DIY Retrofit for Automatic Trunk Closer.
08-18-2013, 06:30 PM
#1
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
DIY Retrofit for Automatic Trunk Closer.
Well after months of collecting bits and pieces together and finishing up a project at work, I set about installing my trunk closer.
I have attached a PDF of how to install the trunk closer on W211. This was one of the more challenging retrofits I had to do simply because there wasn't much documented in the WIS and I purchased some used parts and the harness they sent was completely wrong so that had me confused for a while.
This can also serve as a harness replacement guide for those that already have the closer and had issues with their harness getting cut. By the way, I have a spare harness (somehow, I ordered two) if anyone else wants to attempt this.
Had to break it down into 4 pdfs due to file size limitations. It probably messed up the numbering also for the steps ..
I have attached a PDF of how to install the trunk closer on W211. This was one of the more challenging retrofits I had to do simply because there wasn't much documented in the WIS and I purchased some used parts and the harness they sent was completely wrong so that had me confused for a while.
This can also serve as a harness replacement guide for those that already have the closer and had issues with their harness getting cut. By the way, I have a spare harness (somehow, I ordered two) if anyone else wants to attempt this.
Had to break it down into 4 pdfs due to file size limitations. It probably messed up the numbering also for the steps ..
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Canhcfc (06-07-2021)
08-18-2013, 08:17 PM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Trunk Closer DIY by Turbo97se
Disclaimer: This DIY serves as a reference document only. Please double check all part numbers in reference to your VIN number in EPC. Please read all the safety documentation in the WIS before attempting this install
I have only covered at a high level what needs to be done. Details of how to remove lining etc have not been covered since they are largely covered either on-line or in the WIS.
What you will need:
1. Trunk closing motor and controller A2118202042
2. Potentiometer A2118201597
3. Wire harness A2115404810
4. Power closing latch A2117500184
5. Door switch to open and close A2118211751
6. Trunk switch to close (and lock if you have keyless go) – A2208211479
7. Trunk molding for switch A2117500393 – check colour
8. 30A Maxi fuse – Parts store/Ebay
9. Access to DAS to initialize and normalize motor
10. 4x M6-1.0 flange nuts
Tools:
1. 10mm sockets/extensions
2. #15 torx
3. Trim removal tool
************************************************** ****************
Steps to install:
1. Familiarize yourself with the harness:
There are 5 connectors in total
2. Remove spare wheel cover and trim from left side of trunk
a. You will see the Rear SAM and rack for GPS DVD, Parktronic module etc ..
3. Remove the SAM – this is removed by:
a. Removing 10 mm bolt under the Navigation DVD player and swinging out the carrier.
b. Remove two more nuts holding the SAM
c. Using trim removal tool remove the electrical harness from the top of the SAM
4. Find connection B on your harness:
Plug into the first slot (should be numbered 88)
You will need to get a 30A Maxi fuse to plug into the slot. Leave it out for now but have it handy for later.
Run the power cable along with the red wires (shown on the left in the pic below).
Run the wire to the SAM area.
Here is a close up of after plugging in:
5. Find connection D on your harness – plug has 4 pins only 2 of which are occupied
6. Plug connector D in to SAM connector number 6, located where my finger points to.
7. While the SAM is out, route connector E cable along rear fender and under tail light (sorry picture is blurry and not sure why the text turned sideways after saving image)
8. Run the cable to the striker eye area:
The connector feeds in from the right and connects to power striker eye.
Below is a picture of the power striker installed (viewed from inside the trunk). It is composed of two parts (forgot to take pic) 1. The motor part is where the connector plugs into, this goes behind the chassis mount. 2. The moving striker is the part that goes on top.:
The way it functions is that when you press the button to close the trunk, the striker eye moves to the up position while the motor closes the trunk lid. The trunk closes onto the striker in the up position and pulls it down.
Below is a picture of the part that was originally there:
The bar goes on the back side of the chassis plate.
9. Here is the drive motor (minus controller):
There are two studs on top that go into the rear parcel shelf.
The lower part goes over a stud in the trunk.
To mount in the trunk, you will need to do the following:
Remove C pillar trim on drivers side (Left side) - that is the trim above parcel shelf.
Remove rear seat bottom
Remove rear seat back (2 nuts - one on each side and one bolt in the centre)
You can either remove the rear parcel shelf (which takes a lot of effort) or slide your hand under the rear parcel shelf and put on the 2 M6 1.0 flange nuts to hold the unit in place.
Below is the picture of the motor mechanism mounted in the trunk.
The main wire harness runs right next to the lower bracket shown. I took extra precaution of wrapping that harness with thick felt and zip tie to prevent wearing through the cable.
