Aussiesuede

Ok, I'll give a little bit of backstory so you know how I've arrived at my current stuck trunk dilemma. For those who don't care to read about the entire drama, I've left a bit of space after the next bit so you can just skip to the end for my currently pressing question:

1) This is a CLK430 Cabriolet

2) The car was rear ended in a parking lot by an SUV, denting the trunk lid beyond repair, but luckily little else on the exterior (minor scrapes on the bumper cover.

3) The soft top was down at the time of the collision and a box containing my low profile floor jack was was jammed into the soft top carrier and shattered the rear window glass (I did a writeup on the rear window glass replacement last week)

After finding a CLK Trunk lid in the correct color in perfect condition out of state, I had it shipped to the nearest pickup location (about 60 miles from me) Since the CLK is currently my only vehicle, the idea of driving all the way back home with a second trunk lid hanging out the back seat did not really excite me, so I decided I'd conduct the trunk lid swap on site. The swap was actually quite easy, with only a sum total of 6 bolts to attach. The most tedious part was fishing out the wiring from the damage trunk lid. After attaching the new trunk lid I spent a bit of time getting it perfectly aligned before getting to the last bit, installing the lock mechanism.

The one blemish with the new trunk lid was the T-Valve fitting that attaches the vacuum line to the lock mechanism was split in half at the T. No problem I thought, and I went about removing the plastic T fitting from my damaged Deck lid to swap. Yep, you guessed it - it snapped EXACTLY in the manner as the T-valve on the new Trunk lid. No big deal, I'd just stop by the dealer on the way home and order one.

As I was gathering my tools, a gust of wind caused the trunk to shut. I press the button, and predictably the vacuum suction just continued unabated for about 15 seconds due to that damn bust T fitting. So I knew that was a no go. I then attempted to use the manual key, but the lock was predictably stuck. I drove up the road a bit to grab some lock graphite from the auto parts store and after about 20 minutes was finally able to coax the lock free. Only no joy. The lock would just turn 360 degrees with no resistance. Seems the cylinder just wasn't engaging. A couple hours of jiggling and lubricating weren't changing things one iota. So alas I decide to lower the top, but stop it mid cycle so I could reach into the trunk whilst the rear window portion was in the raised position. The idea was to try to see if I could wedge a screwdriver in between the lock mechanism and the strike plate and free the trunk lid that way. Problem is I never got that far. Seems when the rear window shattered, a few pieces of the glass got lodged in the release mechanism for the hard cover. It popped up as normal, but only about half an inch. I would later notice the glass bits and could see they were the culprit. Since the rear window portion was raised, and the convertible was in mid cycle, figuring out the top issue took immediate precedence over the stuck trunk issue since I could drive with a stuck trunk, but not with a top stuck mid cycle.

After fumbling about a bit, after finally discovering the glass bits jamming the hard cover as the culprit, I removed them, and the hard cover fully released. But the convertible button was completely inoperable. No response what so ever. With darkness about an hour away, I decided to try to just get the top up or down any way I could and sort it all out back at home. There was no budging the top to the closed position, but I was able to make headway in pushing it down into it's carrier in the trunk. I drive home with the top down with an eye on sorting it all out the next day.

Well I first try to operate the top via the Inside switch. Nada, Nothing. No hum, No click, no response of any kind. Just a blinking red light at a rate of about once a second. I finally figured out how to manually release the hard cover with a 10mm wrench so I could expose the softtop with hopes of raising it, but no luck as the hydraulic system was fully pressurized, and withou access to the trunk, there was no way to relieve the pressure. So now I go back to concentrating on getting into the trunk. I spend another couple hours jiggling the lock, lubricating it, but with no luck. The key just spins 360 degrees without resistance. So I give up on that and check the prices of a used locking mechanism on Ebay. $125 isn't bad at all, so I decide to try to drill out the lock cylinder. The first few bits drill out easily, but once to the internal cycling, it seems that thing is made of very hardened steel? I've destroyed 7 drill bits trying to get through it.






