Titivating my Mercedes 124

[r129sl]

Another tedious update. A spring snapped while it was parked yesterday, so it is off to MB Newcastle to have two new front springs installed together with a full service. Hey ho.

[slippery]

Some of these failures of late have been potentially dangerous. Is it making you consider a more modern alternative and putting the 124 aside for less regularly use, or do you intend to have a very rigorous inspection and keep the faith?

[crosseyedlion]

slippery said:

Some of these failures of late have been potentially dangerous. Is it making you consider a more modern alternative and putting the 124 aside for less regularly use, or do you intend to have a very rigorous inspection and keep the faith?

Why would he?

Theres been 1 failure due to age, the other due to shoddy workmanship by a dealer - springs are notorious for snapping even on e46 bmw's when fairly new for example.

Its not great, but its not a reason to use the 124 less.

[r129sl]

crosseyedlion said:

slippery said:

Some of these failures of late have been potentially dangerous. Is it making you consider a more modern alternative and putting the 124 aside for less regularly use, or do you intend to have a very rigorous inspection and keep the faith?

Why would he?

Theres been 1 failure due to age, the other due to shoddy workmanship by a dealer - springs are notorious for snapping even on e46 bmw's when fairly new for example.

Its not great, but its not a reason to use the 124 less.

The wheel bearing is due to bad workmanship but still worries me. A new car would never suffer that failure. The spring was actually less than three years old and was a genuine MB part. New cars, especially new MBs, suffer broken springs; in fact they seem quite notorious for it and there is nothing you can do to anticipate it. Bizarrely, it failed when the car was parked. I say bizarrely, but this seems to be how they fail. (Isn't there a post on here somewhere about a guy with a new CLS which has had seven springs?)

I have asked MB Newcastle to go over it with a fine-tooth comb but that is a bit like asking a blindfolded three-year old to pin a tail on a donkey.

But... I have also expressed an interest in a new C or E with a straight six petrol (which apparently will be coming in the next 18 months or so). Even then, I don't think I could live with one. They are so hideously vulgar. The dealer principal offer me his S-Class hybrid to tool around in but I didn't have the heart to tell him I just couldn't bear the thought of being seen in it. It's like Elton John offering to lend you his wardrobe. Maybe a 5-series touring in SE or "luxury" spec, dark blue or brown or something with tan upholstery. Except the very word "luxury" make me want to puke.

So we'll be keeping the faith.

[sprouting]

You need the beige estate you linked to as a back up, to lighten the daily load on this one.

At least that's what you tell the mrs

[slippery]

crosseyedlion said:

slippery said:

Some of these failures of late have been potentially dangerous. Is it making you consider a more modern alternative and putting the 124 aside for less regularly use, or do you intend to have a very rigorous inspection and keep the faith?

Why would he?

Theres been 1 failure due to age, the other due to shoddy workmanship by a dealer - springs are notorious for snapping even on e46 bmw's when fairly new for example.

Its not great, but its not a reason to use the 124 less.

I asked because he doesn't just use it, he uses it hard over high mileages and very much depends on it for his work. Driving a 17 year old Smoke Silver Mercedes as a daily myself, covering 800 miles in it over the last week, it was merely a question from one enthusiast to another.

[r129sl]

That's how it was taken, Slippery, and it's a question I ask myself all the time. As you know, I do a lot of miles: I think any car would let me down occasionally, it's not like I'm commuting on the train and only covering 8,000 miles a year running to the shops.

[irish boy]

Fantastic thread, r129 your advice re mercedes of this era is very welcome on the forum, and comes via experience.

Having read the thread and many like it, I'm not fully convinced mercedes justify the reputation they have.

Mum bought a new w124 estate in 1990, within a month of dad buying a 240 estate, they both still drive them, they both have around 170k miles on them and it's very interesting to compare the 2. The merc is obviously a far nicer place to sit, interior is made of better materials and it's a class act, but in terms of mechanical reliability the volvo is streaks ahead requiring virtually no work year upon year whereas the merc has annual bills averaging £800.