The arm, if it is not in the right position can be rotated with vice-grips. Don’t try to activate electrically as I did at first or you will have tough time getting it in the right location. Motor controller connector D from the harness can now be attached to the motor.
10. Lastly run the trunk switch line (connector C) to the trunk. I thought I took more pictures of this part but I guess I didn’t.
a. Remove the plastic trim on the bottom edge of the trunk lid, there are
b. You need to remove the lining to the trunk lid – below is a picture of how to start. Also note how the switch is located. The original piece just has a grab handle where the switch is located.
Here is a WIS photo I marked up for clarity:
c. replace the trim after tip-tieing the cable in place
Lastly, you will need to have a DAS to normalize the trunk.
With DAS go to:
1. Control Units
2. Seat and Doors
3. TLC – Trunk Lid control
4. Initial Start up
5. Initial Start up with MANUAL settings input (since this is a new install)
6. Follow the instructions given by the DAS for the next steps
7. It will take you to normalizing the potentiometer, again follow the instructions on the screen and then you are done!
Disclaimer: This DIY serves as a reference document only. Please double check all part numbers in reference to your VIN number in EPC. Please read all the safety documentation in the WIS before attempting this install
I have only covered at a high level what needs to be done. Details of how to remove lining etc have not been covered since they are largely covered either on-line or in the WIS.
What you will need:
1. Trunk closing motor and controller A2118202042
2. Potentiometer A2118201597
3. Wire harness A2115404810
4. Power closing latch A2117500184
5. Door switch to open and close A2118211751
6. Trunk switch to close (and lock if you have keyless go) – A2208211479
7. Trunk molding for switch A2117500393 – check colour
8. 30A Maxi fuse – Parts store/Ebay
9. Access to DAS to initialize and normalize motor
10. 4x M6-1.0 flange nuts
Tools:
1. 10mm sockets/extensions
2. #15 torx
3. Trim removal tool
************************************************** ****************
Steps to install:
1. Familiarize yourself with the harness:
There are 5 connectors in total
2. Remove spare wheel cover and trim from left side of trunk
a. You will see the Rear SAM and rack for GPS DVD, Parktronic module etc ..
3. Remove the SAM – this is removed by:
a. Removing 10 mm bolt under the Navigation DVD player and swinging out the carrier.
b. Remove two more nuts holding the SAM
c. Using trim removal tool remove the electrical harness from the top of the SAM
4. Find connection B on your harness:
Plug into the first slot (should be numbered 88)
You will need to get a 30A Maxi fuse to plug into the slot. Leave it out for now but have it handy for later.
Run the power cable along with the red wires (shown on the left in the pic below).
Run the wire to the SAM area.
Here is a close up of after plugging in:
5. Find connection D on your harness – plug has 4 pins only 2 of which are occupied
6. Plug connector D in to SAM connector number 6, located where my finger points to.
7. While the SAM is out, route connector E cable along rear fender and under tail light (sorry picture is blurry and not sure why the text turned sideways after saving image)
8. Run the cable to the striker eye area:
The connector feeds in from the right and connects to power striker eye.
Below is a picture of the power striker installed (viewed from inside the trunk). It is composed of two parts (forgot to take pic) 1. The motor part is where the connector plugs into, this goes behind the chassis mount. 2. The moving striker is the part that goes on top.:
The way it functions is that when you press the button to close the trunk, the striker eye moves to the up position while the motor closes the trunk lid. The trunk closes onto the striker in the up position and pulls it down.
Below is a picture of the part that was originally there:
The bar goes on the back side of the chassis plate.
9. Here is the drive motor (minus controller):
There are two studs on top that go into the rear parcel shelf.
The lower part goes over a stud in the trunk.
To mount in the trunk, you will need to do the following:
Remove C pillar trim on drivers side (Left side) - that is the trim above parcel shelf.
Remove rear seat bottom
Remove rear seat back (2 nuts - one on each side and one bolt in the centre)
You can either remove the rear parcel shelf (which takes a lot of effort) or slide your hand under the rear parcel shelf and put on the 2 M6 1.0 flange nuts to hold the unit in place.
Below is the picture of the motor mechanism mounted in the trunk.
The main wire harness runs right next to the lower bracket shown. I took extra precaution of wrapping that harness with thick felt and zip tie to prevent wearing through the cable.
The arm, if it is not in the right position can be rotated with vice-grips. Don’t try to activate electrically as I did at first or you will have tough time getting it in the right location. Motor controller connector D from the harness can now be attached to the motor.
