M-Class (W164) Produced 2006-2011: ML280CDI, ML320CDI, ML420CDI, ML350, ML500, ML550

Beware of automatic rear door! :(

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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 12:33 AM
  #1  
Papaya's Avatar
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ML550
Beware of automatic rear door! :(

My ML550 is parked in an underground apt. parking space, ***-end first. I recently came home from asia and was extremely jetlagged. While I was walking to the ML one morning this past week, I kept pressing the unlock door button on the key. Well, the damned lights wouldn't blink telling me the door was unlocked. Out of confusion, and my mental fog, I pushed the adjacent button ONCE (yes, only once!) and wouldn't you know that the damned rear hatch activated--I heard the initial clunk and was horrified. I froze as the door popped open and slammed into the cement wall behind it, as it opened. My brand new baby with its first major blem!! Fortunately, the scratches remained in the paint and on the lip of the bottom of the door. I was able to push the red button and close it. Usually I would have been livid, but i was too exhausted. Please guys----Make sure the damned rear door has full sweeping clearance before popping it open. I am sick about this because I am perfectionistic, even though it is not too bad--Could've been a lot worse.

On another occasion, I tried to pop the back door from the cabin and it wouldn't work. When I got out of the ML, I realized I would have F'd up my door really bad on the pipe above....2 times in one week! Beware!!!

P.S. Can anyone suggest a good method to cleaning up deep scratches confined to the paint? Thanks

Kurt
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 12:48 AM
  #2  
blazinginder's Avatar
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Originally Posted by Papaya
My ML550 is parked in an underground apt. parking space, ***-end first. I recently came home from asia and was extremely jetlagged. While I was walking to the ML one morning this past week, I kept pressing the unlock door button on the key. Well, the damned lights wouldn't blink telling me the door was unlocked. Out of confusion, and my mental fog, I pushed the adjacent button ONCE (yes, only once!) and wouldn't you know that the damned rear hatch activated--I heard the initial clunk and was horrified. I froze as the door popped open and slammed into the cement wall behind it, as it opened. My brand new baby with its first major blem!! Fortunately, the scratches remained in the paint and on the lip of the bottom of the door. I was able to push the red button and close it. Usually I would have been livid, but i was too exhausted. Please guys----Make sure the damned rear door has full sweeping clearance before popping it open. I am sick about this because I am perfectionistic, even though it is not too bad--Could've been a lot worse.

On another occasion, I tried to pop the back door from the cabin and it wouldn't work. When I got out of the ML, I realized I would have F'd up my door really bad on the pipe above....2 times in one week! Beware!!!

P.S. Can anyone suggest a good method to cleaning up deep scratches confined to the paint? Thanks

Kurt

I'm exactly the same, could really do without it at times

Anyhow...I would try using ScratchX on the car, it's supposed to be very good, worked wonders on some very light scratches I had along the bottom on my TL-S
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 09:11 AM
  #3  
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From: West Virginia, by way of NYC
2010 S550, '10 Road glide, '10 Sportster "48"
If your as much a perfectionist as you say, bodywork is the only answer.
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 11:36 AM
  #4  
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2004 S500 & 2011 Mini JCW
Sorry to hear about your mishap. It almost happened to me when I had a loaner ML500. I brought it home to see how it fit in the garage before ordering the 550. Well I parked pretty close to the door and opened the rear hatch. Thankfully I pushed to button on the key again and it stopped. I will be sure to go through this process with the wife before handing her the keys. Good luck with the fix.
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 12:11 PM
  #5  
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the strangest thing happened to me...its either very weird or just a cooincidence

an hour after making the post here at 12:48am I went to the garage to make sure everything was fine before I called it a night...to my utter shock, the car's truck was partially open and pressed against the garage door ...I hadn't driven/moved the car or key all day...after going over the "contact area" on the car over and over it seems that nothing happened to the car, luckily. I'm hoping it wasn't a malfuction of some sort that opened the trunk by itself (which I doubt) but wow that was some weird ****

(excuse my long story but it was just too much of a cooincidence)
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 01:09 PM
  #6  
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Thanks guys. I will give ScratchX a try, but if that doesn't work I'll try having MB do a touch up. Bummer!!!


Blazing-0 Make sure you park it so that it will swing free in case that it happens again. Weird stuff!

