems to be in Europe.
Delivery is going to take a long time. Will confirm correct fitting (or not) when in. Hope exchanging the part is as simple as said here!

In general, the sweet taste of low cost is long gone when the sour taste of poor quality lingers on.... sometimes MB prices are unacceptably high, but a portion of the after market products is just sub standard.

Frederick NL

Frederick NL

Adjustable boot lid stopper.


Where the boot lid collided to the rear shelf
Adding to my post above: I seem to understand that the boot lid, when closed, pivots over 3 points (beside the rubber strips, that is). 1 would be the lock&bracket at the back, and 2 and 3 would be the adjustable stoppers on the hinges (photo). Way before the problem started, I did take out the lock bracket when I removed the plastic rear boot panel. The lock bracket can be installed with fine adjustments, so I may have made an unintended minute change there (at the time I fixed the lock and the soft close works fine now).
As for the two stoppers, I think the MB dealer adjusted those up a little, to align the lid with the rear shelf (I had the lid sort of colliding with the shelf (photo) when the roof is open).

I don't see any misalignment between the lid, fenders, tail lamps or rear bumper, so no clear clues there.
How/where do I start adjusting the lid and/or the rear shelf, getting rid of this enormous tension build up?

Thanks!

Frederick NL

Anyone....?

Frederick NL

[QUOTE=Frederick NL;7525533]I found (I hope) the part number for the center armrest strut: Stabilus 6408PN 0140N. At least that is what it seems to be in Europe.
Delivery is going to take a long time. Will confirm correct fitting (or not) when in. Hope exchanging the part is as simple as said here! ]

Quoting myself.... seems a silly thing to do, but the strut I ordered is the exact product that was in there. Replacement is simple enough and wow - that armrest sure has a positive urge now, to come up and stay up.
- unscrew the 2 screws in the back of the lower compartment
- lift the rear center piece, in between the lids of the two rear storage bins
- there's your gas spring. Help the arm rest stay up (cheer up, it's the last time you need to) to extend the strut to the max
- unclip the pin that holds the spring at the eye (I made very sure the clip didn't fly away), the pin comes out easily
- the piston has a few mm's of travel left, so it will want to pop out either way- make it pop up, not down (easilly done)
- unscrew the end of the piston rod from the car's socket (I for me didn't know about this, took me so time to find out)
- the rest is the obvious reverse.
Note: wrestle with the new piston, against the pressure, a few times. You'll may find it sticks at first, and in the car, it takes quite some force to get the eye aligned for the pin. I used a screwdriver as a lever to push it into place.

15 min job, worth it.