1972 Mercedes W108 280SE 4.5
Discussion
On demand from helix402 and a very good point, I've made a separate thread for this. It will mean a few of you who didn't know about the car will know now 
.
Apologies for repeating some info from the 250D thread, but it'll be up to speed soon! Anyway, where was I?
Some people will know I like an old Merc. I've had 3 W124s over my time, including a 1991 300D, then a '91 250D manual, followed by an E320 5 speed. All were great in their own way, but the E320 was my favourite, with the 250D coming a close second surprisingly. The E320 was like a rocketship, but the 250D just had that feeling of going on and on. That can be detailed in This thread. But sometimes, a car becomes available which you never thought would be obtainable. Enter the W108 below....
So it seems a few people may know that I had this motor. So, naturally, I figured I'd say more here. I bought this car over a year ago, and these posts are dated from back then. But here it is for you folks.
It seemed my car collection was so cosy! So right! What did it compile of?
-A Citroen 2CV6 Special
-Mercedes S124 E320 SportLine 5 Speed
-The BMW E46 M3.
So, did that satisfy me? Sort of. If I could pick two of those to keep, it would be the Germans. The Citroen is lovely, but a little testing in daily traffic, which doesn't happen at times. However, at the right time, I really, really liked it!
Buying the Citroen made me realise a few things however. Not all cars are the same. OK, I knew that. But also, even the 'cheapest' cars can soon become expensive to run. I'm surprised at the parts prices of some of the parts of mine. Yes, I could have gone cheaper, but I've hit that stage in life where it is nice where things work, and you don't keep going wrong and then around in circles, circles and yet more circles. Does this sound familiar to us? It certainly does to me!
Clearly, I should have sold two of those and kept one. Except, there comes in the issue.
-The S124 is the imperfect daily, yet perfect! Yes it drinks like George Best doing 24MPG around town, but it's sooooo nice!
-The M3 as my thread makes clear is far from a cheap car to own. But; it's a lovely drive! I drove some moderns as a temptation to replace it, and I couldn't bond with them. Yes, for the right or wrong reasons, the moneypit of the E46 M3 is here to stay. I've had some bitter times with it, but some of the best times too! You cannot put a price on that really.
Anyway, I'm waffling. Where does the W108 come in?
A while ago, a mate of mine Rich bought a W114 250S. I jokingly said I'd buy the 280SE the chap had for sale. It seems I couldn't; it sold within the week. Was I bitter? Yes, very!
In short, I really fancied it, but of course, it couldn't be mine!
Let's go forward 2 weeks.
The same seller had a 280SE 4.5 coming in, apparently better than the other car. So, how did this look? Pretty similar if I am being honest!
So, it looked good! Damn, I was almost over buying a W108! Yes, I remember seeing the odd one in the '90s, and loving them at the various car shows I've since been to! Damn, I got over getting one of these too! I guess I wouldn't get over so soon!
There was only one thing for it. See the car. Seeing it, it was rust free! Sure, the horn didn't work, and I couldn't figure out half of the controls. But the deal was done! I agreed to buy it, and despite my collection of cars, made movements to ensure I could fit it in the stable! Yes, the 2CV would go to a new home, but I can move onto bigger, and better things right?
Well, we shall see.
.Apologies for repeating some info from the 250D thread, but it'll be up to speed soon! Anyway, where was I?
Some people will know I like an old Merc. I've had 3 W124s over my time, including a 1991 300D, then a '91 250D manual, followed by an E320 5 speed. All were great in their own way, but the E320 was my favourite, with the 250D coming a close second surprisingly. The E320 was like a rocketship, but the 250D just had that feeling of going on and on. That can be detailed in This thread. But sometimes, a car becomes available which you never thought would be obtainable. Enter the W108 below....
So it seems a few people may know that I had this motor. So, naturally, I figured I'd say more here. I bought this car over a year ago, and these posts are dated from back then. But here it is for you folks
.It seemed my car collection was so cosy! So right! What did it compile of?
-A Citroen 2CV6 Special
-Mercedes S124 E320 SportLine 5 Speed
-The BMW E46 M3.
