Titivating my Mercedes 124
Discussion
This topic is going to be about my disease. Mine is a disease of the mind. More specifically, a disease of the will. I am an addict. My poison is throwing endless time, money and thought at my ancient Mercedes estate. It beats any drug that I have tried. Perhaps the fact that I haven't tried any drugs has something to do with that.
Anyway, back in 1993 I learned to drive in a Mercedes 300 D and I have loved the w124 model ever since. I don't really know why. It's not important. In 2007 I bought a 320 TE at auction. In 2012, my wife wrote it off when a large and previously invisible concrete wall just leapt out in front of her. In May 2012, I bought my ideal 124. Well, ideal colour. And ideal engine and configuration. Not much else was ideal. A smoke silver E300 diesel T-Model. I have a growing family, I drive 55,000miles a year, I was sick and tired of fuelling a 320 TE, SL500 and 500 SEC. So I bought this E300 sight unseen off Ebay. 230,000miles. I made the seller an out of auction offer of £1,200 which he turned down, so much interest was this car attracting. I won the bidding at £1,076. The omens were good.
And when it arrived it was alright.
In the 21months and 47,000miles since it rolled off the flatbed, I have done or had done the following very extensive list of mechanical and cosmetic work:
ENGINE
Radiator
Engine mounts
Transmission mount
Breather tubes
Timing chain
Guide rails
Vacuum pump
Timing wheel
Injection pump (used)
Poly-V belt
Tensioner
Glow plugs
Glow plug relay
Exhaust centre section
Exhaust rear muffler
Fuel pipes
BRAKES
Front calipers
Front discs
Front pads
Rear discs
Rear pads
Brake lines
Parking brake linings
STEERING
Steering box
Track rods
Centre drag link
Idler arm bush
Steering damper
FRONT SUSPENSION
Springs
Shocks
Shock top mounts
Ball joints
Front wheel bearings
Anti-roll bar brackets
Anti-roll bar bushes
REAR SUSPENSION
Spheres
Springs
Pipework
Sub-frame bushes
Diff carrier bushes
All links and bushes
Rear wheel bearings
Prop shaft carrier bearing
Front prop shaft damper
Anti-roll bar brackets
Anti-roll bar bushes
AIR CONDITIONING
Condensor
Evaporator
Receiver/dryer
Cabin air vents
Blower motor
BODYWORK
N/S/R wing repair
Front bumper
Headlamp lenses
Indicator lenses
Repeater lenses
Bonnet star
INTERIOR
Centre console trim
Headlamp switch trim
Heated seats installed
Electric seats (memory on driver’s side) installed
Leather seats installed
Electric mirror switch
Steering wheel
Gear selector knob
Additional sound deadening in doors
Retrofit fire extinguisher
Washer bottle
OTHER SYSTEMS
New keys
Ignition barrel
Central locking vacuum pump (used)
Driver’s door vacuum element
Front speakers (Rainbow)
Headunit (Becker Indianapolis Pro)
Aerial (Hirschmann)
Wheels
Tyres
Washer fluid level sender
Washer fluid bottle lid
Washer bottle
N/S headlamp wiper motor
O/S headlamp wiper motor
Headlamp washer pump
Instrument cluster (used)
Outside temperature gauge
NSR lamp bulb holder
Battery
Cruise control ECU
Wiper motor
Number plates
Having just about exhausted the mechanical possibilities (I am still considering a new alternator and air con compressor, you know, in the cause of preventative maintenance), on Monday it heads to the body shop to have the exterior brought up to scratch.
These are the problems (photos to follow):
(1) both front wings rusty
(2) top edge of n/s/r door rusty
(3) o/s loadspace window lower frame rusty
(4) rust in area of bonnet hinge
(5) inner wings rusty
(6) underside of bonnet rusty at the leading edge
(7) small dent under o/s/r lamp
(8) bodywork dinged and shabby all over commensurate with 277,000miles and the pig ignorant t
ts with whom I share my office car park
The car will be stripped of all lights, grilles, handles, mirrors, bumpers, trims and Sacco panels as well as door and window seals. The front and rear screens are coming out. The loadspace side windows will come out, too. The rear door quarter windows are coming out. The bonnet will come off and most likely the tailgate, too.
