W126 Interior door trim clip repair. Centre burl trim.

[RT 420SEL]

Bit of FYI! I have just had a very frustrating experience with a Victorian Mercedes dealership/service provider that has resulted in more damage to my 420 SEL than when the car went in for a few mechanical repairs.

As with many W126, the interior door trim/panels have been previously removed incorrectly-pulled rather than lifted, therefore breaking the mounting clips, which I posted about a while back.
The centre console was removed along with the burl gear fascia panel & ventilation burl fascia for other work.
The door trims were removed to repair a power window fault, with written instructions to contact me when removed to ascertain a clip repair methodology. I hadn't heard from them so rang & was told its all fixed. "What about the door trim? Oh, you will need to get them repaired.. I stated, "that was also the point of removal during the window repair as per my written instructions!"
I then went over the car & found the centre burl gear fascia veneer (pristine condition) had been snapped, with pieces poorly glued & the service manager had not even been notified of this. The ventilation fascia had tool markings/chips along the edge due to incorrect removal. They also polished the car & scratched the roof!

The result was they were instructed to remove both door trims again & the centre console/ventilation fascia. The burl fascias have been sent to Carwood in Melbourne for re-veneering which they are paying for & will cost approximately $1000. During the 2nd removal of the ventilation fascia, they also snapped one of the plastic side mounts!

I have repaired the door trim clips with custom top mounting clips which work well. A pretty simple fix really, but disappointing to have to do it twice to achieve a satisfactory result & the additional labour cost to the dealer.

I have had repairs completed by good local mechanics who have been outstanding, but thought it best to go to Mercedes this time-right tools, access to correct parts, skill set etc.. Not so.
I can post some photos of door trim repair if anyone may find them useful. Overall, it will cost the dealer around $2000, which is more than the initial mechanical repair.

Incredible nescience.

 

[c107]

Sorry to hear of your troubles.
I think the issue with the dealers is that there wouldn't be anyone working there who was around when these cars are new, and most of the dealer techs are used to the modern Mercedes still in warranty. Better to find a good independent.

Yes, please do post pictures of the repairs. A good portion of the W126 fleet has broken clips on the doors thanks to ham fisted repair attempts.

 

[Michel]

Sad to read about the 'devastation' on your car.
I have found that when the vehicle becomes more than 15-20 years old, dealers would have no idea how to handle it because their junior techies are the ones give the job to remove door trims and first point of repair.
If you have a decent mechanic with whom you're happy, then stick to them as most are more knowledgeable with old cars than the dealership.