10. Lastly run the trunk switch line (connector C) to the trunk. I thought I took more pictures of this part but I guess I didn’t.
a. Remove the plastic trim on the bottom edge of the trunk lid, there are
b. You need to remove the lining to the trunk lid – below is a picture of how to start. Also note how the switch is located. The original piece just has a grab handle where the switch is located.
Here is a WIS photo I marked up for clarity:
c. replace the trim after tip-tieing the cable in place
Lastly, you will need to have a DAS to normalize the trunk.
With DAS go to:
1. Control Units
2. Seat and Doors
3. TLC – Trunk Lid control
4. Initial Start up
5. Initial Start up with MANUAL settings input (since this is a new install)
6. Follow the instructions given by the DAS for the next steps
7. It will take you to normalizing the potentiometer, again follow the instructions on the screen and then you are done!
Respect 
08-19-2013, 12:27 AM
#7
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Pricing will vary ... I searched a long time for parts and pieces, then got somewhat lucky and found almost complete car. $500 for most of the expensive parts (it would have been for everything but he sent me wrong harness and I did not know I needed the power closing lock piece until i started putting it together). So I have about $760 total in it.
I have an extra motor and controller and brand new harness. I need to look for the controller.
If you search Ebay in the US and in Germany (using terms W211 Heckdeckel) you may get lucky.
If you buy everything new:
1. Trunk closing motor and controller A2118202042 - $816
2. Potentiometer A2118201597 - $93
3. Wire harness A2115404810 - $48
4. Power closing latch A2117500184 - $261
5. Door switch to open and close A2118211751 - $60
6. Trunk switch to close (and lock if you have keyless go) – A2208211479 - $40.80
7. Trunk molding for switch A2117500393 – check colour - $26
8. 30A Maxi fuse – Parts store/Ebay - $3
9. Access to DAS to initialize and normalize motor
10. 4x M6-1.0 flange nuts - $1.00
Total of ~$1348 for factory parts.
I just realized, I forgot to add the switch in the door panel in the DIY ... I'll go back and fix that ... it was so easy though.
I have an extra motor and controller and brand new harness. I need to look for the controller.
If you search Ebay in the US and in Germany (using terms W211 Heckdeckel) you may get lucky.
If you buy everything new:
1. Trunk closing motor and controller A2118202042 - $816
2. Potentiometer A2118201597 - $93
3. Wire harness A2115404810 - $48
4. Power closing latch A2117500184 - $261
5. Door switch to open and close A2118211751 - $60
6. Trunk switch to close (and lock if you have keyless go) – A2208211479 - $40.80
7. Trunk molding for switch A2117500393 – check colour - $26
8. 30A Maxi fuse – Parts store/Ebay - $3
9. Access to DAS to initialize and normalize motor
10. 4x M6-1.0 flange nuts - $1.00
Total of ~$1348 for factory parts.
I just realized, I forgot to add the switch in the door panel in the DIY ... I'll go back and fix that ... it was so easy though.
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08-19-2013, 12:34 AM
#8
MBWorld Fanatic!
Awesome DIY! I always wanted the trunk closer. I hate slamming my trunk :/
08-19-2013, 12:47 AM
#9
Thank you very much for the detailed write up!
I have a fully optioned (minus distronic) complete 06 parts car and was going to transfer some of the options like the trunk closer to my E. However a friend of mine is likely buying the E so I'll sell the unneeded parts like the trunk closer assembly so somebody who wants to follow Turbo97se's how-to.
PM me, please don't booger up this helpful thread if interested.
I have a fully optioned (minus distronic) complete 06 parts car and was going to transfer some of the options like the trunk closer to my E. However a friend of mine is likely buying the E so I'll sell the unneeded parts like the trunk closer assembly so somebody who wants to follow Turbo97se's how-to.
PM me, please don't booger up this helpful thread if interested.
10-16-2013, 03:11 PM
#15
Junior Member
this is awesome. thanks for the writeup. i want to do this one day, i hate when people close my trunk(usually i do it for them) but people get ballsy and touch my paint...dont like it at all
10-16-2013, 07:19 PM
#17
Super Member
01-10-2014, 05:07 PM
#20
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
01-30-2014, 03:28 AM
#22
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
I cannot edit the original post. just wanted to re-iterate please double check part numbers according to your VIN. There will be differences in parts depending on if you have Keyless go or not for example dictates trunk switch type and possibly wire harness.
Also I will not be held accountable for any damage incurred due to improper installation following this guide
Also I will not be held accountable for any damage incurred due to improper installation following this guide
Last edited by turbo97se; 01-30-2014 at 03:32 AM.
