Uh-Oh, my bad . . . .
 

May have really poo'd the scrooch here. 300D '85. I neglected the warning sounds made by the rear (inner) door latch - it appeared to have lost the two retaining bolts and was making a "ratcheting" sound when closing the door.

Eventually the door would jam closed when the lock was activated but I could
unlock it by simultaneously working the inside door handle and the lock bottom.

Now it's really jammed shut (locked). Can't remove the door panel 'cause I can't open the door.

I'm sure this is a one-in-a-million long shot but anybody ever experienced this?? Remedy??

Thanks to all,

Dave Hutch

Sledgehammer.













Just kidding...
Can you get the door pannel off for starters?

You can partially get to the inside door latch handle by removing the plastic piece and unscrewing the chrome trim. If your lucky, you may be able to grab onto the metal rod that unlatches the door through that opening. As a last resort, you can hack up the inner door panel to reach the latch from the inside. Hopefully you can find a cheap door panel in a salvage yard.

Craig and Marty
 

RE: Stuck rear door 300D. Yes, I did think about hacking up my (pristine) door panel but took the car to my indy today for his thoughts. Simple . . .
remove the ash tray - he says it's tight but you can untangle the locking mechanism from the door lock actuator, rattle things around enough to unlock the door and get the panel off for the correct fix. I'll try it!

Thanks,

Dave Hutch

Good deal, I never thought about the ash tray. Good luck.

Sorry I didn't read thoroughly enough the first time. If ashtray method doesn't get it... You could get the panel off (if its similar enough to my 124) if you can get the philips head out of the plastic guard that surrounds the door latch. Maybe with one or those right angle screwdrivers shaped like an allen wrench or by removing the lower rear seat by releasing the two clips along its lower edge.
Let us know how it pans out.