Question:

And that's where I'm at. Trying to get the lock drilled out. My simple question is: Is there any particular method to drilling out the lock cylinder? Do I just keep breaking drill bits until I finally get through it? Or is that steel so hardened that's it's a lost cause without some special expensive hardened hundred dollar drill bit?

City Rat

Since you have already drilled into the lock this maybe too late but just in case. Have you tried removing the rear seat? Once you have the rear seat out you will see spaces and openings in the wall between the seat and the trunk. When my trunk lock was stuck I did this and in looking into the trunk through those spaces I spotted a green light. That's the emergency trunk release button. I jist fished a thin stiff rod through the wall to the button and popped the trunk open. Then I used the wrench in the tool kit to manually crank the top open and closed. Good luck.

Aussiesuede

It seems like potentially worth a try, but I don't have vacuum pressure to the trunk lock due to the broken T-fitting. But I'll give it a go anyway. Where about's did you see the green light/button? Wouldn't the convertible top that's stuck in the down position be in way?

Thanx!

GatorMB

2002 had the green trunk switch, We are not sure of the year as 98 - 2000 did not have the emergency broom stick button.

In the US it is now called a hijack button but nothing will fit in the trunk anyway.

Drilling sounds like a costly mistake because more damage is evident just to repair the damage.
I have read about people destroying the tail light to enter these trunks, It is best to check here first.
The wind was not our friend that day. Collect the old trunk lid (boot) if possible for the proper keying and compatibility for year.

Cheers Gator

Aussiesuede

Thanx! Unfortunately mine was a 2000.

Good News!! I figured out a way for cabriolet owners to open a locked trunk and it's far easier than any of the other methods I'd come across during my last 30 hours of searching. So for future CLK Convertible owners, life will be a lot easier if they find themselves with a locked trunk whilst the top is in the down/retracted position.


And here is the solution:


As I noted earlier, my top had a hiccup mid cycle and would not budge. After much fuss, I was final able to force it down into the closed/retracted position. With the top folded away in it's carrier, there is about enough room for a child, or dainty woman's, hand & arm to squeeze between the edge of the top into the trunk area. Unfortunately, the arms of most men won't be able to clear that slight opening. But with a flashlight, you can clearly see through to the back of the trunk and the bottom of the lock mechanism, where it latches to the strike plate, can also be seen. Today when I took one last peek inside, I discovered that one of the drill bits I'd broken yesterday had forced open a little square piece of plastic. (Now everyone go take a look at your CLK's and you'll see this little square just above the strike plate) Since it was obviously a precut piece, I decided to grab my 4ft long screwdriver and try to flip the plastic down.







PAYDIRT!!!!!! That little piece of plastic is the cover for the TWO 10mm bolts which secure the strike plate!







All one needs to acquire are the following:

1 ratchet wrench



1 10mm socket




2 24 inch long extension




That's it. It's a clear shot down to the bolts. Just put the socket on the bolt and in under 2 minutes you'll have the strike plate released and , Voila, open trunk!!! Woo HOO!!! It literally took me 2 minutes in the parking lot at Harbor Freight where I picked up the extensions. I swear the moment that second bolt came off and I just reached over and slightly pulled up on the trunk lid and felt it lift, a bright light shown down from the sky, a choir started singing, and Jessica Alba appeared out of nowhere and planted a kiss on me! Or at least that was how great it felt after the last 30 hours of misery trying to get into that damn trunk before the inevitable Seattle rain reappeared! LOL





Also, as a point of reference for those who search in the future, the trunk lock mechanism on the W208 is a fully self contained unit. It is attached to the trunk lid with 2 Star bolts and has 2 electrical wires, and two vacuum lines attached through a T-Valve. That's it.




