Titivating my Mercedes 124
Discussion
Your car made a tremendous show piece, and it was great to meet you and the family Jonathan. I meant to ask you how you were getting on with the shooting break but didn't see you later on. I look forward to hearing you got the bug and pulled the trigger on a lease in due course... or not!!!
Tom Lynch, the curator at MB World, saw this thread and all of the enthusiasm it was generating. He got in touch and asked me to bring it as part of the Pistonheads Sunday Service. It would be impossible to exaggerate how excited I was about this and how pleased I was on the day, it was a total thrill. The car has been done on a very tight budget and is in constant and heavy use, so I was terrified that it would not be up to snuff, that MB World would be regretting their invitation, that you all would be laughing up your sleeves and pointing out many solecisms in the renovation, but we received a really, really warm reception and the car acquitted itself superbly. I can't thank MB World enough for the opportunity. It was also a huge pleasure to meet jke11y, CdeG, E65Ross and IdiotGap. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to meet everyone else. There has to be a next time...
Wonderful pictures Jonathan, thanks for posting and well done on the renovation and getting it on display, I bet you were very proud! Gutted I couldnt make the SS on this occasion but hope to be able to make others in the future, the pictures I have seen elsewhere make it look like an excellent day out.
An update.
The car turned 300,000miles the other day having provided good service without incident since April last year. I have serviced it myself about four times, an easy job; I do the fuel filter every other time.
The car has taken us as a family to Belgium, loaded with gear:
And to Scotland yet again:
Unfortunately, a rear wheel bearing then failed and the rear wheel fell off! This was attributable to bad workmanship by the dealer who fitted new rear wheel bearings in December 2012. They failed to secure the crown nut on the end of the driveshaft on both sides. Hey ho, little harm done except to my pride and bank balance. New driveshaft, wheel bearing, hub flange, rear discs and pads and one rear calliper £788 plus £75 recovering the car and getting it to my mechanic. I also managed to duff the rear bumper on a post and last night my wife duffed the front bumper to match. I'll get these fixed next week.
When it is looking so sad and when it is suffering the worst of the winter's dirt, it is easy to forget what a super car this is. I took these pictures at the end of the summer:
I will report the cost of the bumper repairs. I anticipate it will be about £300 including some parts. I have also bought an Alpine KTP-445U add-on amplifier (£118) which will be concealed in the dashboard. The intention is to get more out of the Rainbow speakers which you will recall I fitted to the dash. They seem to lack volume and clarity, so I am hoping this little booster will make a difference. http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ktp-445u . I don't know whether to put Rainbow DL-X4 co-axial speakers in the rear doors. Might, might not, we'll see. I have also noticed an exhaust heat shield has come loose, so I will have to get that fixed. It has come loose because one of the screw holes in it has rotted out wider than the screw. I am just going to fit a big washer for the time being rather than spend £80 on a new item.
The car turned 300,000miles the other day having provided good service without incident since April last year. I have serviced it myself about four times, an easy job; I do the fuel filter every other time.
The car has taken us as a family to Belgium, loaded with gear:
And to Scotland yet again:
Unfortunately, a rear wheel bearing then failed and the rear wheel fell off! This was attributable to bad workmanship by the dealer who fitted new rear wheel bearings in December 2012. They failed to secure the crown nut on the end of the driveshaft on both sides. Hey ho, little harm done except to my pride and bank balance. New driveshaft, wheel bearing, hub flange, rear discs and pads and one rear calliper £788 plus £75 recovering the car and getting it to my mechanic. I also managed to duff the rear bumper on a post and last night my wife duffed the front bumper to match. I'll get these fixed next week.
When it is looking so sad and when it is suffering the worst of the winter's dirt, it is easy to forget what a super car this is. I took these pictures at the end of the summer:
I will report the cost of the bumper repairs. I anticipate it will be about £300 including some parts. I have also bought an Alpine KTP-445U add-on amplifier (£118) which will be concealed in the dashboard. The intention is to get more out of the Rainbow speakers which you will recall I fitted to the dash. They seem to lack volume and clarity, so I am hoping this little booster will make a difference. http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ktp-445u . I don't know whether to put Rainbow DL-X4 co-axial speakers in the rear doors. Might, might not, we'll see. I have also noticed an exhaust heat shield has come loose, so I will have to get that fixed. It has come loose because one of the screw holes in it has rotted out wider than the screw. I am just going to fit a big washer for the time being rather than spend £80 on a new item.
Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 18th February 13:06
My son was trying to persaude me to buy this.....wouldn't dream of it, however a slightly less ambitious power upgrade might make all the difference....see below
ello all! you may be interested in dieselpumpuk's latest porsche beater spec is below
1988 250d classic genuine artic white (very good non rusty example)
Black mb tex interior (v good condition)
Full works engine kit
1999 om606 turbo
Stripped inspected small internal adjustments (DPUK secrets ATM)
DPUK 6 branch stainless manifold
DPUK egr delete
8mm high volume injector pump + alda
Sachs racing clutch + custom fly
Complete 3 inch stainless ex system
New mounts, belts, pipework, header tank etc etc
Full high performance 6 speed gearbox conversion
New E500 roll bar and bushings
New tyres all round (other wheels in stock if required)
Complete twin socket tow package.
This car will come with a build certificate to match it's dieselpumpuk no.2 build tag.
Any questions contact Luke 07713512140
For videos on how the dpuk built cars perform check out the video on our old demo car on YouTube under dieselpumpuk (all one word or it won't come up)
This car is seriously quick 400bhp petrol saloons seriously don't come near to this!!
ello all! you may be interested in dieselpumpuk's latest porsche beater spec is below
1988 250d classic genuine artic white (very good non rusty example)
Black mb tex interior (v good condition)
Full works engine kit
1999 om606 turbo
Stripped inspected small internal adjustments (DPUK secrets ATM)
DPUK 6 branch stainless manifold
DPUK egr delete
8mm high volume injector pump + alda
Sachs racing clutch + custom fly
Complete 3 inch stainless ex system
New mounts, belts, pipework, header tank etc etc
Full high performance 6 speed gearbox conversion
New E500 roll bar and bushings
New tyres all round (other wheels in stock if required)
Complete twin socket tow package.
This car will come with a build certificate to match it's dieselpumpuk no.2 build tag.
Any questions contact Luke 07713512140
For videos on how the dpuk built cars perform check out the video on our old demo car on YouTube under dieselpumpuk (all one word or it won't come up)
This car is seriously quick 400bhp petrol saloons seriously don't come near to this!!
H100S said:
Did you really pull over on the M1 to take a photo of the odometer?
Yeah. It was too difficult to take the picture while driving, especially with the flash on.
Also, I forgot to mention, it did need a new alternator. Cost about £125 for Bosch. But the great thing about these old diesels is you can get by without any electricity do long as you don't turn the engine off and confine yourself to daylight running.
A tedious update. I replaced the factory speakers in the rear doors with Rainbow DL-X4 speakers. I had thought the factory speakers sounded crap. But the Rainbow jobs don't sound much different, despite being beefier in construction. It sounded and still sounds rather weak in the rear. I'm sticking an amp in next week. That might improve things. But maybe I was just expecting too much.
No coincidence with the odo. It's up to 302,500 now. Half a million km is 310,685 miles so another landmark hopefully is not far off.
No coincidence with the odo. It's up to 302,500 now. Half a million km is 310,685 miles so another landmark hopefully is not far off.
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