W124 inside door handle falling off
 

If this is not the spot to post this, then I'm sorry :(. My 1987 300d is in immaculate condition, and I pay the price to keep it that way! As of the late, the door handle is coming off the door panel due to broken tabs. Right now it's being held on with duct tape but...duct tape on my merco???? Really doesn't feel right, considering the condition it is in.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to remedy the problem? I did find a replacement door panel, but it's $600...Not going to spend that much on this problem!

Junk yard or EBay...or try your local LKQ

I'm pretty sure once you remove the door card you can see how to repair this. An hour and a half should do it.

Dieselbenz is correct. . . with the liner off of the door, you can use screws from the inside and/or glue to hold the handle on the liner. I don't remember whether anyone has posted the steps you must follow to safely R&R the liner.

Jeremy

One of mine is starting to do the same thing...I'm going to start making the clips to fix this the way it was originally designed. I'll keep you guys posted when that happens!

I to would go thumbs up to that . Just the mater of tial and error, to fix it back in place.You will find it harder to remove the door card ,and replace it.

If the armrest is too hard to fix, a new one is probably still available for 1/10th the price that you were quoted for the entire door panel.
The part number for gray is 124-970-01-01-7095

Are the plastic pieces that hook into the door still OK or are they broken as well? If broken it is probably worth while getting a new one. A quick search shows new ones for $58.

The problem with attaching the armrest to the door panel is that the armrest attaches the door panel to the door steel, and is how it supports your weight and how you pull the door closed with it. There are two large plastic hooks that slide down into the door when you install the panel, and they are molded into the armrest. The armrest is heat-staked into the door panel, which can be duplicated if you find a good used armrest with good clips, you can likely use the existing heat-stake bosses and drill them so that you can install the armrest from the back of the panel with pan-head screws.

Unless someone fabricates replacement clips (3-D printer?) to be bonded into the armrest like the originals, your best option IMO is to look for new or used, gray MB-Tex door panels are not too hard to find especially considering the sedan and wagon share the front door parts.

Try placing a WTB ad on this site's for sale forum. It will help to post your location or how far you will travel as shipping will add a fair amount to the price of an entire door panel.

Is there a how-to on removing the panel, or is it pretty straightforward? I'm always nervous about breaking stuff when I take interior bits apart like this...

I'll pull mine off and start on fabricating the clips this week or next weekend if I can find the time.

There probably is, but I'll give it a shot from memory.

Remove the puddle lamp at the bottom of the door, unplug and set aside.

Remove lock-button (unscrew).

I believe you need to remove the driver's mirror control, on the '87 the black molded lever has a slide-in retainer on the forward side, slide it out (toward the door) and the plastic lever will slide rearward and off.

Remove the trim around the mirror control, this is tricky as the plastic clips always seem to break.

Remove the trim around the door latch in the jamb (one phillips screw).

Remove the seat-control switch buttons, pull directly out/off

The large center seat-control post has a plastic C-clip around it, remove this clip (might already be missing)

Pry/pull the trim piece over the switch away from the door and off, IIRC the rear first (rear of car)

Remove the trim piece over the top of the pull handle

Remove (2) phillips screws retaining seat switch, unplug and remove switch

Remove 10mm bolt at the top of the pull handle.

Slide door latch-release forward to release from door steel, pull outward to access latch-rod, pull latch rod up and out of the clip in the latch-release assembly.

The door panel is (if I didn't miss something) now ready for removal. It will slide up to release the clips, but the window wipe/seal at the top is clipped to the top edge of the door steel, so it will give you a fight. I like to pull the door panel up with one hand, work the top edge up and out with the other hand. I've found that if you don't, the entire door panel will suddenly spring upward when this top trim comes loose, with enough force to shear any good clips on the inside of it.
Once the door panel slides up about 1", the clips will be free of the slots in the door. There are no "christmas-tree" type clips on this door panel, you never pull the panel away from the door, just hooks that are free once the panel is raised in the slots.

Hopefully someone who has done this more recently will chime in and correct any errors. Best of luck, and if you have the chance, go to a u-pull junkyard and pull a damaged panel from a door there first (for practice)!

<edit> Looking at your photo, that armrest is in tough shape. With all of the retainers pulled out, I would look for a good used armrest (or new), any gray interior 124 will work, leather or tex, '86-'95, I'm not completely sure about the coupe & cabriolet but am about sedan and wagon. If the two large hooks are solid and at least a couple of the stake-bosses, you'll be farther ahead to cut the donor door panel away and graft the "new" armrest into your panel.