Ah, so it happened to you too. The headrest moves up just fine, but it won’t go down. This is a common problem on all W124 and W126 chassis Mercedes, and the same applies to the W201 cars which have power headrests. It’s really not that hard to repair. I did both sides in about 30 minutes. Here’s how:

1. TOOLS NEEDED: Philips screwdriver, blunt flat head screwdriver, two strong wire ties per headrest, also known as “Zip ties”.

2. Remove the seatback covers. This is NOT hard, but if done improperly can result in damage to the cover. First, remove the two screws located at the underside of the pocket. Because they’re upside down, you’ll turn the screw counterclockwise, duh.

3. Next starting from the lower left, (you’ll see why later) insert a flat blade screwdriver into the bottom edge of the cover. Pry up gently. You don’t want to use a screwdriver that has a sharp end because that risks tearing the upholstery.

4. Once you have about an inch or two of the upholstery free, use your finger to release the rest of it that’s pressed into the groove. You’ll find that it comes up pretty easily.

5. Pull the cover down gently to release it from the top of the seatback. The cover will still be attached or “hinged” to the right hand side, but that’s OK.

6. The headrest poles slide into two black rails. On the left rail (see why I told you to start at the left hand side?) is the slider mechanism that moves the headrest up and down. What happened is that the top of the slider has a holding clip which clamps onto the beveled end of the headrest pole. Breakage is caused by someone forcing the headrests up and down.

7. While the headrest is IN THE SEAT, tie a wire tie onto the beveled end. Make it tight enough so it won’t come off the end, but loose enough so that you can slip another wire tie through the loop.

8. Now, wrap the other wire tie around the top of the headrest slider, and through the loop on the beveled end. Trim off the excess ends of the ties.

9. Please note that now your headrests can’t be pulled out from the seat using the release button. They’re stuck in there until you cut the wire tie off. If that bothers you, you can replace the slider unit itself. Chances are it will break again eventually.

11. It should be pretty easy to put the seatback cover back on. Start at the top, and then press the lateral edges into the lip. And of course, it might be a good idea to test operation of the headrest BEFORE putting the cover back on!

Aaron Lam