Thank you for sharing your repair job. You are so right about your concern with regard to cracking the dash upon removal. When my 1988 560SL went in for a cracked heater box warranty repair they cracked the winshield and sent it back to me as if I would not even notice it. Note: They had to replace it at there cost.

This is the second time that I have heard of a self repair job on the center vent actuator where the actuator broke, cracked, or was a real problem. "Strife" spent $30 on a vac pump test kit and $10 for the actuator repair tool and at least $5 for new diaphragms and epoxy putty. A new actuator might cost $65 ??

I am by no means a rich man but sometimes it just pays to have an trained authorized repair shop make the diagnosis/repair.

With my glove box removed. I am so grateful that I paid $80 to my MB repair shop to test the whole system. And $40 to open the center vent. What a savings of time and labor !