Turns out that it doesn't matter which way the sensor is mated to the plug. There are two thermistors in the sensor with diagonally opposed poles. Test the resistance across two poles diagonally from each other and compare the values with the other pair. If the values are different, the sensor is defective. Also make sure to look inside the plug to see if there are four contact sleeves to confirm that orientation doesn't matter. I'll let you know what I found out with mine, shortly.

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03 CLK430 Cabrio 211K Pweter Silver/ Oyster Leather
90 300SEL 214k Pearl Black/ Alto Grey/Black Leather

Prior: 85 190E, 88 300TE, 89 300TE, 90 300E 2.6, 90 300TE, 92 300E 2.6, 91 and 93 300SL, 87 Ferrari Mondial Cabrio