Hey, all,

I tried changing the cabin filter on my '97 C230. No problem until I got to the white clips that hold the panel below the filter. Thanks to the tight quarters and funny angle, I slid the rear one too far and it fell off -- it's gone behind the footwell panel. I wiped sweat off my face, said "hell wit' it", and closed everything back up, and the panel seemed tight.

However, recently I've been hearing a peculiar vibration when driving over rough (not bumpy, but rough-textured) roads. It comes and goes whether the A/C is on or not, and *seems* to be coming from the area inside the dash -- around the cabin filter or the air bag . Glove box and dash are tight.

1) Could this be due to the lack of the rear clip?
2) Is the dealer the only source for these clips?
3) I'm determined not to let a simple filter beat me. Is there some way to be sure the clip doesn't fall down behind the footwell panel again? Do I have to remove both clips to remove the panel, or should I just slide the rear one back a little ways, remove the front one completely, and slide the panel forwards to release it?
4) When I pull down the old filter, does the foam backing come with it? If so, do I have to push it back up into the recess together with the new filter, or is it attached to a panel of its own that will slide back up?

Thanks,

__________________
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-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino