When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hey everyone, first time caller, long time listener...
I just picked up a used 14 GL550 and I have the same issue. The passenger rear door won't lock. Tek, would you mind sharing how much the repair cost (parts vs labor)? I'm getting conflicting answers from other posts and threads. Some say over $1k and others says $500 per door.
I'm wondering if I can repair this myself if I just order the actuator. Or you think this it would be a bad idea for me to tinker with it?
picked up the GL just over an hour ago. tested it outside the service are before taking it home. seemed fine, but it was raining and cold out, so real world testing will have to suffice.
so far, so good.
the keyless entry works on all 4 doors currently. the doors all lock now as well. i'm not confident that this will last, but what else can they change?
here's the service record for this last trip.
i did a parts lookup online for what they used one this:
picked up the GL just over an hour ago. tested it outside the service are before taking it home. seemed fine, but it was raining and cold out, so real world testing will have to suffice.
so far, so good.
the keyless entry works on all 4 doors currently. the doors all lock now as well. i'm not confident that this will last, but what else can they change?
here's the service record for this last trip.
i did a parts lookup online for what they used one this:
Sorry to see another owner going through the same trouble I am. Not the same issues specifically, but my dealer-experience here in Cary, NC has been just as bad. I really cannot believe that a Mercedes dealership could leave so much to be desired compared to even non-premium brands. Their arrogant insistence on multiple appointments to fix even the slightest of issues seems like a complete disregard for owners' schedules and time in general. Its their policy no matter how well known and small the issue might be. Its what has truly pissed me off about my whole experience. If I had to pick just one reason to not get a Mercedes again, its my local dealer.
Sorry to see another owner going through the same trouble I am. Not the same issues specifically, but my dealer-experience here in Cary, NC has been just as bad. I really cannot believe that a Mercedes dealership could leave so much to be desired compared to even non-premium brands. Their arrogant insistence on multiple appointments to fix even the slightest of issues seems like a complete disregard for owners' schedules and time in general. Its their policy no matter how well known and small the issue might be. Its what has truly pissed me off about my whole experience. If I had to pick just one reason to not get a Mercedes again, its my local dealer.
well put! i love your wording. i will probably memorize that for my next trip to the dealership. it should, but probably won't, hit home with whomever i get that day. love it though!!
i emailed the shop foreman and my SA @ the dealership and attached a version of the video above. shop foreman called my cell within 10 minutes of me sending it. here's what he told me...
he said that if you hit the lock button on the keyfob multiple times, the car simply disregards that fob's proximity when you next approach the car - by design. did i hit lock more than 1x last night and every other time? not sure. the audible confirmation of the lock on the GL is the horn blowing @ maybe 1/4 of it's volume, so perhaps i did. why the eff can't they just have it beep? oh ya, too easy. usually the only way i can tell that the car is locked is by checking to see that the mirrors have folded in.
i like the foreman. he took the initiative to call me and explain what i wrote above. also, once he got involved on my lock issue, the door lock and actuator were finally replaced (i had been in 2x prior for that and it was still not working). the problem is that i really don't think the shop foreman should be bothered by little stuff like this. shouldn't any service tech be able to competently fix something like a door lock?
based on my limited experience with MB, i would say the engineers there have never been in a honda, audi, acura, infiniti, bmw, caddy or even a dodge for that matter. so many shortsighted engineering issues that other manufacturers have seemingly solved... this car, and the loaners i have driven, are so disappointing in so many non-safety and non-performance related ways... Enormous bezel on the nav à la 2010, rear seat head restraints have a spring keeping the lower portion forward and force short rear occupants/kids into prolonged cervical flexion - when equipped with easy entry/exit 3rd row (that gives better static head restraint geometry/less backset, but is just uncomfortable), driver/passenger seat settings not linked to keyfob, anemic seat ventilation fans, driver/passenger memory buttons require push and hold until it's done moving, no beep on rear liftgate open/close, awful rearview camera, etc.
ughhhh, now i have to wait until the wife gets home and go play science experiment with the GL. i'm laughing @ how ridiculous this is.
the shop foreman followed up with an email to me today explaining the activation and deactivation of the keyfob. he included a screen shot of my owner's manual as well. he wanted to know if i had any other questions.
he's great. i'm glad he explained this. i still have to experiment over the weekend though.
who buys such an expensive car and then worries about a $3 watch battery? i just don't get it.
i have this problem with 14 gl550. i did this this was super weird. but i guess i'm heading to the dealer since i'm still on extended warranty. thanks for the post.
UPDATE - i have had zero issues now with the locks and the keyless go. i must have been hitting the lock button on the fob "twice in rapid succession" for whatever reason. the fob deactivation has to be the most useless feature ever created.
as an aside, if anyone is having the lock issues which i and others have had, i would demand that the lock and actuator be replaced if you are under warranty. such a simple simple and inexpensive fix. i can't believe they had me back there 3x for that. i still love 4everalone's wording above. so well put.
