waveterrorist

I just replaced the gaiter and it looks great. You have to remove the old one and glue it to the base. Ebay seller out of the UK. If you need a new bezel there are aftermarket ones out for like $65 that are just fine.

3xplor3r

We bought our C240 less than a week ago and already are having this issue. Glad to see its not an uncommon problem. Just wish it hadn't happened, as now I get to work in the 115 degree garage and try to get this fixed.

Glad I came across this forum and thread. Hate going to stealerships!

mis3

My advice is buy OE parts. I tried after-market and it was hard to install and it broke in a few days.

3xplor3r

I fixed it last night using a modified version of the paper clip fix. I used a very small screw instead of a paper clip. worked great.

776westfield

I had the same issue with my CLK500 convertible, the plastic trim around shifter was popping out at park or drive. The tabs didn't brake yet. I followed simple logic, if natural leather shrunk, it can be stretched back. I don't drive my convertible in Massachusetts in the winter, so I had some time. I removed the leather boot with the shifter knob and hung it by the knob with the weights (13 lb) attached to the leather boot plastic ring (see pictures). Before stretching I measured the front and back seams of the boot. Over period of 2 weeks I was spraying the inside of the leather boot with the stretching solution that I made myself (1 part of rubbing alcohol and 3 parts of water). Any leather stretching spray may also work. I was able to stretch the boot half inch at the front and back seams. After that I applied the leather conditioner to make the boot soft and flexible. I had to apply it few times, the leather was dry and absorbed the conditioner quickly. The hanging system I used allowed me stretch the boot evenly or target the front or back seams separately. Now it's like new again.

776westfield

The white marks on the leather that you can see on the pictures, were completely gone after few applications of the leather conditioner.