Fixing (not replacing) the window switch, drivers side NCV3 2014

jel

New member
My first write up - go easy on me :)

I have a 2014 Sprinter which had an issue in the driver's side electric window control that was malfunctioning.

Various online resources mentioned the checking of fuses and the wiring between the door and the van's main body (as this area is prone to wires breaking). But. in this case, the driver's side switch first stopped operating the passenger window and then its own window. So the issue was most likely with the switch itself. I am sharing this in the hope that it might save others from the unnecessary work of searching through fuses or checking wiring elsewhere.

A new switch form Mercedes was priced at $357 Canadian – gulp, c’mon Mercedes! I have seen folks say they have bought other brand versions for $25 US via Amazon – but I wondered about the quality and thought I would take a run at disassembling and fixing the switch. This turned out to be quite simple.

I could not see information online about how fix this particular window switch, so hopefully the following will help someone with the same issue.

Further below, I will describe the switch removal process, but suffice here to say that it has to come out from behind the door trim / door card. The trim/card needs to be undone from the door at least at the top so that it can be pulled away. (I took the whole door card/trim off but I think I could have managed with just pulling the top away from the door).


So...starting with the switch already out and over a bench/table so that bits aren’t lost (there are loose pieces inside).

Remove the 4 Torx screws (mine had one under a label and it had me fooled for a few minutes).
PXL_20250704_230200294.jpg

Note there is a screw under that label!


With the switch _upside down_ pull out the back of the switch. Watch for bits – you are doing this with the switch upside down so as not to have pieces fall out! There is a tiny metal rod with a spring that goes between the “joystick” type button for the mirrors and the printed circuit board (PCB) – mine remained stuck to the PCB with grease....but it is loose, pick it up and put it somewhere safe. Also, when putting the switch down, rest it on something so that it is at 45degrees or so – if you rest it on the switches themselves, they seem to push the plastic bits inside out of place...and then you would need to work out how to out them back :)

The rocker for selecting which mirror has a loose plastic piece – note how it seats, before it falls out and moves.

Inside of top of window switch.
Inside of the top of the window/mirrors switch - with all the little loose plastic bits you don't want to have fall out!

On the PCB you will see a silicone cover with a bunch of circular “buttons”. Lift this cover gently to reveal the PCB below. Clean the contacts on the PCB with switch cleaner or some other electrical cleaner – rubbing alcohol might work. Then, in the little circular buttons there are small black carbon? discs. Leave them in place but spray switch cleaner on then and gently rub with something (I have some small plastic applicators with tiny q-tip like fuzzy tips but a q-tip with switch cleaner would probably fit/work). I went over mine a couple of times.

PCB inside window switch

Note the small metal rod and spring at the top for the window "joystick" button - it is only held there by the grease - grab it and put it somewhere safe! Lift up the silicone pad and clean the PCB terminals underneath it and the black "carbon" buttons inside each "button". Place the silicone back down, there are small key pieces that have to pushed in. See main text.

My silicone cover seemed to develop a curl to it (perhaps it didn’t like the switch cleaner but it looked ok), so when I placed it back down on the PCB I had to ensure the little key pieces fitted in properly and then hold it there until it seemed to be happy to sit flat.

Then I put the small metal rod and spring back on the PCB side of the mirrors “joystick” button (it goes into the hole with the spring end first) – the grease seems to hold it there well enough for reassembly.

I then slid the back of the switch unit (PCB etc) back into the top of the switch after checking that the little plastic bits in the top of the switch seemed to be sitting correctly.

The four Torx screws where reinserted.

Before remounting the switch in the door trim/card I reconnected the 3 connectors and tested it – all was good!


Removing (or loosening the top of) the door card/trim to get to the window switch.​

To access the switch, the inner door trim, known as the door card, needs to be removed or at least unscrewed and un-clipped at the top to allow it to pulled out to get at the window switch which is only removable from behind.

