Hello all, haven't been active here in a while.. Anyway, My right; front passenger door handle is no longer working! It opens fine from the outside, but from the inside the handle is completely loose. I went to the dealer on Wednesday, they quoted me $135 dollars for "diagnostics" stating that my factory warranty had just expired although I do have CPO Warranty until 1-2 more years... The man said depending on the problem if it's covered under the CPO then I don't pay anything... I'm basically gambling $135 just to let me know if it's covered under warranty or not.. This is my first Mercedes-Benz and this seriously should not be happening so early in the vehicles life considering the door thats used the most is the driver door! I'm usually the only one who occupies the car... Has this happened to anyone so early in the game? It has about 45k miles. What do you guys recommend I do.. I have my appointment tomorrow in the morning.

 

You could always pop the door panel off yourself and have a look. I would assume there's just a cable connected to the door handle which when pulled will release the latch. I don't know how it would spontaneously happen, but the cable could be snapped or pinched or something.

Note that I've not taken the door panels off my GLK, so I don't know how complicated it is or how this door mechanism works. I have done this many times in previous vehicles, though, and would expect things to be similar.

If you decide to go this route, definitely get some panel removal tools to help ensure you don't damage the panel while prying it off.

 

I've removed the door panels a dozen times...it is easy! I also recommend trim tools, or just use a flathead screwdriver and be very careful. There is a cable that attaches to the handle. PM me if you want a step by step on door panel removal.

 

It would be good for many of us to see a step by step removal. There always seems to be that one hidden screw or snap.

 

I had this happen on a 240D I had years ago.


Took off the door panel and the rod actuator had popped off the door handle and the retainer clip was at the bottom of the door.


Re-installed the actuator, pinched the clip a bit for a tighter fit and snapped it back on, put the door panel back on and was on my way!


Hope yours is as easy to sort out, but I doubt it will be; seems ease of maintenance is no longer part of MBs development since those days...


(BTW, I'd DEMAND that they cover it under the CPO warranty; don't let them weasel out of it!)

 

The window should be all the way down.
First you will pop off the triangular plastic trim panel that houses the tweeter. Pull from the side that faces the rear of the car, and pull towards the interior of the car.
Next, the black plastic trim that lines the window should be carefully pried away. The first time I did this I removed the entire piece, but it is not necessary to do so. You can just pull apart the ends that overlap the door panel and move them out of the way.
There are two Torx bolts holding the panel in place down by the storage compartment in the panel. Remove these.
On the rear area of the panel on the top there is a square black plug that needs to be removed. I believe you pull the plug with a set of needle nose pliers, then turn it 90 degrees and re-insert. Pull it out again and the plug should be removed. I was unable to figure out how to get them reinserted after removing them, but they don’t seem to be very important to holding the panels on the door. Mine are both missing and I haven’t had any issues.
Gently pry the panel away from the metal by using a trim removal tool or something similar that won’t scratch the plastic or metal. You’ll also break fewer plastic clips this way. You need to pop out all the clips, and they are pretty tight the first time. These cost over $2 each at the dealership, so try not to break any! You can insert the tool and slide it along as you go, feeling for the next clip and then prying at that spot. They are loud when they first release, but I didn’t break any.
Once the panel is loose, you can pull away from the door slightly with one hand (lift up after it pulls away from the door so it will rise over the top of the door lock mechanism). With the other, you will need to reach inside and unclip the wire that the door handle is connected to. Simply pull this straight up out of its plastic housing. You will also need to disconnect two connectors that control the locks and windows and memory seats, which are color coded and easy to handle.
The passenger side is the same as the driver side, except you only have one connector instead of two.
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The rear doors are much easier. You don’t remove any window trim – just disconnect the Torx bolts, pop the clips, and lift away.

 

If your under CPO - then go for the diagnosis/CPO-repair.

 

Thanks sethro1980! I am sure it will same others and myself a few broken clips and lots of xx..***xx!! if or when we need to do the job.

 

This happens quite a bit on the W204. The dealer will tell you that a new door panel is needed. Other manufacturers have these problems too, but they can repair/replace the bowden cable and latch, making an entire door replacement not necessary.

Good luck.

 

That's insane...

 

This also happens on W212 E -class. The rear door handle is now loose on my 2012 E350 bluetec.