My '93 190E has got through about 451,478 of these in the 4 years I have had the car. They are made of really crummy, thin plastic throughout and genrally get wiped out when I take it to the car wash and the guys inside swipe them with the leathers. They do indeed just pull out with a pair of pliers and the up and down motion is restricted by a small spring wire held in place with a plastic, heat impacted joint, all very naff and very fragile. Repairing them seem very difficult and I have just resigned myself to buying new ones ever so often, these bits really ought to be remade as a modification, the ones in my 500SEL are much, much better and will likely last forever.

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