Just thought I would let you guys know I wrote an article on removing the door panels of my W115. Tell me what you think, as I plan on writing many more.

See it here in the diesel section:

Tech Article -- Removing Door Panel on W115

A couple of suggestions -

One more 's' in 'accessories'.

A 1-2" plastic wedge is a better tool for prying the panel off - the screwdriver can place too much pressure on the cardboard and break it.

The map pocket on your car has been modified, probably because someone broke it trying to get it off. The originals have three clips that slide into the metal of the door. You push in slightly and lift to remove them. Probably the trickiest part of the job.

__________________
Chuck Taylor
Falls Church VA
'66 200, '66 230SL, '96 SL500. Sold: '81 380SL, '86 300E, '72 250C, '95 C220, 3 '84 280SL's '90 420SEL, '72 280SE, '73 280C, '78 280SE, '70 280SL, '77 450SL, '85 380SL, '87 560SL, '85 380SL, '72 350SL, '96 S500 Coupe

Please make one correction -- you should NEVER, EVER pry the wing window crank cover off with an Xacto knife or anything else because you can easily damage the thin plastic cover. Here is the "right" way to do it:

1. Make a "U" shaped tool from the end of a wire coat hanger (or other stiff metal)
2. There is a hole in the BACK of the crank knob (the side facing the door). You need to use an inspection mirror to find the hole (hold the mirror while turning the knob).
3. Once you find the hole, your "U" shaped tool goes into it. Pull towards you and the cover will just pop right out.

By the way, there is a fellow up in Bellingham, WA named Kent Bergsma. He has written about 20 little booklets for common repair instructions (114/115 doors being one of them) that he sells on his web site
www.**************.com
and then click on "Repair Manuals"

They're prett good little books, but not complete (for example, I bought the 114/115 door repair manual and it didn't have the above wing crank trick, which I learned by calling an MB recycler here in Portland).

One of the things I appreciate about Kent is that he started as a MB hobbiest almost by accident and now has a business dedicated to repairing vintage MBs. He sells parts, too, but his prices are not very competitive. My point is, though, that he has the "zeal" that many of us share.

Catrinus
73 280C

Thanks for reading ... and thanks for the suggestions.

I will update my article with your good insight (with a credit, of course), and tack it on cassidysgarage.com

Awesome!