I have ordered two new genuine front wings (£373 inc VAT for the pair) and a new genuine n/s/r door (£125 inc VAT from one of the NOS merchants, very pleased about that). I am hoping to obtain new loadspace side window seals from someone in the Merc club who had them for sale a while ago.
The rust will be treated or removed, the dings filled, the dent pulled. It will be painted from the roof down in DB9702 smoke silver metallic with the bumpers and Sacco panels in DB7176 mussel grey with satin clear. (The roof is fine and it would add significantly to the expense to remove the headlining, sunroof, roof bars and rails and refit the same.) Then I guess it is a matter of putting it all back together again. It will get a new front windscreen. I am expecting this to take three to four weeks.
The cost of the paint job is £2,000 plus the parts I have mentioned. I may well buy a new grille (except at £275, I may not) and new rear lamps. I may also buy new front and rear wiper arms. The rear one in particular is pretty grotty. I wouldn't mind new mirror glasses. But it all adds up and these trim parts are £50 to £100 each.
I am not expecting a perfect, concours car. But I do want something which is rust-, ding- and dent-free and which is the same colour and finish all over. Something which looks good in the summer when it is waxed up. The car gets used, easily 30,000miles a year; my three year old loves washing it (generally with rocks or whatever is to hand) and puking up in it, so I can't be too precious.
I will post photos of the blemishes tomorrow and I will update this thread as work progresses. In the meantime, here it is looking deceptively good doing what it does best:
A bit of the rust is visible in this one (it has worsened over the winter). You have no idea how much fun it is shoving stones through the holes of those brand new eight hole wheels.
Feel free to hurl abuse (I know I could lease a white Audi A4 TDI S-Line for 55new pence a month) or ask embarrassing questions (I know it is not worth spending a penny more on this ancient old car). I have no shame. You have the theory. Let's see what happens in practice.
Anyway, back in 1993 I learned to drive in a Mercedes 300 D and I have loved the w124 model ever since. I don't really know why. It's not important. In 2007 I bought a 320 TE at auction. In 2012, my wife wrote it off when a large and previously invisible concrete wall just leapt out in front of her. In May 2012, I bought my ideal 124. Well, ideal colour. And ideal engine and configuration. Not much else was ideal. A smoke silver E300 diesel T-Model. I have a growing family, I drive 55,000miles a year, I was sick and tired of fuelling a 320 TE, SL500 and 500 SEC. So I bought this E300 sight unseen off Ebay. 230,000miles. I made the seller an out of auction offer of £1,200 which he turned down, so much interest was this car attracting. I won the bidding at £1,076. The omens were good.
And when it arrived it was alright.
In the 21months and 47,000miles since it rolled off the flatbed, I have done or had done the following very extensive list of mechanical and cosmetic work:
ENGINE
Radiator
Engine mounts
Transmission mount
Breather tubes
Timing chain
Guide rails
Vacuum pump
Timing wheel
Injection pump (used)
Poly-V belt
Tensioner
Glow plugs
Glow plug relay
Exhaust centre section
Exhaust rear muffler
Fuel pipes
BRAKES
Front calipers
Front discs
Front pads
Rear discs
Rear pads
Brake lines
Parking brake linings
STEERING
Steering box
Track rods
Centre drag link
Idler arm bush
Steering damper
FRONT SUSPENSION
Springs
Shocks
Shock top mounts
Ball joints
Front wheel bearings
Anti-roll bar brackets
Anti-roll bar bushes
REAR SUSPENSION
Spheres
Springs
Pipework
Sub-frame bushes
Diff carrier bushes
All links and bushes
Rear wheel bearings
Prop shaft carrier bearing
Front prop shaft damper
Anti-roll bar brackets
Anti-roll bar bushes
AIR CONDITIONING
Condensor
Evaporator
Receiver/dryer
Cabin air vents
Blower motor
BODYWORK
N/S/R wing repair
Front bumper
Headlamp lenses
Indicator lenses
Repeater lenses
Bonnet star
INTERIOR
Centre console trim
Headlamp switch trim
Heated seats installed
Electric seats (memory on driver’s side) installed
Leather seats installed
Electric mirror switch
Steering wheel
Gear selector knob
Additional sound deadening in doors
Retrofit fire extinguisher
Washer bottle
OTHER SYSTEMS
New keys
Ignition barrel
Central locking vacuum pump (used)
Driver’s door vacuum element
Front speakers (Rainbow)
Headunit (Becker Indianapolis Pro)
Aerial (Hirschmann)
Wheels
Tyres
Washer fluid level sender
Washer fluid bottle lid
Washer bottle
N/S headlamp wiper motor
O/S headlamp wiper motor
Headlamp washer pump
Instrument cluster (used)
Outside temperature gauge
NSR lamp bulb holder
Battery
Cruise control ECU
Wiper motor
Number plates
Having just about exhausted the mechanical possibilities (I am still considering a new alternator and air con compressor, you know, in the cause of preventative maintenance), on Monday it heads to the body shop to have the exterior brought up to scratch.