The following is Important:

While you will do no permanent damage to the trunk itself by trying to drill out the lock cylinder, drilling is ultimately useless because of how the lock mechanism operates. Even when you use the metal key to open the trunk you are NOT operating a normal lock cylinder tumbler. All turning the key does is manually move the vacuum actuator on the lock to open the vacuum pressure so the lock opens. Whether you use the key, the inside switch, your Key Fob, or press the button on the trunk, they ALL just activate the vacuum switch.

Here is a picture of the locking mechanism unit with the vacuum switch that releases the locking catch from the strike plate:




The T-Valve Fitting with the 2 tubes coming out of it is VERY fragile and near impossible to disassemble without breaking it. Over time, the "Quick Fit" connectors become degraded and pretty much fuse themselves to that T-valve. The new trunk I acquired had the T Valve snapped in the same place mine snapped when I tried to remove it from my old trunk lid. That means a complete loss of vacuum pressure and no way to engage the vacuum switch (The red arrows). If you break that T Valve, DO NOT let your trunk close!!!!! Immediately remove the lock mechanism and wait until you can replace that T-Valve (About $12 from the stealership)

Top Hydraulics

Aussiesuede: excellent - thank you for sharing!

This should prove very helpful for folks who cannot open their trunk because they have a wiring or micro switch problem with their rear bow lock p/n A 124 770 04 26. The latter would make the soft top controller read that the top is still in operation even once it is fully latched, and thus prevent them from opening the trunk and trouble shooting the wiring.

Klaus
Top Hydraulics
www.tophydraulicsinc.com

jonUF02

Good work. This seems like a terrible lock design. If you loose vacuum pressure in any way your hopes of opening the trunk are gone.

jkomar18447

You can still close the trunk - take the lock out (4 bolts on lid) then take the mechanism apart (it pops apart) and on the back of the lock mechanism there is a nut and a 2 position plastic piece - rotate the plastic piece on the back of the mechanism to the 2nd position. By doing this the trunk will not lock you out, you can open and close by pushing in the lock mechanism manually. You can't technically "lock" your trunk but it sure beats driving around without a lock mechanism.

AngelR911u

Great and cheap soluttion! This was the last time I spend a lot of money in Oficial Service of Mercedes for this problem. One of my favourite cars is my Clk Cabrio but really I have had problems with the trunk in four times. Thanks a lot off, from Madrid -Spain-. This is the unique solucion!!......or spend 450€ in Mercedes......



UOTE = Aussiesuede; 6418579] ¡Gracias! Desafortunadamente el mío era un 2000.

Buenas noticias !! Me di cuenta de una manera para los propietarios de cabriolé para abrir un tronco cerrado y mucho más fácil que cualquiera de los más de 10 años de búsqueda. Así que para los futuros propietarios de CLK Convertible, la vida será mucho más fácil si se encuentra con un tronco cerrado mientras que la parte superior está en la posición hacia abajo / retraída.


Y aquí está la solución:


Como noté anteriormente, mi top tenía un hip hop a mediados de ciclo y no se movía. Después de mucho alboroto, finalmente pude forzarlo hacia abajo en la posición cerrada / retraída. Con la parte superior doblada en su portador, espacio suficiente del heno para un niño, una mujer delicada, la mano y el brazo se extienden en el borde de la parte superior en el área del tronco. Desafortunadamente, los brazos de la mayoría de los hombres no son capaces de despejar esa libertad ligera. Pero con una linterna, puede ver claramente a través de la parte posterior del tronco y la parte inferior del mecanismo del bloqueo, donde se engancha a la placa de ataque, también se puede ver. Hoy, cuando esché una última vez en el interior, descubre que una de las brocas que había roto ayer había forzado un pequeño pedazo cuadrado de plástico. (Ahora todo el mundo va a echar un vistazo a su CLK y verá esta pequeña plaza justo por encima de la placa de huelga) Ya que era obviamente una pieza precortada, el decidí agarrar mi destornillador de 4 pies de largo y tratar de tirar el plástico Hacia abajo







PAYDIRT !!!!!! Ese pequeño pedazo de plástico en la cubierta para los tornillos de 10m m que asegura la placa de golpe!







