My middle daughter, not the meticulous first one, invited a friend to eat some blended ice-cream thing in her '94, which somehow got spilled all over the center console including the window switches.

I'll never figure out why Mercedes-Benz chose to continue putting window switches there, laying flat and all, but they do so many other things that I like.

Anyway, a couple of the switches suffered to the point where they wouldn't return even after cleaning the visible crud out. Tried spraying contact cleaner into the switch, no joy. This proably wasn't the greatest idea anyway as it will likely dissolve and wash away the grease in the switch.

So the next plan, run the switch under warm water, warm enough to dissolve the sugar and crud, not warm enough to melt the grease.

Blew the switch out after to dry it, plugged it in and it worked like new! So I cleaned all of the switches.

That's my story, seems that since there isn't any steel in there, and it's fairly self-draining, that water is better than coffee or soft-serve ice cream.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

i havent seen the switches in that model but on the 123/126 style they are very easy to take apart and clean. i use rubbing alcohol and a pencil eraser on the contacts. you could even chase the water out with alcohol. i never saw any grease in them, so i never put any in. maybe it was long gone by the time i got in there

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

Just on the spring and ball. Same as the 126 ones, and the 201, and the ...

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

That car seems to be taking quite a beating.

My sisters vehicle has hand crank windows, the A/C doesn't work, and the blower (for heat, which still works) only works in position 5/Maximum power. So she can choose hurricane or off in the winter. Nice high quality chrysler stuff.....the climate blower control has been broken like that for about 2 years now....only lasted about 7 years/87k.....total junk. Its like they spend more time designing the product to fail at a certain point than they do for it to work properly.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

WD-40 is an excellent electrical cleaner and conduit

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I had a switch fail where the actual rocker cracked the other day. I found replacements for $6.00 so I just ordered four...

I figure if they last only 1/5 as long as the originals that will be five years so if I have to replace them every five I can do it for 25 years before the cost equals the OEM ones...

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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

The explanation for this is the same explanation for the fact that MB and other German automakers were YEARS behind the industry in putting cupholders in cars.

The reason for both of these is that the vast majority of German drivers would never even DREAM of drinking any beverage in their car, much less eating. In Germany it is ILLEGAL for a child less than 10 years old to even ride in the front seat. It is also TAUGHT to German drivers not to drink or eat in a car. They are taught to FOCUS ON THEIR DRIVING!!!!!!

For a German to obtain a drivers license requires more hours of instruction that it does for an American to get a PILOTS LICENSE!

This meticulous training, and encouragement to FOCUS on driving, is what allows Germany to have no speed limit on much of their Autobahn network while still having the safest highway system per miles driven of any country in the world.

I learned my highway driving in Germany 40 years ago, and these good habits have stuck with me. As a result, my kids were never allowed to so much as drink a soda in our cars. As a side benefit, this made for long distance trips being more efficient. If they don't drink soda, then they don't have to stop to get rid of soda.

In the mid nineties, the Germans FINALLY relented and started installing cupholders. To the Germans, this was the most ridiculous and stupid accessory that could be added to an automobile. In their thinking, what person in their right mind would drink coffee while driving?

One time almost ten years ago, I had just arrived in Europe on business for a few weeks. I picked up a rent car in Eindhoven, Netherlands and just after crossing the border into Germany, due to jet lag, I stopped and got something to drink to wake me up due to my still being jet lagged. I don't think it is illegal to drink or eat while driving there, but it is certainly not acceptable. I had people staring at me as I was carrying my beverage to the car.

It's a much different automotive world in Germany and one that I REALLY enjoy when I'm there, but if you don't realize the seriousness of driving AND know their rules of the road, you should NEVER drive on the German Autobahn.

Very much true and my experience also Larry.

The Chairman of Mercedes-Benz (long ago, can no longer remember his name) once commented on the presence of cupholders on the Honda Gold-Wing motorcycle, ... not impressed. Still, no crime in having a beverage in a car for a long trip, I can't stand a long drive without a water bottle.

I used to like rattling the guys from Mercedes when they would come over here for meetings, about our rediculous highway system and drivers. One comment sticks in my mind when an Engineer I asked about how he liked driving on our 55mph highway system replied: "how do you stay awake?".

Still, I much prefer the design of my Audis where the window switches are more angled at the front of the console where my seat-heater switches are, I'd easily give up the ashtray for window-switches there, ... and why is an ashtray okay if a cupholder isn't?

I once saw a motorcyclist on the freeway lighting a cigarette while riding, using both hands (one for the lighter, one to shield it from the airflow). We're idiot drivers here.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Good point about the ash trays, but have you been to Europe lately? People there smoke like fiends. I'm a non smoker and it's horrible in Europe trying to find a place that doesn't smell like cigarettes, much less trying to find an area without smoke.

As far as driving distractions in the US go, I once was headed to work in the morning and saw a lady driving down the freeway in bumper to bumper traffic while she was putting on her panty hose.

Also, I have spent MUCH of my life on very long road trips and have driven probably hundreds of thousands of miles with a coffee cup in one hand. I wouldn't dream of doing that in the left lane of the autobahn at 110MPH though.

Smokers? Visit Japan, you'd think they invented it. Some of the nastiest smokey brown-ceiling rooms I've been in were meeting rooms at Toyota, Mitsubishi, et al.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff