Hi group, I am in Melb Australia. I have a 1984 190e . The previous owner changed the ignition barrel , don't know why. I have lost the only damn key I had to the ignition, so I don't think going to
MB with chasis number will help me much. I hear the barrels are hard to
replace . Can anyone tell me how I can get the barrel out. I was thinking on trying to drill the ignition out, bit the racv guy that got
into the car for me tells me they are almost impossible to drill out. Any feed back appreciated.
Too close to defeating instructions. What I can tell you is that this is a standard job for a locksmithing professional, so if you hire someone they should have no trouble solving this for you and it shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.
Just be glad it isn't equipped with a transponder. That'd shoot the cost up further.
BY the few Mercedes that i have seen, the person might be correct.. the BEST CHEAPEST way is phone book, find out who does Mercedes work in your area, and get a price estimate.. I have seen the requirements on some cars and it is a considerable amount of time..
Also consider calling Mercedes, getting a new lock to match your car.. --Shiva--
OK here is the skinny on your Mercedes. There are two possibilities. The first is that when the ignition cylinder was changed the high security cylinder was changed and a locksmith can fit a key to the lock.
If however the lock was replaced with another high security cylinder that is keyed differently than your car was when it left the factory then you are in deep trouble. Mercedes is one of the most difficult cars built to deal with this problem.
I recommend calling your local locksmiths. If your lucky you will find one that can deal with your problem. The dealer can do it, but in US dollars as of about 2 years ago this was about an $800.00 problem not including towing fees.
One thing you will have to do in either case is to order a new ignition cylinder and bezel from the dealer. Do this right away as to get one that will match the rest of your car. They will need several days to get one that matches.
These are the "sidewinder" type of key. These cylinders had a bad habit of wearing out very suddenly with little advance notice.
The previous lock probably wore out, and the cheapest option was to replace the lock with one keyed differently. MB sometimes would want to order in a lock from Germany, which would mean a few day wait to get your vehicle back on the road. The only other option was to put in a temporary cylinder (but rarely did the owner care it was keyed different anyway.)
MB may have the number if they were the ones that replaced the lock. If it was a locksmith or repair shop, then probably not.
Don't bother drilling the ignition. It's got a face that is designed to break with force, and it's a hardened steel face. You'll get nowhere.
There is also a hardened steel bezel around the lock.
These locks are one of the best I've seen around to deter a forcible attack.
An automotive locksmith who knows what they are doing can do this. I've done a few. It involves working with power tools in a tight spot, and the chance of damaging the dash board is pretty high. (I've slipped a few times and scarred a dash or two.)
You'll have to replace more than just the ignition lock. That's all I can say about the way these locks are done.
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