Frozen handle - now broken
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Senior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 257
Likes: 31
W209 CLK55 - 2003
Frozen handle - now handle/mechanism broken
We were down to -2.5deg here in the UK this morning, which was enough to ice up the handle on our 2016 car.
Yanking the handle harder than I should have has resulted in it breaking.
How easy is a swap? Can I do it without removing the door card? Any danger that parts of the mechanism are left behind?
I’ve swapped the W209 handle a few times (keyless go) and it isn’t that difficult on that car.
Yanking the handle harder than I should have has resulted in it breaking.
How easy is a swap? Can I do it without removing the door card? Any danger that parts of the mechanism are left behind?
I’ve swapped the W209 handle a few times (keyless go) and it isn’t that difficult on that car.
Last edited by breeze247; Jan 6, 2022 at 05:24 AM.
Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 131
Likes: 27
From: Australia, Melbourne
E200, C250 CGI
https://www.mboemparts.com/oem-parts...09976055015890
I imagine this the part you are looking at?
Isn't the sensor in these handles? If it is.. I can only imagine that you will need to bring it to the dealer to get it reprogrammed?
I imagine this the part you are looking at?
Isn't the sensor in these handles? If it is.. I can only imagine that you will need to bring it to the dealer to get it reprogrammed?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 257
Likes: 31
W209 CLK55 - 2003
https://www.mboemparts.com/oem-parts...09976055015890
I imagine this the part you are looking at?
Isn't the sensor in these handles? If it is.. I can only imagine that you will need to bring it to the dealer to get it reprogrammed?
I imagine this the part you are looking at?
Isn't the sensor in these handles? If it is.. I can only imagine that you will need to bring it to the dealer to get it reprogrammed?
I’ve just removed the handle to take a look. Torx screw, just like the other cars.
The plastic handle itself looks fine. I pulled the metal lever inside the door but it didn’t release. My thinking is that some part of the mechanism inside the door is broken. Which will require the door card to come off.
Is there a known failure point?
Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 131
Likes: 27
From: Australia, Melbourne
E200, C250 CGI
Thanks for this. Helpfully the car doesn’t have keyless go. So should be simple.
I’ve just removed the handle to take a look. Torx screw, just like the other cars.
The plastic handle itself looks fine. I pulled the metal lever inside the door but it didn’t release. My thinking is that some part of the mechanism inside the door is broken. Which will require the door card to come off.
Is there a known failure point?
I’ve just removed the handle to take a look. Torx screw, just like the other cars.
The plastic handle itself looks fine. I pulled the metal lever inside the door but it didn’t release. My thinking is that some part of the mechanism inside the door is broken. Which will require the door card to come off.
Is there a known failure point?
But than again, I live in Australia where the temperature do not go below 0 degrees.
If its the mechanism that's broken. You will have to take the entire trim off the door to see whats happened in there.
It's not that hard to do actually.
Here is a vid. Just be careful with the plastics..
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 257
Likes: 31
W209 CLK55 - 2003
Thanks for sharing the link.
In the end I removed the handle and that looked fine. Looking at the mechanism inside the door it seemed like it wasn’t latching or unlatching.
I played around with it for a bit and tried refitting the handle and it started working fine. My guess is that it either (a) Somehow popped out of the mechanism and I simply refitted it, (b) Went into a mechanical anti theft mode or (C) Thawed out (I revisited later in the day).
Looking online there are lots of people that warn against pulling at door handles too hard when the door is frozen. Just not used to that happening where I live.
In the end I removed the handle and that looked fine. Looking at the mechanism inside the door it seemed like it wasn’t latching or unlatching.
I played around with it for a bit and tried refitting the handle and it started working fine. My guess is that it either (a) Somehow popped out of the mechanism and I simply refitted it, (b) Went into a mechanical anti theft mode or (C) Thawed out (I revisited later in the day).
Looking online there are lots of people that warn against pulling at door handles too hard when the door is frozen. Just not used to that happening where I live.
