SPRINTER SLIDING DOOR PROBLEM FIXED | Stretched cable prevents door from opening
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 тра 2023
- WARNING! Be aware the metal edges are very sharp and can easily cut you. Proceed with caution!
A simple "MacGyver" fix for a problematic sliding door on the Sprinter Camper Van. Ours is a 2018 Sprinter "Worker", 2500 with a 170" wheel base. We've had frequent problems with the slider and been in to the dealer a number of times and spent loads of money, but this last time we fixed it ourselves.
The problem is a stretched cable, and realigning it at the business end, seems to do the trick.
CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR Epic Water Filters: timshannonltd.com/epicwaterfi...
Use Coupon Code TSLTD20 to get 20% off your first order!
❤️ If you like what you see, please share this video and support us by subscribing: / @timandshannonltd
And check out our website for more van life info: TimShannonLTD.com/
(Note: This post contains affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.)
Here are some of the things that make VanLife easier and more enjoyable for us: www.amazon.com/shop/timshannon
Our Electrical System Components:
BattleBorn 100ah Lithium Batteries (x4): amzn.to/4byxQnz
3000 watt inverter: amzn.to/3VTLhsB
Solar Charge Controller: amzn.to/3RPhekf
100 watt Solar Panel: amzn.to/3Wa0EhK
Cerbo GX: amzn.to/4buFBuK
GX Touch 50: amzn.to/4bxr6pS
Lynx Distributor: amzn.to/3xVbsa5
Electrical Distribution Panel: amzn.to/4cK8VhR
Are you a video maker? Say goodbye to poor audio quality and step up your game with the Saramonic Wireless Lavalier Mic Set: amzn.to/3Z0zARK
🎵 Also, would you like to have a huge and diverse library of hassle-free, royalty-free music to choose from for your video projects?
Sign up for your very own account at Artlist.io and get 2 free months on your first year’s subscription (that means, 14 months for the price of 12)
Use this link to grab that offer: artlist.io/Tim-1056926 - Авто та транспорт
Just peeled my skin off my finger trying this. That door is sharp be careful
Oh no!! So sorry to hear this. We’ll pin this comment to the top to hopefully warn others. 😬
@@TimAndShannonLTD door works now tho. Thank you Tim and Shannon
OH good - happy to hear that!
Thanks Tim 👍
For any fellow viewers who like me, don’t have time to sit down and decipher 4 mins of rambling about unnecessary detail, skip to 4:21 😅👍
LOL I know and Shannon is always telling me, I can get kinda long winded, so apologies for that! But I hope this helps you. FYI: it's still working great for us after a year with this fix.
Thank you, door was stuck and I have a kitchen/seats built up around the entrance. This video saved me alot of grief
Awesome! Glad to hear it!
I have a 2019 Sprinter and had this same problem multiple times but with multiple reasons. I have had the cable problem, but in a different area. There is an adjustment bolt near this same area, but on the car, not the door. This is the most common reason for the door to get jammed. Also, you must clean and spray all moving parts and contact points around the sliding door and frame. There are many. Take your time looking for these areas. Don't waste your time and money at the Dealership to resolve this, because it will happen again. Just become handy and proficient with this common ongoing issue with the sliding door. Hope this helps.
Good suggestions, thank you!
Hi Tim, I appreciate your help with our 2021 Mercedes Sprinter LWB. Here's a handy tip to prevent the cable from stretching and the sliding door from sticking. On the interior of the door, both at the top and bottom (opposite end to the handle), you'll find rubber components that look like springs. You can access these from the outside when the door is fully open, and you might need a small ladder to reach the top one.
These rubber parts can be screwed in or out, and they apply tension to the door when it's closed. If they're not screwed out enough, the door won't pop open when you release the catch. I had the same issue with my door, and it was locking me inside the van, forcing me to exit through the front doors.
Adjusting these rubber components should solve the problem of the door not springing open when you pull the latch. Safe travels in your Sprinter! 🚐💨
P.S.
You should pin this comment because this will fix this problem 99% of the time.
Wow!
My husband screwed out these rubbers only the slightest bit and instantly fixed the problem.
Thank you for your comment.
Wow thanks for this awesome suggestion!
I tried screwing them out a bit to solve the problem but for me that made it worse, so it's different for everybody. I notticed that the top one was further out than the bottom, so I screwed in the top one until it matched the one at the bottom then problem was gone. So I think possibly the most important things is ensuring both are at the same level but it might require some trial and error.
Yeah, we tried that and ended up making it worse as well. Almost couldn't open the door from the inside! Really happy we found the solution we did.
This worked for me! Thank you so much!
Amazing … so simple … this has been a real frustration for us … thank you for sharing
Hi Karl - oh good! So glad this was helpful - thanks for the feedback!
Thanks a lot, we were able to open our slide door following your tip!
Awesome! So glad to hear it! Thanks for letting us know!
This is such a niche video but thank you for making it! I’m having this exact issue!
Glad it was helpful and we hope you're able to get yours working again!
Thank you
You're welcome
Great work! I just used your mechanic’s trick to fix my van. Thanks for your help! Andy, UK. 🇬🇧
Sweet! Glad to hear it and that this was able to help you!!😊
I ran into this exact issue, like many do, this worked perfectly.
So glad this was helfpul - Thanks for letting us know! 😃
Thank you so much! I also bought a sprinter van , a couple of months ago, and yesterday I couldn’t open the slide door anymore… I am very happy I found your video. I followed your tip, and yes! The door opens again.. thanks!!!
Sweet! So glad to hear it-thanks for the feedback!
Literally been waiting this video for over one year. This is the first video demonstrating the problem. My door has stuck for over one year, the time I watched your video and bump the door at the back end and opened it for the first time since stuck, it's like nothing else, just like open a gate to haven, you know what I am talking about after unable to use it for over one year. In my case, the solution is a bit simpler than yours, I sprayed some wd-40 and loose the exact cable in your video and further lubed it with SAE 30 down the cable while I press the door latch inside, lubed the hell out of it :). It has been working fine for me. Thank you for this life saver video!
Oh we’re so glad to hear this helped and that you can use your door again! Thanks for letting us know!! 😃
Great help! Thank you!
Awesome. Glad it was helpful - thanks for the feedback!
Thank you so much, this worked on UK Citreon Relay. Just need to figure out how to take stretch out as slight duff to yours. Cheers
Glad it helped!
Thanks!
Thank you!!!❤️
Thank goodness I found your video. My wife and I are in the middle of a trip across the US and had this issue with our door. I just got in there and moved the cable as you suggested and it seems to be working great! Thanks so much for posting this!
Hi Phillip! Wow that is so good to hear! I'm glad this was able to help with your door as well! Thanks for letting us know and enjoy the rest of your trip!!
Thank you for your amazing video, mine is a sprinter 2005 & it has been playing up on & off, but I can open it from the front door when needed, I will check out where you have shown & thanks to the below comment on peeling skin off your fingers, so I will use gloves, very much appreciated😁
Ok good luck - hope you have the same happy result we did!
Thanks for doing this video. Have a new Sprinter RV and the kitchen cabinet covers most of the door. Of course, the door got stuck closed during the first week of ownership. Mercedes said they would charge 3 hrs at $230 to remove the cabinet, repair and reinstall. Somehow the door fixed itself while driving. But now I'm worried about this happening again and causing a problem while on the road. I'm going to try to put the inside door cover on with velcro so it can be removed to have access to the level that you showed. I'm very disappointed with this door problem on a new expensive vehicle, but want to thank you for helping people address it.
Yeah it's really something that we pay as much as we do for these "state of the art" vehicles and they have this kind of problem. Sorry yours happened so soon in your ownership of your van, but also glad that our video could help you. Thanks for the comment and good luck with it!
great idea.
Thanks Tony! You guys going anywhere this summer?
I'm having this exact same issue and I'm sure hoping it's going to be this easy to fix
Hope so! Good luck with it!
Got this issue with my Vito so I'm going to give this a go.
Hope you have good luck with it!
Top marks for sharing. I only have access to the back of the van via the side door and it was getting to the point of never opening again. I was going to take the latch off the side door today and order a new one before coming across your video. I did exactly what you showed and it worked...... Then I sprayed everything with wd40 and clipped the cable in the "original" Correct.. position and hey presto that also worked. I don't know why but but I am very happy with the result anyway. Thanks again Tim & Shannon and you get a big thumbs up from me.
Oh that is so good to hear! Really glad it worked for you! And wow surprising that it’s working in a the original position. But good result either way. Glad to hear it and thanks for the feedback!
this video helped me open the door on a customer van. thank you!
Great to hear and so glad it helped! Thanks for the feedback!! 👍
Thank you this worked for us! In our sprinter! Brilliant!❤🇦🇺
Oh fantastic, I’m so glad this was able to help you with your door! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
AMAZING! IT WORKED! Thank you so much. What a fab video. Saved me so much time and money and I have only just purchased my sprinter yesterday so thank you ❤❤❤
Awesome, so good to hear and glad it worked out for you!
Just to let you know, exact same thing has just happened to us - with thanks to your video we applied the secret push and were able to open door. Can't thank u enough - but I guess a visit to the workshop will be needed at some time in the future. Thanks again and have a great day!
Glad to hear this helped you - good luck with the workshop!!
you are the man!
Thanks! So glad this was helpful to you!
thank you! managed to get my door open because of this video =)
That’s great news-so glad we could help! Thank you for letting us know! 😊
Hi Tim. We have the same problem, and like yours, and probably many others, it was a progressive one. I have tried adjusting the rubber stops, but to no avail, so will do your fix. I see taking out the 'S-Bend' cable and putting steel or plastic washers on the cable, then re-fix by inserting the 'S-Bend' and pull the outer sheath of the cable and place back. If you make them metal washers (however many you need to take up the slack), you can put high-strength Locktite between them and the underside of the cable holder/receiving plate, put the cable back, allow them to set, and they should not come out at all. Very best wishes. Tony and Carolyn. We are Wheely Living! :)
Thanks for the detailed explanation!
Very welcome. Happy miles ahead... :)
@@TimAndShannonLTD
I have this issue. I hope this works for me
We hope so too! Such an annoying problem!
I have a different brand van but a similar issue.
In addition to the shortening of the cable, which I believe gets stretched by pullling the door open via the handle, we added a fixed pull handle to the outside of the door.just behind the latch handle.
Now, I unlatch the door as usual ("pop it open") but it is slid back using the new handle, reducing the time I exert stress on the latch handle & cabling system.
The new exterior handle is fixed to the door with a metal plate on the inside/backside to prevent ripping it loose from the door metal. I mounted mine vertically, but it could be horizontal with no impact.
Wow that’s a good idea!
Could you attach pictures?
@@SBerra-oy2gd Maybe? I am willing, but how do you attach a picture to the comments?
@@dross24MAUnfortunately not possible.
You need to show a video
Amazing vid - was about to try it but couldn't get the purchase on the cable to get it out of the latch. Did you use pliers or some other mechanism to pull that cable and plastic part out of its latch?
Thanks!
Hi there. I think I got the tips of my fingers behind there and pulled on the cable. Long Reach Long Nose Pliers might help too. Good luck with it!
But be careful not to do what I did and drop the pliers. They are now down the cavity below the cable inside the door! I hoping they aren't going to cause issue or make too much rattle and noise in there 😢😂😭
@@robnewman8645 Oh no! Can you get an extendable retriever magnet down there to fish them out?
