I’ll start off by saying that Mercedes are definitely not my area of expertise, but I have quickly been becoming acquainted with them due to the recent purchase of my C230. I have been a tech for about 10 years or so mainly on American and Japanese makes/models and have also worked as a technical writer for a few years. I am an ASE Master Auto Technician, Master Med/Heavy Duty Truck Technician, L1&F1 certified. I am also a certified A&P Mechanic.
I apologize for the lack of pics for this write-up since it was unplanned and I had to get it done in the shortest amount of time possible. If any one has any pics that would be useful, please feel free to add them to the procedure. It took me just under and hour from start to finish to complete the job on my first time out.
You may need to vary the procedure slightly depending on how “broken” your regulator is. I was fortunate enough to have a completely broken one that allowed me to manually move the window up and down. Also use as much finesse as possible during the removal process. Hopefully this will come in handy for someone else...


Some symptoms of a bad/failed window regulator are:
· Clicking when raising or lowering the window (early stages – I only got about another week out of mine once this started, though).
· Window stuck in one position and there are strange noises when activating the switch.
· Window falls into the door and is not able to be raised.





2006 C230 Front Power Window Regulator DIY

Part #’s

203-720-32-46 Window Regulator Qty: 1
03-990-24-97 Blind Rivet Qty: 13 (any 3/16” steel blind rivet should work)
Cable/Zip Tie Qty: 1


Tools Needed:

Ratchet
6” Ratchet Extension
T20, T30, T40 Internal Torx Sockets
Electric Drill
13/64” Drill Bit (or similar size – this size worked well for me)
Pocket Flat Blade Screw Driver
Med size Flat Head Screw driver
Rivet Gun/Installer
Suction Cup/Handle

Time Required: Approx. 1 hour



1. If it is still possible move the window to the full up position and secure with a suction cup to prevent damage to the window while drilling out rivets. If re-positioning of the window is not possible, use extreme caution when drilling out rivets to prevent damage to the window.

DO NOT SKIP THE NEXT STEP – Disconnecting the battery is necessary to ensure the SRS (airbag) system is discharged!

2. Ensure the key is removed from the ignition, all the doors are closed and all the interior lights have gone out. Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable from the chassis near the strut tower. The SRS system should be discharged after about five minutes after battery disconnection.

3. Open the door and remove the triangle/speaker assembly from the front upper portion of the door (It helps to push the triangle toward the front of the door while prying on the front of it). Remove the connector from the speaker using a pocket screwdriver.

4. Remove the trim piece covering the door pull handle and the "SRS" square cover using a pocket screwdriver to pry both off (you can let the SRS cover hang by its lanyard).

5. Remove the three Torx screws securing the door panel. Two from the door pull handle and one from behind the SRS cover.

6. Remove the door latch cover from the rear of the door. It is secured by one screw.

7. Unscrew and remove the door lock knob from the actuator threaded rod.

8. Using a screwdriver wrapped in tape or a “trim stick”, gently pry the door panel away from the door. I recommend starting at the bottom. I believe there are approximately 6 or so tabs around the perimeter holding the panel on. You will know when they are all disengaged because the panel will be loose and start to fall off the door. Once the panel is loose, lift it slightly to clear the door lock actuator thread rod and the top of the door frame.

9. Remove the door latch cable from the handle. It helps to pull the cable out of the bracket near the handle before removing the cable end from the handle.

10. Remove the power window switch. Leave the connector attached. Slide the white latch up (or down, can't remember) and the switch will pop loose. Feed it through its hole leaving the harness attached.

11. Remove the courtesy light at the bottom of the door panel. You can simply push down on it from the inside of the door panel or use a screwdriver to pop it out from the bottom. Use a pocket screwdriver to disconnect the connector once the light assembly is out. Remove the courtesy light assembly.

12. Carefully remove the door panel and ensure that there is nothing still connected before pulling the panel away.

USE EXTREME CAUTION DURING NEXT STEPS – If you were not able to move the window to the full up position, ensure the drill bit does not contact the window. Also, ensure the drill bit does not contact the inside of the door in order to prevent dings from showing on the exterior of the door.

13. Drill out the three rivets holding the airbag to the door frame. Leave the harness connected to the airbag (I believe the harness may be permanently attached to the airbag, but I am not sure, in any case I was able to complete the task without removing the yellow connector from the airbag). Use a stool or box to support the airbag assembly so it is not hanging by the wire harness.

14. Drill out the four rivets attaching the door pull handle support bracket the door frame and remove the door pull handle bracket.

15. Remove the door speaker connector, remove three screws from the door speaker and remove the door speaker.

16. Carefully peel off the foam insulation pad from the door frame. Carefully pull the airbag and the power window switch through the foam. The foam doesn’t need to be completely removed; just peeled back enough to gain access to the window regulator rivets (Do not clean away the adhesive from the door frame since you can use it to re-attach the pad when re-installing).

17. Manually re-position and secure the window in order to gain access to the screws securing the bottom of the window to the window regulator assembly. Loosen the two screws securing the window to the window regulator assembly.

18. Slide the window up and away from the regulator assembly until it is in the fully closed position and secure the window (It may take some force to separate the window from the rubber pads on the regulator assembly. Ensure that the screws on the regulator are completely loose – remove them if you have to. Use your best judgment on the appropriate amount of force remembering the window is made of glass).

19. Remove the zip tie near the top of the door frame securing the regulator cable to the door frame.

20. Drill out the six rivets attaching the regulator assembly to the door frame.

21. Detach the window motor electrical connector.

22. Remove the window regulator assembly (it may take some fumbling around, but it can be removed in one piece).

23. Remove three screws from the power window motor and re-install the motor on the new regulator.

24. Installation is the reverse of the removal process. Make sure you get any old rivets or screws that may have fallen into the bottom of the door before buttoning every thing back up.

 

I know this is an old post to reply to, but I just replaced my window regulator per these instructions, thanks for the help, but now my SRS light came on. I disconnected the side airbag during the process and reconnected it before re-assembling the door.
Any ideas to get the light to go off?
2005 W203

 

P.S. I disconnected the battery before doing the work, but reconnected it to test the repair before I put it all back together (airbag was not connected at that time). I disconnected battery again before I put the airbag back on.

 

You'll have to us iCarsoft or Star/Das to reset the SRS light. Not sure if you have an indy with the Star/Das system or if the service manager at your local MB dealership would assist you. They may charge you an hour of labor at a rate of $50-70 hr.