So, did that satisfy me? Sort of. If I could pick two of those to keep, it would be the Germans. The Citroen is lovely, but a little testing in daily traffic, which doesn't happen at times. However, at the right time, I really, really liked it!
Buying the Citroen made me realise a few things however. Not all cars are the same. OK, I knew that. But also, even the 'cheapest' cars can soon become expensive to run. I'm surprised at the parts prices of some of the parts of mine. Yes, I could have gone cheaper, but I've hit that stage in life where it is nice where things work, and you don't keep going wrong and then around in circles, circles and yet more circles. Does this sound familiar to us? It certainly does to me!
Clearly, I should have sold two of those and kept one. Except, there comes in the issue.
-The S124 is the imperfect daily, yet perfect! Yes it drinks like George Best doing 24MPG around town, but it's sooooo nice!
-The M3 as my thread makes clear is far from a cheap car to own. But; it's a lovely drive! I drove some moderns as a temptation to replace it, and I couldn't bond with them. Yes, for the right or wrong reasons, the moneypit of the E46 M3 is here to stay. I've had some bitter times with it, but some of the best times too! You cannot put a price on that really
.Anyway, I'm waffling. Where does the W108 come in?
A while ago, a mate of mine Rich bought a W114 250S. I jokingly said I'd buy the 280SE the chap had for sale. It seems I couldn't; it sold within the week. Was I bitter? Yes, very!
In short, I really fancied it, but of course, it couldn't be mine!
Let's go forward 2 weeks.
The same seller had a 280SE 4.5 coming in, apparently better than the other car. So, how did this look? Pretty similar if I am being honest!
So, it looked good! Damn, I was almost over buying a W108! Yes, I remember seeing the odd one in the '90s, and loving them at the various car shows I've since been to! Damn, I got over getting one of these too! I guess I wouldn't get over so soon!
There was only one thing for it. See the car. Seeing it, it was rust free! Sure, the horn didn't work, and I couldn't figure out half of the controls. But the deal was done! I agreed to buy it, and despite my collection of cars, made movements to ensure I could fit it in the stable! Yes, the 2CV would go to a new home, but I can move onto bigger, and better things right?
Well, we shall see.
It was a bit of a struggle, and my back going right after I paid the seller really threw a spanner in the works for a delivery time! After all, I couldn't really move things about at the unit with me being a cripple!
Fast forward on, and my local garage came to the rescue. He agreed for the car to be delivered to him and that he would also MOT it.
MOT it I hear you ask? It doesn't need one of those? Indeed it doesn't, but that does come with a few issues despite some success of people here doing it.
-Restorer friends of mine have noticed that almost every 40+ year old car imported has been inspected quite recently, with them generally being registered off the V112 MOT Exemption form.
-Chatting to the DVLA yesterday, a gent on the phone told me that cars arriving with a V112 are more likely to get inspected than those without one, despite the evidence put into the envelope when it's sent over. After all, an individual has less to lose over mis-supplying information over an MOT tester, which is their liveliehood.
-While I know my way around a car, it's nice to have a second look over.
So, how would the old girl fare on the test? Honestly, not terribly! It could always be better mind you!
So, it failed on:
-No numberplates ; No, I don't really get that either, and my tester is normally pretty fair. I'm not sure if he is familiar with the process of registering cars...
-[s]Headlamp aim is to the right; wrong lights[/s]
-Horn doesn't work
-Battery is loose in the tray
-Wipers are shot as is the washer pump
-[s]A marker light wasn't working[/s]
-One track rod end is terrible
-Two exhaust mounts have broken off.
A few of those failures I expected as you know, but some were a little embarresing. The battery is terribly loose in the engine bay! I, at the time didn't realise how to operate the washer jets, and my tester and I were listening out for a pump. The track rod end I didn't notice on the test drive at the farm when I viewed the car, but on the ramp, it was clear it was in a terrible way. There is a good few mm of movement in each direction! Strange, as the steering 'box isn't that loose for a car of this age!
