CAR COMPARISONS: Project Cars: 1990 Mercedes-Benz W201 190E 2.0 Sportline

The Drive team reveal what is hidden away in their sheds and backyards awaiting some TLC…

Update 9: Switches need stitches!

While we’d all like to think that modern-classic ownership is an endless series of joyous car meets, country drives and Instagram shoots, the reality is they spend most of their time with at least one thing broken.

It doesn’t need to be something major like a driveline or engine issue either, sometimes even a small component can scupper your plans.

Case in point, after driving my 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E around one warm summer’s day over Christmas break, I noted the passenger window switch wasn’t clicking down to make the window go up. Typically, I tried a few times by pressing down and then up, each time the window getting lower and lower with no sign of raising.

With the window all the way down I pushed, a little too firmly, and ‘crack’, the 30-year old switch snapped into multiple parts.

And no, swearing loudly doesn’t help get the window up.

Having a window stuck down is really inconvenient. You can’t leave the car outside as it might rain, nor can you leave it undercover but publicly accessible for security reasons. So I called in a favour and stuck the ‘Benz into storage while I hunted down a new switch.

Mercedes-Benz parts are really well categorised and easy to buy online. The components usually come from big-name manufacturers, and while not always the same as the OE (Original Equipment) units, are generally well made and reasonably priced.

I found a new front-left switch online through Sparesbox.com.au and waited for it to arrive.

Unit in hand, I first removed the shift-surround then with some plastic trim removal tools, prised up the oak inlay panel.

The quality of engineering and manufacture here is still impressive, not least when you think the W201 was developed over 40-years ago (between 1974 and 1982). All the switches have their own specific plug which can only fit one way, so that removal and replacement is very straightforward.

I quickly removed the old shell, plugged in the new switch and… nothing.

As always, fuses should be your first point to check, and sure enough, the one for the front-left and rear-right windows was blown. I had some leftover from when I systematically replaced them all in a previous update, and within a few minutes power was restored and the window could be closed.

It was then just a process of reversing the removal process to reconnect everything and things would be all car meets and Insta-shoots again, right?

Not quite.

Turns out when the switch broke, it snapped a previous repair on the plastic panel below the oak inlay.

This meant even light pressure on the ‘up’ movement had the switch vanishing into the console below.

More work was needed.

Before I broke out the big guns, I took the time to replace the rear-left switch as well. When I bought the car the switch surround was from a beige interior, not black. I found a replacement some months ago which, along with some other goodies, had finally made the slow-boat from Europe and was ready to fit up.

Again, a quick pry-release with the trim tool had the switch out from the door trim within moments. Another well-engineered plug and play meant the new switch with black surround was in place and working in under a minute.

With one thing ‘actually’ fixed, I re-removed the oak console panel and fired up my daughter’s hot-glue craft gun for a bit more DIY.

The plastic piece on the underside of the panel is not in good condition. There have been previous repairs, some good, some not, and at some point I’ll look to replace the whole thing.

Knowing that, I approached with a more ‘fix it good’ rather than ‘fix it well’ mentality and unleashed the power of the craft glue to hold the switch in place.

Left for an hour or so to cure, the switch felt much tighter and I set about refitting it to the car.

Once again, a simple reversal of process had all the switches connected – which for the uninitiated are (top-left to bottom-right) the front-passenger window, hazard lights, passenger mirror joystick, radio speaker fader wheel, rear-window child lock, rear-left and finally, rear-right window.

While here, and with the mindset of ‘always improve while you repair’, I also fitted the original Mercedes-Benz cassette storage unit that had been shipped with the new rear window switch.

This is a real throwback to the ’80s where you could store six of your favourite Spandau Ballet tapes ready for quick access. My little collection of period reels currently live in the glovebox, so the unit is more of a visual than functional improvement.

Fitting was again very simple.

The carpet inlay in the centre console un-popped to reveal four holes for the cassette unit’s plugs to clip into. It took seconds.

The unit (sourced from an owner in the UK) is brand new and from 1991, so a perfect NOS (New Old Stock) addition to my car.

You simply click on a cartridge to raise it up, place the tape in ‘head first’, and click again to close. The tabs change from white to red to let you know what is occupied.

Nice!

So, with windows that worked, buttons that matched, and tapes stored away, the 190 was ready for it’s next day on the open road.

Before that happens though, I’ve been told my original Sportline wheels (with Bridgestone rubber) are ready to pick up, so I’ll get them fitted and finally say goodbye to the venerable Membats.

Oh, and if you need a rear-left window switch with beige/tan plastic trim for your 190E, let me know and it’s yours!