0a's Mercedes r129 500SL
Discussion
I decided that it was about time to start my own thread on the SL rather than abusing various threads around Pistonheads (in particular the barge fantastic barge 1-5 thread).
Here's the back story, or what I remember of it, of my Mercedes r129 500SL.
Way back in 2012, I moved out of London to Edinburgh, and decided that I should get a car again to work through a few years of no claims after not having my own car for a while.
Ford fiesta 1.25 option duly selected, I started research on cars and cost as you do, and being registered on Pistonheads and a sensible sort of chap, I pivoted to a 7 series e38 728 BMW. This led me to the barge 1-5 thread, and the realisation that old mercs are cheaper than fiestas to insure. I therefore purchased a W124 300e from devon, driving it back to Edinburgh late at night. I still have the W124 (in fact I drove home in it tonight).
Fast forward a few years and various other cars had passed in between (a 4.2 Audi A8, and an e23 7 series). I decided that I wanted a V8 merc - in particular a c43 AMG. The rather pleasant process of searching for a car began. They were all leggy, rusty or dodgy. So I mentioned I was considering other V8 mercs, including the SL.
On a long drive south from Edinburgh, I received the following email from PHer CharlesDeGaulle:
The drive home was easy. Initially, it felt slow. This is an old merc thing, with the 4 speed gearbox, starting off in second, and early upchanges making the car seem very relaxed. These are not slow cars, however, especially with this version of Merc's 5 litre v8.
It did 26mpg on the way home, which is about what I get out of my other cars, and I used it for a while.
To be continued....!
Here's the back story, or what I remember of it, of my Mercedes r129 500SL.
Way back in 2012, I moved out of London to Edinburgh, and decided that I should get a car again to work through a few years of no claims after not having my own car for a while.
Ford fiesta 1.25 option duly selected, I started research on cars and cost as you do, and being registered on Pistonheads and a sensible sort of chap, I pivoted to a 7 series e38 728 BMW. This led me to the barge 1-5 thread, and the realisation that old mercs are cheaper than fiestas to insure. I therefore purchased a W124 300e from devon, driving it back to Edinburgh late at night. I still have the W124 (in fact I drove home in it tonight).
Fast forward a few years and various other cars had passed in between (a 4.2 Audi A8, and an e23 7 series). I decided that I wanted a V8 merc - in particular a c43 AMG. The rather pleasant process of searching for a car began. They were all leggy, rusty or dodgy. So I mentioned I was considering other V8 mercs, including the SL.
On a long drive south from Edinburgh, I received the following email from PHer CharlesDeGaulle:
CDG said:
SUBJECT: Your R129 Search
I know that you're tempted by a 500 SL and are looking. I never thought I'd be penning this note, but I really need to sell one of my 3 MBs, and wondered if you may be interested in mine?
...
(really great email followed!)
Now, CDG is a real gent, but I think he knew what he was doing here. I stopped to watch the pictures download at a highly leisurely pace on my phone and was sold. He was a complete pleasure to deal with, and provided tea and a good chat. The car was precisely as described.I know that you're tempted by a 500 SL and are looking. I never thought I'd be penning this note, but I really need to sell one of my 3 MBs, and wondered if you may be interested in mine?
...
(really great email followed!)
The drive home was easy. Initially, it felt slow. This is an old merc thing, with the 4 speed gearbox, starting off in second, and early upchanges making the car seem very relaxed. These are not slow cars, however, especially with this version of Merc's 5 litre v8.
It did 26mpg on the way home, which is about what I get out of my other cars, and I used it for a while.
To be continued....!
...continued!
I used the SL for a while, and it was fine.
I made one error - getting a custom exhaust made:
It was a bit loud. But then again I don't drive the car too much... let's admit it's bad and defer the exhaust decision to later.
CDG had warned me that he had only done a temporary fix on the roof (and this was reflected in the price), so I wasn't surprised when it played up a bit.
So I started using the car less about 6 months ago.
