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A friend came by today and went for a ride in my W213 saloon. Being the super OCD person he is, he noticed the passenger door when closing made a slightly less desirable sound compared to the driver side. Driver side sound is a cushioned "Ooomph" which you associate with premium cars, The passenger side is very slightly less "Ooomphy" and you can hear a bit more of the striker/lock. This can lead you to think the passenger door was closed harder than it actually was. Outside, he also pointed put the passenger door is marginally protruding compared to the rear door - noticable if you you look at the window trim running from the front of the passenger door to the rear door. He suspects the door striker needs to be adjusted a fraction inwards ( 0.8 to 1mm ) which he thinks will also equalise the door closing sound.
Has anyone ever had this adjustment done either by themselves or MB?. Is it a trivial job ?. I don't have any issues with the differing sound or the very slight protrusion as it's not really noticeable but I don't mind getting it corrected if its a easy fix.
Easy adjustment....if you have the right bit that fits the two screws in the striker plate. (torx T40).... Assuming you have the right bit, make sure you use masking tape to locate/mark the present position of the striker plate. I can't emphasize this enough! One piece of tape at the bottom of the plate, one piece at the top of the plate, and one piece toward the outside of the plate. The tape goes on the painted car body. The tape serves to mark where the present position of the striker plate is. A word of caution.....loosen the plate screws just a small amount.....only enough to allow you to tap on the edge of the plate ever so gently to allow a very slight movement. A little bit of movement of the plate......perhaps 1/32 of an inch can make a huge difference. The tape allows you to see how much you have moved the plate! Obviously, if the door is standing out from the body now, you want to move the plate in......again, only a small amount at a time. After each adjustment, tighten the screws so the plate doesn't move when you close the door. Watch the door as it closes to make sure it doesn't "ride" up or down, as the door latch "hits" the striker plate. After the "adjustment", check the fit and the ability to close the door with the same effort and sound as the other doors. Once you are finished and satisfied with the results, tighten the two screws fairly firmly.....don't damage them! I have done this adjustment on other cars I have had, and had to do this with our 2018 W213 as it took too much effort to close the passenger side front door. Mercedes needs to identify the robot that adjusts the passenger door on the assembly line! If you are not comfortable with doing this adjustment, let the dealer do it....it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. If you do decide to do this yourself, once you are finished, look at the great job you have done, and celebrate with a cold beer!
Easy adjustment....if you have the right bit that fits the two screws in the striker plate. (torx T40).... Assuming you have the right bit, make sure you use masking tape to locate/mark the present position of the striker plate. I can't emphasize this enough! One piece of tape at the bottom of the plate, one piece at the top of the plate, and one piece toward the outside of the plate. The tape goes on the painted car body. The tape serves to mark where the present position of the striker plate is. A word of caution.....loosen the plate screws just a small amount.....only enough to allow you to tap on the edge of the plate ever so gently to allow a very slight movement. A little bit of movement of the plate......perhaps 1/32 of an inch can make a huge difference. The tape allows you to see how much you have moved the plate! Obviously, if the door is standing out from the body now, you want to move the plate in......again, only a small amount at a time. After each adjustment, tighten the screws so the plate doesn't move when you close the door. Watch the door as it closes to make sure it doesn't "ride" up or down, as the door latch "hits" the striker plate. After the "adjustment", check the fit and the ability to close the door with the same effort and sound as the other doors. Once you are finished and satisfied with the results, tighten the two screws fairly firmly.....don't damage them! I have done this adjustment on other cars I have had, and had to do this with our 2018 W213 as it took too much effort to close the passenger side front door.
Thanks very much for your detailed instructions amf77. I really appreciate it !. As a former engineer who happens who have the right tool at home, I am tempted do this myself as I know I will get it spot on no matter how long it takes. I called the service center just now and they said it was a 5 minute job and that I should drop by but I would rather they spend more than 5 mins on it to be honest
Originally Posted by amf77
Mercedes needs to identify the robot that adjusts the passenger door on the assembly line! If you are not comfortable with doing this adjustment, let the dealer do it....it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. If you do decide to do this yourself, once you are finished, look at the great job you have done, and celebrate with a cold beer!
I recall on the day I previewed the car, my wife and I did notice the slight passenger door trim mis-alignment but we noticed all the other new E classes nearby all had exactly the same issue and to the same extent so we thought nothing more of it. Yeah, one of the robots needs some attention
Last edited by mister__p; Sep 3, 2018 at 12:26 AM.
I adjusted the striker and managed to find an adjustment I liked on the second attempt. The first attempt was around 1.2mm shift inwards resulting in perfect external trim alignment but the door closing force required was raised by what i thought was excessive. The extra force required cancelled out the benefit of having a nice sounding close.
So on the second attempt, I dialled back the adjustment to 0.7 to 0.8mm. This gave me me a really nice door closing sound and the closing force was about the same required by the driver side. However, the external trim alignment was not perfect to those with a eagle eye but close enough not to attract attention.
My question is, if I had left the door adjustment at 1.2mm, would the rubber lining/seals/insulation compress and eventually settle after some time reducing the required closing force. If so, how long ?, My common sense tells me it is better to adjust incrementally over time rather than correct everything in one go and live with a undesirable closing force in the hope the seals settle quickly.
