Best smoker barges 1-5 large [vol8]

[0a]

Stegel said:

The 8 hole wheels were a £189 option. AMG 18" split rim, the only other wheel option, was £4,885 at the time my car was built.

I'd pay the £189! I didn't mean to insult your SL... but you did say you were looking at changing the wheels!

[r129sl]

0a said:

Stegel said:

An opportune moment to crave the thread's indulgence:

I've tried, but I really can't warm to the 12 spoke Monkar original wheels on my SL, and it is going to need new tyres soon, so..... I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with 8 hole wheels, but part of me feels (and apologies to those who roll on them) while the small wheels (15s) suit a 124, the 16" wheels do look somewhat under-nourished in the rather commodious wheel arches. I'd like 17" Evo II wheels, as seen on many E500s, but they're not OE, which bothers the geek in me, so 18" AMGs beckon - can any threadists with SLs on 18" wheels advise - will they destroy the ride, or is the suspension compliant enough to cope? Thanks in anticipation.

Are these the wheels you have (after a google search!). They look like the later C class 180 hub caps to me. Horrible - why did Merc make these the standard wheels on the SL and S?

17" Evo II wheels, also called Cegnius, were available OE on the 129. They feature in the brochure for post-1998 models and they were standard fit on the 1997 40th anniversary cars.

[W00DY]

r129sl said:

0a said:

Stegel said:

An opportune moment to crave the thread's indulgence:

I've tried, but I really can't warm to the 12 spoke Monkar original wheels on my SL, and it is going to need new tyres soon, so..... I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with 8 hole wheels, but part of me feels (and apologies to those who roll on them) while the small wheels (15s) suit a 124, the 16" wheels do look somewhat under-nourished in the rather commodious wheel arches. I'd like 17" Evo II wheels, as seen on many E500s, but they're not OE, which bothers the geek in me, so 18" AMGs beckon - can any threadists with SLs on 18" wheels advise - will they destroy the ride, or is the suspension compliant enough to cope? Thanks in anticipation.

Are these the wheels you have (after a google search!). They look like the later C class 180 hub caps to me. Horrible - why did Merc make these the standard wheels on the SL and S?

17" Evo II wheels, also called Cegnius, were available OE on the 129. They feature in the brochure for post-1998 models and they were standard fit on the 1997 40th anniversary cars.

And they look ace on the later cars.

[Stegel]

harrykul said:

What about the Sador?

They look great - but call me daft, they came out with the second facelift, and I have a thing about originality - I'll get my coat.

0a's photograph of his car makes the point about 8 holes looking "right" - there was a set on eBay 25 miles away, perhaps.......

[Stegel]

0a said:

I'd pay the £189! I didn't mean to insult your SL... but you did say you were looking at changing the wheels!

Don't worry, I totally agree!

[0a]

Stegel said:

They look great - but call me daft, they came out with the second facelift, and I have a thing about originality - I'll get my coat.

0a's photograph of his car makes the point about 8 holes looking "right" - there was a set on eBay 25 miles away, perhaps.......

I like the wheels on my car, but I suspect it might have been supplied on the 15 holes - hence why the spare is a 15 hole: the original owner wanted to upgrade to a slightly later look and wasn't bothered by the spare.

It was supplied new to Hong Kong and the history seems to focus on requests for Valet cleaning and polishing at that time!

Thread SL nerds might be interested that one of the owners traded a R107 500SL for £5k against the £12k asking price of A2 VPE just a few years back...

More than reversed now!

[Stegel]

W00DY said:

r129sl said:

0a said:

Stegel said:

An opportune moment to crave the thread's indulgence:

I've tried, but I really can't warm to the 12 spoke Monkar original wheels on my SL, and it is going to need new tyres soon, so..... I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with 8 hole wheels, but part of me feels (and apologies to those who roll on them) while the small wheels (15s) suit a 124, the 16" wheels do look somewhat under-nourished in the rather commodious wheel arches. I'd like 17" Evo II wheels, as seen on many E500s, but they're not OE, which bothers the geek in me, so 18" AMGs beckon - can any threadists with SLs on 18" wheels advise - will they destroy the ride, or is the suspension compliant enough to cope? Thanks in anticipation.