To be continued....
I used the SL for a while, and it was fine.
I made one error - getting a custom exhaust made:
It was a bit loud. But then again I don't drive the car too much... let's admit it's bad and defer the exhaust decision to later.
CDG had warned me that he had only done a temporary fix on the roof (and this was reflected in the price), so I wasn't surprised when it played up a bit.
So I started using the car less about 6 months ago.
To be continued....
At this stage I must admit I was going through a distracted stage in life, so rarely used the car.
These Merc engines don't respond too well to a month or so off at a time.... fast forward a while and I ended up collecting the car from storage, getting it jump started, and the car decided to die in an Edinburgh suburb.
Annoying.. mercs are not supposed to be like this
Anyway after encouragement from the 1-5 thread I decided to tackle the starting issues.
£800 later the SL starts on the turn of a key after 4 weeks
These Merc engines don't respond too well to a month or so off at a time.... fast forward a while and I ended up collecting the car from storage, getting it jump started, and the car decided to die in an Edinburgh suburb.
Annoying.. mercs are not supposed to be like this
Anyway after encouragement from the 1-5 thread I decided to tackle the starting issues.
£800 later the SL starts on the turn of a key after 4 weeks
The final stage of this comes after a keying of the car down one side.
This annoyed me somewhat. However, the car is now reliable and I wanted the tiny amount of rust dealt with. So with the support of my mechanic we embarked on a strip and respray of the car...
#
It looks fantastic in person.
It just passed its MOT and I collect it next week - I still need to sort the roof!
This annoyed me somewhat. However, the car is now reliable and I wanted the tiny amount of rust dealt with. So with the support of my mechanic we embarked on a strip and respray of the car...
#It looks fantastic in person.
It just passed its MOT and I collect it next week - I still need to sort the roof!
blueacid said:
Beautiful looking car, looking forward to more about it.
They do but it's best to manually select 1st if you want it. r129s are lazy if you don't make a request. 0a said:
starting off in second
...so does it drop down to 1st if you plant your foot to the floor from a standstill?GregE240 said:
Nice! What was the starting issue? Was it immobiliser related, by any chance?
No, but i've had the old immobiliser removed. Moisture gets into the distributor. My mechanic replaced it, the leads and the alternator.
Can't wait to get it back.
It needs a suspension refresh and tyres.
alec.e said:
Been hoping you would post a readers car about your SL, will be following with interest.
Respray looks fantastic!
My Jags only start off in 2nd, only select 1st if foot to the floor.
They did a great job on it. I displaced my mechanic's 60s jag that he's been working on for 10 years. Respray looks fantastic!
My Jags only start off in 2nd, only select 1st if foot to the floor.
There was an agreement
Thankyou very much for the kind words. It's a 1991 model.
I will collect the car next week (I have a few jobs to get done on the 190E and my wallet needs a break!).
The list of jobs outstanding is as follows:
1. The hood mechanism isn't working
2. The hood 'glass' needs replacement. The hood as a whole is a bit tatty so i will do the whole thing
3. The noisy exhaust needs civilising
4. It could do with new tyres all round
5. It could do with a suspension refresh (will do after the tyres to see how that improves things)
6. The air conditioning doesn't work
7. There is some wear to the driver's side seat
GULP!
I will collect the car next week (I have a few jobs to get done on the 190E and my wallet needs a break!).
The list of jobs outstanding is as follows:
1. The hood mechanism isn't working
2. The hood 'glass' needs replacement. The hood as a whole is a bit tatty so i will do the whole thing
3. The noisy exhaust needs civilising
4. It could do with new tyres all round
5. It could do with a suspension refresh (will do after the tyres to see how that improves things)
6. The air conditioning doesn't work
7. There is some wear to the driver's side seat
GULP!
Yes it did indeed start life in Japan, I didn't know there was a difference! It's very clean underneath as a result.
I collected it today and the paint really does look nice. It's starting cleanly as well.
There's still plenty of work to do.
