As does EVERYONE'S. If someone wants to engineer a pushbutton start for the car, go ahead. But I don't see much of a market for it.

On the other hand, I cant' explain the market for this:

So what the hell do I know?

 

As I have said before - I bought the steering lock assy in August of 2009 and I still have it in the box. I took the spring and pin out pf the old assy and used it. I have had no problems with it in three years and my steering still locks. No one needs to buy the steering lock assy or add a start button they need to remove the spring and pin - end of story. Maybe the person who put the spring and pin in should be taken out...

 

I now have the sleeve with the keylock out of the car. That was the most frustrating removal of a part I have ever done. I will now try to fix it temporarily until the new sleeve arrives.

Also, the steering lock is VERY important. If you ever have you car towed, even by accident, and the company tows your car from the rear you can expect to have much damage to contend with.

Not to mention it is actually against federal law to disable the steering wheel lockout. Dad worked for GM all his life. It is considered one of the car safety features required by federal regulation, like the air bags.

But I still just want a replacement. If it breaks, I don't want to rig it to work.

P.S. I am assuming that dam pin does not need to be replaced. That thing makes me want to punch puppies.

 

Get a Crossfire towed by anything other than a Flatbed Hauler and there would be lots of damage.

 

Ok, I went ahead and rigged the unit I have. Pulled off the plate, watched the spring fly across the room. Turned the unit over and let the pin drop out. Put the key in and.....

It works perfectly. Just one question.....

WHY DOES THE DAM STEERING WHEEL LOCK SYSTEM STILL WORK!!!!!

I thought that taking that out would kill the steering wheel lock. If it does not, then what in the hell is it in there for to begin with? Did they add it just to **** ME OFF!

Anyway, if someone knows, let me know. I am assuming that the steering wheel will still lock with this mod. If so, then thanks everyone for telling me about it.

Oh, and PS. Will I have to replace that pin I drilled out on the steering wheel collar, or will the clamp be enough to hold everything together?

 

You do not have to replace the pin that was drilled. The collar/clamp will hold it fine. I did it 4 years ago and it's still great.

I didn't investigate as to what that spring/pin is for, but I know it works just fine without it.

 

Okay so I was pretty lucky. After a few weeks of dealing with a sticky ignition...nursing and willing the key to turn, Red Oktober stranded me in my driveway. I was lucky because I have been driving down to Austin for work a couple of times a month. And yesterday the wife and I were going to take the XF to the Ranger game. Put the key in, but no go. Pretty lucky it happened in the driveway and not in some parking lot in the middle of the night alright.

I spent a couple of hours today sweating my butt off but I was able to complete the repair and it worked like charm. The procedures were spot on! Thanks so much for the post!

Only thing I would is to use a magnetized screw driver.

Thanks again!
Lujack

 

I've been reading this thread because I am experiencing the beginnings of a sticky ignation. For the past couple of months I have found that when I am shutting off the key.... if I turn the steering wheel slighty to either side......the key does not get locked up when I subsequently go to start the car. By slightly cocking the wheel away from the centered locking position it has seemed to improve consideably this issue. Has anyone else observered this solution?

At some future point it sounds like the problem will develop into a full lock up. For this reason I would like to have the cylinder modification performed on mine. I don't want to take on the job myself, but was hoping there was someone near me who has already performed the fix, that would like to earn a few bucks doing mine ? I live in Palm Desert, Ca (150 miles east of Los Angeles) and would be willing to drive the car to someone in this general part of the state. If anyone is interested please sent me a PM.

Many thanks to all the contributors of this site. It is a pleasure to visit and outragiously informative.

 

Something you could try: Print out the tutorial and take it to any small, independent shop you trust. Anyone with mechanical ability can handle this.
And it need not be a "we work on Mercedes " shop, either. This is a simple mechanical failure.

I'd say to expect up to two hours of labor - at the most, maybe $200, way cheaper than the $1200 I've heard some have paid a dealer.

 

Finally, mine is fixed. Nuff said. But thanks all for the info. Keep up the good work here in the forums.

