trunk cowl switch. 2005 CLK 500 Conv.

[charliew]

2005 CLK500 Convertable has two, I'll call them pushers, look like hydraulic cylinders that hold the cowl tight against a switch that signals that the cowl is closed and allows the top to operate. The one on the drivers side comes about 1/8" shy of activating the switch. Is there an adjustment to insure positive setting of the cowl against the switch? The cowl I'm talking about is the shroud/curtain that separates the top from the trunk. It prohibits putting top down when there are blocking items in the trunk.

[rudeney]

OK, that's the trunk partition not closing comkpletely. There is no adjustment. Assuming that the switch is not broken, you need to repalce the strut. You can find it here (part #19 in the diagram):

parts.com

[charliew]

Thank you very much Rodney. I have ordered the part. Parts.com looks like a great place to order automotive parts.
Charlie

[ChrisD]

I had a similiar issue, my car is in storage for four months during the winter, when I bring it back out for use I could get the top 99% down and it would stop indicating the partition wasn't down. I would end up putting the top back up and check the micro switches. That was my issue, the switches would not send the signal that the top was all the way down. Dealer replaced two switched under warranty but when I got the car home, same issue. I ended up spraying silicon on the switches.

[rudeney]

parts.com doesn't actually sell parts, they just connect dealers with customers for a negotiated price. When I order from them, my parts generally come from a MBZ dealer in Naperville, IL. They have been great except for my last order where they send the wrong parts. They did credit the price and shipping back when I returned them, but I did have to pay for return shipping. I generally get 20% off at my dealer, so when parts.com is a better price than that, I take a printout with me and they usually match it, or come close enough for me to buy there. Sometimes when i have a long list of parts to buy, I just go ahead and deal with parts.com as it's faster than spending an hour at the counter building a list.

[charliew]

Got the new what looks like a hydrolic spring, put it in and works fine. Thanks for your help.
Charlie

[rudeney]

I'm glad it's working now. This coming week should give us some good top-down weather!