SloppyMcNubble

Hey all.. Im between a rock and a hard place here. Last week my key broke off in the ignition. In a pissed off effort to remove the key blade, I think I broke the ignition switch or whatever it may be called.. basically at this point the key is stuck in, and the switch turns 360 degrees around. OK so thats the problem I have created for myself.

The car is now at the dealer being looked at today, and the tech said it could run as much as $1100 to fix depending on what he finds. This car cost me $3000, and I really dont want to put another $1100 into it. The head gasket leaks and the AC is broke too, so I may consider just getting another car (damn these 0% financing ad's on TV) and saving this fix for sometime Ive got more cash to kick around. However, in the meantime.. is it possible to hotwire this car? If so, could someone give me some basic instructions? Any advice for a down and out MB owner?

Thanks.

Saijin_Naib

If im not mistaken, the place where you would get the ingnition wires under the driver side foot well is covered by metal so that nothing is exposed. I donno how to get around that.

crr1612

if you need an ignition switch, i have one ive been trying to unload. i ordered the cylinder from the dealership and was sent the switch instead...and they wont take the return. anyway...so if u want it for cheap just tell me

oneill_1

I had a similar situation that happened to me. This happened on a Sunday around 12:00 noon. I went to fill up at a local gas station and after filled her up, I went to turn my car on. The key would not turn whatsoever. I thought by turning the steering wheel to unlock it would work but nothing. I called my dad and he came over. We lubed it up with WD40, big mistake, and nothing. "NEVER PUT WD40 IN YOUR IGNITION"-Mobile MB Tech. It was a sunday and most shops close early and it was getting late. I finally called the number on the sunvisor and a mobile tech from Caliber Motors came and they tried. They did all they could but once again, nothing. I eventually had it towed to Caliber Motors and they inspected the following Tuesday. They said I needed a whole new ignition/tumbler setup and with labor it was around $500-$600. They told me this after everything was taken apart. I told them that I was just a student and couldnt afford to pay that. I was gonna have it towed back to my house but they were gonna charge me a fee for the labor that it took to take everything apart. The fee was around $200....My dad decided to help me out and I eventually got the whole price down to $375!

SloppyMcNubble

Thanks for the replys guys. I found a friend of a friend yesterday who said he can take care of it for cost + 50$ labor. Sounds too good to be true to me, but I met the dude last night and he seems knowledgeable. He also said that if for some reason he cant get the parts in he would try to help me rig some hotwire switch up somehow.

Hey crr1612 - you might be getting a message from me in the next couple days, thanks for the offer!