W124 Ignition barrel replacement help (The hard way!)

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sideshowbob

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2011
Messages
37
Location
Surbiton, Surrey.
Car
mercedes benz w124 e200, mercedes benz R129 SL500
This is my car.......and i love her. Look at how happy she looks sat by the side of the road waiting to be driven. Look at how original she is, at the natural gloss of her beautiful paint work.

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And she's not just a pretty face. Despite her 18 years and 186k miles she is a hard worker. Who was there when i needed to move into a new workshop? She was. Who was there when that old mattress needed to be taken to its final resting place? She was.
But now she needs YOUR help. She is in danger, and we all have to save her.
Ok,so the ignition barrel is no longer working and despite days of fiddling, shaking and caressing i cannot turn the key to position number one.i know the other way is a long painful drawn out process that should be left to a professional, but i just cannot afford it. The last couple of months have been a financial nightmare with substantial repairs to both cars completely emptying the coffers. The money has run out and the bank is empty.
I cannot leave her sat outside the house the way she is, so if i cannot fix her myself she will have to go. I know an old mercedes that cannot be driven (and needs a new exhaust) will not fetch much money, and she is too lovely to scrap, so this is why i need your help.
I am not a mechanic. Im not even very mechanically minded, but i do have some common sense and a logical brain. I need as much help and advice as to how to replace the ignition barrel as possible. Step by step instructions, photos etc will all be tremendously welcome. Please help save my beloved!
 
There is a guide here… PeachPartsWiki: Ignition Lock Cylinder Replacement

Your problem is that you won’t be able to extract the ignition barrel until you succeed in turning the key to position 1.

Some people have succeeded… and others have failed… in turning the key by building up the surface of the key blade with nail varnish to compensate for wear inside the lock barrel… assuming that it is actually wear inside the lock barrel that’s preventing the key from turning, see post #5 here … C180 (94) ignition key won't turn - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums

Not a lot of effort is needed so worth a try.

Is your key brass or metal? (brass is not magnetic)

Dec
 
Hi
had the lock break on mine, took about an hour of 'jiggling' but it turned eventually! (only just got the car, no recovery available :doh: ) I found tapping the lock with something whilst jiggling the key back and forth as well as turning it worked.
Actually, think I had the same with the 230TE too, same procedure worked then too

nice looking car btw!

cheers
 
If you have an old , worn key - it might be worth a try ordering a new key from the dealer , just over £20.

A new barrel , last time I priced one three or four years back was £40 odd .

If you can run to it , order a new key and barrel from the dealer , with luck you might get the old barrel to turn with the new key , otherwise you have to destroy the old one ( drill out the tumblers ) to remove it before fitting the new one .

BTW , you're lucky : I need to replace the drivers door lock on my W126 at £120 for a new door handle with lock barrel in it ; at least that price also includes a new key .
 
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I have had to do this the hard way and although a little daunting, isnt really that hard to do assuming you have a dremel or similar.

First thing though, be sure no amount of wiggling will get the key to turn to position 1 as this is by far the easiest option.

All you need to do is look at the peach parts instructions and then with your dremel take appropriate action on the black surround that normally covers the pin holes that allows you to extract the ignition barrell.

The hardest part is finding/making the pins to insert into the holes.

My advice is to remove the trim surrounding the lock so as to be sure you wont damage it, then with the dremel cut the black shield off completely (they only cost around £10 or so to replace with new) Once done, things should be much clearer.

Meanwhile, take your log book and ID down to your local Mercedes dealer and order the correct replacement barrel for your car, ensuring that you still have a single key to operate all the locks.
 
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Just a thought... I'm down the road near kingston - if you need a hand with this, I should be able to help.
 
Thank you all so much for the response so far, it makes me feel very lucky to be part of such a wonderful forum.
Before i started this thread i had done alot of research on how to change the barrel. I was all prepared with homemade tools all ready to go....and then the key would not turn to position one. I have now spent a few days trying every single method known to man to get the key to turn. I have jiggled it. I have jiggled it whilst tapping it with a hammer. I have jigged it whilst tapping the barrel with a hammer. I have tried a pin hammer, a claw hammer, a club hammer, a sledge hammer, a blue hammer and a red hammer. I have adapted an old power drill motor into a vibrator and rested it against the key whilst jiggling it. I have vibrated it whilst jiggling it with a hammer. I have twisted it, turned it, rocked it, carressed it and sworn at it. Everytime i pop outside for anything i have another try incase it has changed its mind and decided to cooperate. But it wont cooperate.
I did call my local mercedes dealer to order a new matched barrel and key but they said i would have to bring the car to them as well as supplying all the usual documents. They did not seem to understand that i needed the barrel to get the car to them.
I think it is time to try it the hard way. Then i can hopefully start it with a screwdriver to get it over to mercedes to order the barrel.
Sp!ke- I think i will have to try your method. So basically i need to use a dremel to cut through the black metal shroud that covers the barrel. Whats the next stage after this? ps Thanks for your very kind offer of help. If i get very stuck i may take up the offer.
 
