My air condioner button broke. The one that regulates the fan speed. How much is that gonna cost?

 

The HVAC controller is part number 1408302685. You may want to pick up a used one. A new one has a list price of $1,230

 

The plastic behind the button broke. How much is just that little plastic piece.

 

i bought a 'low mileage' unit from a 2002 and it fit my 1999 CLK430.

 

I don't see where it's listed as a separate part. If you find that Mercedes-Benz or some other vendor sells the plastic part, please post back witrh details.

 

I'll post up tomorrow a little DIY job that I did on mine. I will cost you about $10 and about 30 min. or so to fix it.

I would give you a description now, but let me take some pictures of how I fixed mine for an easier, visual understanding.

 

thanks i have the same problem

 

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! Looking forward to the DIY

 

both of my auto buttons have gone limp. I'm really looking forward to the fix. I'm a little surprised that MB dealers don't offer a more reasonable fix as you suggest. Really makes me wonder the value of other pricey ventures at the stealership.

 

Alright...this is how I fixed mine, and maybe it will work for you guys. It's not a feat of engineering, but it sure beats paying hundreds of dollars.

I'll explain what I did, and then show you some pics of it.

Some things you need:

Plastic to metal Epoxy (or regular Epoxy seems to work)

Tweezers & 2-4 small pieces of metal cut to size (you'll find out below), very fine, tiny paint brush.

First, take a credit card or something that is "soft plastic" and pop off the the fan control button. Behind that, is going to be the the actual piece that pushes the buttons (pictured below).

Now, take a set of small, needle-nose pliers and clamp them down on either the top or bottom of the button. Pull it out...carefully! It's very easy to break this thing in many places. However it will be difficult to pull-out.

Then find out which part is broken. Mine was broken right in the middle of the the prong that pushes the button at the back (look in the opening and you'll see what I mean). If whatever piece that is broken is not still hanging on the the button itself, it should be left in the opening or it's somewhere in the control unit. You may need to take the entire unit out and shake it to find it. It's in there somewhere.

Anyhow, you're basically gluing it back together, and using some thin pieces of metal (or plastic) to act as a tourniquet on both sides of the the plastic arm (pictured below) for reinforcement. Use the paint brush to paint on the Epoxy. Use the tweezers to carefully place them on the button, and let dry. I would suggest doing this to both prongs. Pounding on the button over time is eventually going to break it unless you're very SLOW when using the fan control. Pretty simple.

Yet, you have to be very patient. This is almost like an operation because you're dealing with very delicate, small pieces of plastic.


Look at the pics and you should be able to see what I did. Hope this helps some of you out:

 

thanks for the help going to do the same thing right now

 

done that was great help

 

Thanks so much for posting this, Mr. Prophet!

I was bracing myself to spend $400 on a rebuilt unit when I found this write-up. Even the I have not tried it, as the jbweld is setting on my broken buttons, I am sure this will save me considerable expense and headaches since the unit is on back order.

-Neil

 

I did the same repair a few months ago. Works perfect.

 

This should be referenced in the DIY section, nice write-up! Thanks Prophet!

 

Just want to say thank you, you have saved us from a very hot ride, and my wife sends Xs and Os, and I give you the McGiver award for the year. After spending 13 years working Import auto parts, it's good to know there's other crusaders out there saving people thousands of dollars. Just because German engineering isn't always all it's cracked up to be, doesn't mean we should have to pay for it. Again thanks!

 

Thank you so much. I'm enclosing some pics if they might help anyone else understand this procedure.

 

Mine broke also but I am not willing to pay $1200 for a replacement part. So I made some for me. Hired a modeler who made them for me. If you like to try one they are $29.95 per part because of the low volume and the cost to get them modeled and made..... and shipping- about $1.60 for the bubble mail envelop, $0.75 bubble wrap, $1.75 estimated postage, $2.00 going to the post office to stamp and mail it.
email me if you are interested to Sunlover957@gmail.com and put AC Fan part in the subject line so I know it is not spam.
PS: I am doing this for us Benz lovers as a private favor and am not in business.
So
Please please please do not email me solicitations or other junk.

 

You can find aftermarket part on Amazon at

 

pics of my repaired button
https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...ml#post8837757