Kurt
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 08:29 PM
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2006 ML-350 and 2007 ML-350
Originally Posted by blazinginder
the strangest thing happened to me...its either very weird or just a cooincidence

an hour after making the post here at 12:48am I went to the garage to make sure everything was fine before I called it a night...to my utter shock, the car's truck was partially open and pressed against the garage door ...I hadn't driven/moved the car or key all day...after going over the "contact area" on the car over and over it seems that nothing happened to the car, luckily. I'm hoping it wasn't a malfuction of some sort that opened the trunk by itself (which I doubt) but wow that was some weird ****

(excuse my long story but it was just too much of a cooincidence)
My Better-Two-Thirds came out of Macy*s the other day and found the rear hatch wide open; not a good thing with holiday shopping fast approaching! Standing close by was a flustered lady driver of a Lexus RX-350 with her key in hand and her cars hatch open. She quickly got in her vehicle, closed the hatch, and drove away before she could be asked if her Lexus remote opened the MLs hatch.............
I have a large block of styrofoam glued to the inside of my garage door to get me through any senior moments pertaining to inadverdant hatch actuations.........As well as moving the infrared garage door safety beam units high enough so that the beam is blocked by the open hatch. Hopefully, this will prevent closing the garage door on top of the open hatch.

Last edited by Retiree; Nov 11, 2007 at 09:27 PM.
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 09:35 PM
  #8  
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Originally Posted by Retiree
My Better-Two-Thirds came out of Macy*s the other day and found the rear hatch wide open; not a good thing with holiday shopping fast approaching! Standing close by was a flustered lady driver of a Lexus RX-350 with her key in hand and her cars hatch open. She quickly got in her vehicle, closed the hatch, and drove away before she could be asked if her Lexus remote opened the MLs hatch.............
I have a large block of styrofoam glued to the inside of my garage door to get me through any senior moments pertaining to inadverdant hatch actuations.........As well as moving the infrared garage door safety beam units high enough so that the beam is blocked by the open hatch. Hopefully, this will prevent closing the garage door on top of the open hatch.

NO WAY...I did the same exact thing when this happened last night/this morning...taped a piece of styrofoam to the inside incase it ever happend again.

It does seem pretty weird though, I sure hope it wasn't a signal from something else that opened it that would be a big concern for me...if it happens again and keeps happening I'll have to take it in and get it fixed
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Old Nov 11, 2007 | 11:23 PM
  #9  
vinceching's Avatar
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2007 ML 500
Originally Posted by Papaya
My ML550 is parked in an underground apt. parking space, ***-end first. I recently came home from asia and was extremely jetlagged. While I was walking to the ML one morning this past week, I kept pressing the unlock door button on the key. Well, the damned lights wouldn't blink telling me the door was unlocked. Out of confusion, and my mental fog, I pushed the adjacent button ONCE (yes, only once!) and wouldn't you know that the damned rear hatch activated--I heard the initial clunk and was horrified. I froze as the door popped open and slammed into the cement wall behind it, as it opened. My brand new baby with its first major blem!! Fortunately, the scratches remained in the paint and on the lip of the bottom of the door. I was able to push the red button and close it. Usually I would have been livid, but i was too exhausted. Please guys----Make sure the damned rear door has full sweeping clearance before popping it open. I am sick about this because I am perfectionistic, even though it is not too bad--Could've been a lot worse.

On another occasion, I tried to pop the back door from the cabin and it wouldn't work. When I got out of the ML, I realized I would have F'd up my door really bad on the pipe above....2 times in one week! Beware!!!

P.S. Can anyone suggest a good method to cleaning up deep scratches confined to the paint? Thanks

Kurt
heh, welcome to the club. i got the same problem.

mbusa should have made a sensor at the tailgate so if it senses something close it would stop.
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Old Nov 13, 2007 | 11:10 PM
  #10  
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Range

I have noticed that the rear hatch opener has an incredibly long range. I can open from the middle of my office building while being over 1000 feet away from the car. Cool but dangerous.
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Old Nov 14, 2007 | 12:55 AM
  #11  
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From: I'm a Jersey Girl
2011 ML 350, 2009 Smart Passion, 2004 Audi TT Quattro
Originally Posted by cassiri
I have noticed that the rear hatch opener has an incredibly long range. I can open from the middle of my office building while being over 1000 feet away from the car. Cool but dangerous.
What made you test that out..?
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Old Nov 14, 2007 | 09:18 PM
  #12  
cassiri's Avatar
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curiousity. I can see my car from my office. Once you establish that the range is far, you just have to see how far.....
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Old Nov 15, 2007 | 12:34 AM
  #13  
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From: I'm a Jersey Girl
2011 ML 350, 2009 Smart Passion, 2004 Audi TT Quattro
Originally Posted by cassiri
curiousity. I can see my car from my office. Once you establish that the range is far, you just have to see how far.....
Farther..farther..farther..yup thats it..right there..ok get out the ruler..

I would do the same thing..
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