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New to me (well, actually to my daughter) 2008 C350, purchased today with 145K miles on the clock from the original owner, vehicle has been serviced ON TIME since new at MB Dealership and came with a stack of service records.
Car drives as it should and is mechanically in tip top shape. The only cosmetical issue the car has is the peeling of the interior switches. Surprisingly, the steering wheel buttons look like new, the switches on the drivers door (Window, door lock and mirror adjustment) look like crap. So do the fan buttons on the AC Unit.
HOW DOES ONE MAKE THIS LOOK GOOD/LIKE NEW AGAIN?
QUESTIONS:
- Can one simply replace the switches WITHOUT having to remove the door panel and switch assembly/door lock buttons? Same on the AC buttons? Do they pop off?
- Are switches available on their own? eBay?
- Does one need to by a brand new door switch assembly, door lock switch, as well as AC unit with new buttons to rectify this situation? (Which I am sure is costly).
- Has anyone tried the sticker kits that are being sold for this issue? Do they work, are they worth it?
Thanks in advance, I would appreciate any input as I would like to make this car look like new again, as other than these peeling switches, the interior is in pristine condition with no rips on the seats either.
Congrats on nice C350. Link is to vinyl button stickers some of which I used. Took 0000 steel wool to remove rubberized failed button tops so no slightly high edges to mar new applique. A light dab of alcohol to clean before sticking new piece.. Over 2 years old and going strong.
Congrats on nice C350. Link is to vinyl button stickers some of which I used. Took 0000 steel wool to remove rubberized failed button tops so no slightly high edges to mar new applique. A light dab of alcohol to clean before sticking new piece.. Over 2 years old and going strong.
Buttons/switches were left in place...looked fine except maybe the switch logos I didn't replace were a bit less crisp but hardly noticeable at least to my eye. Had to take care that appliques were mounted straight..would lightly stick edge of sticker to tip of flat tooth pick so I could hold it in position off to one side , check right position, and press on. Trying to apply stuck to fingertip was problematic.
Buttons/switches were left in place...looked fine except maybe the switch logos I didn't replace were a bit less crisp but hardly noticeable at least to my eye. Had to take care that appliques were mounted straight..would lightly stick edge of sticker to tip of flat tooth pick so I could hold it in position off to one side , check right position, and press on. Trying to apply stuck to fingertip was problematic.
A Search will come up with some replacement buttons and DIY button installs also. Mostly only window buttons since the radio/Command buttons are unit particular. Pix coming up...EST here. Checked when I replaced and was actually in 2018.
Only one member who change/refurbished the interior buttons?
I too had peeling window switches. I replaced the whole window/mirror switch panel on the drivers side. I had to take off the door panel to do so. I got the part from Amazon. Not an MB part. It looked fine, and worked great, EXCEPT for the backlighting - it would not dim with the dash dimmer , so it remained brightly lit while all the other switch buttons would dim. A minor annoyance.
I too had peeling window switches. I replaced the whole window/mirror switch panel on the drivers side. I had to take off the door panel to do so. I got the part from Amazon. Not an MB part. It looked fine, and worked great, EXCEPT for the backlighting - it would not dim with the dash dimmer , so it remained brightly lit while all the other switch buttons would dim. A minor annoyance.
Thank you.
I ordered replacement buttons on eBay, let's see if it is easy enough to swap the buttons.
Slightly costs more, easy to install and they look really good. They've been on for about a 1 year now and no issues. Kind of like the silver finish versus the black.
Slightly costs more, easy to install and they look really good. They've been on for about a 1 year now and no issues. Kind of like the silver finish versus the black.
Today, I tackled the job of replacing the worn interior buttons on my daughters 2008 C350. I failed to take BEFORE pictures, but I am pretty sure everyone here knows how nasty these buttons can look.
- Power Door Lock Driver side (New buttons from eBay)
- Window Door Switches on the Driver side (New buttons from eBay as well as replacement decal/sticker from eBay)
*** Three window buttons replaced, the passenger side rear is still intact, so I left that one alone.
*** The mirror fold button on the center was pretty bad as well, here I used a decal/sticker.
- Climate Control Unit (Replacement decal/stickers from eBay)
*** Only the "OFF", as well as the two FAN Buttons needed replacement, the others are still in pretty good shape.
The new buttons as well as decals/stickers are slightly darker in color, but compared to what it looked before, it is a major improvement and I think it turned out pretty nice.
10-23-2022, 07:14 PM