Right now, i am pleased with the door closing sound/force and will keep an ear on the closing sound
Great pictures! Your 0.8mm picture looks like mine. It is probably the best door adjustment it will be. I can only assume that the passenger side body opening dimension is very slightly off on all or some or most of the cars! I did "play" with this adjustment for awhile before finding the "right" position where the door would close tightly against the body, without having to slam the door. I hate slamming doors. Overall it took about 15 minutes to adjust the door. I would say that perhaps the weatherstripping was slightly less "pliable" on this side of the car,, but why wouldn't it effect the other front door as well?. The "ooomphy" or "whoosh" sound you hear is the air rushing past the door because the body seals so tightly. There is triple weatherstripping on the doors, and this is why the car is so wonderfully quiet on the highway! Try this: open and close a door with another door open. Now you will hear the latch when you close a door with another door open. The inside air has more room to escape! No ooomphy sound.... Neat.
Regarding the weather stripping around the door and it's long term effect on the door closing.......this has some "variables". Over time, I would think that the weatherstripping compresses somewhat, but I have never really found this to be the case, and perhaps it is because I treat the rubber.....I would also think that cold temperature would have an effect. Since I am in Florida, I don't get to test the "cold temperature" theory!.....However, since our temperatures get pretty warm during our summer months (95F or 35C) there is an issue with rubber weatherstripping drying out over time. This would perhaps shrink the weatherstripping? I use silicone on all weatherstripping on all our cars to prevent the weatherstripping from drying out and not sealing well. The silicone also prevents any type of noises/squeaking, etc, (if you decide to use silicone, spray it on a paper towel then '"smear" it on the rubber and leave the doors open for about 10 minutes to allow it to absorb. If you spray it directly on the rubber, you will make a mess!)
On another subject.......have you discovered how little storage there is in the "glove" compartment? Mine has that fragrance "thingy" in it, which takes up about 1/3 of the room, and the "glove" box is not very deep. Problem solved>>>>>and speaking of doors.....the front doors have an open pocket with some type of glass/or bottle holder in them. Since the glass or bottle holders are of no use to me/us, I removed them. They just pull out....and if ever I wanted them again, they just push back into place. Now lots of room in the door "pockets".
Glad the door adjustment thing worked for you! (I doubt the dealer would have adjusted the door as well as you did!)
and perhaps it is because I treat the rubber.....I would also think that cold temperature would have an effect. Since I am in Florida, I don't get to test the "cold temperature" theory!.....However, since our temperatures get pretty warm during our summer months (95F or 35C) there is an issue with rubber weatherstripping drying out over time. This would perhaps shrink the weatherstripping? I use silicone on all weatherstripping on all our cars to prevent the weatherstripping from drying out and not sealing well. The silicone also prevents any type of noises/squeaking, etc, (if you decide to use silicone, spray it on a paper towel then '"smear" it on the rubber and leave the doors open for about 10 minutes to allow it to absorb. If you spray it directly on the rubber, you will make a mess!)
Thanks for the advice. I will keep an eye on the rubber to see if it needs it later on. My previous car had no rubber related issues after six years in a hot and humid tropical climate so I am hoping MB's rubber will also age the same.
Originally Posted by amf77
On another subject.......have you discovered how little storage there is in the "glove" compartment? Mine has that fragrance "thingy" in it, which takes up about 1/3 of the room, and the "glove" box is not very deep. Problem solved>>>>>and speaking of doors.....the front doors have an open pocket with some type of glass/or bottle holder in them. Since the glass or bottle holders are of no use to me/us, I removed them. They just pull out....and if ever I wanted them again, they just push back into place. Now lots of room in the door "pockets".
Glad the door adjustment thing worked for you! (I doubt the dealer would have adjusted the door as well as you did!)
I did not opt for the fresh air package but I do still find the glove box quite small but luckily, I don't put much in my car so the lack of space is not an issue (yet).
I also did not get the glass holder in the front door pockets and was not even aware it was an option. Drinks ( except for bottled water) are banned ! =)
Just make sure that when making these adjustments that you do not leave any "edges" visible, hard to explain but make sure that the front door is "covering" the front edge of the rear door,
If not, stone chips and debris will damage the protruding edge.
I adjusted the striker and managed to find an adjustment I liked on the second attempt. The first attempt was around 1.2mm shift inwards resulting in perfect external trim alignment but the door closing force required was raised by what i thought was excessive. The extra force required cancelled out the benefit of having a nice sounding close.
So on the second attempt, I dialled back the adjustment to 0.7 to 0.8mm. This gave me me a really nice door closing sound and the closing force was about the same required by the driver side. However, the external trim alignment was not perfect to those with a eagle eye but close enough not to attract attention.
My question is, if I had left the door adjustment at 1.2mm, would the rubber lining/seals/insulation compress and eventually settle after some time reducing the required closing force. If so, how long ?, My common sense tells me it is better to adjust incrementally over time rather than correct everything in one go and live with a undesirable closing force in the hope the seals settle quickly.
Right now, i am pleased with the door closing sound/force and will keep an ear on the closing sound
Attached a couple of pics for ref
External results
Marking the original striker and screw positions
Hi, sorry to revive an old thread. I am having to adjust the driver door on my W212 as it does not sit flush. This procedure seems to be what I have to do. I just have a question about the bolts, aren't they tapered so that they self center when you tighten them down? Wouldn't the striker plate come back to its original position? Thanks
Hi. I adjusted my driver's door on my 2019 CLS and the plate moves so ever slightly. Hardly, any room for adjustments, but I was able to get the door aligned. Good luck with your adjustment.
Hi. I adjusted my driver's door on my 2019 CLS and the plate moves so ever slightly. Hardly, any room for adjustments, but I was able to get the door aligned. Good luck with your adjustment.
Thanks haibieb. Are the bolts for the 2019 cls tapered or flat?
Hi all I've been directed to this post from the one I posted.
I was wondering if any of you had running water sounds whilst driving before you adjusted the striker plate,
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