In saying that had they bought vauxhalls or fords and used them daily for 25 years they would be dust, and I'm still very tempted by a w124 300d or 190 2.5d as a summer daily, need to keep off mtsv's site!

[dbdb]

r129sl said:

crosseyedlion said:

slippery said:

Some of these failures of late have been potentially dangerous. Is it making you consider a more modern alternative and putting the 124 aside for less regularly use, or do you intend to have a very rigorous inspection and keep the faith?

Why would he?

Theres been 1 failure due to age, the other due to shoddy workmanship by a dealer - springs are notorious for snapping even on e46 bmw's when fairly new for example.

Its not great, but its not a reason to use the 124 less.

The wheel bearing is due to bad workmanship but still worries me. A new car would never suffer that failure. The spring was actually less than three years old and was a genuine MB part. New cars, especially new MBs, suffer broken springs; in fact they seem quite notorious for it and there is nothing you can do to anticipate it. Bizarrely, it failed when the car was parked. I say bizarrely, but this seems to be how they fail. (Isn't there a post on here somewhere about a guy with a new CLS which has had seven springs?)

I have asked MB Newcastle to go over it with a fine-tooth comb but that is a bit like asking a blindfolded three-year old to pin a tail on a donkey.

But... I have also expressed an interest in a new C or E with a straight six petrol (which apparently will be coming in the next 18 months or so). Even then, I don't think I could live with one. They are so hideously vulgar. The dealer principal offer me his S-Class hybrid to tool around in but I didn't have the heart to tell him I just couldn't bear the thought of being seen in it. It's like Elton John offering to lend you his wardrobe. Maybe a 5-series touring in SE or "luxury" spec, dark blue or brown or something with tan upholstery. Except the very word "luxury" make me want to puke.

So we'll be keeping the faith.

I think some degree of passing anxiety is inevitable when these sorts of problems occur.

The wheel baring disaster could easily affect a modern car. We had a wheel baring replaced under warranty on a BMW; if the dealer had fitted it wrongly, then we would have had the same result.

Again, the springs. I don't know whether there are some process differences now, but snapped springs seem reasonably common, affecting some surprisingly new cars. I have tended to rationalise it as being down to the very stiff spring rates of modern cars stressing them at the ends, but there is no scientific basis for this - and it looks like I am wrong in any event, since I'm sure your W124 has nice soft, long springs.

I saw one of these W124s on the road yesterday, sitting next to a new C class at the 'lights. It struck me how brash the C Class was and how grimly vulgar and gauche the modern Mercedes has become. Graceless cars.

[dbdb]

irish boy said:

Fantastic thread, r129 your advice re mercedes of this era is very welcome on the forum, and comes via experience.

Having read the thread and many like it, I'm not fully convinced mercedes justify the reputation they have.

Mum bought a new w124 estate in 1990, within a month of dad buying a 240 estate, they both still drive them, they both have around 170k miles on them and it's very interesting to compare the 2. The merc is obviously a far nicer place to sit, interior is made of better materials and it's a class act, but in terms of mechanical reliability the volvo is streaks ahead requiring virtually no work year upon year whereas the merc has annual bills averaging £800.

In saying that had they bought vauxhalls or fords and used them daily for 25 years they would be dust, and I'm still very tempted by a w124 300d or 190 2.5d as a summer daily, need to keep off mtsv's site!

I think the W124 does deserve its reputation for quality, particularly the early cars. They are well made and well engineered. They are also very elegant cars, both in style and execution. I do tend to agree that they have been raised on to a kind of pedestal by some people - r129 is realistic and quite broad minded on cars - but others are perhaps a little less so and the Smoker barge thread for example has become quite cultish.

The W124 is amongst the most durable cars, but still seems to suffer very similar problems to my Jaguar which lots of people seem to assume will be rubbish - and if the Autoste internet forum is to be believed, the W124 is a less durable car than the Volvo 740 series.