These are the problems (photos to follow):
(1) both front wings rusty
(2) top edge of n/s/r door rusty
(3) o/s loadspace window lower frame rusty
(4) rust in area of bonnet hinge
(5) inner wings rusty
(6) underside of bonnet rusty at the leading edge
(7) small dent under o/s/r lamp
(8) bodywork dinged and shabby all over commensurate with 277,000miles and the pig ignorant t
ts with whom I share my office car parkThe car will be stripped of all lights, grilles, handles, mirrors, bumpers, trims and Sacco panels as well as door and window seals. The front and rear screens are coming out. The loadspace side windows will come out, too. The rear door quarter windows are coming out. The bonnet will come off and most likely the tailgate, too.
I have ordered two new genuine front wings (£373 inc VAT for the pair) and a new genuine n/s/r door (£125 inc VAT from one of the NOS merchants, very pleased about that). I am hoping to obtain new loadspace side window seals from someone in the Merc club who had them for sale a while ago.
The rust will be treated or removed, the dings filled, the dent pulled. It will be painted from the roof down in DB9702 smoke silver metallic with the bumpers and Sacco panels in DB7176 mussel grey with satin clear. (The roof is fine and it would add significantly to the expense to remove the headlining, sunroof, roof bars and rails and refit the same.) Then I guess it is a matter of putting it all back together again. It will get a new front windscreen. I am expecting this to take three to four weeks.
The cost of the paint job is £2,000 plus the parts I have mentioned. I may well buy a new grille (except at £275, I may not) and new rear lamps. I may also buy new front and rear wiper arms. The rear one in particular is pretty grotty. I wouldn't mind new mirror glasses. But it all adds up and these trim parts are £50 to £100 each.
I am not expecting a perfect, concours car. But I do want something which is rust-, ding- and dent-free and which is the same colour and finish all over. Something which looks good in the summer when it is waxed up. The car gets used, easily 30,000miles a year; my three year old loves washing it (generally with rocks or whatever is to hand) and puking up in it, so I can't be too precious.
I will post photos of the blemishes tomorrow and I will update this thread as work progresses. In the meantime, here it is looking deceptively good doing what it does best:
A bit of the rust is visible in this one (it has worsened over the winter). You have no idea how much fun it is shoving stones through the holes of those brand new eight hole wheels.
Feel free to hurl abuse (I know I could lease a white Audi A4 TDI S-Line for 55new pence a month) or ask embarrassing questions (I know it is not worth spending a penny more on this ancient old car). I have no shame. You have the theory. Let's see what happens in practice.
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 25th February 22:15
Edited by r129sl on Monday 17th March 13:32
dbdb said:
...I believe that after this volume of work is done, the clock is reset to a great extent and the car won't demand more heavy spending for a year or two.
Unfortunately, the decision to run the car properly involves a real catch-up period. Most of the problems will have been circling previous owners for years, gradually getting worse. Finally, there comes a point when all of the jobs become urgent and need to be done at the same time. It gets expensive and many people just scrap the car. It's why they're rare. It's a sad end for a quality car like the Mercedes 124 or my XJ40. I understand it, but I am glad there are people out there who keep such cars on the road. What you're doing with your 300 D is marvellous!
