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I haven't seen anyone do a thread on this but have seen questions circulate on how to remove the wood trim on the center console for replacement. So I bet after ya'll are reading this you're going to hoard all the wood trim on ebay like stock in Google when they IPO'd back in the early 2000s.
Back to the most important part. So let's be honest. Women like wood. We like our wood too. We like how it looks in the morning, and how it looks in the evening..... when you drive home you sickos! But in all seriousness, women do like wood, especially when it's clean on a classic or vintage Mercedes. So let's keep that wood good.
All you need are your bare hands and a small flat blade screwdriver, Harbor Freight, Hazet, Snap-On, Craftsman, Kobalt, whatever your rich or poor butt can afford (I'm a middle class man and have Craftsman)
Keep scrolling down for the steps.
Last edited by Uranium238; Jul 6, 2025 at 08:03 PM.
Step 1: Use your hands. Don't be afraid to crack the wood (that is if you already bought a replacement). The wood pulls up from the front, so open your ash tray trim so your jewelry like your wedding band doesn't do some unprofessional machining. I'd have taken mine off but I had a tomahawk ribeye and a couple of Stellas so my fingers got some sodium fat.
The black surround plastic that goes between the shifter gate and the wood trim pops right out and goes back in just as easy.
Step 2: So you made a hole now. Great! Start unplugging the switches. Good news is Mercedes didn't cheap out on wiring length and you can lift the switch trim up 9 inches high.
Jiggle the connectors. They pop out real easy like D-cup jugs out of a B-cup push-up.
NOTE - It is next to impossible to mix up the wires for each of the buttons and window switch assembly unless you're doing fentanyl and absinth shots 30 minutes before the job.
Last edited by Uranium238; Jul 6, 2025 at 07:41 PM.
Step 3: Get out your trusty small flat blade screw driver. Take your time gently prying the switches with one hand, and pulling up on the other. Plastic can be brittle so don't go giving the screwdriver a hard twist. It just comes out in your hand (that's what she said).
Step 4: Reassembly. Just push the buttons into your new trim! Oh and I hope you remember what spots they came out of on your old cracked one. Like I said, it's an easy job, but if your IQ is mayonnaise then put the screwdriver down, walk away, and cry in the shower hoping you have 45 minutes worth of hot water.
Step 4: Your new wood trim should look like this! Fancy right?
German engineers making the w208 were sipping their Hacker Pschorr and Warsteiner admiring the beauty of these burlwood veneers before popping them in, and popping their flaureins after a couple drinks during October fest.
Step 4: You did buy the wood for the cupholder cover didn't you? Didn't you??? Okay good. Now comes the easiest part of this whole job as if it wasn't easy enough! Open the cupholder lid, if you closed it and you really should not have. Take your flat blade screwdriver and slide it in between the lid molding and the actual wood trim. Give it a good twist. One car I did had a loud pop indicating the clips had come loose. This one was quiet as the mute chick I met in college I stuffed like a turkey.
I didn't record or photograph installing the new wood veneer piece. It's common sense, and you should already know that installation is typically reverse removal, but without the screwdriver.
Step 5: Connect everything up under the console trim. I had trouble doing it with one hand as you can see I was like a blind man at an orgy trying to feel around. Make sure all the connectors click in or you may have bad grounding to your switches.
Step 6: Alright. You made it! Just watch the video on how to reinstall. Yes it's that easy. Don't forget the plastic shifter trim surround. That just pops right back in!
Admire the handiwork you completed. Your center console should look brand new if you used this DIY for the purposes of restoration. If you used it to access the shifter for removal, well I can't tell you how to do that since I haven't gone down that road yet.
Thanks for reading! Now go take 30 minutes out of your life to make your interiors look better!
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DIY: W208 CLK Wood Console Trim Replacement
