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Refitting front door inside liners

3K views 19 replies 5 participants last post by  Benzyle 
#1 ·
Can't get the buggers back on!

Something is stopping the liners (the leather-y panels on the insides of the doors we humans normally see with the arm-rests and switches and stuff) from pressing fully back.

Maybe I'm just being a ham-fisted oaf as usual, or maybe I'm missing something?

Any sensible tips appreciated.
 
#4 ·
^ I've got all those covered guys. Thanks anyway.

The problem is I can't seem to get the skins to push back properly so that the clips / pegs around the bottom edges will engage AND hold.

I'm going to have to take the thing in to get the hood aligned properly so maybe I will just get the body shop down the street to finish the job for me.

If the rain holds off today the Memsahib has me going to put up the house Chrimbo lights. Then I can resume work on running power and video feeds etc. for the dashcam and future radio unit, new USB socket I'm putting under the trash etc.

I am determined to have this thing roadworthy again by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, having missed my birthday deadline yesterday.

Front Bumper is due back from having the scrapes on the underside filled and a complete respray Wednesday.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Keyhole thanks for the WIS.
Today I used it to replace a broken power seat memory switch. The button had been snapped off by a previous owner.
To do this repair you must remove the door liner and then the three front push on clips on the inside of the liner which secure the wood or silver detail trim that runs along near the top of the door trim.
Also the four screws that hold the switch panel to the housing.
I found the key to getting the liner back on is to position the front section slightly high and give it a good shove towards the door. On the back of the power seat controller plastic housing is an L shaped tab that must go into a hole in the door . Then the liner needs to be pushed down to lock the tab into position.
After that the push tabs should be in the right position to push into the holes in the door. There are seven push tabs ,five along the bottom edge and one higher on each side.
I found a cardboard box the right height was very helpful to support the liner while I attached the bowden cable and the two wiring harnesses. The triangle speaker should be prised out from the bottom edge first .Everything else is quite straightforward.
 

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#10 ·
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To do this repair you must remove the door liner and then the three front push on clips on the inside of the liner which secure the wood or silver detail trim that runs along near the top of the door trim...
Benzyle, how do you remove the "push on clips" that secure the wood door trim? I thought I saw just 2 that would need to come out but do I also need to remove the next one that's beyond the seat switch housing [see photo]?
Also, that housing appears to be glued down in addition to screwed, but maybe it'll come free once I figure out those "push on clips". I was tempted to tap them from the inside, but that didn't seem "Mercedes-precise" enough!



...Also the four screws that hold the switch panel to the housing.
Am I correct in assuming that those screws will become reachable AFTER I get the housing off the door panel?

I had to abandon the repair when I couldn't get the housing off, but I got the door panel back in the correct groove fairly easily. Let's hope that's the case when I actually get the switch replaced!
 

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#9 ·
Iwantedajag,
Ha ,,wish I could.
In my top photo you can see the rectangular hole in the door for the tab just behind the end of the bowden cable,,,,
and in my last photo you can see the tab just to the left of the where the wiring goes into the housing.
Have a good look at the tab and then line it up and give it a good push in and then down, while making sure the top seal is able to go down next to the glass.
 
#11 ·
Hi eddie,
To remove the push clips use a screwdriver to lever the central sections slightly away from the pin that they grab onto. Also, then lever them up from underneath , working from side to side. If you want you can then use a pair of pliars to get them all the way off. Don't damage them too much so that they can be used again.
You are right , you probably only need to remove two , but for some reason I took three off....

The four screws , maybe T25 ?? , are accessible , you can see them in the same photo , two just below the push clips , and two further down and closer to the middle.
There is no glue ,, just a foam dust seal.

You are only removing the switch panel , not the entire housing which incorporates the door handle etc , which stays on the door trim.

Good luck.
 
#12 ·
....
There is no glue, just a foam dust seal.

You are only removing the switch panel , not the entire housing which incorporates the door handle etc , which stays on the door trim.

Good luck.
Thanks for your help here Benzyle! That entire housing looks like it's all one piece; is it not? Look at my orange circles; I've removed both of those Torx bolts; did I not need to? and my orange arrows is where I'm trying to slip my plastic trim remover tool; is that the wrong technique? Oh, and the green circles are what I think is glue oozing out of holes, now hardened.
 

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#14 ·
....that part stays in place.......
Green = push clips , Red = 4 screws to remove,, Yellow = The tab to line up with the hole in the door when putting it back together.
"stays in place"?? So, are you saying that once I get the the 2 door trim push-pins and the 4 torn screws out that the trim piece surrounding the switch (in photo) will "fall in" to the interior side of the door card, allowing access to the switch?

Unfortunately, the best w209 door card removal video seems to feature a rare car without power seats!!
 

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#18 ·
I did, and I meant to take pics but the garage I'm storing my car in is so dark I mostly used my phone as a flashlight (I've got to get one of those headlamps). I will advise anyone trying this repair in the future that the toughest part of the process is getting the tabs on the switch housing back under the the posts on the wood.chrome trim, especially the right one (I can see why you might want to take off a third push clip there). I removed those clips with one of my interior trim removal tools, the one like the claw of a claw hammer. And unlike when I removed the driver side door panel to replace the window switch, I had no trouble at all getting the panel back in place (twice). I advise putting the window all the way down and noting the position of the channel when you first remove the panel. There's really no other "groove" for the "tongue" to go into, but that's a lot more obvious when you're taking it off. And of course, it's always a good idea to have some extra door panel clips. I broke three, and I mean smashed to bits. The new ones, about $3 for 4 at AutoZone, are at least ten times tougher than the OEM.
 
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#20 ·
Just wanted to correct a mistake I made in post 6.
The small triangle speaker trim at the front corner should be prised out from the top corner first ,,not the bottom.
There is one tab at the top ,,so you pull it straight out using a suitable tool , be careful not to pull it out too far before you release the wire to the speaker which is attached to the trim.
Then the bottom edge lifts up and out from behind the trim.
 
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