In particular despite seeming like it is latched okay the roof beep is still sounding and the button doesn't do anything. Very annoying. I need to identify a specialist and get it there as the next step (I have had a few leads on the barge thread, suggestions welcome).
It's significantly quicker than I remember it being though.
The fun continues.
Edit - picture turned the right way up. The engine seems a bit wild with the dodgy chav exhaust - it's very amusing.
I collected it today and the paint really does look nice. It's starting cleanly as well.
There's still plenty of work to do.
In particular despite seeming like it is latched okay the roof beep is still sounding and the button doesn't do anything. Very annoying. I need to identify a specialist and get it there as the next step (I have had a few leads on the barge thread, suggestions welcome).
It's significantly quicker than I remember it being though.
The fun continues.
Edit - picture turned the right way up. The engine seems a bit wild with the dodgy chav exhaust - it's very amusing.
Edited by 0a on Wednesday 30th November 00:12
PositronicRay said:
Don't be surprised if the ball joints are shot, very, very difficult to tell when there knackered due to the suspension set up.
Check the flex discs as well (don't ask why I'm paranoid about these)
Nice car.
I went through the tyres/suspension thing on my 320, when I 1st had it the car suffered from odd steering vibrations and a harsh low speed ride.
1st top mounts, arb bushes
2nd steering damper (old one knackered but didn't notice and difference
3rd wheels/tyres (17" wheels buckled, tyres old and wanted to get back to 16"s)
4th shocks (while doing these discovered ball joints)
5th control arms (camber bolts seized and needed cutting off)
Each change made a little improvement, now the whole lots done it rides as it should.
How much did your respray cost? I'm envious, I've had some bits of bodywork done but perhaps should of bitten the bullet and had the whole lot sprayed.
An excellent list, thanks! You will have PM regarding the last question.Check the flex discs as well (don't ask why I'm paranoid about these)
Nice car.
I went through the tyres/suspension thing on my 320, when I 1st had it the car suffered from odd steering vibrations and a harsh low speed ride.
1st top mounts, arb bushes
2nd steering damper (old one knackered but didn't notice and difference
3rd wheels/tyres (17" wheels buckled, tyres old and wanted to get back to 16"s)
4th shocks (while doing these discovered ball joints)
5th control arms (camber bolts seized and needed cutting off)
Each change made a little improvement, now the whole lots done it rides as it should.
How much did your respray cost? I'm envious, I've had some bits of bodywork done but perhaps should of bitten the bullet and had the whole lot sprayed.
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 27th November 08:45
What a great response there has been to this thread - it's much appreciated, and it's great to see other r129s.
I have put a few miles on the car this week to ensure it's reliable which it has been so far. It's definitely quicker than before! This has highlighted the crap tyres that are on the car at the moment - on the greasy roads around here it can lights the traction control in 1,2 and 3, and it gave me a brief opposite lock moment earlier on a roundabout when I was in a casual rush to a meeting.
Thanks for the tip PR, I will give it a try this weekend.
sinbaddio that's a lovely colour and a great looking r129. 28
I have put a few miles on the car this week to ensure it's reliable which it has been so far. It's definitely quicker than before! This has highlighted the crap tyres that are on the car at the moment - on the greasy roads around here it can lights the traction control in 1,2 and 3, and it gave me a brief opposite lock moment earlier on a roundabout when I was in a casual rush to a meeting.
Thanks for the tip PR, I will give it a try this weekend.
sinbaddio that's a lovely colour and a great looking r129. 28
Lovely Ray!
Today I got around to pulling the stuff out of the boot, and the spare tyre, so I could take a look at the hydrolic fluid levels for the roof. No fluid visible, which explains why it's not working! Obviously there's an issue as to where it has gone
I might try refilling for now so I can verify the roof works otherwise. I assume MB fluid is required? I called in my local dealer but missed their parts department by 10 minutes.
The soft top roof itself does need replacement, but it will be the new year before I get around to that so there's no harm tinkering in the meantime.
