johnny5

Questions....this has been going on for sometime and want to see if this has happened to anyone else and if its a common problem?

First off the trunk shocks I have noticed that they are not holding the trunk up as they used too and do these need to get replaced often or is this normal for it to not really hold up the trunk?

Second off I have noticed more now that when I close the trunk it would usually pull its self down and lock it in. The hydraulic that usually does this has been on and off. Is this common? It doesnt do it so I would have to push down on the trunk (hard) to secure it down. After about an hour or so I would try it again and it would work again. Its really beginning to annoy me and was wondering if its an easy fix for me to do?

glennbaz

Have similar problems on my 03'. The trunk seems harder to lift all the time. Twice I've complained to dealership and both times they say "normal". They felt no oil on pistons so they say they are not leaking. As far as the trunk assist not working they had to oder a new hydrolic pump that powers the trunk closer. We'll se if that corrects the problem.

johnny5

So it appears that I am not the only one. I was told on the 03's it was a common problem but never thought much of it. As for the trunk I had it opened and was reaching in to grab something when the stupid trunk fell on me. This cant be normal?? And yes the trunk seems harder to lift all the time so I was thinking the shocks were going bad but like you there is no oil leaking either.

Keep me posted on the hydralic pump since I maybe needing to replace that as well. How much did it cost you to do it or was it under warranty?

glennbaz

It will be under factory warranty. I also purchase a bumper to bumper "0" deductable extended warranty that hasn't kicked in yet. You can't own one of these cars without a warranty.
Glenn

johnny5

You know what sucks is that when I purchased the car I wasnt to worried about the extended warranty figuring it was a Mercedes how bad could it really be? My BMW never went through this much crap so I blew it off. Sure enough the factory warranty is now over Im running into problems and damn wish I could turn back time and get it but whats done is done. Now Im stuck without it.

So that means Im going to have to try to deal with the nick nacks myself or have it taken in.

lorinserbenz

ouch, an SL without a warranty is gonna be NO fun at all.
Id sell it before it becomes a financial nightmare.

Bounty Hunter

I agree

bobterry99

These are easy to replace. Remove the pair of clips on each strut and the strut comes off (#2 in picture).

The catch mechanism in the trunk lid that pulls the trunk down has a switch. When the lid lowers, the striker plate moves the catch, the switch closes, the pump actuates, and the catch closes and latches the trunk lid. You can see how this works by opening your trunk lid and pushing on the catch with your finger. To reset the catch so you can close the lid, press the emergency release button in the trunk.

If your pump does not run, it probably isn't getting a signal. I would check the switch first. It is easy to do if you have a basic multimeter. If you email me, I can send you a schematic.