I know on all modern cars the brake must be depressed to move the shifter. I noticed that my 87 300TD does not. You can just bump into the shifter and it will leave park. My 3 yrs old was climbing over the seat in the driveway while I was wroking on it and his foot popped it out of gear. Thankfully it was flat and the car was off, but it could have been bad! Really bad if the car was running!! Is this just my car or are they all like this? If not, Is there a way to add something? I could not find this in the search results.

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1987 300TD 147,000 miles- Palomino leather interior, 1995 facelift and body cladding, E350 wheels, Rebuilt suspension and sport springs, rebuilt turbo, New Monarch injection pump and injectors....and the list goes on and on...

Shift interlocks weren't standard equipment until sometime in the 90s after the Audi incident. I don't know if any 124 was fitted with a shift interlock. If so, that's the easy path to a retrofit. The easier thing to do is engage the park brake whenever you're not driving.

Sixto
87 300D

My 1990 (July build) w124 300d has the interlock but the other half's 1989 model does not.

Both these cars are in the Uk, so maybe a different time scale to the USA getting interlocks fitted on cars.

124.128 (300D 2.5L)
Build Date: March 1990
Has the Brake/Shift Interlock Cable Device.

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

My 91 SDL has this too.

-J

That's why I don't let little kids in or around the car while I'm working on it. It's also why I always use the parking brake and/or chocks when needed.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

I just HATE having to press the brake to unlock the shifter on modern vehicles.
Shifter area safety is right up there with gun safety in my house. "your feet do not belong on the center console, or on the arm rest!!!!!! use the back door if you wanna get in the back! Climbing on things is for the playground! these cars are classics, and quite expensive to replace parts like wood and shifters!"

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

X2 with benzoboy!!!
Car repair & child minding can not be done at the same time. You dont put a child in a car & leave it there without you in the car too !!!

We all know how great it is to introduce children to how a car works. That said it needs to be done in a very controlled manner, not just let them be there when you are working on it.

Non of us want to read a thread in the OD forum about a child being injured while their dad was working on the car. They are too precious !!!

Sorry to rant & rave about it, it just gets a little under my skin when some one wants some safety device on a car to protect them when they do something that is wrong.
Our cars may be often fool proof, idiot proofing normally requires a straight jacket !!!!!!

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

My 87td does not have the interlock,the 91 2.5 does. Don

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Red Green "This is only temporary,Unless it works!"

97 E300D 157000 miles
87 300TD ?141k? miles

At least the old all-mechanical system in the mercedes doesn't lock the shifter in N too! And because its all mechanical it works with the battery out.

Picture this: 1990+ VWs lock the shifter in P or N. It uses the brake light switch to know when you have the pedal depressed. Guess what part delphi made for VW, which fails all the time? And then VW dealers were so incompetent they couldn't install it correctly, resulting in 3 subsequent recalls? Yup, the brake light switch.

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

My 1990 300E (build date November 89) and my sister's '93 190E both have it, none of the others do. Personally I think it is very annoying, especially when working on the car when it is off, because you have to have the key inserted to "run" to be able to do the rest. Then you have to listen to the buzzer the whole time.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Our 87 300TD did not, the 90 560SEL does, the 95 E320 wagon also had it, until I disabled it when I replaced the evaporator.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

Whoa really?

I've been pressing the brake down out of habit since every other car I drive requires this.

I figure it's a good safety habit to be in for whatever reason. Maybe I don't want to roll down a hill immediately after I put the car in gear?

That and I put the parking brake on every time I stop driving.

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

My wife had to take an ambulance ride and get stitches in her head when one of my kids knocked the shifter out of park on a hill in our 84 TD. She now puts the parking brake on at every stop.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/23734956/detail.html

Not to chastise the OP, but this is why children are not allowed around vehicles that are currently being worked on in my presence. Unless under direct supervision by someone NOT involved in the grease-monkeying.

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'85 300TD "Puff The Magic Wagon" - Rolling Resto
'19 Mazda CX-9 Signature - Wife's sled
'21 Morgan 3-Wheeler P101 Edition
'95 E300d - SOLD
'84 300TD "Brown Betty" - Miss this one
'81 240D "China Baby" - Farm grocery getter