Student Shedding: My W140 S-Class.
Discussion
tobinen said:
Looks like an excellent buy and good history too.
Thanks, it certainly is remarkably clean for the £!V12 AMG said:
There is no better daily driver than an S Class, welcome to the club!
I have defected to the W220 for the last 3 years, i'm sure i'll be back sooner or later.
The central locking fuse may have popped if the pump was getting too hot and drawing too much juice so prepare yourself for potential replacement.
Soft closure is rare on the 6 cylinder cars.
The 16" 8 hole wheels you have are great, especially for ride comfort. If you ever consider a wheel upgrade, the ride is still mind blowingly good on the 18" 5 hole wheels fitted as standard to the facelift C140s. I think they really look the part and the big blocky style of the wheels compliments the shape of the body nicely.
Ah right, will keep an eye on the central locking then! Did a cursory inspection of the pump and all looked fine; bit too complex for me though! I have defected to the W220 for the last 3 years, i'm sure i'll be back sooner or later.
The central locking fuse may have popped if the pump was getting too hot and drawing too much juice so prepare yourself for potential replacement.
Soft closure is rare on the 6 cylinder cars.
The 16" 8 hole wheels you have are great, especially for ride comfort. If you ever consider a wheel upgrade, the ride is still mind blowingly good on the 18" 5 hole wheels fitted as standard to the facelift C140s. I think they really look the part and the big blocky style of the wheels compliments the shape of the body nicely.
It works now but the action is a little tired so suspect you may be right! Wheels are admittedly a little OAP, but prefer them to the nasty 6 spoke equivalents, and as you say the ride is fantastic! Bigger wheels look decent but worried about ruining ride and/or giving it an unwanted "baller on a budget" look :P ! May consider it though if some come up at the right price!
dbdb said:
Don't worry too much about developing Princess Diana hair with a W140 - she never owned one. The one she died in was owned by bald oligarch Mohammed al-Fayed.
dbdb said:
I don't think I'd want one with soft close doors. My brother bought a W220 S500 after the W140. The soft close doors gave him endless trouble.
It would not have made a good getaway car!
Haha you make a good point; sounds like I'll just be going bald then! Kinda works with the "bond villain" image of these old buses!It would not have made a good getaway car!
Yeah reckon it may be a blessing in disguise not having soft close, however a little surprised at how basic this particular S is... doesn't matter so much to me as gimmicks are mostly there to go wrong but there it is!
V12 AMG said:
Have had several W220s, all with soft closure. None of them have had a problem.
You also don't have to use it, just shut the door a little harder if you don't want it to activate.
It's brilliant when my arms are full of kids/shopping/stuff.
It would be nice to have, but don't think its the end of the world for me! You also don't have to use it, just shut the door a little harder if you don't want it to activate.
It's brilliant when my arms are full of kids/shopping/stuff.
Been out in it again today
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/hNjDJLNF.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/RO4qcaS9" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/RO4qcaS9.jpg)
aaaand so we've hit the inevitable W140 problem #1... failed rear window regulator. Have stripped down the door now skinning my knuckles trying to strip out the old unit. How on earth did MB think that those plastic cogs were acceptable for lifting a mountain of double glazing!? Also, the cables in the actuator have shredded themselves so will have to replace the whole unit 
As you can tell, you've caught me at a bad time. At least the parts are cheap!
As you can tell, you've caught me at a bad time. At least the parts are cheap!
So after much swearing and grunting have managed to extract the window regulator. Thankfully the motor and glass are fine; was a bit concerned due to the crunching noises it was making before failure but it transpires these were just the bobbin lunching the cable, which probably caused the cog to fail. I digress...
Next question is; how to fix it? Could replace whole unit, which would be easier but would risk gaining worn parts that caused the issue in the first place. Or I could buy a 'repair kit' with a new bobbin, cable, and cog for a fraction of the cost. Downside to that is unknown aftermarket quality and time spent re-threading the thing! Opinions would be appreciated. Here are some pics of the remains of the old regulator. Pics to follow.
Problem no2 is what to do with the glass in the meantime? At present it is sitting on the bottom of the door, relatively unsecured. Is there any way it can be secured in place in the window frame? (bearing in mind that it is very heavy compared to most car glass panes thanks to the double glazing etc)
Failing that, is it safe to drive with it unsecured at the bottom of the door?