You have summarised my thinking exactly. I thought it was only me.Unfortunately, the decision to run the car properly involves a real catch-up period. Most of the problems will have been circling previous owners for years, gradually getting worse. Finally, there comes a point when all of the jobs become urgent and need to be done at the same time. It gets expensive and many people just scrap the car. It's why they're rare. It's a sad end for a quality car like the Mercedes 124 or my XJ40. I understand it, but I am glad there are people out there who keep such cars on the road. What you're doing with your 300 D is marvellous!
Here's the rust. The dings don't photograph but there's a lot of them. It's not too bad for its age and mileage but now is time to sort it.
Edit: the wheels you see are its winter wheels. They're in shabby condition but they're only on from late-October to early-April.
Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 26th February 07:23
I have ordered new seals for the front doors. I bought Febi Bilstein parts at £28.96 each delivered (beats the £77 each that Merc want and I have had good experiences with Febi Bilstein in the past). The driver's door seal is split anyway and sometimes blows at 95mph or more. I have also done the deal on genuine, new loadspace seals at £125 for a pair delivered from a very helpful chap in the Merc Club who no longer had any use for them (against £250 at Merc). So far as I can tell, rear door seals are only supplied by Merc and at £98 each. I think I'll give them a miss, the rear doors in theory getting a lot less use than the others.
I am not keeping count of my expenditure. If you are, keep it to yourself, I don't want to know. I have yet to tell my wife about this thread (although of course she knows and approves the project).
I am not keeping count of my expenditure. If you are, keep it to yourself, I don't want to know. I have yet to tell my wife about this thread (although of course she knows and approves the project).
Edited by r129sl on Thursday 27th February 13:46
Realistically? Most of ten grand.
Some of that has not been wisely spent, even by my warped standards. I still think it's cheap motoring: after all, I've had two years (well, 21 months, of which it has spent at least five off the road at the garage) and 47,000miles out of it.
After this, I don't expect it to cost much at all to run. Maybe £1,000 a year but hopefully less (excluding fuel, tax and insurance). It costs about £35 and 15 minutes to service every 6,000miles (the interval is 9,000 but, you know, it can't do any harm), doing it myself (2 gallons Castrol GTX, oil filter, fuel filter). And I expect to be using it for five years or more.
I've seen a Bosch alternator for £110... It doesn't need an alternator... Must resist buying unnecessary parts... And I am trying to make up my mind (opinions invited) whether to have my roof box painted to match. I use an enormous Kamei Corvara 390 which is glossy metallic black. I am thinking it would look damned cool (if a roof box could ever be so described) satin painted mussel grey to match the Saccos.
Some of that has not been wisely spent, even by my warped standards. I still think it's cheap motoring: after all, I've had two years (well, 21 months, of which it has spent at least five off the road at the garage) and 47,000miles out of it.
After this, I don't expect it to cost much at all to run. Maybe £1,000 a year but hopefully less (excluding fuel, tax and insurance). It costs about £35 and 15 minutes to service every 6,000miles (the interval is 9,000 but, you know, it can't do any harm), doing it myself (2 gallons Castrol GTX, oil filter, fuel filter). And I expect to be using it for five years or more.
I've seen a Bosch alternator for £110... It doesn't need an alternator... Must resist buying unnecessary parts... And I am trying to make up my mind (opinions invited) whether to have my roof box painted to match. I use an enormous Kamei Corvara 390 which is glossy metallic black. I am thinking it would look damned cool (if a roof box could ever be so described) satin painted mussel grey to match the Saccos.
jamest said:
I notice you listed the outside temperature gauge in your list of things completed, did you manage to fit a new lcd display to the instrument cluster? Mine has gone and is one of the jobs on my list.
Yes, I bought a new old stock one. It is dead easy to fit but you need instrument cluster hooks to get the cluster out and nimble fingers to detach and reattach all the wires. I noticed that there are a couple on starpartz.net at sensible money.For NOS, these two are quite good:
http://cart.euromercmercedesparts.co.uk
http://www.starpartz.co.uk
I also do daily ebay searches under "mercedes 124" (which takes a while due to very irritating bulk listers). This is how I found my door: I've been watching it for about 18 months.
You need to learn how to use the Mercedes EPC in conjunction with the online catalogues of Behr, Bosch, ZF (includes Sachs, Boge and Lemförder), Febi Bilstein, Bilstein, Hella, Ebersparcher. A good working knowledge of these systems enables you to identify by part number the correct part for the car from a range of high quality suppliers.