I have been a member of the www.autoste.com site for a number of years. Consistently the car labelled by posters there as the most durable in service is the Volvo 740. The W124 is regarded as a bit more of a frivolity and nice if you can afford to run one.

Personally, I'd rather have the Mercedes than the Volvo though!

Edited by dbdb on Sunday 15th March 14:39

[dbdb]

r129sl said:

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.

I always think Mercedes of this era have lovely instruments.

[harrykul]

dbdb said:

I always think Mercedes of this era have lovely instruments.

Me too, with the w140 having the best imho

[irish boy]

dbdb said:

I think the W124 does deserve its reputation for quality, particularly the early cars. They are well made and well engineered. They are also very elegant cars, both in style and execution. I do tend to agree that they have been raised on to a kind of pedestal by some people - r129 is realistic and quite broad minded on cars - but others are perhaps a little less so and the Smoker barge thread for example has become quite cultish.

The W124 is amongst the most durable cars, but still seems to suffer very similar problems to my Jaguar which lots of people seem to assume will be rubbish - and if the Autoste internet forum is to be believed, the W124 is a less durable car than the Volvo 740 series.

I have been a member of the www.autoste.com site for a number of years. Consistently the car labelled by posters there as the most durable in service is the Volvo 740. The W124 is regarded as a bit more of a frivolity and nice if you can afford to run one.

Personally, I'd rather have the Mercedes than the Volvo though!

Edited by dbdb on Sunday 15th March 14:39

Good website link, couple of hours to be wasted!

Funny you should mention the 740, I've been running one as a summer daily for the last 2 years and piled nearly 20k on, it's been bullet proof!


http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[r129sl]

I think the Volvo 240- and 740-series probably do have the edge on the 124 for durability. I have always liked both, especially the 240-series. But... the 124 is in a different league for refinement, handling, performance, efficiency and ergonomics, all of which add up to greater pleasure of ownership. The Volvos are more than a bit agricultural in comparison. Their design, especially the interior design of the 740-series, is ought but homogeneous. The dashboard and controls on the 124 take some beating, I can't think of a better interior (although there is a lot of subjectivity in that assertion). Interestingly (well, not really), my first drive on the public road was in a w124 300 D; my first drive on 'L' plates was in a Volvo 740 turbo estate.

One of the problems for someone like me who wants to use an 80s/90s Merc as daily transport is the fall in the standards to which parts are manufactured. I don't mean aftermarket parts, I mean the stuff you buy from the dealer. As an example, I bought a replacement petrol cap for my w201 the other day and it is nowhere near the same quality as the original, although it looks the same from a distance. I suspect this may be the cause of trouble with my spring. That and bad luck.

[Mound Dawg]

Love these cars, done many miles in 124 estates over the years. One of my pals still has one and we went to the pub in it the other night. It reminded me that it's all the "family car" you'll ever need.

[0a]

Very jealous - I see you have an outside temperature gauge, one of the items my W124 lacks.

I agree with the post above about the instrumentation. Getting back into the car after driving other vehicles I realise how a clean and clear speedo plus rev counter, combined with a simple dashboard is of real value when you spend a long time behind the wheel.

[r129sl]

On the Volvo front, I have this road test of Audi 200 Avant quattro -v- Mercedes 300 TE -v- Volvo 740 Turbo Estate. I've made this point before but even motoring journalism was better back then... Anyway, guess what wins.

Edited by r129sl on Sunday 15th March 20:59

[r129sl]

I ought to add that I know these cars aren't the best things since sliced bread (although they're pretty darned close): I just like them and that's enough for me.

[Remagel2507]

Always enjoy reading through this thread and love the amount of work put into the car OP, hopefully my W210 E240 will look as good as your car when its at that mileage - although its only at 34k now so I think it will be a while yet

[irish boy]

Good road test, enjoyed reading that!