Mercedes W140 titivation
Discussion
r129sl said:
10 years was the minimum age; 7,500 miles a year max; no business use, though you can commute in it. And I think you need to have another car.
Hmm, interesting to know. My CL500 is over 10 years old but my policy doubled from the 850. I'll let this one run and try again next time.I smartened up the replacement grille this evening. Such is married life on a Saturday night.
The 140 has an incorrect S600 grille which is not my cup of tea. I can see why others like it but it's not for me. So I bought a replacement from Carl at w140 Spares. When it arrived it was a little disappointing, being heavily tarnished and having two massive (well, prominent) dents in the chrome bars. So I polished up the frame with good old Autosol, stripped it down and washed the insert with Surfex HD, then fitted new bars, one vertical and one lateral. The vertical central bar is A1408882185 and the lateral bars are all A1408880385. Not expensive at £7 each.
Stripping the insert is easy enough. Simply remove these spring clips, four along the top and two along the bottom. Push them towards the centre of the grille with some pliers. The top clips are longer than the bottoms.
Then there is a screw hidden under a little piece of rubber in the bottom of the grille right in the middle.
The old bars simply slide off the grille insert. It is very easy and quite a neat bit of Merc over-engineering.
The new lateral bars have to be cut carefully to length with a hacksaw. This is not difficult. Then you simply slide them back on and reassemble. Here is the finished article, ready for installation next week. Happily the new bars do not stand out against the old ones, although I have a couple of spare ones and might go back and do the other five lateral bars just for the sake of it.
I still don't know whether the car passed its MOT test: the mechanic Baister was more interested in tracking his mentalist Westfield than earning a living. I was hoping to have it for Easter, but I might as well leave it until April and save—or postpone at least—a little road tax.
Edit: I used the online MOT checker to confirm it hasn't been tested yet. Bloody Baister.
The 140 has an incorrect S600 grille which is not my cup of tea. I can see why others like it but it's not for me. So I bought a replacement from Carl at w140 Spares. When it arrived it was a little disappointing, being heavily tarnished and having two massive (well, prominent) dents in the chrome bars. So I polished up the frame with good old Autosol, stripped it down and washed the insert with Surfex HD, then fitted new bars, one vertical and one lateral. The vertical central bar is A1408882185 and the lateral bars are all A1408880385. Not expensive at £7 each.
Stripping the insert is easy enough. Simply remove these spring clips, four along the top and two along the bottom. Push them towards the centre of the grille with some pliers. The top clips are longer than the bottoms.
Then there is a screw hidden under a little piece of rubber in the bottom of the grille right in the middle.
The old bars simply slide off the grille insert. It is very easy and quite a neat bit of Merc over-engineering.
The new lateral bars have to be cut carefully to length with a hacksaw. This is not difficult. Then you simply slide them back on and reassemble. Here is the finished article, ready for installation next week. Happily the new bars do not stand out against the old ones, although I have a couple of spare ones and might go back and do the other five lateral bars just for the sake of it.
I still don't know whether the car passed its MOT test: the mechanic Baister was more interested in tracking his mentalist Westfield than earning a living. I was hoping to have it for Easter, but I might as well leave it until April and save—or postpone at least—a little road tax.
Edit: I used the online MOT checker to confirm it hasn't been tested yet. Bloody Baister.
Edited by r129sl on Sunday 20th March 11:35
Finally some movement at Baister's lair. Terry the "master technician" moves it from its slumbers and onto the ramp to check out a problem with the offside rear ABS signal.
It wasn't the reluctor ring that yours truly had traipsed over there to deliver (why do I have a supply of reluctor rings in Chambers?), so back onto the diagnostic machine. Meanwhile, I fitted the new grille, to much muttering from Terry about doing him out of his supper and such like. Doesn't it look better? Anyway jkelly, the old S600 grille is a genuine Merc item.
The ABS sensor is on a cable about five miles long which terminates under the rear seat. It looks a bit grim under here but it's all solid. Ish.
More terrifying-looking "surface" rust. I am assured this is all OK.
I'm going to have to do the bodywork. I was going to leave it until next year but I don't think I can stand it. Viewing a car on a ramp really shows its imperfections and boy is the paint on this one imperfect. Still, we're getting there.