The website findpart.org is great for checking the compatibility and interchangeability of similar parts made by different manufacturers. Put in a Merc part number and it tells you who makes alternatives and what numbers they use. It is not infallible, however.
The following motor factors are good:
Seekpart24.com
Mister-auto.co.uk
Onlinecarparts.com
And several others. There is a wide range of prices for identical items. Like my alternator fetish: I've seen the same Bosch alternator priced from £115 to £470.
Finally, when you have a part number, google is excellent.
Last but not least, mercedes-benz-parts.co.uk gives you the dealer price for any Merc part number which is still available.
By way of example, I bought my door seals as follows:
(1) I obtained the correct Merc part numbers using the EPC
(2) I priced these using the MB website above,
(3) I identified that Febi and Lemforder made OEM alternatives using find part.org,
(4) I checked the Febi and Lemforder catalogues to be sure,
(5) I googled the Febi and Lemforder parts and also looked on seekpart24,
(6) I found them cheapest on Ebay from a factor who deals in Febi parts.
You also need to be sure that the vendor supplies the brand you ask for: many will swap, say, Febi for, say, Monroe, without telling you. A lot of this is just about being sure you are ordering the correct thing!
http://cart.euromercmercedesparts.co.uk
http://www.starpartz.co.uk
I also do daily ebay searches under "mercedes 124" (which takes a while due to very irritating bulk listers). This is how I found my door: I've been watching it for about 18 months.
You need to learn how to use the Mercedes EPC in conjunction with the online catalogues of Behr, Bosch, ZF (includes Sachs, Boge and Lemförder), Febi Bilstein, Bilstein, Hella, Ebersparcher. A good working knowledge of these systems enables you to identify by part number the correct part for the car from a range of high quality suppliers.
The website findpart.org is great for checking the compatibility and interchangeability of similar parts made by different manufacturers. Put in a Merc part number and it tells you who makes alternatives and what numbers they use. It is not infallible, however.
The following motor factors are good:
Seekpart24.com
Mister-auto.co.uk
Onlinecarparts.com
And several others. There is a wide range of prices for identical items. Like my alternator fetish: I've seen the same Bosch alternator priced from £115 to £470.
Finally, when you have a part number, google is excellent.
Last but not least, mercedes-benz-parts.co.uk gives you the dealer price for any Merc part number which is still available.
By way of example, I bought my door seals as follows:
(1) I obtained the correct Merc part numbers using the EPC
(2) I priced these using the MB website above,
(3) I identified that Febi and Lemforder made OEM alternatives using find part.org,
(4) I checked the Febi and Lemforder catalogues to be sure,
(5) I googled the Febi and Lemforder parts and also looked on seekpart24,
(6) I found them cheapest on Ebay from a factor who deals in Febi parts.
You also need to be sure that the vendor supplies the brand you ask for: many will swap, say, Febi for, say, Monroe, without telling you. A lot of this is just about being sure you are ordering the correct thing!
Edited by r129sl on Thursday 27th February 19:49
Well, it has started...
I dropped the car off this morning. Rather irritatingly, over the weekend it picked up a really nasty car park scrape but the body shop say they can take care of this. Already they were working on the new old stock near side rear door, just levelling out a couple of fine dings. The rear window seals arrived this morning in perfect order (thanks again, Paul, if you read this). And the front wings have arrived from Merc, all boxed up. I am just waiting on the front door seals but they will not be needed for a couple of weeks anyway.
I have also ordered a new driver's door sill cover to replace the existing one which is really tatty. £40. I am still pondering tail lights.
I will be going down there later this week to take pictures and will post them here.
In the meantime, do I get my roof box lid painted and, if so, what colour? Mussel grey to match the Saccos or smoke silver to match the main colour?
I dropped the car off this morning. Rather irritatingly, over the weekend it picked up a really nasty car park scrape but the body shop say they can take care of this. Already they were working on the new old stock near side rear door, just levelling out a couple of fine dings. The rear window seals arrived this morning in perfect order (thanks again, Paul, if you read this). And the front wings have arrived from Merc, all boxed up. I am just waiting on the front door seals but they will not be needed for a couple of weeks anyway.
