Thanks Hirnbeiss,
the cable appears to be seated at the other end. It just seem like the cable needs to be longer than the cable adjustment allows. I think i'll try to move the bracket that holds the cable to create a little more slack. And by the way, I too owned a 99 e430. Bought it for the wife but she wanted a sport utility so we only had it for about 6 months. This was back in '02. I really liked the car but when mama's not happy - nobody's happy! Beside's, I get these old Benz cars as a hobby.

__________________
U. S. Air Force Air Traffic Controller
"U gotta keep 'em separated!!"