you can get new wires at a pretty reasonable price (they will still be much more than for a domestic car) on ebay, or from **************.com, fastlane, or benzbin.com. I would get Bosch or Beru (both are German OEM to Mercedes) brands. The wires are supposed to be flexible; they have to be so they can be routed correctly. You may want to get new upper and lower wire holders also because if they are old they will tend to break when you take them apart.

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2005 Mercedes C230k sport sedan, 6 speed
1987 Porsche 924S - 968-engined track car