Next question is; how to fix it? Could replace whole unit, which would be easier but would risk gaining worn parts that caused the issue in the first place. Or I could buy a 'repair kit' with a new bobbin, cable, and cog for a fraction of the cost. Downside to that is unknown aftermarket quality and time spent re-threading the thing! Opinions would be appreciated. Here are some pics of the remains of the old regulator. Pics to follow.
Problem no2 is what to do with the glass in the meantime? At present it is sitting on the bottom of the door, relatively unsecured. Is there any way it can be secured in place in the window frame? (bearing in mind that it is very heavy compared to most car glass panes thanks to the double glazing etc)
Failing that, is it safe to drive with it unsecured at the bottom of the door?
With it being a rear window, I wouldn't be too concerned about the quality of its replacement. After all, the rear windows don't get that much use.
Feb Bilstein make aftermarket replacements which are available new for less than £50. This is about what used ones seem to go for on Ebay. I have never had any trouble with Febi parts although I wouldn't use them in absolutely critical applications.
Rear right (driver's side or offside) is Febi 26986. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26986-Window-Lift-R...
Rear left (passenger or near side) is Febi 26996. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26996-Window-Lift-L...
A genuine Merc replacement is £92. Used parts do not seem any cheaper—at least not on Ebay—than the Febi part.
I have bought parts from this seller before and not had any trouble.
Feb Bilstein make aftermarket replacements which are available new for less than £50. This is about what used ones seem to go for on Ebay. I have never had any trouble with Febi parts although I wouldn't use them in absolutely critical applications.
Rear right (driver's side or offside) is Febi 26986. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26986-Window-Lift-R...
Rear left (passenger or near side) is Febi 26996. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26996-Window-Lift-L...
A genuine Merc replacement is £92. Used parts do not seem any cheaper—at least not on Ebay—than the Febi part.
I have bought parts from this seller before and not had any trouble.
r129sl said:
With it being a rear window, I wouldn't be too concerned about the quality of its replacement. After all, the rear windows don't get that much use.
Feb Bilstein make aftermarket replacements which are available new for less than £50. This is about what used ones seem to go for on Ebay. I have never had any trouble with Febi parts although I wouldn't use them in absolutely critical applications.
Rear right (driver's side or offside) is Febi 26986. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26986-Window-Lift-R...
Rear left (passenger or near side) is Febi 26996. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26996-Window-Lift-L...
A genuine Merc replacement is £92. Used parts do not seem any cheaper—at least not on Ebay—than the Febi part.
I have bought parts from this seller before and not had any trouble.
Thanks R129, top tips and sorry I missed them! Feb Bilstein make aftermarket replacements which are available new for less than £50. This is about what used ones seem to go for on Ebay. I have never had any trouble with Febi parts although I wouldn't use them in absolutely critical applications.
Rear right (driver's side or offside) is Febi 26986. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26986-Window-Lift-R...
Rear left (passenger or near side) is Febi 26996. £46 odd here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FEBI-26996-Window-Lift-L...
A genuine Merc replacement is £92. Used parts do not seem any cheaper—at least not on Ebay—than the Febi part.
I have bought parts from this seller before and not had any trouble.
Managed to snap up an OEM old stock one from ebay in the end for beer money; works a treat!
Am planning some fairly subtle upgrades to glam it up a bit, be interested to hear some thoughts...
- Mirror Polishing the alloys (some light scratching on them at present, may have been polished from factory but uncertain)
- a touch of Rear window tinting
- Navy Blue carpet mats to make the interior less grey/dull.
- painting the B-Pillars black to make back to OEM, some shotgun-style fading on them atm.
^^ the above may be a bit "Miami Vice" for some but reckon it would give the car a bit of required sparkle to make it less 'old man'!
Or should I leave it stock?
Along with these:
- A damn good valet, and some paint repairs to the odd bumper scuff/rust bubble here and there
- Waxoyling the undersides (better safe than sorry).
- seeing to a squealing and slightly binding front right caliper.
- taking care of a slight fuel leak at idle from the fuel filter
Should be good for improving on its mileage after the above; have already covered nearly 2k miles such is its cruising ability!
- Mirror Polishing the alloys (some light scratching on them at present, may have been polished from factory but uncertain)
- a touch of Rear window tinting
- Navy Blue carpet mats to make the interior less grey/dull.
- painting the B-Pillars black to make back to OEM, some shotgun-style fading on them atm.
^^ the above may be a bit "Miami Vice" for some but reckon it would give the car a bit of required sparkle to make it less 'old man'!