The door trim/card is held by six Torx screws (4 are T20 and two are T30). You will need to undo at least the top four. I removed the whole door trim/card which saved me having to try to work in the limited space behind it to get the switch out – so I removed all 6 screws. There is a great video of how to take the door trim/card off remove the switch, here
(the screws behind the door closing handle trim on my van are T30 – that video says T25). The video also show how to easily disconnect the cable from the door opening handle.

Two of the screws are behind the small circular covers at the top front and top back. The covers pry out but are tight – I had to use a sharp pointed tool to push in to get behind them. The other two are behind the door close handle trim. This just clips off and should be started using a plastic pry tool on the inside of the “ring” that surround the door opener handle. Work gently along it to the back, the back bit has two plastic hooks that are lifted out last. Once it is off you will find the screws quite deeply recessed in it.


With those four Torx screws out, remove the small cover around the door locking stud – this just pulls out but you will need a plastic pry tool or similar.

The door trim/card can now be pulled/eased away from the door at the top. It is clipped in with green stud type clips – some of mine popped out of the door correctly, some popped out of the door trim and so I had to put them back into the trim before reassembly. Or – remove the whole door card/trim for easier access – see above.

The window switch is held in with just the white clip on the front end. Just pry the clip up a small amount from the switch and the clip then pulls out away from the door trim. The back end of the switch then just comes out forwards. Disconnect the 3 wiring connectors.

PXL_20250704_213320692.-annot.jpg

Reassembly is just the reverse of the above other than ensuring all the door trim/card clips are in place in the trim and get carefully lined up with the holes in the door as the trim is re-aligned before firmly clipping it back in.
 
Last edited:

Lagom

Panic in Detroit
My first write up - go easy on me :)

I have a 2014 Sprinter which had an issue in the driver's side electric window control that was malfunctioning.

Various online resources mentioned the checking of fuses and the wiring between the door and the van's main body (as this area is prone to wires breaking). But. in this case, the driver's side switch first stopped working the passenger window and then its own window. So the issue was most likely with the switch itself. I am sharing this in the hope that it might save others from the unnecessary work of searching through fuses or checking wiring elsewhere.

A new switch form Mercedes was priced at $357 Canadian – gulp, c’mon Mercedes! I have seen folks say they have bought other brand versions for $25 US via Amazon – but I wondered about the quality and thought I would take a run at disassembling and fixing the switch. This turned out to be quite simple.


I could not see information online about how fix this particular window switch so hopefully the following will help someone with the same issue. It was relatively easy to do.

Further below I will describe the switch removal process but suffice here to say that it has to come out from behind ie. the door trim / door card needs to be undone from the door at least at the top so that it can be pulled away. (I took the whole door card/trim off but I think I could have managed with just pulling the top away from the door).



So...starting with the switch out and over a bench/table so that bits aren’t lost (there are loose pieces inside.

Remove the 4 Torx screws (mine had one under a label and it had me fooled for a few minutes).
View attachment 372956

Note there is a screw under that label!


With the switch _upside down_ pull out the back of the switch. Watch for bits – you are doing this with the switch upside down so as not to have pieces fall out! There is a tiny metal rod with a spring that goes between the “joystick” type button for the mirrors and the printed circuit board (PCB) – mine remained stuck to the PCB with grease....but it is loose, pick it up and put it somewhere safe. Also, when putting the switch down, rest it on something so that it is at 45degrees or so – if you rest it on the switches themselves, they seem to push the plastic bits inside out of place...and then you would need to work out how to out them back :)

The rocker for selecting which mirror has a loose plastic piece – note how it seats, before it falls out and moves.

View attachment 372951
Inside of the top of the window/mirrors switch - with all the little loose plastic bits you don't want to have fall out!

