STRIKER PLATE

[gimp]

My drivers door will no longer lock. It will close on the first catch and sound good but will not go to the second catch that would close the door comletely.
I followed the adjustment procedure as described by Al and everything is as it should be but the door still will not completely lock.
Is it possible that the striker plate is worn?
I know there is someone out there who has had this problem and solved it

[Leester]

I'm not sure if my problem was the same but I discovered that the latching mechanism in the door needed lubricating. I think I recall that you can move the locking mechanism in the door by hand (instead of closing the door and having the striker plate move the mechanism, you can accomplish the same thing by hand - working the lube into the works).  You may have a different issue but that seemed to solve the problem for me.

[gimp]

Lee
I oiled the locking mechanism and it moves quite freely by hand.
To me it just seems that the locking mechanism does not go in far enough even when I move the striker plate all the way forward.

[66andBlue]

You wrote "will not go to the second catch".   Do you mean the latch cannot go in deep enough, or it just does not catch?
If the former is correct then I would check the position of the striker plate in the door jamb. Did it move back?
Also what car do you have? {Please add to your signature, it helps getting correct answers )  }  There are several striker plate versions depending on the model; see:
http://www.sls-hh-shop.de/index.php/cat/c3_Mercedes-Benz-230SL-250SL-280SL-Pagoda--R113-W113-.html#cat_110

[66andBlue]

Our posts crossed "in mid air".
Since the pin doesn't go in have you checked whether the "hooks" are completely retracted when you press the button?
Note, this is a 230SL lock; yours may be different.
Also, is the ridge on the bottom of the striker intact and not broken off and/or worn down?

[gimp]

66andblue

I have an early 280sl. I checked the striking plate on the passanger side and found it had a small raise on the bottom.
The drivers side is smooth.
Then my problem could be that the striking plate is just wore out.

[J. Huber]

I had a similar problem. My door would shut and seemed to lock fine -- UNTIL - I would go around a right-hand curve just the right way... the door would pop open and scare the you know what out of me. Fortunately it would catch on the second stage or it would have swung open. I messed with the striker plate side over and over again. It would close fine -- so I couldn't really see a problem. Until that random curve... Finally, I inspected it closely and it was that little right-side "clasp" in Alfred's photo. It had worn down and was not grabbing tight. I replaced the entire mechanism (Ray Paul) and its back to normal. Was about 150 bucks back then... 04?

[gimp]

Thanks everyone.
I guess I will start with replacing the striker plate, the cheapest route for now and go on from there if required.

[66andBlue]

Good luck finding one. The 3-hole plate for an early 280SL (VIN <10366) is NLA, and don't be fooled, the 3-hole plate of the 230SL will not work.
Take a look again at the link to the SLS web site it shows the situation. You may have to switch to the 4-hole replacement part and drill new holes.

[gimp]

I thought I would give an update on my door lock.
I got a hold of a used 3 hole striker and thought that my problem was solved. Not yet.
The door still would not lock all the way, only to the first catch.
So I decided to buy a lock.
With the new lock and striker i figured for sure that my problem was solved. Not yet.
I then used the old striker with the new lock and I now have a door that locks.
Of course I really don't know why the lock did not work in the first place.
The old lock and striker looked good and I do not see any wear.

[Richard Madison]

Gimp:

You get 5 stars *****  for persistence in problem solving   

Richard M, NYC