Hello, all. First post!

I am about to buy my cousins '05 C230 and there are a few things right off the bat I am going to want to do to freshen up the interior look of the car. The very first thing I noticed was how the driver's door armrest has a worn/cracked spot where his elbow has rested for the last 11 years. I have a couple of BMW X5s (2002 and a 2004) and the door panel arm rests are not removable. From the bit of research I have done for the '05 C230, it appears the door panel arm rests are the same as my X5s in that the arm rest are secured to the door panel with the plastic weld method... which really sucks. So in order to remove the arm rest from the door panel, you have to grind off the plastic welded chips. I have not seen anywhere to purchase just the arm rest so I'm thinking my best option is to find a used door panel with a serviceable arm rest and buy it, swap the arm rests (unless the door panel I get is in better condition), and then plastic weld (or JB Weld) the arm rest back to the door panel. Sooooo my question is if this is my ONLY option, short of spending $700 on a new door panel? If so... dang it.

I'm also having trouble locating a replacement MB OEM shift **** which is the one with the silver ring around the top. MB wants $280 for one new but I'd rather find something aftermarket with the MB logo if available.

I also plan to replace the cup holder (chrome chipped off), the shift cover plate (broken and isn't secure in the console), and replace the standard head unit with an Android GPS unit.

If anyone has experience with anything I've described above, I'd REALLY appreciate it before I jump on any of these projects in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks!!

 

Welcome to the forum Joe - there is a ton of excellent info in the threads, with some quite knowledgeable members here! I've attached a DIY article that I think you'll find helpful in addressing the door panel repairs. It'll show you an easy step-by-step guide to removing the panel, as to not break anything else. If you have any questions, post a Comment just below the article and someone will get back to you with more detailed info. If you have any questions about parts, give our MBZ parts specialist a call at 888-280-7799 and they'll be happy to assist you. I hope this helps you and best of luck!


Removing Your Front Door Panels DIY Tech Article


-Dmitry