Todo lo que necesita para adquirir el siguiente:

1 llave de trinquete



1 toma de 10 mm




2 24 pulgadas de extensión larga




Eso es todo. Es un tiro claro a los pernos. Sólo tiene que poner el zócalo en el perno y en menos de 2 minutos de la placa de la huelga liberado y, Voila, abierto tronco! ¡Corteje HOO !!! Literalmente me llevó 2 minutos en el aparcamiento en Puerto de carga donde me recogió las extensiones. Juro que el momento en que el segundo perno se desprendió y sólo se acercó y ligeramente se detuvo en la tapa del maletero y lo sintió levantado, una luz brillante muestra del cielo, un coro comenzó un cantar, y Jessica Alba apareció de La nada y plantó Un beso en mi O al menos eso era lo grande que se envió después de las últimas 30 horas de miseria tratando de entrar en ese maletín antes de que la inevitable lluvia de Seattle volviera a aparecer! LOL





Además, como punto de referencia para los busquen en el futuro, el mecanismo del bloqueo del tronco en el W208 es una unidad totalmente autónoma. Se fija a la tapa del maletero con 2 tornillos de la estrella y tiene 2 alambres eléctricos, y dos líneas de vacío atadas a través de una válvula de T. Eso es.




Lo siguiente es Importante:

Mientras que no haga el daño permanente al tronco en el cilindro del bloqueo, la perforación es en la última instancia inútil debido a cómo funciona el mecanismo del bloqueo. Incluso cuando utilice la llave de metal para abrir el maletero No está funcionando con el cilindro de bloqueo normal. Todo lo que hace girar la llave es manual del motor el actuador de vacío en la cerradura para abrir la presión de vacío para que se abra el cierre. Ya mar que utilice la llave, el interruptor interior, la tecla Fob, o pulse el botón en el maletero, todos activan solamente el interruptor de vacío.

Aquí está una imagen de la unidad de mecanismo de bloqueo con el interruptor de vacío que libera el pestillo de bloqueo de la placa de golpe:




El T-Válvula que conecta los 2 tubos que salen de él es muy frágil y casi imposible de desmontar el pecado Romperlo Con el tiempo, los conectores "Quick Fit" se degradan y prácticamente se fusionan con esa válvula en T. El nuevo baúl que adquirió la T La válvula de roto en el mismo lugar que la mía se rompió cuando traté de quitarlo de la vieja tapa del Maletero Esto significa una pérdida de presión de vacío y no hay forma de activar el interruptor de vacío (las flechas rojas). ¡Si rompes esa válvula de T, no dejes tu tronco cerrar !!!!! Retirar inmediatamente el mecanismo de bloqueo y esperar hasta que pueda sustituir a la válvula en T (alrededor de $ 12 desde el stealership) [/ quote]

GatorMB

Thats easy for you to say

newguy2008

Thank you for sharing this with everyone.

Unfortunately, my buzzing from the actuator doesn't work anymore, so maybe the switch or fuse is broken/blown, but that fuse is located in the trunk area.

Do you know, if the seats can be removed in order to get a stick to push the emergency/kidnapping button in the trunk? My trunk key will only go in half way into the cylinder so i cannot do the turn it 1/4 procedure. The switch in the center console also does not open it nor does the remote after resetting it and changing to a new remote battery. I have been charging the battery in the hood area just so that the car battery doesn't die again. Need to change the car battery in the trunk but can't open it.

Any more ideas? Thanks, so frustrated with this design. If only MB gave the cabriolet's folding seats, this would not have been an issue.

On4miles

My name is Jamie and I am a new member. I have a 2003 CLK320 A208 Sport Cabriolet.

I have been working out some problems with my trunk latch mechanism and searching for some really good, clear, detailed pictures.
I've attached your photos to reference. The view I'm interested in is the one in the lower left corner. I hoped you might have some more pics of this side.
The more detailed the better. I want to see if my trunk lock is in tact or missing something. I appreciate any thing you can do in aiding me.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.