UPDATE - i have had zero issues now with the locks and the keyless go. i must have been hitting the lock button on the fob "twice in rapid succession" for whatever reason. the fob deactivation has to be the most useless feature ever created.
as an aside, if anyone is having the lock issues which i and others have had, i would demand that the lock and actuator be replaced if you are under warranty. such a simple simple and inexpensive fix. i can't believe they had me back there 3x for that. i still love 4everalone's wording above. so well put.
Reviving an old thread here after Google searching GL door lock issues.
The reason that the touchless entry can be deactivated is for owners to help prevent break ins and theft by criminals who have started using scanners to copy the key and gain entry to the car. Running an internet search will provide plenty of examples of this problem across a number of vehicle makes/models with keyless systems.
The door lock problem seems to have affected my car. I think the dealers have a hard time diagnosing the problem because the vehicle scan might not show any codes (the car thinks all doors are locked just fine) and if the problem is intermittent they might pull the handles and all seems well. I captured it on video to show the service, and please excuse the bird poop on my car.
I just discovered my GL350 was experiencing these same symptoms with the rear driver's side door. Easy test was to lock the car with either the key fob or by touching the door handle, putting my key into a tin box, and then trying to open the doors. All doors except the rear driver's side would not open except that one, when I pulled on the door handle it opened as if the key was in my pocket.
Last night I took apart the door and replaced the actuator with a new used one I got off ebay for $120CAD. All in all it took about 4 hours to remove and replace it but now I'm back to having actually locked doors when I lock the car.
The R&R is not easy though. First you have to remove the out door panel, the door handle and the inner door panel before you can remove the entire assembly out of the door and swap the actuator out. You also need to detach the window from the regulator lifting mechanism (open the window by about 4 inches and it then theres one screw behind a cover to releases the clamp that holds the window). Reassembly is relatively straight forward but make sure you test the door locking functionality (inner and outer handles) before you put everything back together. There are quite a few cable, lever and wire connections so it's easy to miss something.
All in all defnitely worht the DIY as the dealer would have wanted close to 6-7 hours to do this so I figured I saved myself $1600 or so including almost $700 they wanted for the part.
we have since sold our 13 GL550, but we had this door problem as well on both rear doors. one was replaced under warranty, the other happened outside the warranty period. our GL was super low use, low mileage. we sold it after 9 years with 49k on the odo. in any case, it wasn't a high use car and we still experienced failures in both rear door lock actuators.
when we realized it was happening, i immediately thought, oh wow, someone could have easily taken all of our stuff all the times we were parked somewhere in public. so we started to manually lock the bad door from the inside before we locked the car from the outside with the handle touch or key fob.
just wanted to share in case owners are out there wondering how to lock the car securely when you have a bad door lock actuator. not sure if this will be the case for all the GL's, but something to try if you are in a pinch and/or don't want to pay to fix the door.
I will attest to the remote causing issues if you like to click lock multiple times and like the beeping concerto. Better luck with touching the outside handle for locking once or only hitting the remote once.
I will attest to the remote causing issues if you like to click lock multiple times and like the beeping concerto. Better luck with touching the outside handle for locking once or only hitting the remote once.
Pressing the lock button on the remote twice quickly disables the touchless opening. It’s a security feature to prevent thieves who use a scanner and a repeater to copy the key code. It’s not really for the purpose of saving the fob battery it’s to prevent the signal from being copied. Pretty good although a small switch would probably be a better option than clicking the button twice because many other brands use multiple clicks to sound the horn. Video below shows a keyless theft:
Pressing the lock button on the remote twice quickly disables the touchless opening. It’s a security feature to prevent thieves who use a scanner and a repeater to copy the key code.
yup and then it leaves it wide open for the thieves. Not very thought out.
Issue resolved and cost about $700, paid for by aftermarket warranty. I was able to show the video I took (a few posts above) to the service department.
Last edited by Panzerknacker; 09-04-2022 at 01:50 PM.
Pressing the lock button on the remote twice quickly disables the touchless opening. It’s a security feature to prevent thieves who use a scanner and a repeater to copy the key code. It’s not really for the purpose of saving the fob battery it’s to prevent the signal from being copied. Pretty good although a small switch would probably be a better option than clicking the button twice because many other brands use multiple clicks to sound the horn. Video below shows a keyless theft:
I believe thatif MB had intended this feature as a side-step to thieves scanning keyfobs and using "relay attacks" ...years in the future, mind you, MB would have touted this as a feature that they are well ahead of by several years. instead, we get:
How to Save Battery Life On Your Key Fob
Like any electronic device, your car’s key fob can die. But, how many key fobs out there allow you to conserve battery life. Well, we can tell you the Mercedes-Benz SmartKey allows this feature and it’s super simple to use.
If you won’t be using your car for a while, you can press the lock button twice to deactivate the key. Nothing special is needed to activate it again. As soon as you press another button on the fob, it will jump back to life.
<edit> i added a return here - just because it looks better <edit>
instead, we get a description tantamount to saving $2USD. nada about relay attacks. if MB had the foresight, i haven't seen them mention it. therefore, i can only assume that we are now trying to apply current knowledge to a useless feature from the past that now, as it turns out, happens to be useful.
10-13-2018, 02:16 PM
