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Bonnet struts, how does your bonnet sit when up
Topic Started: Sat Apr 4, 2009 10:55 pm (1,706 Views)
kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

My bonnet has never stayed up in the half way position since I got the car. It kind of does but its not secure enough to be sure its not going to blow down with a bit of wind.

Since then I put new full length w124 bonnet insulation on but it didnt seem to get any worse so for now I am ignoring that.

I recently picked up a s/h replacement from mindingthepothole, thanks again mate, fantastic price ;)

I swapped it today and its basically the same. So, am I being over cautious ? When you have the bonnet at half height how hard do you guys have to tap the bonnet for it to drop down ? Mine is like a 'I told you not to eat biscuits before dinner' kind of slap, not very hard at all, is that wrong ?
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Matt
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Administrator - Hawk Eye

They do become less strong over time. There have been some mercs ive worked on that dont stay up at all or as you say stay up but feel as if they will easily fall back down again.

A new one will defo keep it up firmly.
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shrekky
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my bonnet stays anywhere i put it kenny,and i have to push down quite hard to shut it.................and it has the full padding,my bonnet strut is only about 2 years old though,bought it from ECP


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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

right, so I guess the answer is a new one, I doubt they are expensive, the one I tried was a freebie so I thought it was worth a go :)

Its possible the w124 is heavier but it was very light when I was fitting it so I doubt its that. Cheers guys, a trip to ecp is due :)
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merc190uk
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The Godfather

but the metal clip should hold it in place ?
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

really ? I thought the metal clip just stopped it raising up ? Does it stop it dropping down too ?
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merc190uk
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The Godfather

yeah you raise it until the clip on the arm
then lift the arm away from the strut to drop it again

then in full lift mode you press the second arm to remove it from the full upright position
Edited by merc190uk, Sat Apr 4, 2009 11:26 pm.
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

well that would be the problem then !!! neither had the metal clip :)

I looked at the way the clip worked and couldnt see a way that it held it in place other than stopping it raise up more. There must be a ridge a bit further up the shock than I looked. Anyone got a spare metal clip ?
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shrekky
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if i remember rightly about £15 kenny ;)


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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

hmm, well thats interesting, they are not all the same !!!

My beast and the newer one I got has no ridge but the one on my 16v does have a ridge which the metal clip sits in. That strut doesnt work at all though :(

Incidentally, dont play around with it off the car. Press it in too far and you get a pop and thats the end of strut :(
Edited by kentronix, Sat Apr 4, 2009 11:40 pm.
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merc190uk
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The Godfather

cant you take the clip of the 16v

just a sec i thought you had sold that ?
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Toff190
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190 Mob Member and a Wise Guy.
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merc190uk
Sat Apr 4, 2009 11:10 pm
but the metal clip should hold it in place ?
+1

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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

sold but not collected yet, going in a few weeks.

I could use the clip but the strut itself doesnt have a ridge for it to sit in, it clips to the p[lastic but doesnt have a ridge in the metal shock itself. I think the design of my beasts one is that the strut holds the weight of the bonnet on its own but when you get to half height the metal clip hits the bottom of the shock and you cant go any higher without pressing the metal clip. But at this stage the clip isnt actually helping hold the weight at all.

Incidentally the w124 doesnt have any shock or even strut, it must all be in the hinge somewhere, I was looking for a part number of the uprated one but they dont exists :)
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merc190uk
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The Godfather

nah it works so it sit in the platsic part and the ridge is within that i think

i dont really know until i go out and look at mine

i'll check my pictures but not sure i have one of the strut
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

yeah on my 16v the metal inner shock has a ridge that the wire clip sits in when its at that position. From what I can tell the metal shock on the beast is totally smooth without ridges. I will have a better look in the morning when its not pitch black !!! :P
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merc190uk
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The Godfather

ok we will continue this convo tomorrow B)
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stwat
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So the metal clip on the strut is meant to lock it in place at the halfway point?? I always thought it was just to release the strut to the fully open position. You learn something new every day :)

The thing is, the clips on both my cars don't seem to do anything. They certainly don't stop the bonnet from being fully opened. They must be bent i suppose.
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Big Ben
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All the metal clip does is limit the movement of the strut body! When the strut is fully extended the bonnet is in the first position. The clip prevents the bonnet from being lifted further by restricting the body of the strut from further movement. It also prevents gusts of wind from lifting the bonnet.

Openeing the clip allows the body of the strut to move so the bonnet can be lifted vertically. There is no hydraulic damping in this mode so the bonnet is designed to lock open!

The struts are so cheap its not worth messing about with second hand ones!

(That reminds me, I have to order two for the Porsche as it nearly took my head off the other day in a light breeze!)
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stwat
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Big Ben
Sun Apr 5, 2009 9:11 am
All the metal clip does is limit the movement of the strut body! When the strut is fully extended the bonnet is in the first position. The clip prevents the bonnet from being lifted further by restricting the body of the strut from further movement. It also prevents gusts of wind from lifting the bonnet.

Openeing the clip allows the body of the strut to move so the bonnet can be lifted vertically. There is no hydraulic damping in this mode so the bonnet is designed to lock open!

The struts are so cheap its not worth messing about with second hand ones!

