How to Deal With Electric Sliding Door Issues in Your Car

Car Electric Sliding Door

The modern conveniences of technology have afforded us many advancements and opportunities in the automotive industry; however, sometimes good old-fashioned mechanics still offer drivers major conveniences. For instance, in cars with sliding doors – mostly minivans or mid-sized SUV-type vehicles, this simple sliding mechanism is an easy way to make car entryways more convenient for multiple uses. However, who says that a simple mechanism can’t be enhanced by technology?

When the electric, or automatic, sliding doors became a part of auto manufacturing, it was a huge craze and sensation for drivers all over the world. One of the most popular vehicles to utilize an electric sliding door mechanism is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Recent models make opening the sliding door simple with just the push of a button – it doesn’t get any more convenient than that. However, what happens when your car’s sliding door runs into issues?

Problems with sliding doors are a little more complex to fix when technology is involved, so it’s helpful to know what the best course of action is to attend to the issue. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of the electric sliding door feature and what you can do to prevent or remedy the problem.

How do sliding electric doors work?

Automatic or electronic sliding doors are a fairly simple design, but they offer drivers a huge convenience. Whether you’re loading and unloading passengers, packages, dogs, or pieces of furniture, it sure is handy having an automatic sliding door in your car. How it works is, when the driver pushes a button to open or close the door, the door follows the tracks back and out – extending slightly away from the vehicle opening until the door is fully opened. This mechanism involves a motor and chain drive to provide the force necessary to move the heavy door. Then, the pawl hooks into the gears below the door to lock it into the open position. It sounds simple, but a lot can go wrong with this feature over time.

What are the benefits of a car with sliding doors?

Of course sliding doors offer drivers great benefits, and often cars are sought after simply for this single mechanism. Here’s why:

  • Convenient for loading and unloading
  • Helpful for easy modifications
  • Useful for transporting large groups
  • Accessible for disabled individuals

As you can see, sliding doors are majorly helpful to drivers. If you are someone who drives a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or other vehicle with a sliding door mechanism, then you can truly appreciate how beneficial this feature can be for individuals and families. That’s why it’s important to keep it in good working condition – so you never have to live without it.

How to properly address issues with your electric sliding doors

Automatic sliding doors are rendered useless if the mechanism doesn’t work properly, so it’s important to bring your car to an automotive professional who is skilled and experienced in fixing such issues. Here’s what you can do in order to prevent problems with your car’s electric sliding door:

  • Hire an automotive shop that specializes in the type of vehicle you drive
  • Don’t let problems go on unattended to
  • Keep the track properly lubricated and clean

With all the difficulty and expense that automotive maintenance brings to drivers, it’s not easy to want to drag your car into the shop one more time for any reason; however, if the problem is related to your sliding door mechanism, you may not have a choice. Many people use minivans and Sprinters for work purposes, so it may be necessary to have it fixed right away.

How we can help

Mercedes Benz Sprinter Shuttle Bus Van Here at Pro Car Mechanics, we’ve attended to electric sliding door issues over the years with great success. Package and passenger drop-off services in the areas of Gardena, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Glendale, and Anaheim, CA, have been bringing their Mercedes-Benz Sprinters to us for years. Not only do we specialize in European imports like Mercedes, but we have skilled technicians on-staff who are familiar with attending to electric sliding door issues specifically. If you’ve recently begun dealing with sliding door difficulties, please call us today to schedule an appointment – we are happy to help you get your sliding door back in the groove.

* Mercedes Benz Sprinter Shuttle Bus Van image credit goes to: Srdjanns74.

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