I just bought an older mercedes and she has a few problems i’m looking at fixing/getting fixed and one of them is that the cruise control lever does nothing at all when pressed. Any ideas on where i should start?
There are several choices. First, the dealer could probably fix it for about $1500 or so. If that’s too steep, search out an independent mechanic who knows Mercedes cars and works on foreign vehicles. He will no doubt be able to pinpoint the problem and perhaps find a source of used parts. Even this will not be cheap.
Your best choice of course is to ignore the cruise, and just fix those things necessary to keep the car performing well from day to day. After all, if it was a 1956 300SL Gullwing it would have neither cruise nor air conditioning.
I assume you bought this as an (expensive) hobby car, not a daily driver.
the cheapest route would be an aftermarket cruise control but it hardly seem appropriate for this car.
Have you checked the fuses?
You’re going to have to get acquainted with a mechanic, preferrably an independent, who specializes in Mercedes Benz automobiles if you plan to keep this car. And be prepared to occasionally write a few large checks.
I suggest you also obtain a service manual for the car, which will help you if you want to do an of the work yourself. There’s nothing like a good service manual to help with diagnostics and repair.
Fuse is an excellent place to start.
Also,these models had the infamous degrading wiring harness that causes all sorts of electrical gremlins. If the harness hasn’t been upgraded that’s the second place I’d look.