Sideshow

It may be time to check that you are indeed using the correct key ;^)

Do you per chance have a chaffeur (sic) key? I have one of those on my 124 and turns every lock including the ignition. Apologies if you have already tried this.

Failing this. Get Sp!ke involved. If nothing else four hands are better then two. Since his release he's been fine.
 
Hi

I changed my barrel today after 3 hours of messing about finally got it to work and was great hearing that engine start again :) Good luck on this one
 
Unfortunately i only have one key for the car. It doesnt look like it has been damaged and it opens all the other locks perfectly. Sp!kes offer is very generous and unfortunately for him i may well take him up on it.
Well done REI, im hoping i will have a similar result before too long.
 
Ok, after a lot more reading of the links people have posted ive decided i will give the nail varnish trick a try before resulting to violence and carnage. Im going to get a spare key cut first so that i can unlock the car with this without disturbing the nail varnish. I will keep the thread updated.
 
One person did say that the succeeded in turning the key with 2 coats of varnish after one coat failed to work.

Your W124 key blade differs from a W202 key blade but the same principle should apply, you might also consider 2 layers of varnish, see post #15 here… http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/engine/93734-pre-facelift-210-ignition-barrel.html

Spray WD40 or other into ignition key hole, when you put the varnished key into the lock, do it very slowly and turn it gently.

Dec
 
I did call my local mercedes dealer to order a new matched barrel and key but they said i would have to bring the car to them as well as supplying all the usual documents. They did not seem to understand that i needed the barrel to get the car to them.
I think it is time to try it the hard way. Then i can hopefully start it with a screwdriver to get it over to mercedes to order the barrel.

Sounds like you have a particularly unhelpful dealer .

The dealers here in Edinburgh and Glasgow do not insist on seeing the car , so it is not a directive from MB and must just be the policy of the individual dealer .

I would try phoning another dealer and see if you have better luck . I have heard of dealers who want to see the car sending someone out to check the car at the owners registered address at no cost to the owner .

MB Glasgow are happy with V5 , photocard licence matching name on V5 , and payment for the key .

You can get a temporary barrel for workshop use which has some kind of big , chunky key - some dealers lend these out .
 
The dealer doesnt need to see the car according to the directive from mercedes. They just need photo ID that matches the log book of the car.

Suggest you get the dealer to double check their process or go to another one.
 
Thanks all. The unhelpful dealer is the one in Epsom, Surrey. I have now had the car looked at by a Mercedes mechanic and it turns out the barrel has actually broken in half. This would explain why I cannot turn it, and why the nail varnish on the key will not work. The only key is now stuck in the ignition barrel after some forceful turning. I have had to remove the radio and all valuables because it cannot be locked. A friendly local specialist with a good relationship with Mercedes has offered to get me the barrel and key if I bring him the v5, driving license, and a utility bill. Progress will be updated soon.
 
Some progress. This is what my car looks like now after 20 minutes with the owner of my local mercedes specialist.
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Tony showed up pretty much out of the blue on his moped. I had told his son earlier in the week about the problem but that i wouldnt be calling on them (after i found out how much work was involved) because i didnt have the funds to pay for it. So i was pretty astonished when i got a phonecall from Tony saying he was on his way over "because he fancied taking the bike for a run".
I was then given the task of cutting the big metal locky bit away from the big metal electric pluggy bit, and told to bring it over to the workshop when i was done.

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This is the piece removed with a hacksaw. And below is a close up of my handiwork.

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What i need to know now is what is the name of the bit i have removed? Not the steering column thing, but the other chunk of metal that sits behind the ignition barrel? Im obviously going to need a new one and i have a feeling that the new part from a dealer will be extortionate, so i was planning on ringing round some breakers. But i have no idea what to ask for.
 
Ive just turned the house upside down and have absolutely no idea where the v5 is. Im guessing my only choice is to order an "emergency" barrel from the dealer, or perhaps get hold of a used one from a breakers.
 
I have ignition barrels + key with or without all the door, glove box, boot locks.

Can you PM yet?
 
What on earth is he doing?

Talk about overkill... a Merc specialist you say? I can tell from what he's dont that he hasnt a clue.

Why did he remove the steering column at all and why damage the base of the lock?

This handywork has greatly increased parts cost and increased labour time massively.
 

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