i just bought a 1983 380 sel, great condition but the heater does not work and my panel lights are out if anyone can help it would be appreciated

 

I have an '86 190E and the instrument light dimmer control is also the reset button for the trip meter which is just like the **** to set the clock, I accidentally turned it during daylight hours and thought later on the instrument bulb went out (when in doubt, read the manual, if you still have it) MB was pretty sneaky with this feature.

 

Rotate the tripmeter ****, see if the dash illumination returns. Regarding the heater, by doesn't work, do you mean heat or fan not blowing?