Hi, I recently purchased white faced gauges for my 87 300e. I had trouble removing the whole unit. It seems like it is pretty secure in there and feels like it doesn't want to come out. I hope that I don't have to remove the whole dash.

Putting those faces on is probably not a DIY job. Many have gotten the instrument cluster out and removed the speedo itself without too much trouble. The cluster basically just pops put. Only thing is they stick after having been in one place for a while. There are special hooks for removal but usually aren't necessary.

The real problem for your purposes is that the speedo needle must be removed in order to replace the face. Properly done this requires recalibrating. Improperly done you will have a broken needle or speed cup (actually braking the needle is a common occurance so a spare is handy).

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Steve Brotherton
Owner 24 bay BSC
Bosch Master, ASE master L1
26 years MB technician

I watched my mechanic remove my intrument cluster this afternoon (my dash lights were not working) he used 2 hooks to pull it out. The hooks were nothing more than 1/16" rod bent 90 degrees 1/4" from the end. He inserted both hooks into the seam between the cluster and the air vents on either side of the gauges, twisted the rods to engage the bent end behind the lip of the housing and pulled. With a little coaxing the unit slid out. If you have telescoping sterring wheel I would suggest extending it to maximun (away from the gauges) as the gauge houseing is rather deep (4-5"). Oh, one more thing, be mindfull of the 4 little rectangular rubber peices on the top and bottom of the housing, we had a hell of a time trying to figure out where they went after we found 'em on the drivers seat and floor.
Good luck with your project.

Cheers for now.
EADG
91 300E

Another tip is to unclip the speedo cable that is right behind the brake pedal on the left side of the steering housing that goes through your firewall. Just pull back the carpeting. This gives you just a little more slack to pull the cluster out without possibly stretching your speedo cable. If not, your needle movement might start to flutter and not climb smoothly while picking up speed. Are the gauge faces from NR Auto? Could you please describe what they are like? Quality look,number colors, etc. I'm assuming that they are overlays, but are they slotted to fit over the needle or do the needles have to be removed? Good Luck.

Bill

Thanks for your advice everyone. I just got finish puting them on and they look awesome. The problem is that it took me awhile to do. the gauges are from NR automotive. They caost around 140 dollars not including tax. The quality of them is not really perfect compared to the original. They are overlays. It took me awhile to recalibrate all the position of the needle which was very complicated. Every needle has to be put back the same way. The gauges when bought from NR comes with a needle removle which helps alot. If done correctly the outcome is pleasing. looks nicer than the stock gauges.

I am interested in doing this project and was wondering how you managed to recalibrate the needles?

Hasn't anyone else done this project?

Why bother. For less that $140, you can not only get the guages, but also have someone do it for you. I plan to send mine in during the July 4th holiday holiday (won't be driving my car much).

2 members on this forum do this. The first is "CRHENKEL". His email address is CRHenkel@aol.com. His website is:

http://hometown.aol.com/crhenkel/myhomepagebusiness.html

Another member who does these and sells them on ebay is "ronald_m". He sells his on ebay under the name "mbfanatic01". His email addr is mbfanatic01@aol.com

__________________
Willy

'94 E420 White

Mods
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Berg Werks Keyless Entry
Buzzer replaced with Chime
Dash Light Upgrade
Burlwood/Leather shift knob
Alpine CDA-9815 Head Unit
2002/2003 16" C Class 7-Spoke Wheels
Updated "Chip" to fix Code 19 problem