Occasionally a 123/124 cluster will be stuck really good, usually because it hasn't been removed in many years. The 123 has an advantage in that you can remove the panel below the dash, driver's side, and reach up to push the cluster out from behind. There are also tools (hooks) available to pull the cluster from in front. Sometimes both techniques are required.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970