m973164

Hi to all!
Can anyone please tell me how to remove the door panels. I know that as a start I must remove the door handle/armrest, but just can't seem to be able to pry open the cover (without breaking it). Is there a trick that I'm missing? Also, are there any problems to watch out for with the air bags?
Thanx for your help

snglbrd

When you find out let me know... Mine was taken apart from a dealer from previous owner, now it sounds funny, not solid, and looks like glue is comming apart. I would be careful when taking these door panels off. if you have a schematic that would be great!

Brian_R170

The panels coming apart is a known problem with pre-facelift ('98-'00 in the USA) SLKs. In warm climates they tend to separate after 18 months or so. Dealer's didn't bother trying to repair them, they just replaced the whole panel. I assume you're out of warranty, though.

There is some kind of foam on the back side of the piece with the door pull, probably for sound insulation. The foam is deteriorating and causing the panel to separate from the main panel. The dealer said gluing it would be pointless because the foam would continue to deteriorate. However, I think you could scrape off the remaining foam and then glue it.

Sorry, I don't know how to get the door panels off. I tried once on my '99 SLK when the door panels separated, but I couldn't figure it out. The car was still under warranty so I just let the dealer deal with it.

snglbrd

thanks for the info, I will try and glue it, I just hope it doesn't effect the airbag deployment!