To top things off, the engine started sounding a little rattly at the station when it was intially dropepd off and the engine was at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. The oil pressure was 30PSi idling hot, and my heart just sank at that point. what had I bought? But once cold, it was quiet! Except the battery was now flatter than a flat thing! Thankfully, my Noco Genius Boost (my garage has also since bought one) saved the day. firing it up seemingly as if it wasn't struggling.
The garage has agreed to pass the car once I've fixed the above. Then, it was a case of delivering the car to the unit, with me agreeing a time of 5:30 with my garage, saying the 2CV was being picked up that day as well.. That day was not a pleasant day by any means! In short:
-The 2CV went away that day. The buyer however hadn't told the towing company that the car would have spares included as well. What should have been a 15 minute transaction soon became almost an hour, as I was rumaging around to repack the spares into the car.
-My old man's recently bought an Audi A3 8P, of the 2.0 PD TDI 140 format with a DSG 'box and in SE trim. I offered to service it. All was going well until I did the fuel filter ; it was the wrong one. To make matters worse, the seal got nicked on the old one, meaning the filter had a dribble. Pretty crap really as it was now 4pm, and the nearest motor factors were 10 miles away, in Coventry. Not what you want. I would have to take the Audi, with half of the diesel going into a leakproof bag I enclosed the leaking fuel filter in. At ECP, they still couldn't narrow it down, so I did it off images only. I then went back to the unit, somehow not spilling any diesel out of the leaking filter, threw the filter in, and proceeded to clean up the diesel.
The car looked a mess initially, but the unit looked more like a disaster zone and I stank of diesel and was minging. The time I hear you ask? 6pm. Great, I'm late! I ended up getting to the garage at 6:30pm, with the owner being fairly calm about it. The 280SE was already on the ramp, so there was nothing for it, but to take the car to the unit!
At least the traffic was calmer at 6:30, much calmer than if we set out at 5:30.
Once we got to the unit, it was great to see the car on some of my turf:
With this done, I ended up parking it into the unit, awaiting some parts to arrive. Sure, I looked like a greasy coalminer or a homeless person at this point, but at least things had got done.
The next day, I'd set to work with knocking out the failure items.
Fast forward on, and my local garage came to the rescue. He agreed for the car to be delivered to him and that he would also MOT it.
MOT it I hear you ask? It doesn't need one of those? Indeed it doesn't, but that does come with a few issues despite some success of people here doing it.
-Restorer friends of mine have noticed that almost every 40+ year old car imported has been inspected quite recently, with them generally being registered off the V112 MOT Exemption form.
-Chatting to the DVLA yesterday, a gent on the phone told me that cars arriving with a V112 are more likely to get inspected than those without one, despite the evidence put into the envelope when it's sent over. After all, an individual has less to lose over mis-supplying information over an MOT tester, which is their liveliehood.
-While I know my way around a car, it's nice to have a second look over.
So, how would the old girl fare on the test? Honestly, not terribly! It could always be better mind you!
So, it failed on:
-No numberplates ; No, I don't really get that either, and my tester is normally pretty fair. I'm not sure if he is familiar with the process of registering cars...
-[s]Headlamp aim is to the right; wrong lights[/s]
-Horn doesn't work
-Battery is loose in the tray
-Wipers are shot as is the washer pump
-[s]A marker light wasn't working[/s]
-One track rod end is terrible
-Two exhaust mounts have broken off.
A few of those failures I expected as you know, but some were a little embarresing. The battery is terribly loose in the engine bay! I, at the time didn't realise how to operate the washer jets, and my tester and I were listening out for a pump. The track rod end I didn't notice on the test drive at the farm when I viewed the car, but on the ramp, it was clear it was in a terrible way. There is a good few mm of movement in each direction! Strange, as the steering 'box isn't that loose for a car of this age!
To top things off, the engine started sounding a little rattly at the station when it was intially dropepd off and the engine was at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. The oil pressure was 30PSi idling hot, and my heart just sank at that point. what had I bought? But once cold, it was quiet! Except the battery was now flatter than a flat thing! Thankfully, my Noco Genius Boost (my garage has also since bought one) saved the day. firing it up seemingly as if it wasn't struggling.
