Sliding side door

[PSchw]

Anybody has a solution to get the sliding door to close proper?
I try to adjust mine but could not get it correct. I have to slam the door to make it close. Airstreams response is "that's how they close". MB that is a up fitter problem.
The rear of the door seams not to come in and look but you don't know until you drive and the warning comes up on the dash.

[ROBERT CROSS]

You can find anything on the interweb.....

Bob

[Bikerbill]

First one problem is if all windows and vents are tight.. This helps create the problem. Air has to escape so a vent cracked open seems to help ours. Also I try to keep my left hand on the door and add some "push" towards the middle of it when closing it. That "seems" to be the easiest way to do it for me.

[wayneskid]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

You can find anything on the interweb.....

Bob

Based on the file name, this is for the older T1N Sprinters. The procedure for the NCV3 Sprinters (in the US, MY 2007 and later) may be different.

[PSchw]

Thanks Bob I try this.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by PSchw

Anybody has a solution to get the sliding door to close proper?
I try to adjust mine but could not get it correct. I have to slam the door to make it close. Airstreams response is "that's how they close". MB that is a up fitter problem.
The rear of the door seams not to come in and look but you don't know until you drive and the warning comes up on the dash.

Use silicone spray on the striker bolt and striker pocket.

Andy

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by PSchw

Anybody has a solution to get the sliding door to close proper?
I try to adjust mine but could not get it correct. I have to slam the door to make it close. Airstreams response is "that's how they close". MB that is a up fitter problem.
The rear of the door seams not to come in and look but you don't know until you drive and the warning comes up on the dash.

I've always had to slam mine, but never even thought about it until you posted this question. I find that most sliding van doors, not just Airstream Interstate sliding doors, have to be slammed in order to close properly. The same was true on my Dodge Caravan back in the 1980's, and my mom's Chrysler Town & Country van today. Although her T&C has electrically-operated sliding doors, so she gets upset if I open and close the door myself instead of letting the electric motor do it. The Caravan and Town & Country are minivans, and their sliding doors weigh a lot less than a Sprinter sliding door, so if I have to slam a minivan door, I fully expect to slam a big Sprinter door.

When you close a sliding van door, the door slides forward, and then curves sharply inward right at the end. As part of that inward movement, it has to compress the weatherstripping all around the door opening.

You may be able to get a small amount of relief by lubricating all contact points (silicone spray on the striker as recommended by Andy, WD40 on the top, middle, and bottom door tracks, glycerine on the weatherstipping to keep the rubber soft) so that you don't have to slam it as hard, but you'll still have to apply a reasonable amount of force to close the door tightly.

Side note, having a window or vent open does help; I've noticed that when I close my sliding side door with all the vents and windows closed, the openable tip-out window in the sliding door "burps" a little to release pressure.

[73shark]

Has anyone investigated adding a power opener/closer? Only one I could find was from England and about $2,500 shipped and said it took about eight hours to installed by someone who had done it before.

[robert claus]

Even properly lubed, you have to slam it to kick the back of the door in to latch properly. Same with the back doors - slam them or you'll stop again to close them properly. The Sprinter is a commercial van by design, not a luxury car.

[Tim A.]

Maybe it's German engineering. We always had to slam the sliding doors on our 1973 and 1991 VW campers. Nice to know that Mercedes is carrying on the tradition.

Tim

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Has anyone investigated adding a power opener/closer?

It's apparently an option on European Sprinters, but not on export models sent to the US.

[PSchw]

Yes a sliding door needs mor force but slamming it and start to drive to get a warning the door is not closed is annoying. So beside slamming the door it does not close consistently.
I looked in to a elicit roc door what is available in Europe from MB. I found a supplier in Canada and I was ready to do it but I believe to install it you need to remove the bath which I imagine would be a pain.
I also was disappointed in MB or AS as none of the even put forward any effort to make adjustments.
Peter

[Boxster1971]

I would not trust any Airstream dealer to work on this door. It is purely a Mercedes issue and I would only trust an experienced Sprinter technician to make this adjustment. I know from experience that the techs at Sun Motors in Pennsylvania are glad to make adjustment before the door is damaged from slamming it. That doesn't help you much in IL. If I were you I'd start complaining to MB headquarters.

[PSchw]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

I would not trust any Airstream dealer to work on this door. It is purely a Mercedes issue and I would only trust an experienced Sprinter technician to make this adjustment. I know from experience that the techs at Sun Motors in Pennsylvania are glad to make adjustment before the door is damaged from slamming it. That doesn't help you much in IL. If I were you I'd start complaining to MB headquarters.

Mike I agree the problem is my MB dealer will not touch it as he says it is Airstream responsibility. If I am close in PA I may stop by and have them look at it if I cannot figure it out.

I am aware that it is not a luxury car, even so I paid as much for it, and slamming the door is not the main problem it is that it is not consistant I slam the door and one day it closes and the same slam it does not. There is no warning until you put it in gear a drive then he warning pops up.
I just figured somebody here has a trick or so and I guess I got some good ideas anyhow.
Thanks
Peter

[russ240]

On mine you do have to close it with authority though I would not quite call it a full on slam, but the main thing I have found is that you have to follow through with the close. That is to say you can't give it a big shove and then let go 12 inches before it hits the strikers, you have to pull all the way till it stops (or at least don't quit pulling before the final inch of travel). And my wife can't close it, I have to do it everytime. VERY annoying. No amount of adjustment has improved it for me.

[73shark]

Same here. Putting your left hand in the middle of the door and pushing the back in at the end of travel seems to help. Or just closing fast works. Just hard to do when headed uphill.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by PSchw

... I agree the problem is my MB dealer will not touch it as he says it is Airstream responsibility....

Wow I just don't understand how a MB Sprinter dealer can say this is an Airstream responsibility. Oh well.

I do have to slam mine shut firmly, but no more that my old Ford E350 with sliding side door. One thing I've found you don't want to keep pulling forward on the handle when door makes contact with the latches. If I do it just won't close fully. I have to get it rolling fast in the last few inches of travel with my hand off the handle and then it will fully latch closed.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

Wow I just don't understand how a MB Sprinter dealer can say this is an Airstream responsibility. Oh well.

Not that difficult to understand. As soon as Airstream installed that sliding step, which has limit switches in the door hardware to tell when to slide the step in or out, it became an Airstream issue, because the door has been modified by the installation of those switches.

Airstream naturally will counter, "It's not our step limit switches causing the problem, so take it to Mercedes."

That's the great flaw in not having a single warranty that covers the whole vehicle.

It becomes even more complicated when you add an alarm system that will tell whether the door is open or closed with the engine is off, because that's yet another sensor added to the door, so fingers can be pointed three ways instead of two.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Not that difficult to understand. As soon as Airstream installed that sliding step, which has limit switches in the door hardware to tell when to slide the step in or out, it became an Airstream issue, because the door has been modified by the installation of those switches....
...

Ah yes! Agree that Airstream has modified the sliding door. But I think it's more the half door stop that they installed that could cause the MB Dealer to say the door not closing is an Airstream issue. I'm pretty sure the sliding step is just using the existing limit switches installed by MB via the Parametric Special Module (PSM). MB Sprinters have had an electric side step option since 2008. But it has only been offered this year in NAFTA market.

Airstream Half Door Stop part sheet and Sprinter Electric Step Option sheet attached. Also see factory step at the link.
NCV3 Factory Electric Step Side Door T57 Right Side Sliding Door - Sprinter-Forum

[MILATV]

Anyone have this on their AS? Electric sliding door. http://youtu.be/6NcvIXeQK6A. I've contacted the dealer for a quote.