...if there is suppose to be some kind of lighted 'dot' next to the gear selection within the console 'window' that shows what gear one is engaged in?

At night, with lights on, I can not be sure what gear I'm in unless I shine a light on the console gear selector window! I can not imagine Mercedes engineers missing that one!

Now, assuming there is suppose to be one and mine happens to be non-functioning, how difficult is it to fix?

Thanks guys, you're still the best!

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Dale

The indicator panel is illuminated; you have a burned-out bulb. You have to remove the wooden console top to get at it.

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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

Now hold on...!

There IS a light in the 'window' that shows the "P, R, D, 3, 2" - I can see those letters/numbers just fine. The problem is that unless you can see where the shifter lever itself is positioned in relation to those letters, which IS the case when it is dark inside the car, then I can't be sure which gear I'm in!

Seems there should be a ''dot' or 'arrow' or other indicator pointing to the gear position the lever is actually in...!

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Dale

None of my Benzes have anything other than an illuminated "PRND3L" window; you put the lever next to the appropriate letter and drive.

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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

...then maybe that's how it's s'posed to be - just seems (to me) an oversight on the 'convenience' items for such a nice vehicle!

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Dale

For instance, this has happened to me:

I get in the car, it's dark, I start it up , pull lever back to (what I thought was) "D" and take off driving. Good so far! Then in a few seconds, I notice the car is not shifting into final drive ratio. DOH!!! I hadn't noticed that I actually had the car in "S" NOT "D"!

This terrible inconvenience could all but be eliminated if only an engineer that WASN'T asleep at the switch would have said "...Oh wait! We need to place a nice little lighted "dot", maybe RED, next to the shifter position just inside the little gear selection viewer window on the console. That was some nimrod like, oh let's see, oh yeah, 85 DSEL won't ever mistakenly put his car into "S" thinking he is in "D"!".

Yeah, that's what I'm thinkin'!!

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Dale

Look at the reflection on the gear selector metal shaft, that's what I do if I am not sure, then see which letter it points to.

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

It's gated unlike American stuff.. why do you need it?

All the way up in drive gate- is the highest gear.. you have to joggle it for reverse or to drop it into first.

M

I know. I know!

(It's snowin' outside and I'm not goin back to work until day-after-SuperBowl! Just needin' something to WHINE about!)

'Cept I really do like the idea of a red DOT!

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Dale

I'll make a note of that! Seriously though, I know I know!

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Dale

Rig one up. The '90-up consoles don't come apart as easliy as the early ones, but still not too bad, and LEDs are cheap.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

It's got the gates there. Just go by feel. I habitually pull down to 3 from P (because there's a natural stopping point there; you have to deliberately push right to go over into the low gate) and then shove upwards against the left-side wall to go back up to D. It's unconscious now. I drive with one hand on the shifter most of the time anyway so I'm always fiddling with it.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

never been a problem for me, as the others say just go by feel... I don't ever look to see if it's in 'D' as I know by feel... it's gated so difficult to drop into 'N' accidently while driving, but easy to manually change down to '3', for overtaking/steep hills etc...

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1993 320TE M104
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past:

1983 230E W123 M102
1994 E300D S124 OM606 (x2)
1967 250SE W108 M129
1972 280se 3.5 W108 M116
1980 280SE W116 M110
1980 350SE W116 M116
1992 300E W124 M103
1994 E280 W124 M104
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"music and women I cannot but give way to, whatever my business" -Pepys

I am still getting used to this car as I bought it in August or Sept for my wife to drive so needless to say I only drive it occasionally! Guess I'm going to have to teach myself the 'feel' method of selecting gears in the dark!

BTW - your signature pic looks exactly like mine! Is that paint code 249 Malachite?

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Dale

It's 'Tourmaline Green', metallic, it's a blue/green (depending on the light)... not sure if that colour was available in the US with the 124.

A friend of mine has a w123 230ce in the same colour as yours, looks great on that chassis with the chrome

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1993 320TE M104
---------------------------------------------------
past:

1983 230E W123 M102
1994 E300D S124 OM606 (x2)
1967 250SE W108 M129
1972 280se 3.5 W108 M116
1980 280SE W116 M110
1980 350SE W116 M116
1992 300E W124 M103
1994 E280 W124 M104
----------------------------------------------
"music and women I cannot but give way to, whatever my business" -Pepys