I have also ordered a new driver's door sill cover to replace the existing one which is really tatty. £40. I am still pondering tail lights.
I will be going down there later this week to take pictures and will post them here.
In the meantime, do I get my roof box lid painted and, if so, what colour? Mussel grey to match the Saccos or smoke silver to match the main colour?
jonclancy said:
Lazy boy says: Do you have the link to the door seal vendor, please??
Here is a link to the front right: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221370507945?ssPageName=...And front left: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221370616969?ssPageName=...
Estates and saloons are the same. They haven't arrived yet so I can't advise as to quality but I am confident Febi parts will be OK.
A very brief update from the world's worst hotel (Marriott Bristol, burned down here in the SL, 3hrs 35mins from Newcastle). Lots of progress, rust not as bad as expected, Merc sent the wrong o/s front wing (no diesel vent). I've bought some tail lights. Thinking about a Jehnert sound installation...
Sills look great. The only rust is on the wings, the inner wings (I've tried to capture the holes above, they will be patched), at the bottom of the screen, the top of the nsr door, the load space windows (quite bad on the os but not as bad as most) and a bleb on the tailgate. I'm really pleased and astonished at the lack of rust given the age and mileage of the vehicle.
There has been some progress albeit I was unable to take any pictures today as I had the baby with me.
The car is fully stripped. The plastic panels (bumpers, Saccos, sills) are all prepared for painting (and may even be painted by now—it was this morning when I visited). The car itself has been rubbed back and all of the defects (there is a surprising number) identified and marked for attention. I received the attached photo by text this afternoon showing the start of rust removal. This is the nearside 'C' pillar in progress. Quite a big cut out. Lord knows what the other side will be like, as it is much worse.
Also, loads of parts turned up. The Febi door seals (which look good, especially at the price), a new n/s mirror glass and new tail lights. I have various other bits and bobs which I must gather up while the car is apart: another new o/s headlamp wiper motor and front indicator lenses. I will take some proper pictures tomorrow.
The car is fully stripped. The plastic panels (bumpers, Saccos, sills) are all prepared for painting (and may even be painted by now—it was this morning when I visited). The car itself has been rubbed back and all of the defects (there is a surprising number) identified and marked for attention. I received the attached photo by text this afternoon showing the start of rust removal. This is the nearside 'C' pillar in progress. Quite a big cut out. Lord knows what the other side will be like, as it is much worse.
Also, loads of parts turned up. The Febi door seals (which look good, especially at the price), a new n/s mirror glass and new tail lights. I have various other bits and bobs which I must gather up while the car is apart: another new o/s headlamp wiper motor and front indicator lenses. I will take some proper pictures tomorrow.
I visited the body shop this morning and took some pictures.
First up, the nearside 'C' pillar area. You can see quite a substantial repair area here. I have no idea whether this is good or bad.
Similarly, the offside 'C' and 'D' pillars. This looks grim to me but the body shop reckon it will be fine. There is quite a lot of rot requiring new metal. I think I will have them fill the cavities with anti-corrosion gunk as well.
Here are some pictures of the sills and jacking points. These are pretty good in my view but they will be cleaned up and protected.
These are the lower corners of the windscreen aperture. Again, it could be a whole lot worse here.
Next, some progress with the bumpers, Saccos and sills, all painted up in 7176 Mussel Grey with a satin finish. Not all of the trim pieces have been removed, which worries me slightly, but I was quite impressed by the masking job. Apparently there will be too much damage if they are all separated and, sure enough, the tailgate trim had cracked when they removed the chrome embellishment from it.
Progress seems to have slowed a bit but I have no doubt that it is hard and difficult work doing those loadspace window apertures in particular. There are quite a few dings which will have to be pulled and one or two which will be filled. And I suppose a lot of stuff will have to be ground out and treated. Watch this space.
First up, the nearside 'C' pillar area. You can see quite a substantial repair area here. I have no idea whether this is good or bad.
Similarly, the offside 'C' and 'D' pillars. This looks grim to me but the body shop reckon it will be fine. There is quite a lot of rot requiring new metal. I think I will have them fill the cavities with anti-corrosion gunk as well.
Here are some pictures of the sills and jacking points. These are pretty good in my view but they will be cleaned up and protected.