(That reminds me, I have to order two for the Porsche as it nearly took my head off the other day in a light breeze!)
Yes, thats what i initially thought. Thanks for clearing that up :)
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

they may be cheap and I will be getting a new one but its always worth understanding how something works and it seems there are 2 types. The cossie one definately has a ridge that the wire clips into. I hope to make it out the house before it gates dark to get some pics :)
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

ok, definitely two types but they both function exactly the same. There is a type with a ridge around it, and a type with dimples around it. Neither of which are large enough to have ANY effect on the wire which is too large diameter to sit in the ridge or dimples.

Posted Image

Posted Image

So I conclude, unless anyone has a pic of a strut sitting in the ridge/dimple position that the wire is indeed only to stop it going up to the full vertical position. So a missing clip should not effect its sitting at half height. Only a week spring.

£20.64 at ecp
£21.62 through our mb dealer with our discount
£14.38 from gsf with our discount.



Edited by kentronix, Sun Apr 5, 2009 5:54 pm.
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mindingthepotole
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Go on... buy a rusty one. lol
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mate, if you need a clip, i have one here.

it is from the same strut, so i know it is the correct one.

if you want it just send me a pm and i will get it to you.

mark.
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

nah its fine, the clip serves no real purpose, I prefer not having to press it in just to lift it up.

Just wanted to work out exactly what it did. Cheers anyway.
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Neil
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merc190uk
Sat Apr 4, 2009 11:26 pm
yeah you raise it until the clip on the arm
then lift the arm away from the strut to drop it again

then in full lift mode you press the second arm to remove it from the full upright position
Steve, I'm not 100% certain what you mean.
All I know is that to do it as Mercedes-Benz intended;

Posted Image

No interfering with clips, and from the 'halfway' position the bonnet simply pushes down to close.
Mine's still on the original strut, and feels like new - firm but compliant.
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hitenb
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You're right, the clip is just there to allow 110 degree opening when the clip is removed. I had the same problem with mine; it wouldn't stick up for long when it was at 45degrees.. especially when cold. Somehow, its managed to sort its self out and now stays at 45 degrees.. I've removed the clip permanently and always open it 110 degrees unless its a quick fluid check..
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hitenb
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Neil.. does the 'pink' button in your car work only when the clip is out? With the clip in place on mine the 'pink button' doesn't do anything.
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

I never need 45 degrees, what with the nose down angle of my car its near useless. Only needed it for the open bonnet photoshoot at brooklands :) Nice to have the option though.

Wear to the hinge can mean you dont need to press the pink button at all, its like it on my 16v and I am always worried the wind will blow it down.. by the way, its not pink, its almandine.
Edited by kentronix, Sun Apr 5, 2009 8:49 pm.
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Neil
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kentronix
Sun Apr 5, 2009 8:48 pm
by the way, its not pink, its almandine.

:lol:

hitenb
 
Neil.. does the 'pink' button in your car work only when the clip is out? With the clip in place on mine the 'pink button' doesn't do anything.


I'm going to have to look in the morning - all I can say is that ever since I've had the car, that button has facilitated the 'vertical' opening position of the bonnet, and I have never had to (or wanted to) touch any clips on the strut itself.
I will take a pic in the morning, and perhaps post the P/N of the strut if I can see it.
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

please do neil, it seems opinion is divided on this, my almandine button on the beast is purely for bring it back down from vertical. On the 16v its the same although you can easily just pull the bonnet down without. Neither require it to be pressed on the way up, nor did my 2.0 or the 2.5d. I wish they did it sounds much safer.
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hitenb
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Just went outside and had a quick look to see how mine works.. I found that with the clip inserted into the arm, the "almandine" button doesn't work(you can't push down on the button, its firm in position). With the clip out, the button works just fine... Here's a pic of the clip I, just for reference:


[IMG][URL=http://img17.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03761l.jpg]Posted Image[/URL][/IMG]

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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

wow, now I am even more confused :)
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hitenb
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Ohh no!

How is yours different?
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

I am confused as to how the metal wire clip thing half way up the strut can have any effect on the almandine hinge button.
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hitenb
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The mysteries of over engineering! I could never figure out why the damn button wouldn't budge ages back when I knew that it would make the bonnet raise up to 110 degrees. I saw my mechanic pull out the clip and use the button and raise the bonnet. It must serve some purpose.. The bonnet functions as it should at 45degrees and 110 degrees position even if the clip isn't in place.
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

hiten, I have to have a look at your car, it doesnt make any sense to me, I can only assume there are a few different setups. Or I have lost all sense of logic, which may well be the case.
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hitenb
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I guess that would make most sense, do you still have the clips in both cars? or have you taken them out?
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kentronix
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I'm only really here for the Kitchens

removed from the beast and still present on the 16v but the spring in the strut is broken in the 16v.
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hitenb
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Maybe do a small experiment and take out the clip from the 16V and put it in the beast to see what happens..?

that's tmr's experiment sorted :)
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stwat
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The pink,sorry, 'almandine' :D button is only there to release the bonnet from its locked, highest position. The strut clip is to allow the bonnet to be raised into the highest position. That's if the clips work at all. It did on my first 190 but on the two i have now, the clip looks bent and doesn't do a thing.

That's how it has been on all three of my 190's.
Edited by stwat, Mon Apr 6, 2009 12:22 am.
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balamb37
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Grumpy Old Grampa with Dog
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I'm pretty sure the 'Clip' is only to prevent the bonnet from going in the 'vertical' position, and must be pulled (disengaged) to put the bonnet in the vertical position, and the 'pink button' to let it down again from the vertical position,
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