MilosM3

RE:
Trunk assist issue: Trunk will unlock - but will not open...

The reason I am starting this thread is that my dealer did not sound very
convincing when they were giving me a diagnosis of the problem.
(My car is 2009 with KeyLessGo and Trunk Assist).

About 3 months ago I had a problem with trunk latch as the assist was
not 'pulling in' the trunk for a complete lock/click. I had to push it in.
The car went to the dealer and they replaced the whole latch locking mechanism under warranty.

Now the problem is with opening (car now just out of warranty):
- when I push the button inside of my door or on my remote control,
the trunk unlocks/pops open (only 1/2 inch or so) but does not open. There are no
messages on my dash board. This happens frequently (but not always - as
sometimes everything works normal), but when it happens - of course
my vari-roof is not working either.

I took the car to my dealer and 'they think' the problem is what they called
the RAM UNIT (located right behind the left trunk shock) which has the angle
position sensor. They did pull some errors related to the 'angle position sensor'
It costs over $600 ($1100) with labor to replace. They
also suggested that I get the right unit replaced at the same time.
It is $400 (about $600 with labor). What worries me is that they did
not say convincingly -'yup, this is the problem'. They literally said "that
they think this is the problem and they would like to start with that".

HUH !?? They suggest that I spend $1700 on something 'they think' will fix
the problem ?!? Needless to say, I was not in a very good mood after I left,
as I was not ready to spend big bucks on a wild goose chase.

I took the car to my mechanic. He was busy and was only able to check
things briefly. He stated that he saw no leakage of any kind and IF indeed
the unit is bad it will only be the 'sensor' part - not the actuator. (Hence
he saw no reason to replace the right unit at this time). I do not have the
exact price yet, but it will cost me (part and labor) about 1/2 of what the
dealer quoted ($1100).

Of course, $550/$600 is more palpable but that is not issue here. My car
was in the service bay for almost 1.5 hours (yes, I pad the labor for the
analysis which was fair), but I am still concerned about the way the
diagnosis was presented and I am still concerned if I even paid for a
correct diagnostic service.

Did anyone experience similar problems with your Trunk Assist?
Thanks in advance for your comments!

MilosM3

Taking the car to my mechanic on FRI..
Any input or shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

MilosM3

Here is an update: (NOT so good !)

- my indep. mechanic who has an account with MB dealer ordered the part that
the dealer suggested to replace during their analysis. Their quote was $1100
for the part and labor. (The part was quoted at $611). As I mentioned above
I did not feel good about the whole thing not only because of the price but because
I smelled uncertainty.
Turns out - I was right. Since the analysis was done by MB dealer, my mechanic ordered
the part from MB dealer. Amazingly, his cost was only $176 after the return of the core.
(BTW, my dealer never mentioned credit my core).

Unfortunately, installing of this unit did not fix the problem, so I am back to square one !

We all hear some gripes here or there about dealers overcharging for parts and labor
(and I kind of live with that, as I fortunately have my own way of dealing with this
with my mechanic and his reasonable working rates and 'cost only' charges for parts).

At the same time, it is frustrating that on top of that, I also paid the dealer for
analysis that was wrong ! If the authorized dealer cannot diagnose the problem who
is supposed to ?!?! Heck with the money, I was perfectly OK to pay for dealer's time,
but apparently they did not get it right.

I guess at least one thing should be making me feel good here:
I did not agree to their $1700 estimate to replace both RAM parts because
"they thought' it should fix the problem…

The car will be going back to my mechanic soon but in a meanwhile…..
Did anyone else here experience similar problems with trunk 'opening' ?
Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance !

SpookyTheFirst

Just to clarify the issue I had, whatever I did (with button located on driver side or the ones in the trunk), the trunk was closing as normal and then always ended up... opening again 1 hour earlier it was working like a charm...