Titivating my Mercedes 124
Discussion
Straight back into service for this car. 200 miles of weekend family hauling is to be followed by a trip to Luton tomorrow and then Nottingham on Tuesday. The glamour.
I have, however, booked next year's motoring holiday, a road—and sea—trip to Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and by anyone's standards a canny trek.
This caused me to look at the southernmost inhabited isle, which is St Agnes but there are no cars there. St Mary's is the southernmost island with roads. But there is no ferry, although you can take your car as cargo on the Scillonian III. Something for another day. The eastern extreme is Lowestoft in Suffolk—hard to get excited about that but will have to tick it off one day—and in the west it is Belleek, County Fermanagh. I have never been to Northern Ireland (or Eire for that matter) and quite urgently want to go: I don't see how I can claim to be properly British without having so much as set foot in one of the four countries.
The car is also slated to take us to Provence at Crimbo and then skiing in the Alps in the spring. Tough life.
I have, however, booked next year's motoring holiday, a road—and sea—trip to Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and by anyone's standards a canny trek.
This caused me to look at the southernmost inhabited isle, which is St Agnes but there are no cars there. St Mary's is the southernmost island with roads. But there is no ferry, although you can take your car as cargo on the Scillonian III. Something for another day. The eastern extreme is Lowestoft in Suffolk—hard to get excited about that but will have to tick it off one day—and in the west it is Belleek, County Fermanagh. I have never been to Northern Ireland (or Eire for that matter) and quite urgently want to go: I don't see how I can claim to be properly British without having so much as set foot in one of the four countries.
The car is also slated to take us to Provence at Crimbo and then skiing in the Alps in the spring. Tough life.
Edited by r129sl on Sunday 9th October 22:13
r129sl said:
Straight back into service for this car. 200 miles of weekend family hauling is to be followed by a trip to Luton tomorrow and then Nottingham on Tuesday. The glamour.
I have, however, booked next year's motoring holiday, a road—and sea—trip to Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and by anyone's standards a canny trek.
This caused me to look at the southernmost inhabited isle, which is St Agnes but there are no cars there. St Mary's is the southernmost island with roads. But there is no ferry, although you can take your car as cargo on the Scillonian III. Something for another day. The eastern extreme is Lowestoft in Suffolk—hard to get excited about that but will have to tick it off one day—and in the west it is Belleek, County Fermanagh. I have never been to Northern Ireland (or Eire for that matter) and quite urgently want to go: I don't see how I can claim to be properly British without having so much as set foot in one of the four countries.
The car is also slated to take us to Provence at Crimbo and then skiing in the Alps in the spring. Tough life.
You should definitely come to N.I. Some cracking roads around the coastline of the north leading over to donegal. Well worth a trip.I have, however, booked next year's motoring holiday, a road—and sea—trip to Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and by anyone's standards a canny trek.
This caused me to look at the southernmost inhabited isle, which is St Agnes but there are no cars there. St Mary's is the southernmost island with roads. But there is no ferry, although you can take your car as cargo on the Scillonian III. Something for another day. The eastern extreme is Lowestoft in Suffolk—hard to get excited about that but will have to tick it off one day—and in the west it is Belleek, County Fermanagh. I have never been to Northern Ireland (or Eire for that matter) and quite urgently want to go: I don't see how I can claim to be properly British without having so much as set foot in one of the four countries.
The car is also slated to take us to Provence at Crimbo and then skiing in the Alps in the spring. Tough life.
Edited by r129sl on Sunday 9th October 22:13
r129sl said:
I have never been to Northern Ireland (or Eire for that matter) and quite urgently want to go: I don't see how I can claim to be properly British without having so much as set foot in one of the four countries.
Edited by r129sl on Sunday 9th October 22:13
I'm up for a driving tour of NI (and 'I' if it can be squeezed in). It's an easy three hours to the Cairnryan ferry for me, so definitely do-able.
I've just got in from two very long days during which I covered about 1,000 miles on top of some proper graft. I think the new exhaust and catalytic converters have wrought a major improvement. The car is definitely a lot quieter and sweeter. And the new cooling system seems to be working. Despite running at my customary 90 to 95, it returned 33mpg, an improvement of 2-3 on what I was getting previously. So in about 15 years these most recent works will have paid for themselves in increased fuel economy. I feel the car is in better fettle than ever before. Unlike my bank account.
I've just got in from two very long days during which I covered about 1,000 miles on top of some proper graft. I think the new exhaust and catalytic converters have wrought a major improvement. The car is definitely a lot quieter and sweeter. And the new cooling system seems to be working. Despite running at my customary 90 to 95, it returned 33mpg, an improvement of 2-3 on what I was getting previously. So in about 15 years these most recent works will have paid for themselves in increased fuel economy. I feel the car is in better fettle than ever before. Unlike my bank account.
My post below on the MB forum......read on.....
So, got all three couplings/bearing mounts changed at last minute, all seemed good on test run, happy enough!
But when in queue to get on ferry after 100 mile trip, there is was again, hopping all over the place, multiple 1st gear take offs not agreeing with it again....
:Oops:
Decision time, do I call off the trip or say nothing to missus and plough on not letting on?!
Plough on I did.....2500 miles later....still going, on last leg of trip when off ferry in an hour! I'd taken out a full load of items to help in the refurbishment of a relatives apartment, on return trip took back a boot load of items bought at brocantes/ vide grenier sales plus crates of Belgium beer for the son, part of an exhaust and assorted other bags and purchases!!
Car ran well, a bit wheezey up hills and averaged 29 mpg.
So guys, whats causing the judder.....if I use minimal revs and let clutch out quickly its not very noticeable but if wanting smooth power on, or hill start its very evident, thanks
So, got all three couplings/bearing mounts changed at last minute, all seemed good on test run, happy enough!
But when in queue to get on ferry after 100 mile trip, there is was again, hopping all over the place, multiple 1st gear take offs not agreeing with it again....
:Oops:Decision time, do I call off the trip or say nothing to missus and plough on not letting on?!
Plough on I did.....2500 miles later....still going, on last leg of trip when off ferry in an hour! I'd taken out a full load of items to help in the refurbishment of a relatives apartment, on return trip took back a boot load of items bought at brocantes/ vide grenier sales plus crates of Belgium beer for the son, part of an exhaust and assorted other bags and purchases!!
Car ran well, a bit wheezey up hills and averaged 29 mpg.
So guys, whats causing the judder.....if I use minimal revs and let clutch out quickly its not very noticeable but if wanting smooth power on, or hill start its very evident, thanks
Bloody hell mate, considering what you have spent, i can only conclude either you like working on the w124 and spending on her or both 
Personally it was me i would have bought a imported as new w124 from Japan,
I was quite close to buying a imported one when a nice 300e came up for sale, i will post up a readers thread soon on mine shes pretty much solid mechanically just a few spots of rust that need to be addressed. I do like the w124 always have
Good work on and keep us updated on yours
Personally it was me i would have bought a imported as new w124 from Japan,I was quite close to buying a imported one when a nice 300e came up for sale, i will post up a readers thread soon on mine shes pretty much solid mechanically just a few spots of rust that need to be addressed. I do like the w124 always have
Good work on and keep us updated on yours
Edited by layercake on Wednesday 12th October 11:28
layercake said:
Bloody hell mate, considering what you have spent, i can only conclude either you like working on the w124 and spending on her or both Personally it was me i would have bought a imported as new w124 from Japan,
I was quite close to buying a imported one when a nice 300e came up for sale, i will post up a readers thread soon on mine shes pretty much solid mechanically just a few spots of rust that need to be addressed. I do like the w124 always have
Good work on and keep us updated on yours
They sell as-new W124's in Japan?! Personally it was me i would have bought a imported as new w124 from Japan,I was quite close to buying a imported one when a nice 300e came up for sale, i will post up a readers thread soon on mine shes pretty much solid mechanically just a few spots of rust that need to be addressed. I do like the w124 always have
Good work on and keep us updated on yours
Edited by layercake on Wednesday 12th October 11:28
layercake said:
Bloody hell mate, considering what you have spent, i can only conclude either you like working on the w124 and spending on her or both Personally it was me i would have bought a imported as new w124 from Japan,
I know where you're coming from and if I were starting from scratch today I would probably do that too, but that's for my usage. R129SL doesn't use this the way I use my own estate barge (old 5-series Touring, only does about 10K miles a year). Personally it was me i would have bought a imported as new w124 from Japan,You won't find any diesel W124s coming from Japan and for his usage diesel wasa good choice. He does 30K miles a year in this car alone, with other big engined petrol stuff for other uses. He paid a grand for it originally as a workable banger, an has already had four years and something like 120K miles out of it in all weathers (it must be coming up to 350K miles in total now). And it's in better condition now that it has been for decades. I saw it earlier in the year even before the current collision-induced work and it really does look like a nearly-new one.
If he'd bought a low mileage (say 50K miles) Japanese petrol one in 2012 it would probably have absorbed just as much cash in total as this one has to keep it in the right condition, taking into account the higher purchase price and fuelling costs. And now with 170K miles on it the market would say it's an old knacker not worth anything. But this one is already over the hump on mileage. If anything, every mile it does now makes it more valuable, not less. I am highly confident that in 2020 this car will still be going strong, closing on on half a million miles, and still be extremely respectable to drive and look at.
LT has said it all, really.
The key point is that I use the car intensively. So the value of a minter low mileage Japanese one would very rapidly be squandered. And much of the expenditure is a result of the use. You can't do 30,000miles a year in any car, let alone a 25 year old car, without having to fix it. But I think you also need to be realistic about the £10k minters. They're not mint. They are certainly not as new. I think they are much closer in condition to my car than the price and mileage suggest. Over four years and 120k miles, they would need most, if not all, of the work that my car has needed. To lease anything new for that kind of mileage would be quite expensive. And I can't think of a new car (that I can afford) that I would want to have.
But more than that, I really enjoy the work and even, I dare say, the expenditure. Overcoming the problems is half the fun of ownership. I really know this car inside and out and I have total confidence in it. Absent more deer strikes, I am sure I will still be using it years from now. Just about all of the work has been done by choice; on the two occasions it has failed to proceed it was not the car's fault but rather incompetence at the main dealer. There will be more money to spend—there always is—but it should be cheap enough for the next 50k miles. Current mileage is 340,400 ish.
The key point is that I use the car intensively. So the value of a minter low mileage Japanese one would very rapidly be squandered. And much of the expenditure is a result of the use. You can't do 30,000miles a year in any car, let alone a 25 year old car, without having to fix it. But I think you also need to be realistic about the £10k minters. They're not mint. They are certainly not as new. I think they are much closer in condition to my car than the price and mileage suggest. Over four years and 120k miles, they would need most, if not all, of the work that my car has needed. To lease anything new for that kind of mileage would be quite expensive. And I can't think of a new car (that I can afford) that I would want to have.
But more than that, I really enjoy the work and even, I dare say, the expenditure. Overcoming the problems is half the fun of ownership. I really know this car inside and out and I have total confidence in it. Absent more deer strikes, I am sure I will still be using it years from now. Just about all of the work has been done by choice; on the two occasions it has failed to proceed it was not the car's fault but rather incompetence at the main dealer. There will be more money to spend—there always is—but it should be cheap enough for the next 50k miles. Current mileage is 340,400 ish.
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