con't

 

Nice pics. I wondered how the release requiring the special tool according to alldata was actuated. I thought it was more hidden than that. Good to know it's right there in view.

Brett

 

Very good G-AMG!

I have been thru the same exercise (to change the shutter gate for
the shifter), and I seem to recall, that it is not needed to remove
the face from the ashtray, since the whole ashtay assembly is
connected to the rest of the wood.

Good point with the Mercedes hooks. Never thought of that. Here's
what I used;

br,
syljua

 

Very good description indeed... but be aware that this part consists of two in older cars and then the procedure is different.

Best regards
Hubert

 

Thanks for the post - this will definitely come in handy. I've got a depressed window button that is not going to last much longer.

 

Syljua,

Ha Ha! The safety-wire trick was going to be my second choice!! Very cute idea!

Nice looking wood!

 

in mine the bottom part, bellow ashtray is removable as separate piece making replacing a windowswitch about 10 minute job....

 

Hi, I believe I have the same car 1992 500SEL. Review mirror switch broke and I need to take the panel off. Can you give me guide line to how you did this in 10 minutes? Is there another way of taking the panel off on older 92 cars?

TIA

 

Great post! Thank you.

I used these pictures to remove my console to swap the climate control with the head unit. Done in 20mins!

Cheers

Mike

 

Hello G-AMG :
I'm newbie to own '97 w140. I hope you can give me advice to fix my problem :bowdown::
the shift gate was not paralle to the wood trim level and the lower portion of the wood trim didn't fit into the console so it made a gap there.:crybaby2:
Please read the attached pcitures for detail.
Thank you for your attention.
Dave.

 

Hello G-AMG :
I'm newbie to own '97 w140. I hope you can give me advice to fix my problem :bowdown::
the shift gate was not paralle to the wood trim level and the lower portion of the wood trim didn't fit into the console so it made a gap there.:crybaby2:

Funny, I was going to answer the other thread you asked the same question with
a link to this thread... (it is sufficient to ask a question in one thread on the
same board)

Looking at the images, you should see that your wood is not fastened at the back.
Maybe the fastening device is broken, or that you have something beneath that
prevents the wood from being lowered into place.

br,
syljua

 

Very hard to read that red text, but the panel usually do not "pop" up.
Yes, the back en, is there to keep the panel in place. It is released
by using the wire in the gap between the shifter and the wood.
Usually, it is still so tight, that a plastic wedge has to be inserted that the rear
end of the wood, where the locking mech. is, to bend the wood upwards.

The locking mech. is blade spring loaded (you can see the diffrence in the blade
when I pull on the hood.)

br,
syljua

 

Hi Syljua :
My attachment had been downsized the resolution and that's why you found the text were burr !
Anyway, thank you for the instruction. :thumbsup:
Regards / Dave.

 

Brilliant! Cheers G-AMG. I want to retro-fit heated front seats into my S320L and getting that panel off in one piece was my worst fear (other than taking the seats apart of course!)

 

Just a quick note of thanks to the OP using this guide I was able to remove the trim and replace a broken window switch very easily.

Of course once in there I found that the clip which holds the switch in was broken and not the switch itself, a bit of glue has hopefully done the job, will see tomorrow if not will think of a plan B.

I noticed elsewhere on the forum that someone had swapped the radio and climate control, the climate control wires were not long enough to do this on my car, any suggestions ?

I can also confirm that the ashtray fascia does not need to be removed.

Cheers

Ben

 

Based on the pictures in the origninal post, there's a latch at the back of the wood where it meets the console frame.

I'd try this - remove the trim from around the shifter. Use a plastic wedge of some sort (a plastic knife would probably work) - I think it's primarily attached front and rear, and the fit is by friction, so it should come out cleanly.

Then press down on the wood at the back where the gap is and see if it snaps into place.

Unfortunately, what happens a lot is that the latches detach from the wood as the consoles age, and maybe yours has come loose as well.

If the latch doesn't work, you'll need to remove the entire wood structure to find out the problem. Many times, the latches have separated from the wood but can be glued back in place (carefully, as not to foul the latch) with some polyurathane (sp?) glue - like Gorilla Glue.

 

Where is the best place to purchase the interior trim removal tools, and are there certain ones to get?

 

I used a store loyalty car / credit card to remove the trim round the shifter and the rear of the wood trim. Worked for me and was cheap

 

how do you remove the ac controller?

 

how do you remove the ac controller?

 

Same as Radio..

 

I fixed my window switch yesterday without taking the upper part of the panel out, just the horizontal piece. To do it this way you have to remove the ashtray face ( 1 screw backed off a bit) and find the two size 20 torx sholder bolts that hold the two panels together down in the ashtray hole. They are black and hard to see. I used a small vise-grip to hold the bit at a right angle. One came right out, the other started spinning the embedded rivnut. I pryed it out very carefully and found it was siezed to the bolt. Got them apart and glued it back in its hole. The front edge of the panel lifts up and the back tab hooks (if they are there, mine were broken off) slide forward and out. Fix, replace, clean up, and put back together. I put the sholder bolts back in only finger tight for the next episode, which will more than likely come.