The car does look nice though and I came back to find an old chap admiring it today when I took it out on a brief drive.
It seems to be running better after burning off the old petrol as well - I stuck £20 of v-power in it when I picked it up as I don't know when I last filled it up due to the various starting issue. Now another £20 of fresh stuff to run through before I fill it fully.
Today I got around to pulling the stuff out of the boot, and the spare tyre, so I could take a look at the hydrolic fluid levels for the roof. No fluid visible, which explains why it's not working! Obviously there's an issue as to where it has gone
I might try refilling for now so I can verify the roof works otherwise. I assume MB fluid is required? I called in my local dealer but missed their parts department by 10 minutes. The soft top roof itself does need replacement, but it will be the new year before I get around to that so there's no harm tinkering in the meantime.
The car does look nice though and I came back to find an old chap admiring it today when I took it out on a brief drive.
It seems to be running better after burning off the old petrol as well - I stuck £20 of v-power in it when I picked it up as I don't know when I last filled it up due to the various starting issue. Now another £20 of fresh stuff to run through before I fill it fully.
Edited by 0a on Saturday 3rd December 17:50
PositronicRay said:
The beeping is often slight wear in the front latches, causing one or both of the micro switches in the header to think the roof is still unlatched. Use the manual tool to tweak each side in turn, if it stops then you've found the suspect.
Link below, I followed this it worked a treat.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r129-sl-class/1716...
Read and erase the codes, easy enough with a homemade LED blink-code reader, then recheck to see what comes back.
Thanks for the PM
I'm also going to try this, thanks! Link below, I followed this it worked a treat.
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r129-sl-class/1716...
Read and erase the codes, easy enough with a homemade LED blink-code reader, then recheck to see what comes back.
Thanks for the PM
Edited by PositronicRay on Wednesday 30th November 12:52
PositronicRay said:
0a said:
Lovely Ray!
Today I got around to pulling the stuff out of the boot, and the spare tyre, so I could take a look at the hydrolic fluid levels for the roof. No fluid visible, which explains why it's not working! Obviously there's an issue as to where it has gone I might try refilling for now so I can verify the roof works otherwise. I assume MB fluid is required? I called in my local dealer but missed their parts department by 10 minutes.
No1 suspect is the cylinders, I'd refill and then see where. Top Hydraulics in the states are well regarded and offer a rebuild service. Today I got around to pulling the stuff out of the boot, and the spare tyre, so I could take a look at the hydrolic fluid levels for the roof. No fluid visible, which explains why it's not working! Obviously there's an issue as to where it has gone
I might try refilling for now so I can verify the roof works otherwise. I assume MB fluid is required? I called in my local dealer but missed their parts department by 10 minutes. Hereward said:
When you refill the hood reservoir and try the hood again have some towels ready to catch any leaking fluid in case the latches at the top of the windscreen are leaking. You don't want hydraulic fluid dripping in to the cabin.
I do hope it's not leaking there... but I have an old decorating blanket ready to go just in case as reading the internet stories it can end badly. Pump:
Reservoir:
Home brew "diagnostic kit":
I managed to find time to fill the hydraulic fluid this week and the roof mechanism seems to be working again, it has a good seal on the hardtop but is still beeping at me. I take it either this means the contacts need cleaning, or I need to reset the roof (though would this just stop it going up and down?).
Edited by 0a on Sunday 11th December 17:00
PositronicRay said:
Well done on the fluid front, keep an eye out though, the original fluid must have gone somewhere!
Roof alarm is likely to be a microswitch, a code reader would help.
Yes I am sure that there's a leak that will need fixing. Ideally I want to get a fix where the roof is sealed and there's no noise so I can drive the car long distance to get a roof replacement and service at my leisure after Christmas without going mad!Roof alarm is likely to be a microswitch, a code reader would help.
I have wires, an LED and soldering iron... the internet claims you can make a home brew fault reader with these.
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