@@TimAndShannonLTD that's a good idea, I'll have to see if I know anyone with one I can borrow. Otherwise it's in there forever or until the van gets a respray. At least the doors opening nice and easily again after your mcgyver fix 😊
@@robnewman8645oh well yeah that is definitely a plus! So glad the door is working well at least!
Are there any cable adjustments or does it just get replaced when too stretched?
There might be potential for adjustment at the other end of the cable inside the door closer to the handle but I’m not sure.
Hi Tim! I have a 2005 Sprinter and have been having endless issues with the door opening. I replaced all the rollers today and now it seems that I can't open the door at all unless it's from the inside. It's a very tight seal from all the adjustments I've been doing but I wanted to see if this cable thing applies to an '05 as well. Thanks!
Hi Sophia, I’m sorry I don’t know much about the older T1N Sprinters. However, the problem I fixed here was a stretched cable. It’s possible your cable is stretched as well, however I don’t know how its mechanism works. Best guess is you could take a look, and if yours looks similar then this might work for you as well. I just hope digging in there and messing with things doesn’t make your issue worse! Sorry - I know that’s not much of an answer!
I think I figured it out but thank you so much for your response! Your videos are fantastic. @@TimAndShannonLTD
Oh so glad to hear that! Thanks for the update and good luck with it! 👍
I think another part of the problem is the latch can get sticky especially in dusty places. I had the same issue with my door and I cleaned then lubricated that latch which made it less sticky...but then a couple weeks later problem came back and I again repeated the steps. I'm in a very dusty area though. I was thinking about removing the latch for a proper cleaning/lubing. I assume that would involve removing the 3 torx bolts then sliding it out, but I'm afraid to try it without better knowledge on this.
Yes that could a contributing factor. I remember the mechanic mentioned we could try lubricating the cable itself, (there are things you can buy to make that easy to do) and we were thinking we'd try that but this little trick fixed it so we never tried it.
My problem is that my sliding door won't latch fully, it goes too put then pops back out slightly onto the 2nd latch position. Any ideas ?? Could this be a cable problem. Thanks for taking time to upload your video, UA-cam uploaders are a God send to so many issues.
I don’t know for sure but my first thought is to check the rubber bumpers for proper depth.
@@TimAndShannonLTDthank you
@@TimAndShannonLTDua-cam.com/video/VgYPcCj1AuA/v-deo.htmlsi=zSEsu2VZeYO71ioC
@@TimAndShannonLTDPlus, you might like the info in the link I've included, lots of sliding door knowledge.
Was your lock actually popping up by the window frame? Or is that a fuse issue? Mine won’t move at all when trying to use the fob but all others work.
Yes, our door looks worked fine, and the things you pull up on or push down on to manually unlock or lock the doors were working fine too, as was the fob. The issue described here seems to be only the stretched cable.
Having same problem with my Vito, but when pulling at the cable at the door handle end it got disconnected at the actuator end and I can't see where it latches back into the mechanism, can you help me with getting to reattached? My door won't open at all 😭
Well without being there to see it firsthand I don’t know what to tell you. I really only know what I talked about in my video. Sorry I can’t be more help but I wish you good luck getting it figured out!
This type of videos help us not to pay Mercedes dealers 2000 dollars for 20 minutes of work
Yes indeed! I would have no problem paying a reasonable amount but after a few visits it was getting ridiculous.
Problem is door is too heavy with insulation inside.
Could be, but the insulation doesn't weigh very much. However the window we added is quite heavy. Either way, we fixed it with this trick. It's been over a year now and it's still working great.
👍👍👍
Thanks Chuck!
@@TimAndShannonLTD Thank you! Best wishes from Germany 💐
Damn it looks you pushed so many times into your door there's a dent
You are very observant. Yep - that's what it is!
Idk how easy it was for you but I can’t get that thing to come out
Yeah you might need some long reach long nose pliers.
Welp…it wasn’t that.
Hmmmm. Sorry! Hope you can figure it out and fix it easily!