Is a convertible trunk lid supposed to rise?

[Opie55]

A thread below about the trunk lid gas struts on a GC or coupe made me start this new thread. Can anybody with a convertible confirm whether or not the gas struts are supposed to lift the trunk by themselves when it is unlocked? I assumed it does not rise by itself, and the convertible trunk is hinged differently than a GC or coupe.

[JBF650]

Originally Posted by Opie55

A thread below about the trunk lid gas struts on a GC or coupe made me start this new thread. Can anybody with a convertible confirm whether or not the gas struts are supposed to lift the trunk by themselves when it is unlocked? I assumed it does not rise by itself, and the convertible trunk is hinged differently than a GC or coupe.

Opie55, forgive me for jumping in here with my Coupe.... my boot lid does rise by itself when I press the boot release button on my key fob.... it’s very helpful actually if I have my hands full of shopping bags

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by JBF650

Opie55, forgive me for jumping in here with my Coupe.... my boot lid does rise by itself when I press the boot release button on my key fob.... it’s very helpful actually if I have my hands full of shopping bags

Yeah, I looked at some photos and the coupe system is totally different. You have those long, curved arms that hold the lid on. Pretty sure you have big springs under there too. A convertible has none of that. It has two pretty short gas struts and hinges about as complex as those on your bedroom door.

[hugo_nz]

Nope it is not meant to rise. The coupe and GC have traditional gooseneck arms with springs and/or gas struts attached to them. The convertible boot lid is hinged where the soft-top lid meets it. There was no way for BMW to automate it.

Interestingly the S-Class Cabriolet has a similar trunk setup and it has an auto tailgate. I thought about attempting a retrofit but quickly abandoned the idea due to cost and technical/cosmetic challenges

[Giggs11]

My will rise only in warm/hot diner weather -winter time Nope

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by Giggs11

My will rise only in warm/hot diner weather -winter time Nope

"hot diner weather" just made me want bacon and eggs. Hugo, I did not mean automated, just that the gas struts could raise it. But it does not look physically possible. In fact, it is the hardest trunk to open on any car I have ever owned. You have to overcome this initial resistance that makes the lid feel like it weighs 100 pounds. I had a fully automated open/close trunk on a 2008 MB convertible.

[Giggs11]

lol just noticed stupid autocorrect , hot summer days I mean and yes it rises fully on my f13 , winter time doesn't !! Ps bacon and eggs sounds very good right now lol

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Opie55

"hot diner weather" just made me want bacon and eggs. Hugo, I did not mean automated, just that the gas struts could raise it. But it does not look physically possible. In fact, it is the hardest trunk to open on any car I have ever owned. You have to overcome this initial resistance that makes the lid feel like it weighs 100 pounds. I had a fully automated open/close trunk on a 2008 MB convertible.

Yep totally got your meaning. Personally, it's my second 6er (had the E64 645ci) so I am "used" to it in a way. If you look at the mercedes as an example they have gas struts assisted by a motor/piston of sorts. I hues it has to do with the weight of the lid vs the angle of operation...there just isn't a non-power-assisted way to do it.

[Opie55]

At least on my CLK, the struts were not gas - they were actually hydraulic lifts just like those that lift the top. It was a pretty rare option on the CLK convertible - probably 1 out of 30 had it.

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Opie55

At least on my CLK, the struts were not gas - they were actually hydraulic lifts just like those that lift the top. It was a pretty rare option on the CLK convertible - probably 1 out of 30 had it.

Yeah BMW and Mercedes for the longest time used hydraulics to open and close the trunk. Nowadays it's a much simpler system. A spring is often used to "spring" the trunk fully open and then an electric actuator is used to close it. Much simpler and less costly to repair if it fails (plenty of horror stories around of the hydraulic lines rupturing)

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

Yeah BMW and Mercedes for the longest time used hydraulics to open and close the trunk. Nowadays it's a much simpler system. A spring is often used to "spring" the trunk fully open and then an electric actuator is used to close it. Much simpler and less costly to repair if it fails (plenty of horror stories around of the hydraulic lines rupturing)

I assume they still use hydraulics on the convertibles because there is no room for those big hinges and springs. What the hydraulics accomplished was auto closing. True they could rupture, but compared to all the other hydraulics lines a convertible has those were not a big issue.

[e38740imd]

Originally Posted by Giggs11

My will rise only in warm/hot diner weather -winter time Nope

same

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by Opie55

I assume they still use hydraulics on the convertibles because there is no room for those big hinges and springs. What the hydraulics accomplished was auto closing. True they could rupture, but compared to all the other hydraulics lines a convertible has those were not a big issue.

That little actuator is marked in the block is what does the closing on the s-class cabriolet.