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500E What is this thing under the shift knob?
- Thread starter vo11ce
- Start date
Yes, the shifter housing represents yet another originally 129 specific part adapted to make the E500E. There was a short pass around the part & show and tell discussion of the additional shifter position illumination fiber optic during 129 technician introduction training.
This is also found on the mid-1990s W463 G-wagens.
To support what Glen posted - that mini wedge bulb sitting in the mid console gives light to the fiber optic cable which illuminates the position indicator in the shift gate. I assume the reason for not having a bulb sitting on the shift lever, is that the lever can be moved back & forth pretty hard, and a bulb wouldn't survive that in the long term. What a delicate piece of engineering back from the early/mid '80s, which we might not see today.
Today you just slap some LED panels, the more the better, and that’s that.To support what Glen posted - that mini wedge bulb sitting in the mid console gives light to the fiber optic cable which illuminates the position indicator in the shift gate. I assume the reason for not having a bulb sitting on the shift lever, is that the lever can be moved back & forth pretty hard, and a bulb wouldn't survive that in the long term. What a delicate piece of engineering back from the early/mid '80s, which we might not see today.
View attachment 184095
Even my 10 yo son thought the interior lighting in a rental Mercedes I had (don’t know what model, there are a literal million models in the range, there were letters on the tunk that meant nothing to me) was over the top. And his entire room is LEDs everywhere, walls, desk, computer.
But that car, too much. 
