Mine was doing the same, usually first thing in the morning, worse in winter. Replaced the car battery after having a battery test and no more problems.

 

I was loading materials into the back of my 2015 GLK 250 BT and left the liftgate open. I went into the car put it in reverse, moved slowly and heard a crunch. The liftgate hit the garage door frame header and slightly bent the gate edge where impact occurred. 🤕 ouch. Currently, the gate opens and locks using key fob, interior switch and exterior switch. But with a rattling noise upon opening and when closed it leaves a larger than normal gap between door and body (no water leaks).
Do you believe replacing the struts will solve the rattle noise and bring the gate closer to the body or will the motor need to be replaced?

 

It's my understanding the struts are more about slowing the upward and downward swing of the gate, plus keeping the gate up.

My wild guess is the hinge(s) were affected, either bent or now mis-adjusted somewhat. But who knows without being there to examine everything by sight and measurements.

Sidenote:
About 30 years ago, my brother was backing out his car from the right-side bay of garage. He had the driver's door open, head leaning out and looking back - the car door's back edge slammed into the center post of the 2 car garage, which basically stopped the car, and forced the door to be pushed into the door jam where the two hinges are. That resulted in bent hinges.

 

That’s a good thought. The hinges looked rather thick and the movement was slow, so I assumed no hinge damage. But if it slightly bent the lower edge of the gate, the force to bend that metal may also be transferred to the hinges.


Small gap between body and lift gate


Right hinge

Left hinge

Note small dent on right edge of lift gate.

 

I'm certainly not suggesting the issue, just providing a real world example. Each situation is different, even though there might be similarities.

It's very possible that the bottom "lip" of the gate is bent in a manner so that it "pushes out" slightly when contacting the surface of the lower cabin

This might be an odd request, but photos will help put it into perspective. "what's bent" (you think), or any other possibilities.

EDIT: hilarious, you posted photos at the same time I suggested it

 

There should be a loud warning or light to warn you . Or a reverse lock. I drove off with my door open. Think of a 40,000$ bill from Tesla for hitting the Gul wing doors !

 

I was thinking the same thing. I was backing up slowly the other day and then put it in gear and drove forward for 20 to 30feet. There was no warning at all in either direction. Our BMW lets us know instantly.

 

[QUOTE=Mmr1;8848241]There should be a loud warning or light to warn you . Or a reverse lock.
!/QUOTE]

Just washed the GLK ... then I tried it too - tailgate up , put in Drive, then Reverse ... not even a message on the dash. Odd too, because if you're creeping along real slow, and open a door, it shifts into Park (?)

 

Hmmm - to me, it looks like a slight misalignment of something. Even an insignificant amount of movement of a hinge, will make a big difference on tailgate alignment.

My photos (outdoor with daylight would make better photos, but 9pm and in garage) :


Closed.

closed, upper foil

right hinge

left hinge

gate up

 

After looking at your photos, I agree a misalignment has happened. The upper foil comparison was the most obvious. Mine looks like it’s pushed above the roof line. Hence, it appears the cause may be bent hinges. If the force was strong enough to bend the bottom metal lip of the liftgate, it may have been enough to warp hinges. Thanks much for the response.

Has anyone replaced hinges?

 

There's a remote possibility there's some sort of adjustment that can be done. I did a Google search:

glk adjust tailgate [hinges]
... might do the search without the word -hinge-

I found this, but the thread died before an answer was provided

https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...t-closing.html
.
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/re...djust.1165611/

 

I read the links and didn't find adjustable rubber stops. The only possible adjustment I found was a slotted opening on the hinge attached to the body. I performed the paper test to check if the lift gate sealed tightly against the perimeter rubber gasket. All good except the left strut area. the paper easily slid out hence no seal. I raised the door with the motor and moved the gate up/down to check the strut. There was a noticeable grinding noise on the left strut while the right had a low quiet hydraulic sound. I'll replace the strut and get back with results. I don't expect the strut change will correct the misalignment at the upper foil, but who knows.

 

That's exactly what I'd do ... way less expensive, an easy DIY, and it just might work! There was a comment on one thread - they mentioned the struts are "notorious" for early failure. We are approaching 88k on our 2014 base with no issue (no power tailgate here).
Standing by!

 

I would change both struts, not just one. Also, I think there are two different part numbers so make sure to order the correct ones.

There is about a 100% chance that an adjustment exists for the hinges. Hopefully they're not bent/deformed in any way.

 

A quick trip to a body shop may get you an answer concerning adjustability on the hinges.

 

Good idea. Thanks.

 

It'll be interesting to know the outcome. Let us know when you have confident feedback.

 

Struts were replaced and unfortunately it didn’t resolve or change the issue. The gap remains. Although it here hasn’t been any opening/closing clunking noises for awhile. Last possible solution are hinge replacements or have body shop check door itself to determine if it’s bent.

 

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

 

That's gonna be tough to determine, if it's one or the other. Even the slightest bend (hinge), not visually obvious, will have a vast visual effect with the door. Of course, I'm not a body shop person, so only a crazy guess.

My wild guess is a body shop will need another same year GLK, side by side, and take micrometer readings (hinge) for comparison. Let's hope it's not the door!!

 

I noticed you're not far from my neck of the woods (Magnolia), and would offer our GLK for comparison, but yours is a 250 and ours is a 350.

 

My dad toured the Piper aircraft factory many decades ago (that's where they built the private aircraft, seating 2-12 or so). He was amused / horrified to see the "door alignment procedure". A worker would test-close the door, then take a big honkin' 2x4, wedge it into the appropriate spot, and heave on it. Yes, the doors were lightweight aluminum, but still - I suspect the ultimate solution will look a lot like that example of "sausage making". ;-)

 

Door re-alignment on a car involves putting a BMF hammer head in the hinge and closing the door on it until you get the desired effect.

Sometimes you can detect a ripple in the metal or a sudden change in the angle of a bend, but not always.