Are these the wheels you have (after a google search!). They look like the later C class 180 hub caps to me. Horrible - why did Merc make these the standard wheels on the SL and S?

17" Evo II wheels, also called Cegnius, were available OE on the 129. They feature in the brochure for post-1998 models and they were standard fit on the 1997 40th anniversary cars.

And they look ace on the later cars.

And I can get a brand new set from MB for less than a refurbed secondhand set of AMG split rims. And the tyres are cheaper. And 17"s are less likely to affect the ride. And sometimes, first thoughts (as in when I first saw the car) are the ones to run with.

[Minemapper]

Stegel said:

Minemapper said:

Since this seems to be the densest gathering of MB facial hair on t'interwebs.

Been looking at S211's for a while now, and have narrowed it down to an 05/06 edition of the 280 or 320 CDI flavour. Found this one at the top of thread budget with 150k on the clock. Seems to be in good nick with reported FMBSH. What should I be looking for in terms of preventative maintenance done, or wear and tear items due around this age/miles? Problem is that I'm 180 miles away from it. I have someone that can probably go and look at it for me, but he doesn't know MB's, so what questions should he ask?

It's post full-facelift so should be free of the problems that afflict early cars. Check the MB history includes gearbox ATF fluid change at 3rd service (and ideally every 15k miles thereafter, although not MB recommendation). It will, or will have, destroyed the inlet-port shutdown motor that sits atop the engine, even if the oil seal in the inlet is changed for the revised design, which is a £600 fix at the dealers - see if the history shows this having been done, but our two V6 diesels went at 80k and 65k miles, so it will probably be due another before long! They don't like pottering, which leads to the turbo clogging up, but turbo cleaner and a good cross country trip sorts that. Glow plugs go now and again, but I'm beginning to think they should be regarded as consumables.

The gearbox should be smooth with almost imperceptible changes, although 1-2 change can be lumpy on some, and there are tales of this indicating impending failure, but I've no experience of that (touching wood). They eat front suspension ball joints, and check it raises itself level at the rear on start up.

They don't rust - it may be the photographs, but the near side looks to have had paint and the door gaps could vary, so check for accident damage and poor repairs.

They are well screwed together, without rattles, squeaks etc and they don't show wear if not mistreated - our 83k mile estate is unmarked inside. The most annoying fault is the driver's side mirror no longer adjusts due to the folding action of the mirrors, but I'm hoping a soldering iron and an hour will sort that.

Spot on. Thank you, sir.

[Krikkit]

Stegel said:

W00DY said:

r129sl said:

0a said:

Stegel said:

An opportune moment to crave the thread's indulgence:

I've tried, but I really can't warm to the 12 spoke Monkar original wheels on my SL, and it is going to need new tyres soon, so..... I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with 8 hole wheels, but part of me feels (and apologies to those who roll on them) while the small wheels (15s) suit a 124, the 16" wheels do look somewhat under-nourished in the rather commodious wheel arches. I'd like 17" Evo II wheels, as seen on many E500s, but they're not OE, which bothers the geek in me, so 18" AMGs beckon - can any threadists with SLs on 18" wheels advise - will they destroy the ride, or is the suspension compliant enough to cope? Thanks in anticipation.

Are these the wheels you have (after a google search!). They look like the later C class 180 hub caps to me. Horrible - why did Merc make these the standard wheels on the SL and S?

17" Evo II wheels, also called Cegnius, were available OE on the 129. They feature in the brochure for post-1998 models and they were standard fit on the 1997 40th anniversary cars.

And they look ace on the later cars.

And I can get a brand new set from MB for less than a refurbed secondhand set of AMG split rims. And the tyres are cheaper. And 17"s are less likely to affect the ride. And sometimes, first thoughts (as in when I first saw the car) are the ones to run with.