On the PCB you will see a silicone cover with a bunch of circular “buttons”. Lift this cover gently to reveal the PCB below. Clean the contacts on the PCB with switch cleaner or some other electrical cleaner – rubbing alcohol might work. Then. in the little circular buttons there are small black ?carbon discs. Leave them in place but spray switch clean on then and gently rub with something (I have some small plastic applicators with tiny q-tip like fuzzy tips but a q-tip with switch cleaner would probably fit/work). I went over mine a couple of times.

View attachment 372954

Note the small metal rod and spring at the top for the window "joystick" button - it is only held there by the grease - grab it and put it somewhere safe! Lift up the silicone pad and clean the PCB terminals underneath it and the black "carbon" buttons inside each "button". Place the silicone back down, there are small key pieces that have to pushed in. See main text.

My silicone cover seemed to develop a curve to it (perhaps it didn’t like the switch cleaner but it looked ok), so when I placed it back down on the PCB I had to ensure the little key pieces fitted in properly and then hold it there until it seemed to be happy to sit flat.

Then I put the small metal rod and spring back on the PCB side of the mirrors “joystick” button (it goes into the hole with the spring end first) – the grease seems to hold it there well enough for reassembly.

I then slid the back of the switch unit (PCB etc) back into the top of the switch after checking that the little plastic bits in the top of the switch seemed to be sitting correctly.

The 4x Torx screws where reinserted.

Before remounting the switch in the door trim/card I reconnected the 3 connectors and tested it – all was good!


Removing (or loosening the top of) the door card/trim to get to the window switch.​

To access the switch, the inner door trim, known as the door card, needs to be removed or at least unscrewed and unclipped at the top to allow it to pulled out to get at the window switch which is only removable from behind.

The door trim/card is held by six Torx screws (4 are T20 and two are T30. You will need to undo at least the top four. I removed the whole door trim/card which save me having to try to work in the limited space behind it to get the switch out – so I removed all 6 screws. There is a great video of how to take the door trim/card off remove the switch, here
(the screws behind the door closing handle trim on my van are T30 – that video says T25).

Two of the screws are behind the small circular covers at the top front and top back. The covers pry out but are tight – I had to use a sharp pointed tool to push in to get behind them. The other two are behind the door close handle trim. This just clips off and should be started using a plastic pry tool on the inside of the “ring” that surround the door opener handle. Work gently along it to the back, the back bit has two plastic hooks that are lifted out last. Once it is off you will find the screws quite deeply recessed in it.


With those 4 Torx screws out, remove the small cover around the door locking stud – this just pulls out but you will need a plastic pry tool or similar.

The door trim/card can now be pulled/eased away from the door at the top. It is clipped in with green stud type clips – some of mine popped out of the door correctly, some popped out of the door trim and so I had to put them back into the trim before reassembly. Or – remove the whole door card/trim for easier access – see above.

The window switch is held in with just the white clip on the front end. Just pry the clip up a small amount from the switch and the clip then pulls out away from the door trim. The back end of the switch then just comes out forwards. Disconnect the 3 wiring connectors.

Reassembly is just the reverse of the above other than ensuring all the door trim/card clips are in place in the trim and get carefully lined up with the holes in the door as the trim is re-aligned before firmly clipping it back in.
Makes me glad I bought the $25 one a couple of years ago. Still working just fine.
 

bigb

2011 Winnebago Via 25Q on 2010 3500 Tucson, AZ
Nice job, it reminds me of the older Mercedes cars where many parts were fixable and the FSM had diagrams and wire colors for all the switches. If I recall, the window switches on my 124 even had colored dots on them to match the wire colors for re-assembly.
 
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jel

New member
Makes me glad I bought the $25 one a couple of years ago. Still working just fine.
ah but the fun (and perhaps for me, the addiction!) is in the fixing :) ...and most of the work was in getting the switch out and back in. The work on the switch itself was about 20 minutes :)

...and you paid $25 USD?? ...they are currently just $25 CAD on amazon.ca ;-)
 

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