The Strangest thing happened. I took apart the 2 toggle switches. One was fine,
The other, hard to explain, there were pieces of plastic at the end of the two springs,
like hard white cylinders, and the two ball bearings were gone. Maybe the ball bearings
could have fallen through the hole I see at the bottom of the switch?, it's very strange.
How did the plastic get in there. Do I need to get little ball bearings that are the same
size?, would anything else work?, I don't understand this at all.

Try steel wool on the pins. Maybe they are just not making good contact.

That switch is junk. Stop wasting time on it and buy a new one. When the plastic falls apart, the switch is toast.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 157K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 125K (SLoL)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Gone and wanting to forget:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™) [Definitely NOT a Benz]

Yes, I will look into just buying a new switch, The bearings were gone in the one...
and I improvised, took a hard kernel of popcorn on both sides It worked....
although I have to plug this in..

Called field expedient. Good luck.

The toggle switches on the passenger side do not work.
And they don't work if I put them on the left side as well.
So my question is...Do I get just the new toggle switches,
Or the base the are inserted into as well?...ie. The long piece
underneath, And the two toggle switches for front and back?

You only need two window switches for the shifter knob area. They wear out because you use them everyday.

DO NOT buy switches for the rear door panel. They are hardly, if ever used by an actual person, because oddly enough for our cars having a passenger in the back seat is a very rare event, so they last nearly forever. Me personally, I have gone through both rear window switches and I never had to replace the ones on the actual door.

Your last question about the "base" of the switch... well that's just the window switch connector, it usually never goes bad. It's really just wires with female pins on ends, you also can't buy that particular part either, it's not a wear item, it's just wiring.

__________________
1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

Hi,
Maybe it's confusing....I'm not talking about the switches in the back seat.
I'm talking about the switches on the console. The right side (2 switches),
neither work. I'm attached pic. So would I need to just buy the toggle switches,
Or the switches and the part they go into with the pins...pictured...thanks
Shoot I can't add a picture. So would I purchase 2 pieces, or 3..

The switch that you need for the right side of the console is a single switch that combines a switch for the front right window and a switch for the right rear window. This switch does not have a push button for locking out the function of the rear windows. Your wiring harness should be present within the console that will plug directly into your new switch. As mentioned before, most after market switches do not have an internal light. If the lighted switch is important to you it is best to purchase a genuine Mercedes switch.

Pelican has the switch for about $25. Just make sure you get the right side which does not have the extra two pins.

Thanks,
I hope a new switch mechanism fixes the problem. Do you think I should Take out the
actual switches that work on the left, and put in the right bank?..to see if they work,
The switches themselves are all identical.
But If the switches that work ok on the left, still do not work on the right...
That would mean that the switches are ok, but the part they go into with the pins
may be faulty? or another problem that would affect only the one side.
The fuses seem fine.

Why go to the trouble. You already know the switch is junk. If a $25 switch is breaking the bank, you have bigger issues at hand.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 157K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 125K (SLoL)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Gone and wanting to forget:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™) [Definitely NOT a Benz]

Just trying to narrow down the problem. If the switches that work on the left,
work on the right,then I can just purchase the actual switches. If nothing
works, then I purchase the switches and the base they fit inside of..

Nearly everyone in this thread has said this already, but the wiring that plugs into the switches does not normally go bad unless someone messed with it. The switches do go bad because they get regular use and drinks get spilled on them often.

Don't know why this is getting dragged out so long.

__________________
Milan Brown 1979 240D, rebuilt OM617.952 turbo diesel, rebuilt 722.315 transmission - engine spun a rod bearing

1979 300SD, ~90k original miles, all stock

I did not know that, it wasn't mentioned to me, Tyl and I started messaging, like a conversation. I believe it's over, but just don't check the thread if you don't want to
or it seems petty. I'm new to repairing Mercedes, and don't know a whole lot, so
questions are there...