Or should I leave it stock?
Along with these:
- A damn good valet, and some paint repairs to the odd bumper scuff/rust bubble here and there
- Waxoyling the undersides (better safe than sorry).
- seeing to a squealing and slightly binding front right caliper.
- taking care of a slight fuel leak at idle from the fuel filter
Should be good for improving on its mileage after the above; have already covered nearly 2k miles such is its cruising ability!
I had an m reg c280 guess it's same engine it was great but crap on fuel.
Only had one issue which was the Rev counter and speedo sticking.
If I recall the oil in them breaks down and becomes sticky holding the needle on the little stopping pin.
Just crook apart cleaned with cotton bud and some spirits and that was it spot on all the time until I crashed it on ice comming down a hill 😥
Only had one issue which was the Rev counter and speedo sticking.
If I recall the oil in them breaks down and becomes sticky holding the needle on the little stopping pin.
Just crook apart cleaned with cotton bud and some spirits and that was it spot on all the time until I crashed it on ice comming down a hill 😥
V12 AMG said:
These are the ones I refer to :
I think the understated look suits the car much better than even the period correct AMG wheels.
The ride on 18" wheels is still excellent.
Keep driving it every day and enjoying it!
I've got those wheels on my S500. I think the understated look suits the car much better than even the period correct AMG wheels.
The ride on 18" wheels is still excellent.
Keep driving it every day and enjoying it!
Edited by V12 AMG on Monday 1st June 13:48
ajmcampbell said:
Am planning some fairly subtle upgrades to glam it up a bit, be interested to hear some thoughts...
- Mirror Polishing the alloys (some light scratching on them at present, may have been polished from factory but uncertain)
- a touch of Rear window tinting
- Navy Blue carpet mats to make the interior less grey/dull.
- painting the B-Pillars black to make back to OEM, some shotgun-style fading on them atm.
^^ the above may be a bit "Miami Vice" for some but reckon it would give the car a bit of required sparkle to make it less 'old man'!
Or should I leave it stock?
Along with these:
- A damn good valet, and some paint repairs to the odd bumper scuff/rust bubble here and there
- Waxoyling the undersides (better safe than sorry).
- seeing to a squealing and slightly binding front right caliper.
- taking care of a slight fuel leak at idle from the fuel filter
Should be good for improving on its mileage after the above; have already covered nearly 2k miles such is its cruising ability!
Lovely car OP. I certainly wouldn't tint the windows - you'll just make it look 'gangsta' like a lot of other W140s out there. I'd just re-furb the wheels as standard.- Mirror Polishing the alloys (some light scratching on them at present, may have been polished from factory but uncertain)
- a touch of Rear window tinting
- Navy Blue carpet mats to make the interior less grey/dull.
- painting the B-Pillars black to make back to OEM, some shotgun-style fading on them atm.
^^ the above may be a bit "Miami Vice" for some but reckon it would give the car a bit of required sparkle to make it less 'old man'!
Or should I leave it stock?
Along with these:
- A damn good valet, and some paint repairs to the odd bumper scuff/rust bubble here and there
- Waxoyling the undersides (better safe than sorry).
- seeing to a squealing and slightly binding front right caliper.
- taking care of a slight fuel leak at idle from the fuel filter
Should be good for improving on its mileage after the above; have already covered nearly 2k miles such is its cruising ability!
PlayersNo6 said:
Lovely car OP. I certainly wouldn't tint the windows - you'll just make it look 'gangsta' like a lot of other W140s out there. I'd just re-furb the wheels as standard.
Thankyou! Yup that's partly my feeling as well; a very fine line to tread in terms of taste and I'm normally one for OEM all the way- I'm certainly not one for a W140 on 22s with everything blinged up to 100... just a matter of subtle cosmetic upgrades, remains to be seen how far I'll take it though! The pillars and mechanical repairs are first up before any more decisions made... still of the thinking that polished wheels similar to the below could smarten her up however!
Lagerlout said:
I've got those wheels on my S500.
Nice looking S600 with those in this sale! Not seen a W140 with a tan interior before...https://t.co/9EAVjbQbOh
ajmcampbell said:
Nice looking S600 with those in this sale! Not seen a W140 with a tan interior before...
https://t.co/9EAVjbQbOh
"Palomino" is very rare in the W140. I've seen it in the flesh only once and only a handful of times on the net.https://t.co/9EAVjbQbOh
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