These are the lower corners of the windscreen aperture. Again, it could be a whole lot worse here.
Next, some progress with the bumpers, Saccos and sills, all painted up in 7176 Mussel Grey with a satin finish. Not all of the trim pieces have been removed, which worries me slightly, but I was quite impressed by the masking job. Apparently there will be too much damage if they are all separated and, sure enough, the tailgate trim had cracked when they removed the chrome embellishment from it.
Progress seems to have slowed a bit but I have no doubt that it is hard and difficult work doing those loadspace window apertures in particular. There are quite a few dings which will have to be pulled and one or two which will be filled. And I suppose a lot of stuff will have to be ground out and treated. Watch this space.
jonclancy said:
Is that a genuine Merc screen with correct banded tint etc?
Seems like good value for £200.
Pass, but I seem to recall that a genuine one is only £252 or something.Seems like good value for £200.
Edit, having just now checked, the price to the consumer for a genuine Merc windshield, part number A1246703301, is a mere £208.44. I am pretty confident I can better that, so it will definitely be genuine.
Today I walked past a new BMW M6 gran coupé or whatever they call it and had a crisis of faith: am I doing the right thing? ought I not simply lease something new and flashy? maybe a new BMW 730d? or an E63 AMG estate?
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 11th March 16:49
bmthnick1981 said:
r129sl said:
Today I walked past a new BMW M6 gran coupé or whatever they call it and had a crisis of faith: am I doing the right thing? ought I not simply lease something new and flashy? maybe a new BMW 730d? or an E63 AMG estate?
A 730d lease may be a possibility but an E63 AMG Estate is going to cost a lot, £1000 per month? And I doubt it would permit the sort of miles you do! Also the fuel bill would be pretty big! Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 11th March 16:49
But sometimes I feel like ditching this alternative furrow we plough and going mainstream. I would also quite like (in no particular order) a new kitchen, an en suite bathroom, a serious effort on my garden, a lift for my garage, a r107, a classic 911... all of these demands on my slender purse. Plus I must not forget that I need to repair my wife's car and my brother's car after the former reversed into the latter the other day. I must be happy with my ultra-cool estate car and my soon-to-be-cool SL. After all, most people would be.
Crisis passed and, Oa, you're right: (1) I can't afford to drop £7k a year on a lease car and (2) even with my attitude, these cars are still super cheap to run.
Back to progress. The near side loadspace window frame has been repaired with a patch and some lead solder:
Some of the work on stone chips and dings:
Repairs to the off side rear quarter. You will remember there was a dent under the lamp cluster and last week it was badly crunched in the office car park. Obviously most of this filler will be removed.
Finally, the insides of the new panels have been painted. This also means the outsides have been done but they will be prepped and re-painted for the final finish. Still, it looks like progress.
I am hoping to draw a line at further expenditure having today received the bill for repairs to my brother's SL and blown the exhaust on the Audi A4 Quattro I am knocking around in (interesting car, it's a 2.8litre 30valve V6 with a five speed manual and it now sounds insane). The Jehnert sound installation for the 124 may have to wait a while.
Back to progress. The near side loadspace window frame has been repaired with a patch and some lead solder:
Some of the work on stone chips and dings:
Repairs to the off side rear quarter. You will remember there was a dent under the lamp cluster and last week it was badly crunched in the office car park. Obviously most of this filler will be removed.
Finally, the insides of the new panels have been painted. This also means the outsides have been done but they will be prepped and re-painted for the final finish. Still, it looks like progress.
I am hoping to draw a line at further expenditure having today received the bill for repairs to my brother's SL and blown the exhaust on the Audi A4 Quattro I am knocking around in (interesting car, it's a 2.8litre 30valve V6 with a five speed manual and it now sounds insane). The Jehnert sound installation for the 124 may have to wait a while.
bmthnick1981 said:
r129sl said:
...and blown the exhaust on the Audi A4 Quattro I am knocking around in (interesting car, it's a 2.8litre 30valve V6 with a five speed manual and it now sounds insane). The Jehnert sound installation for the 124 may have to wait a while.
Work all looks good, and thorough. Is the A4 a short term purchase or bodyshop courtesy car>? I've a fondness for old Audi Quattro's.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff