mk01

JR

The only way to get it out of park is to have 2 people- one to pull the gear shift and the other to tap the shifter unit on the right side corner- gentle pressure on the stick and light tapping with the mallet - once out of park you'll be able to drive around but you'll have to leave the key in the car and secure the car with the manual key (bright engineering oversight by MB)

MB will charge you for the full shifter unit at a cost of £800. The other option is to take out the shifter unit and remove the defective part and then refit-best pay a mechanic for that though

S4302K_SJ

JR: please see:
console removal: http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...-remove-center

shifter removal: http://www.JustAnswer.com/questions/1pevf-need-instructions-remove-w220?L=T

monoglobal

I have the plastic part in stock and I can ship worldwide. Log on to www.monoglobal.com.au to view and order the part.

Internal plastic lever is there to prevent children from inadvertedly moving the gearstick lever out of Park. Removing the lever may cause your car to roll away down a hill with your kids inside.

Choose from original plastic or high strength aluminum. Repairs can be done by any reputable MBZ shop in about an hour or two. No need for recoding with Star Diagnosis.

monoglobal

I have the plastic part in stock and I can ship worldwide. Log on to www.monoglobal.com.au to view and order the part.

Internal plastic lever is there to prevent children from inadvertedly moving the gearstick lever out of Park. Removing the lever may cause your car to roll away down a hill with your kids inside.

Choose from original plastic or high strength aluminum. Repairs can be done by any reputable MBZ shop in about an hour or two. No need for recoding with Star Diagnosis.

Mad4itmerc

C43 - Same problembo!

Has any one seen this problem on this forum or elsewhere?

1998 Designo Purple.

vincekuo

First of all....thanks to everyone for posting info...it was a great help.
I have a '01 CLK321 and it got stuck in park. I was still able to drive the car, but needed to use a pen to activate the shift lock override.

Went to the dealer and they quoted me $1K to fix it. I ended-up having by friend who's an engineer help me. Once you get the ashtray, and center piece (has the window controls on it) out...you don't have to remove the console to get the shift box out. Just loosen the screws and push/pull the console and you will be able to get to the 3 bolts that hold down the shift box. You don't even need to go under the car. We managed to remove the shift box in about 30 min.

Once out, we noticed the plastic piece everyone is talking about is metal on the CLK...seems strange that they would use metal in the CLK and plastic on the S-Class. So the piece was okay...then we tried the solenoid...my friend hook power to it and that was okay. Basically we tried everything, brake switch other power supplies, etc...no dice. We ended-up just removing the piece even though it was not broken and put everything back together...car is fine just without the safety feature. Most likely just a loose wire somewhere between the brake switch and the shift box, but no way to find out and no way was I paying $1K to fix a 9 year old car.

lttk913

My shifter got stuck in park 2 days ago on my 2003 S430. Had to have the car flatbedded 26 miles to my mechanic. He quoted a price of $625 for the parts. I won't get it back for another 3 days. I rented a Sebring in the meantime. No comparison between the Sebring and Benz. You get spoiled driving a Benz.

tubeman

My 2002 S 500 just locked up on me. Fortunately I was ready for it! I followed the instruction here and removed the broken plastic piece. All is well. It took about 4 hours but the next time I could do it in 1! Thanks everyone! If anyone has questions I will be happy to help since it is so fresh in my mind. I was lucky that mine locked up in the garage. I can't imagine doing that repair on the side of the road.

JonMBZ

lol@ selling the replacement clip for $250.00 and I thought the price of AMG grill clips were robbery.

djsupreme

I to was stuck in park thankfully it happened in my driveway.So after doing research i found this forum and saved thousands of dollars by doing the repair on my own. Thank you to everyone your information on this problem was great!!!!!!!

DMan

If you remove this plastic piece, does it allow you to start the car in any gear...or does it just allow you to shift out of park without having your foot on the brake? I could see the former being a safety issue at valets/car washes, but if its just the latter, that probably isn't a big deal for me.

Also, I saw a couple of mechanics listed, but does anyone have the contact info for a shop that actually is willing to perform this in SoCal? I couldn't tell from the earlier posts if those were just honest mechanics or ones that were willing to do this task. Thanks.

quillv

so i posted about having this issue months ago (didn't search for previous threads - my bad), and just as sudden as the problem appeared, it disappeared without me having to do anything. now, it has struck again months later.

so i read the threads with the instructions on how to remove the broken plastic piece myself, but i'm not the type to sit down and get a tool box and take apart any part of my car. just not my thing. plus i have a basic toolbox. not sure i have all the necessary tools to take it apart.

i called a couple of ny MB dealerships and they told me they have to do a diagnostic to check the car which will run at least 2 hours at a $119/hr (or around that rate). who knows how long it all will take.

i called over at www.kraftgermanauto.com and he quoted me a flat rate of $1050 saying that because taking the gear box apart means that everything would have to be coded in order to work properly. he said he's done it before and that's the course of action.

at this point, i'm at a lost at what my best course of action should be. from those who went thru the ordeal, what do you recommend?

thanks in advance.

chibenz

I am lucky so far but for how long...Should I take it out to avoid future problem or get stuck in the middle of nowhere ??

jcurren

Does anyone know of a shop in San Diego that can take apart the shifter and discard the broken piece of plastic?

Skylaw

Can't help you with a shop in your area, but try the link in post # 50 for a DIY with photos.

julieanne2021

I couldn't get my 2001 s class out of park on thursday and had to call a tow truck. Mercedes quoted £700 to do the job but I came onto the forum and read about the little plastic bit. I paid a local garage £60 to strip the console and found the bit was indeed snapped. After removing it and putting it back together I am back on the road. Nearly wasted seven hundred quid. Thanks for the advice it is much appreciated.

Does anyone know a quick fix for a floppy wing mirror glass.
thanks

Skylaw

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...de-mirror.html addresses how to replace the glass portion. https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...ter-picts.html has a lot of good information on taking the housing off.

If the glass is OK but just floppy, it could be that the circular ring that holds it on is broken or has slipped off.

monoglobal

Just remember that removing the plastic lever allows the car to be moved out of Park without your foot on the brake pedal. Mercedes-Benz safety item to prevent small children moving the car out of park and the car rolling down a hill with them inside. Also is a deterrent to car thieves as they will be able to tow the car away easily. Lever can be easily fitted by MBZ workshops. Offering 3 day worldwide UPS shipping for AU$80.00.

zam2000

Your post is misleading. This feature is only helpful when the engine is turned on, it help to prevent shifting without pressing the brake pedal first.

It has nothing to do with the car roll down the hill with children in it, or help with the town.

asat

Thanks for the info, another happy customer!!!!!!

my06clk

Actually he's kinda right.. The feature locks the shifter when either A. the ignition is off, or B. the ignition is on an your foot is off the brake.

It's not a MB safety feature.. its a NTSB safety device. It's silly to to mention small children unless you are one of those people ( not you zamm but the OP ) that allow your children to roam all over your car pushing every button they find. In this case you need to A. Manage your children, AND B. Use your E brake. That's what it's for.

Meanwhile for those irritated by that little plastic peice.. Say goodbye to it. and not risk having you AND your little children stuck at the mall parking lot on 100 degree temperatures. cuz your car wont go.

r0wr.

So this is definitely possible from a normal DIY-er? I just ran into this problem today.. My car is stuck at costco right now and just sitting there...

r0wr.

So I've taken apart my center console and took out the shifter but I do not have the correct size torx screw to take apart the actual shifter unit. I honestly don't evne know if this black plastic part is broken but my car got stuck in park today and I thought htis might be the problem. I took the initiative to take it apart and I'm currently stuck.

bananap00p

I drive a 2001 C240 and I can't get it into Park. I had a harder time getting it from park to reverse then from reverse to drive. Then when I got home to parallel park I couldn't get it into reverse. So now my car is at home in Neutral with my key in the ignition. Would this piece have something to do with it? Even though its the opposite of everybody's problem with this piece?

tubeman

Its broken. Buy a torx and take it apart.