PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

Squiggle Dog · #87 06-21-2018, 06:10 AM

I found that I had used too much sealing compound and the lower flap housing wouldn't fit correctly, so I removed it all and installed it differently, and much thinner this time. Fortunately, it's a very forgiving substance which can be reused.

There is a little gap on the sides when the lower flap housing is installed, so I used extra putty in this area to compensate. I also used a heat gun and straightened out the warped front cover so it would fit better against the lower flap housing.

A much better fit now. Before, the clamps wouldn't slide on very far. Use barely enough compound to seal, and hopefully the excess gets pushed into the grooves.

I soaked the slider controls in Evapo-Rust, but it removed the paint, which is unusual. So, I stripped off the rest of the paint, cleaned up the metal with fine steel wool, and then masked and painted the controls in semi flat black paint, trying to mimic the partially paint-dipped look.

Fitting the slider controls was tedious and I had a problem where the defroster flap cable kept popping off of the slider. In an effort to correct this, I tried bending the tab on the slider and it broke. So, I removed a slider from another unit and painted it. The metal clip that holds the plastic push-in lever in place was loose, so I flattened down the "rivet" against it a bit tighter. I'm really hoping I don't have the same issue with the cable popping off.