Sod whether they're perfect OE or not - at some point they were available, that's good enough for me imo! I'm all for keeping things reasonably original, but at the impairment of enjoying the car? Negative.

[Stegel]

Minemapper said:

Spot on. Thank you, sir.

Just spotted an error - MB recommend ATF once at 45k miles, and I've changed it every 45k thereafter.

[Agent Orange]

Stegel said:

An opportune moment to crave the thread's indulgence:

I've tried, but I really can't warm to the 12 spoke Monkar original wheels on my SL, and it is going to need new tyres soon, so..... I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with 8 hole wheels, but part of me feels (and apologies to those who roll on them) while the small wheels (15s) suit a 124, the 16" wheels do look somewhat under-nourished in the rather commodious wheel arches. I'd like 17" Evo II wheels, as seen on many E500s, but they're not OE, which bothers the geek in me, so 18" AMGs beckon - can any threadists with SLs on 18" wheels advise - will they destroy the ride, or is the suspension compliant enough to cope? Thanks in anticipation.

I can't recall but was yours a 1997 or 98? This shows the wheel options for the 98 models.

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Public/Photo%2015-0...

[BlueMR2]

1989 230E in red with the old fashioned style tan leather. 71k miles and 2 days off a years MOT. £1200.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...



The temp guage is perhaps reading a little high though.

[Stegel]

Krikkit said:

Sod whether they're perfect OE or not - at some point they were available, that's good enough for me imo! I'm all for keeping things reasonably original, but at the impairment of enjoying the car? Negative.

You're quite right of course (and I'll admit I'm also contemplating swapping the original MB Special radio for one of the Kienzle units discussed pages ago - pragmatism will win over the geek eventually!)

[Stegel]

Agent Orange said:

I can't recall but was yours a 1997 or 98? This shows the wheel options for the 98 models.

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Public/Photo%2015-0...

It was registered on 27th Feb 97, and some (original) components have a manufacture date in the first few weeks of 97.

Thanks for the link.

[derin100]

W00DY said:

r129sl said:

0a said:

Stegel said:

An opportune moment to crave the thread's indulgence:

I've tried, but I really can't warm to the 12 spoke Monkar original wheels on my SL, and it is going to need new tyres soon, so..... I have toyed with the idea of replacing them with 8 hole wheels, but part of me feels (and apologies to those who roll on them) while the small wheels (15s) suit a 124, the 16" wheels do look somewhat under-nourished in the rather commodious wheel arches. I'd like 17" Evo II wheels, as seen on many E500s, but they're not OE, which bothers the geek in me, so 18" AMGs beckon - can any threadists with SLs on 18" wheels advise - will they destroy the ride, or is the suspension compliant enough to cope? Thanks in anticipation.

Are these the wheels you have (after a google search!). They look like the later C class 180 hub caps to me. Horrible - why did Merc make these the standard wheels on the SL and S?

17" Evo II wheels, also called Cegnius, were available OE on the 129. They feature in the brochure for post-1998 models and they were standard fit on the 1997 40th anniversary cars.

And they look ace on the later cars.

Yeah, I had those on my silver facelift SL320 and they looked really good!

[dbdb]

I have always liked those wheels on the SL too.

[0a]

derin100 said:

Yeah, I had those on my silver facelift SL320 and they looked really good!

We're all different Derin - I love the silver in the photo above. Those wheels though - do you honestly like them?

Edit: sorry, I don't mean to be nasty!

[derin100]

Yeah! I really liked them!

Just looking through the photos of that car which were hidden away on my old hard disk (as it never made it as far as my website and so I never see them) and kind of wishing I'd never sold that car considering I only sold it for £4750

Edited by derin100 on Thursday 21st May 23:58

[0a]

derin100 said:

Yeah! I really liked them!

I think we need to talk Derin...

[derin100]

0a said:

derin100 said:

Yeah! I really liked them!

I think we need to talk Derin...

I did have the 8-hole ones on the pre-facelift 280SL that I had which are obviously nice too but I did really those ones on the post-facelift car a lot...very subtle, non-aggressive look, I thought.