It wasn't the reluctor ring that yours truly had traipsed over there to deliver (why do I have a supply of reluctor rings in Chambers?), so back onto the diagnostic machine. Meanwhile, I fitted the new grille, to much muttering from Terry about doing him out of his supper and such like. Doesn't it look better? Anyway jkelly, the old S600 grille is a genuine Merc item.
The ABS sensor is on a cable about five miles long which terminates under the rear seat. It looks a bit grim under here but it's all solid. Ish.
More terrifying-looking "surface" rust. I am assured this is all OK.
I'm going to have to do the bodywork. I was going to leave it until next year but I don't think I can stand it. Viewing a car on a ramp really shows its imperfections and boy is the paint on this one imperfect. Still, we're getting there.
Nice progress. Hang fire on the grille; I dropped the car off at the local specialist this morning and their verdict will dictate whether or not I keep and fix, or eBay no reserve. The chopped hydraulic lines I found yesterday have killed a lot of my confidence in getting it back to some sort of shape!
r129sl said:
I've ordered some smart new registration plates in the correct, pre-2001 font. No nasty "BS" markings or post codes, either. Another £25 down the tubes.
There's some serious cleaning on the cards for the weekend.
Looking Fantastic, well apart from the Rusty Bits :-), but the correct Grille does set it off.There's some serious cleaning on the cards for the weekend.
Can I ask where you get your number plates from ? all the sellers I have seen are insisting on the modern ones even if the car is old. Or do you get "show plates" and just hope not to get stopped ?
TooManySheds said:
Looking Fantastic, well apart from the Rusty Bits :-), but the correct Grille does set it off.
Can I ask where you get your number plates from ? all the sellers I have seen are insisting on the modern ones even if the car is old. Or do you get "show plates" and just hope not to get stopped ?
When I did my 129, the threadists debated numberplate fonts for about three pages. In the end I ordered them from www.gbshowplates.com. There's no danger with the fuzz: after all, they've been on the car since new. That's how come they're in the old font. With all your motors TMS, you'd be entitled to a substantial bulk discount, shirley?Can I ask where you get your number plates from ? all the sellers I have seen are insisting on the modern ones even if the car is old. Or do you get "show plates" and just hope not to get stopped ?
Looking good!
This thread is giving me the impetus to spruce mine up a bit too.
That said, this may equally be down to my current full-blown procrastination efforts... with avoidance of any examination of my statutes for May's exams to be undertaken at all costs... when will I learn!?
This thread is giving me the impetus to spruce mine up a bit too.
That said, this may equally be down to my current full-blown procrastination efforts... with avoidance of any examination of my statutes for May's exams to be undertaken at all costs... when will I learn!?
Edited by ajmcampbell on Friday 25th March 09:33
Parts were included, apart from the brakes which I supplied myself, making the bill even more horrific.
I'm feeling a smidgen of buyer's remorse, largely induced by yesterday's draining of the wallet and the subsequent realisation that that was but the start of the pain. Also, it's nice enough to drive but it's too big for my office car park and, frankly, what does it add to that which I have already other than cost?
I'm feeling a smidgen of buyer's remorse, largely induced by yesterday's draining of the wallet and the subsequent realisation that that was but the start of the pain. Also, it's nice enough to drive but it's too big for my office car park and, frankly, what does it add to that which I have already other than cost?
I feel better about the car today, largely a result of having cleaned the interior very thoroughly. It has come up well, although the driver's mat did not respond well to the washing machine. I figured out yesterday that the air con doesn't work. Maybe it just needs re-gassing. Ha ha ha: I'll eat my hat if it just needs re-gassing.
I've started polishing the paint but there's a lot of work required there.
The rear accommodation is massive:
I've started polishing the paint but there's a lot of work required there.
The rear accommodation is massive:
r129sl said:
It's on the road at last, taxed, insured and emptying my wallet:
Thanks for the number plate company, I been out on the drive today making a little list of parts to swap around on the Volvos, am hoping I can get away with just buying the one set of plates. Brilliantly I have found a set of brand new plates (still with the packing film on) for the Merc. That invoice for your W140 is not as scary as I expected, is an awful lot of car for the money, and you could end up with such a bill for a 5 year old modern Diesel commuter box with blown sensors and DPF Failures etc.
It looks great in the latest pic, you have the same Kiddie Guardian Car seats as I have, thats the first photo I ever seen that makes seem small :-)
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