99 E300 console removal
 

How do you take out the console at the gear shift with the light switches in it?

Not sure, but....
 

Not sure about the '99, but you can maybe find a YouTube video on it.

With my '91, there are 2 screws in at the inside front of the arm rest/storage compartment, at an angle, and they're recessed so they're very hard to see.

Once you take those out, you can remove the arm rest, allowing you to see screws holding the shifter console in. Then there's the shifter plastic cover. On mine, you start at one end with something flat that won't scratch things like maybe a small piece of a milk container or something, and simply pry upwards.