 

Quite informative with nice picture illustrations:thumbsup:

 

I found some BIG pictures here... http://www.fgsswitch.com/english/Ex_install/w140.html

 

A couple days ago, in the other family S600, a 1999 model, I touched the exterior mirror control and it fell right through the console. Discovered, as did another poster above, that the plastic clip had been broken at some point, almost certainly by someone in the local independent's shop. Fortunately, the plastic bit was lying in the transmission tunnel, along with the light bulb that should have been plugged in to the ash tray. This part drew sighs, but the job was not without a little cussing, too. Read on.

Following the beautiful illustrations in this thread, taking the console plywood out was straightforward. My experience suggests there are a couple other bits of information that others may find useful. First, those of you with the later one-piece panel should be aware that while it is expensive to replace, it is decently thick plywood -- think of the Herman Miller Eames furnishings -- and not especially fragile. It readily flexes and need not be treated with kid gloves, just reasonable care. Second, neither the ash tray nor the shift knob need be removed. The shift surround does need to be popped up, so it can move out of the way but it can remain slipped back on the shifter. If, as was my case, the console has to be taken out of the car for repair, it's useful to label the window switches, as their connectors are identical; the other electric connectors are unique and easily matched with the correct switch.

The only real problem I had was in reinstalling. As could be expected, there was a mass of disturbed wiring harness to be tucked back in without fouling anything else. This, too, was quite straightforward with one exception, the ash tray connection. The ash tray, of course, flips forward and, obviously, the electrical connection for the lighter and tiny light bulb has to be able to move with it.

At first glimpse, it is not easy to see how to reposition the wiring and connector in a manner that won't foul the ash tray's movement. But on careful examination one sees a plastic tray clipped to support hardware in the transmission tunnel located directly beneath where the ash tray normally is. At the rear of the tray is a molded "cut-out" that matches a similar cut-out in the plastic ash tray assembly attached to the plywood panel. This is where the ash tray connector lies so that it may slide easily when the ash tray is opened and closed.

I hope this helps.

 

This is what I used to remove the center console, dash, floors etc on my first Evap replacement:

Instructions to build new W140 from scratch:

1) Dangle evaporator from string
2) Build car around it

 

How to remove shifter knob?

How to remove the shifter knob? I am replacing my wood trim piece on my 1994 c220 center console?

 

If your rear latch pull becomes broken...

The previous owner of my car had broken the tip of that devilish rear latch that allows you to remove the wood trim on the center council. If this happens to you as well, here is a trick to safely open the latch w/o damage: use a very thin plastic card and insert it gently in the crack between the back trim and wood (See picture below). If you insert it about 1 inch/2 cm or so directly in the center (or use two cards, one on each side right at the latch points) it will press in the latch and release the wood trim! I was relieved to discover this, thanks to all the great pictures everyone else has posted regarding the construction of the latch. :beerchugr: Cheers!

 

The previous owner of my car had broken the tip of that devilish rear latch that allows you to remove the wood trim on the center council. If this happens to you as well, here is a trick to safely open the latch w/o damage: use a very thin plastic card and insert it gently in the crack between the back trim and wood (See picture below). If you insert it about 1 inch/2 cm or so directly in the center (or use two cards, one on each side right at the latch points) it will press in the latch and release the wood trim! I was relieved to discover this, thanks to all the great pictures everyone else has posted regarding the construction of the latch. :beerchugr: Cheers!

Lol, I love this forum. After spending a good hour trying to do this center console removal I found 2 things I could not do... 1. Remove the shift knob, which is later said not needed to be removed :thumbsup: and 2. If the little release mechanism is broken, use a small plastic card to release the latch :thumbsup: I haven't tried using the card yet, just got tired and annoyed after working many hours on the car before, playing/fixing but still.. Will see how it goes tomorrow.

Question: If the mechanism is broken (Mine has the pulley, but it seems to do nothing when I pull on it, and when I pull it, there's no spring action that pulls it back) but it holds the wood.. and I use the plastic to release it, when I put it back.. will it hold? Will I have to insert the wood back with the plastic card and then remove the card? And will there be a pop when I use the card or will I have to present a decent amount of pressure in upward motion? Besides the latch mechanism, am I correct to understand that there are 2 more latches at the bottom at the very end?

 

That's a very useful info!
This trick will save lots of money to many members.
Thanks :bowdown:

 

I will do a write up on the two piece center console removal.. (I see this one covers mainly the single piece wood panel.)

In the same topic i discovered where the light bulb for the shifter is located Also some DIY repair for "sunken" window switches and the best part of all is that it can be done with the most basic tools!

Coming in a few min!!!!