Got the new window sliding jaw. The $7 plastic piece that glide the window up and down. 50% of people say to drill through the new jaw AND the old rivet and the other 50 % say to take the regulator out and PEEN the new rivet on. Which one is better. Both sound difficult.

Also what about putting in a bolt in if you drill. Is it tough to keep the nuts tight so it does not come loose.

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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'84 300 SD (sold it)

Grind the head off the old rivet. POP rivet with a backing washer works well for this application. Make sure you get one with enough beef and is a relative tight fit in the rivet hole.

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Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

Good point about a tight fit. I am gonna try to out a bolt in there and the use 2 nuts. Question though is that won't the threads of the bolts dig into the lever arm as the window goes up and down and won't the window then not move up and down properly.

I bought a 5/16" bolt and washers. What do you think?

Well Matt, if MBZ thought that a bolt and nuts would do the trick and not loosen up with use, they probably would have used one. I have had really good luck with the larger size POP rivets. They are really strong if put in properly and will not protrude excessively or chew up the plastic. Just my .02 cents worth...

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Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

Good point, just asking. Where did you get the pop rivet and how did you mushroom both sides. Did you take the regulator out of the car door or did you do this while it was in the door.

Is there a little play room in there if I do use a bolt or does it have to be really really snug?

Thanks a bunch!

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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'68 Olds 88 Convertible
'84 300 SD (sold it)

Your local hardware store is a good source for pop rivet stuff.

Good luck,

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Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 523K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Should be a fairly tight fit. POP rivet self expands the backside. Put on a washer on both front and rear. Pull the rivet down and you're all set. Should be able to do it in the door. There are many sizes and lengths available. You will need to buy the tool as well. But, once you do, you will find a million uses for it..

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Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

I did this job once. Peening was not hard at all. Just use a solid metal surface against the back of your work to make it effective. Doing against the concrete garage floor just won't do it.

Thanks Q, but first does everyone from TX have a benz?

Anyway , I fixed this, with the help of about 5 posters last Sat.


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'89 420 SEL
'90 300 SEL
'68 Olds 88 Convertible
'84 300 SD (sold it)

Ok..now I am really confused. I need to replace the slider (the white palstic piece) that goes in te slider, and that the regulator arm contects too. The first one I got..I destroyed. I could not figure out how to get it in the slider once I connected it to the end of the regulator arm. Help...any ideas...better ways?

Phil
1991 350SD

I have made this repair several times over the years on my 81 300SD. I always drilled out the old rivet, used a nut-socket-ball peen hammer-cold chisel, and flattened out the head of the new rivet. Then I took the arm to the door and slid the plastic slider in the metal guide. Worked fine.

I also had a 75 (I think) 450SEL and MB actually made the plastic slider so that it could be easily replaced. Not sure why they changed it later.

Did you try to force it into the track from the front, or did you try to slide it into the track from the side?

__________________
It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

The slider easily goes in from the end.

I posted a how-to on this a while back. Might wanna search for it. I go through all the steps involved.

Peening is the way to go. The trick to it is to put a small socket behind the jaw to take the force of the blows. Don't let the plastic absorb any energy.

I don't see any advantage to using a pop-rivet. For one, you create a few extra steps, you get a joint that isn't as strong, and you still have to drill it out when you replace it anyhow.

The important thing to remember when doing this job is to not widen out the hole in the regulator arm when you drill out the old jaw. If you make that hole too large, the new jaw will be loose.

-tp