Late 107 and 123, 126, 201, 124 Chassis Ignition Switch Only

The primary electrical ignition switch on these Mercedes is located on the back side of the ignition key and steering lock assembly. Access is through the instrument cluster hole in the dash board. If you are not familiar with removal of your cluster please order my Instrument Cluster Removal and Component Replacement Guide available separately. No instructions for removal of the cluster are included in this kit.

A bad switch can exhibit the following symptoms: Intermittent starter motor contact (first check your starter motor and neutral safety switch at the transmission before replacing this switch) and/or intermittent operation of high amperage electrical components such as your heater blower motor,etc (first check heater motor operation and fuses before assuming it is your switch).

NOTE TO DIESEL OWNERS: It is very common to see black oil in and around this switch. This occurs when you have a leaking shut-off valve and engine oil is sucked up into the ignition switch. If you see this on your car I recommend you replace the switch BEFORE it fails on you. Since it is such an inexpensive part it is worth the preventative measures to replace it.

If your key is sticking or getting increasingly more difficult to turn, this is not usually due to failure of the electrical switch. It is more likely you have a worn key tumbler assembly and / or steering lock pin. Use our Solutions Finder and search box to view our listing of these other parts and kits.

Here is a picture inside a bad switch. Note the melted plastic due to arcing caused by bad contacts.

IMPORTANT!   IMPORTANT!   IMPORTANT!

The new switch you receive may not look exactly like the one you remove from your car. Do not be alarmed. The new switch will work perfectly. There was a design change to make the new swtich easier to remove and install. Look at the comparsion below.  On the right you see the factory O.E. switch. Note the extra tabs on the center pin. That was to prevent removal of the ignition switch unless the key was turned on. Proved to be an overkill as even if you could pull the switch off you still can't get the steering unlocked without a key. The new replacement switch as viewed on the left does not have this tab making is much easier to remove and reinstall!!!