tsharples

My '97 S500 had the dreaded can't open rear doors problem, and I ended up drilling access holes under the exterior chrome strips below the windows, and using a borescope to find the appropriate place to open the doors with a coat-hanger as described elsewhere. I've also pulled the interior door panels, and now want to pull out lock mechanism for a thorough removal of corrosion and re-lubing.

My question: how the heck do you get that lock mechanism out? The nearby access hole doesn't look nearly big enough for the required clearance, and I haven't been able to find any online instructions. Anybody here know how to do this?

Access hoes around lock mechanism

Thanks in advance,
Tom S.