 

Ok, I think I found out what the defective pin and spring is for. And why you can safely remove them.

After looking at some diagrams of the steering wheel locking system, it looks like the pin and spring act like a latch release, or a small stop system designed to allow the driver to "feel" the positions of the key when turning. It acts like a little pressure system so when you reach position 1 and 2 on the key you feel a slight pressure to let you know you are there, and it keeps the key from easily slipping out of that position once set. You can still feel the positions without this pin assembly, you just have a little less tactile feedback.

 

Hey guys, I'm in desperate need of some help with my sticky keys problem. I have followed the instructions to get the panel and then ignition lock cylinder exposed but cannot seem to get the part off. I tried drilling off the locking pin since ignition won't turn to position 1 but it's extremely tough! Spent over 1 hour of constant drilling and it looks like it didn't hardly do anything. Locking pin is extremely hard or something! I tried using a titanium drill bit and it was pathetic. I am limited to a cordless drill with 5400 RPM but it seems like there should be some way to get this off right? Did you use a special drill bit or something that I'm missing or can you offer any suggestions? Anything could help. Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

 

I had the same problem with drilling out the pin I even bought cobalt drill bits but nothing but scratched the pin. What I did was ordered a new ignition through the Mecedes dealer and took a sawz-all and cut mine out in 3 pieces. I would recommend covering everything with towels for an easier clean up. Just take your time as to not cut anything but the ignition. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind. Any other ideas out there?

 

I just used a regular old bit that is for metal. You just have to push a lot harder when drilling.

 

Make sure the pin isn't spinning with the drill, this was part if the problem I had trying to drill the pin out. It's a delicate balance between pressure and angle to get it to eat the metal. In the end I ended up towing it home and using a dremel with an engraving style tip to shave layers off of it until it was ate up enough to allow me to twist the ignition out. If you have enough room you can wedge something againt the pin to stop it from spinning. It's a maddening process but you don't have to take that much off to get it loose. I took too much off the pin because I was twisting the ignition the wrong way as well, it only takes a little to clear the housing. Could have saved myself a lot of dremel time if I had tried twisting both directions.

 

Awesome directions. a great job documenting this job. I first tried graphite lube down the key hole. This made the key work much better for 4-5 weeks. I was preparing to submit this solution last Saturday but got sidetracked. Then Monday my wife was accross town and it stuck completely. No amount of jiggling would get the key to turn. Had it towed home
I did it in two hours including fighting with drilling the push pin out. Yep, it spun with the drill and hardly seemed to penetrate. Went to using a Dremel with a rounded cone shapped stone. This made much faster progress than the drill. I never took the tumblers out at all. Once I popped the cover off and the spring flew accross the workbench, I removed the pin and reinstalled the assembly. The clamp is all that holds the ingition steady anyway, so the pin just prevents it from falling out if the clamp gets loose.

We are real happy with this. No new parts, the sping pin is out and the sterring wheel still locks. GREAT STUFF!!

The pdf in Common solutions is where I got the instructions.

I already fixed the ECM solder problem, next I need to fix the drivers seat heater.

 

Decided to do this as PM on the NA today. I never experienced a problem with the ignition key switch sticking and now I never will! Great instructions....thanks Rekcah!!!

 

Your Welcome. Good Decision on getting it done before it starts.

 

I rarely take time to contribute on forums but have been so impressed with this site....... I had to do so. I continue to be amazed at the thoughtful foresite many of you had in sharing your time and experience! The step by step tutorial, photo diagrams, and utube video demonstrations made this fix a breeze! I don't even know who to thank...... but this site provided me with the confidence to try something I would have never attempted in a million years! If anyone is second guessing this fix..... YOU CAN DO THIS YOURSELF! The only thing I found even a little bit tricky is locating the pin and proper angle to grind the pin at. (It's hidden under the steering column cover on the right side. Once located I ground it down with a Dremel tool and the unit poped right out. Total time start to finish was about 1:35 . Again, Thanks to those who created this thread. Dealership wanted nearly $2000.00 to repair.