My Dad called me on the phone to say he locked his only trunk key in the
trunk. He and my sister have been trying, without success, to remove the
rear seat backrest, so that someone might enter the trunk through the
passenger compartment. The seat cushion has been removed.

I am geographically distant, else I'd have a look.

Can anyone advise?

Can anyone with such a car open his trunk, and inspect for fastening
hardware? Screws might be plainly visible, so that I might tell my Dad his
plan is impossible.

Thanks for your help.

My CDROM "handbook" lacks relevant information on this point.

--
Sent via OE by John, from MERCURY

Even if you remove back seat... zero access to trunk... Gas tank is right
behind the steel backrest.

Get a new key from dealer... sounds like you need one anyway. VIN, proof of
ownership and ID to have dealer special order it in.

Thanks.
Will pass the word along to Dad.

--
Sent via OE by John, from MERCURY
"Tiger" <tiger0002 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

John B wrote:
As Tiger already wrote, no way.


It has two main advantages:
- Even if someone breaks into the passenger
compartment he has no access to the trunk
- In case of a rear crash the tank stays intact
as opposed e.g. BMWs of that time where the
tank is located below the trunk (between
the rear axle and the rear bumper).
For the US see also (e.g)
<http://www.crownvictoriasafetyalert.com/PDF/update_to_ford.pdf>
for police cruisers catching fire when a tank
located below the trunk is damaged.
And when a tank lies in the rear crumple zone,
it also can be damaged when one "rides" on a
guard rail. And before someone asks:
Yes, there were several accidents where BMWs
caught fire that way...

Juergen

You seem to know what you are talking about! Thanks for the reply.

My dad is elderly, and doubts your advice. I told him to get a mirror from
my mom's bathroom, and look for a gasoline tank beneath the trunk. He won't
find one. Then he might give up his idea of getting through the back seat
to the trunk.
Fortunately, he stopped trying several hours ago, when I first posted.

--
Sent via OE by John, from MERCURY
"Juergen ." <jaguare (AT) bigfoot (DOT) com> wrote

He will simply see the hump on the bottom of the trunk that is the spare
tire wheel well. If he pulls the cover toward the back seat down, he will
see the actual tank... safe in the cocoon of the trunk.

John B wrote:
Do 23 and a half years W123 qualify? ;-))



I uploaded an official DC graphics to
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/3...nlto640zc5.jpg

The black thing above the rear wheel is the fuel tank.


Juergen

Dad is starting to see the light, but he's stubborn. He did the mirror
thing. Saw no fuel tank. I told him that's because it's slapped on the
backside of the rear seat backrest.

Old age and freedom make for an interesting combination!

He agreed to call a Mercedes dealership on Monday. He'll also try a
locksmith...but I told him that a locksmith is almost certainly unable to
produce a key from the VIN. He also wants to inquire with his regular
Mercedes mechanic...who will undoubtedly tell him exactly what you've said.

I commented to Dad that the absence of his trunk lock vacuum actuator has
also contributed to his predicament. If that long-dead item were
functional, then his trunk would be unlocked whenever he used his door key
to unlock the cabin. In such a case, he would have been able to open the
trunk merely by pressing the trunk lock with his thumb.

Feel free to affirm or rebut this assumption on my part.

Thanks again.

It's entirely possible the missing key is somewhere else entirely.

--
Sent via OE by John, from MERCURY
"Juergen ." <jaguare (AT) bigfoot (DOT) com> wrote

I don't know about that. I lost my keys at the beack one time, and the
locksmith created one using my VIN number. That was an early 90s
Nissan though. I'm not sure how that VIN to keys system works, but I
know that at least one locksmith has access to it.