You have to report on his reaction! Yes, the W210 center (lower) console switches are part of an “assembly” that you’ve found everything mounted to. A really lousy design.
As is the trunk release button, which should really be renamed as a “pull”. The unusual mechanics required to operate this, along with the two-Mississippi delay before it releases, causes the uninformed operator to lift more/harder, which ultimately breaks the switch, typically the little pivots the button pins rotate on. -D > On Aug 25, 2023, at 4:58 PM, Jim Cathey via Mercedes <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > wrote: > > My son's away visiting his girlfriend across the country, leaving his car > here. > While it's not in service I decided to try a few things: > > Wednesday, August 23, 2023 <>I removed and took apart the trunk lock. It was > very corroded and sludgy inside, it looked like there was vaseline packed in > there. It was the corrosion preventing the key from inserting, some of the > wafers simply wouldn't slide. The secret to disassembly is the internal > snap-ring at the back of the lock cylinder, which holds it all together. > After that it was careful wafer freeing and a minor filing to get the > corrosion off of the wafers. I used a lot of brake cleaner to sluice out all > the dirt, grease, and etc. > Then correct (graphite) lubrication, and reassembly. This all took a lot more > time than it should have, mostly because of unfamiliarity. The trunk lock > works much as in older cars, except there is not a mechanical 2-state tab > that lets the trunk be opened manually when the car is unlocked. On this car > that is done electro-pneumatically, via the locking system computer. Summary: > > The trunk can be locked, mechanically, so that it can only be opened with the > key, by turning it hard to the right and removing it. (Valet function, you > remove the mechanical key from the fob and keep it, and give the valet the > fob. They can't get into either the trunk or the glovebox if those have been > locked with the key. Also useful if you want to secure the trunk contents > against a potential thief bashing in a window and using the interior trunk > release.) > > The trunk can be unlocked, mechanically, by turning the key hard to the left, > reversing the above condition. (The key is spring-loaded and cannot be left > in that position, it'll move back to the center position afterwards.) The key > can be removed in the center position, which is 'normal', or the right > position, which is locked. > > The trunk can be opened, mechanically, by turning the key hard to the left > and then pushing in. This will work even if the car is completely dead. > > With the lock in the center position, 'normal', the trunk can be opened > electro-pneumatically, with one of: > > Interior switch; > > Key fob; > > Pushing in the trunk lock, if the car is unlocked. > > All of these (4.X) require the car to be 'alive', with no electrical or > pneumatic faults in the locking system. > This car, at acquisition, could only do the very last two of these. At the > moment it's only 4.1 that it can't do. > I then removed the interior trunk release switch, by pulling up on the panel. > Now the reason for the extreme expense of this (also apparently NLA) switch > became apparent: it is all the switches! Windows, mirror, trunk release, > child switch, airbag indicator, all in one large assembly. P/N 210 821 39 51. > Good news, and bad news. Good news: yes, the C330 trunk switch mechanicals I > scored at the junkyard are the same, right down to the numbers molded into > them. Bad news: it's the housing, containing the hinge pins, that is broken, > not the moving parts. The housing is very large and specific to this > particular switch assembly. > > So I got out the Shoe Goo, and started trying to fix the breaks. I'm trying > to splint the breaks using sheet metal. If there's room for the necessary > splints. Being a hinge it's a high-stress point, simple glue will not be > sufficient. > > Thursday, August 24, 2023 <>After some filing the splint works, and the > pivoting piece can still move. Now for the other side, which is entirely > missing the plastic double-ended hinge pin. (Broken out of the housing, and > missing.) > After some thought I got a piece of 12ga copper wire and started hammering it > down in diameter on one end until it fit into the holes in the pivoting > pieces. I then cut off a bit of about the right length, and Shoe-Gooed it > into place centered in the housing. One plastic piece will pivot on the > inside nub, and one on the outside nub. > > Friday, August 25, 2023 <>After some careful filing to make the new copper > hinge nubs the right length I snapped the two moving plastic pieces of the > switch into place. Mechanically it seems OK again, though I shall have to > caution Daniel to be very careful with it, as I'm sure it's not very strong. > I installed it in the car, and it works perfectly. Now all the trunk > functions are correct. > > The S.O.S. switch was broken, and falling down out of the headliner. I cut up > a large paperclip and used its pieces to secure the flip-down red cover, and > to secure the switch body into the headliner. Very ghetto, but definitely > better than before. > > I used Goo Gone to clean off the door handles and such that were grimy. A > little better looking inside. > > Three of the jack point covers were in the ashtray, and looking at them I see > why. The plastic protrusions that hold them in place are broken off. Looking > at the fourth I can see that it's probably the same, as clear tape is being > used to hold it in place on the car. I got out the clear packing tape and did > the same to the others. It looks better with the holes plugged, at least. > > > My intent is to pick him up at the airport using his car, and to pop the > trunk from the inside when he walks up. > Surprise! > > -- Jim > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
