R129 98 SL500 - Battery flat because the car thinks the trunk is open

[alabbasi]

This is a new issue for me. I have an issue where the red light on the remote trunk switch on the dash is on continuously. There's nothing obstructing the button on the rear panel. I didn't think it was a problem until it drained the battery flat but now i'm p*ss*d

Anyone run into this problem?

 

[R129 UK]

To clarify, are you saying the tell-tale on the switch is on and drained the battery despite the light in the boot being off?

 

[alabbasi]

OK guys, closing the loop on this. There appears to be a toggle switch behind the locking mechanism in the rear panel. I flipped it and the light went out. I spent the rest of the day getting the 91 300SL running and hit a road block. Will post a separate question.

 

[Seangbadee]

This is a new issue for me. I have an issue where the red light on the remote trunk switch on the dash is on continuously. There's nothing obstructing the button on the rear panel. I didn't think it was a problem until it drained the battery flat but now i'm p*ss*d

Anyone run into this problem?

I ran into a similar issue a few years ago with my W124. Every morning, the battery would be dead. After checking the fuses and other obvious things, I thought I had traced the problem to the trunk switch. It turned out I was partly right.

I had removed the plastic trim panel from the rear, and without it, there wasn’t enough height for the trunk switch to be fully depressed. So even though the trunk appeared closed, the light stayed on overnight, slowly draining the battery. I went through two batteries before realizing the cause. Once I replaced the trim/molding, the issue disappeared and hasn’t returned since.

 

[R129 UK]

A simple way to check if the boot light is on when not wanted is to use your mobile phone.

Record a video and put the phone in the boot and close the lid, reviewing the video will show if the light extinguishes when the lid is shut.