Mercedes 123 steering lock removal

My 123 had the steering lock triggered by someone during service. It left the car unable to start or be turned! I had it towed home, and the mechanic helped get it off. If you have the key, you can turn to ignition one, put a metal pin in the slot and remove the barrel. After changing the barrel you should be back in business. If not, like me your key is worn, and there are only a few nasty options. One is to drill out the small 3mm slot from under the dash that prevents you sliding out the mechanism from the steering column. This sounds unpleasant from all reports. The other option is shown here, where you have to sacrifice your lock and break it. Do this at your own risk, I had a spare lock unit to replace mine which had to be broken. It worked well for me. Finally I could turn the wheels, start the car, and put in a new mechanism!