D.I.Y. MAINTENANCE: Fixing Climate Control Buttons on a Mercedes-Benz W208 CLK Class

Do-It-Yourself car maintenance on,

Fixing Climate Control Buttons
on a Mercedes Benz W208 CLK Class

The climate control buttons on a W208 tend to break. Unfortunately re-manufactured parts typically cost over $300 and the part isn't interchangeable with all other MB cars in that time period. The buttons that broke in my case were the two "AUTO" buttons on the left and right, and also the + and - button for the fan. Without the - button, there is not an easy way of turning off the fan.

Figure 1: The fan that never sleeps.

I came across this post and thought I stumbled upon $290.
BenzWorld Forum: Is there a DIY to fix buttons on Climate Control unit???
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w208-clk-class/1455775-there-diy-fix-buttons-climate-control-4.html

First step was to take off the broken buttons. These buttons pop off quite easily when using a small flathead. See figure 2 for the front side and back side of the buttons that were broken.

Figure 2: Left image shows front side of the buttons broken and the right image shows the back side.

After popping off the buttons and inspecting what was broken inside the climate control housing, I was able to figure out what needed fixing. I tore out the cracked plastic bits that were inside the climate control unit for a better look at the problem. Figures 3, 4, and 5 reveal a square white button of the auto and fan buttons. This square button with a semi-hollow hole in the center is not engaging when the exterior buttons were pressed. Problem identified!

Figure 3: Driver's side AUTO button.

Figure 4: Passenger's side AUTO button.

Figure 5: +/- Fan Button.

Figure 6: From left to right: 1000 grit 3M sandpaper,
wooden utensils from Sprinkles, E6000 adhesive.

Cue the DIY motto: If it has been done before by someone else, then I can probably do this too. I didn't have any rubber erasers laying around and did what every DIYer does in this situation. I went searching for everything else I did have that was expendable. What I came up with was born from a little of this-is-what-I-want-to-use and this-is-all-I-have-without-spending-a-dime.

Parts:
(1) 1000 Grit 3M sandpaper
(2) Wooden Utensils
(1) E6000 Adhesive

How the wooden utensils were rounded at the end gave me an idea. The curved shape will be perfect for slotting into the AUTO button slots. One of the big advantages of using wood is the ease it shears off an edge. And after careful consideration of the +/- button, this is what I came up with.

Figure 7: Wooden bits glued together. View 1 of 2.

Figure 8: Wooden bits glued together. View 2 of 2.

Figure 9: Wooden bits for the AUTO button. Note the use of spacers for stability. View 1 of 2.

Figure 10: Wooden bits for the AUTO button. View 2 of 2.

Figure 11: Wooden bits for the +/- Fan button. Note the hole for the needle in the inside cover. View 1 of 2.

Figure 12: Wooden bits for the +/- Fan button. Note the use of spacers to get around the dividers. View 2 of 2.

A whole lot of cutting and sanding took place to get these puppies to fit in their finished state. I would have preferred to use 800 grit or 400 grit sand paper instead but that required going to the store. End result? Success. A whole new world of DIY opened up to me today. Michael's, please keep your wood stock piles full. What a dazzling place I never knew, that could serve car DIY projects well.

Figure 13: Wooden bits installed 

Extra DIY mini-project:

Figure 14: DIY radio/climate control removal tool.

Instead of buying tools to pop out radios or Climate Control Panels for vehicles like the W208, cut up an old credit card. Certain credit cards provide different rewards. Some are made of plastics that are stiffer than others. This home built tool can pop out the radio or climate control if necessary. When fixing the climate control buttons in this project, I used the following DIY removal tool to pop out the radio and climate control first. The radio was popped out to give me access to the back of the climate control module. In doing this, I found the climate control springs to be a lot stiffer than the springs in the radio.

Figure 15: DIY radio/climate control removal tool slotted in the climate control module.