SL/R230: Driver side door won't lock
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 147
Likes: 21
From: SF Bay Area
SL55 AMG, Audi S6 V8TT, Audi Q7 3.0 SC
Driver side door won't lock
Hello All,
New owner here. Recently acquired a well maintained 03 SL55.
First problem i am trying to tackle is driver side door refuses to lock.
Passenger door locks fine, trunk locks fine, but on the driver side i see the lock button next to the window goes in only half way.
I cannot push it manually to go all the way in from inside. I cannot lock it with the key either from outside.
It feels like there is something preventing/pushing back on the lock button and it can go in only half way.
As a result, my driver side door stays unlocked while the rest of the car is locked. The alarm goes on if i open the door, so the alarm is clearly armed.
Any ideas where to start? Should i get a new lock actuator? Any other tips?
Thank you!
New owner here. Recently acquired a well maintained 03 SL55.
First problem i am trying to tackle is driver side door refuses to lock.
Passenger door locks fine, trunk locks fine, but on the driver side i see the lock button next to the window goes in only half way.
I cannot push it manually to go all the way in from inside. I cannot lock it with the key either from outside.
It feels like there is something preventing/pushing back on the lock button and it can go in only half way.
As a result, my driver side door stays unlocked while the rest of the car is locked. The alarm goes on if i open the door, so the alarm is clearly armed.
Any ideas where to start? Should i get a new lock actuator? Any other tips?
Thank you!
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 355
Likes: 41
From: amarillo texas
2003 sl 500
door lock
Welcome to the forum! You'll need to get the door panel off and see what is causing this. It may be a leaking actuator which may be repairable with epoxy like the trunk latch. Could be vacuum line leak or partial break also. From your description though it may be just "hung up" somewhere and not require any new parts, just jammed up for some reason.
moretech
moretech
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,442
Likes: 260
From: Netherlands
2005 R 230 SL350 (M112 3.7). Sold the 1966 W113 230SL recently
Find on this forum how to get the door panel off (not at all difficult but with some need-to-knows) and simply look for a mechanical blockage in there.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2004 SL500
Any help?
Hello All,
New owner here. Recently acquired a well maintained 03 SL55.
First problem i am trying to tackle is driver side door refuses to lock.
Passenger door locks fine, trunk locks fine, but on the driver side i see the lock button next to the window goes in only half way.
I cannot push it manually to go all the way in from inside. I cannot lock it with the key either from outside.
It feels like there is something preventing/pushing back on the lock button and it can go in only half way.
As a result, my driver side door stays unlocked while the rest of the car is locked. The alarm goes on if i open the door, so the alarm is clearly armed.
Any ideas where to start? Should i get a new lock actuator? Any other tips?
Thank you!
New owner here. Recently acquired a well maintained 03 SL55.
First problem i am trying to tackle is driver side door refuses to lock.
Passenger door locks fine, trunk locks fine, but on the driver side i see the lock button next to the window goes in only half way.
I cannot push it manually to go all the way in from inside. I cannot lock it with the key either from outside.
It feels like there is something preventing/pushing back on the lock button and it can go in only half way.
As a result, my driver side door stays unlocked while the rest of the car is locked. The alarm goes on if i open the door, so the alarm is clearly armed.
Any ideas where to start? Should i get a new lock actuator? Any other tips?
Thank you!
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 51
Likes: 2
SL500 R230
The problem is vacuum pump, you need to check yellow line where it's broken, so in my case line was broken on vacuum pump itself, if there's nothing then you need to take door cover off and look there, usually it would break where all cable goes to chasing from door.
But I think, if problem is vacuum, you should be able to push down lock button (the thing on the door, when you lock car, it goes down, if you can't oush it in, it means it has vacuum and oroblem is mechanism itself so I was told)
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
2004 SL500
Lock problem is not the vacuum pump.
hey I had same issue.
The problem is vacuum pump, you need to check yellow line where it's broken, so in my case line was broken on vacuum pump itself, if there's nothing then you need to take door cover off and look there, usually it would break where all cable goes to chasing from door.
But I think, if problem is vacuum, you should be able to push down lock button (the thing on the door, when you lock car, it goes down, if you can't oush it in, it means it has vacuum and oroblem is mechanism itself so I was told)
The problem is vacuum pump, you need to check yellow line where it's broken, so in my case line was broken on vacuum pump itself, if there's nothing then you need to take door cover off and look there, usually it would break where all cable goes to chasing from door.
But I think, if problem is vacuum, you should be able to push down lock button (the thing on the door, when you lock car, it goes down, if you can't oush it in, it means it has vacuum and oroblem is mechanism itself so I was told)
- start to lock but not go all the way into the locked position when using the push button on the dash or the remote, and
- when attempting to use the key to manually lock the door it will go almost to the locked position but not lock and the door can still be opened.
Tony