The garage has agreed to pass the car once I've fixed the above. Then, it was a case of delivering the car to the unit, with me agreeing a time of 5:30 with my garage, saying the 2CV was being picked up that day as well.. That day was not a pleasant day by any means! In short:
-The 2CV went away that day. The buyer however hadn't told the towing company that the car would have spares included as well. What should have been a 15 minute transaction soon became almost an hour, as I was rumaging around to repack the spares into the car.
-My old man's recently bought an Audi A3 8P, of the 2.0 PD TDI 140 format with a DSG 'box and in SE trim. I offered to service it. All was going well until I did the fuel filter ; it was the wrong one. To make matters worse, the seal got nicked on the old one, meaning the filter had a dribble. Pretty crap really as it was now 4pm, and the nearest motor factors were 10 miles away, in Coventry. Not what you want. I would have to take the Audi, with half of the diesel going into a leakproof bag I enclosed the leaking fuel filter in. At ECP, they still couldn't narrow it down, so I did it off images only. I then went back to the unit, somehow not spilling any diesel out of the leaking filter, threw the filter in, and proceeded to clean up the diesel.
The car looked a mess initially, but the unit looked more like a disaster zone and I stank of diesel and was minging. The time I hear you ask? 6pm. Great, I'm late! I ended up getting to the garage at 6:30pm, with the owner being fairly calm about it. The 280SE was already on the ramp, so there was nothing for it, but to take the car to the unit!
At least the traffic was calmer at 6:30, much calmer than if we set out at 5:30.
Once we got to the unit, it was great to see the car on some of my turf
:With this done, I ended up parking it into the unit, awaiting some parts to arrive. Sure, I looked like a greasy coalminer or a homeless person at this point, but at least things had got done
.The next day, I'd set to work with knocking out the failure items.
So, I made a start on working on it. The first thing to do was to have this car keep a charge. My faithful BMW 990Ah battery actually had a use for a change! Normally, it's too big for any of the cars! The 550Ah battery that was old and most likely shot from the US came out. It seems according to my tester that the CTEK really did its thing on that BMW battery. It came back with 995Ah on the tester, a pretty decent result!
Upon throwing it in, I fired it up. Immediately the engine fired into life. No coughing, spluttering or almost catching. Just a clean fire up. It's never turned over this fast before! Whilst I was here, I checked the alternator output. All was fine there too! Excellent! Believe it not, this battery came from a dealer friend of mine, where BMW threw batteries away which they suspected of being iffy. This one was fine by the looks of it.
However, the battery terminals on the battery were mangled due to the battery being used as a jumper battery. Not a good thing really. But after some caressing with some sandpaper, the car terminals slipped on fine.
With that in mind, I figured I'd show it off against my other Merc. 23 years separate these cars, and it's fair to say that it really shows! Now, the S124 against a new Merc would be an interesting comparison, albeit I've sort of done that
.
I even thought I'd register it. Naturally I couldn't, but one can pretend eh? I'm sure Raul would approve!
Ah, let's have a few more shots eh?
I even took it for a spin in the yard. After all, it's private land. The rattle once hot would stop and not come back as soon as it was driven! Strange eh! You can't make this stuff up!
Either way, I had to crack on with the car. Enter Stage Left:
What was interesting is that the Mann filter seemed to have more pleats and finer holes on the very inside of the filter? Will this make a difference? We will see.
Out came the surprisingly thin oil from the engine, and also the cheapo filter. However, the filter housing was very clean inside ; a nice sign to be fair.
With this done, it was time to fire it up! Thankfully the oil pressure doesn't now drop below 45 when hot, and the engine is very quiet now. A result indeed!
Naturally, I still have tons to do, but that can wait until next time.
Upon throwing it in, I fired it up. Immediately the engine fired into life. No coughing, spluttering or almost catching. Just a clean fire up. It's never turned over this fast before! Whilst I was here, I checked the alternator output. All was fine there too! Excellent! Believe it not, this battery came from a dealer friend of mine, where BMW threw batteries away which they suspected of being iffy. This one was fine by the looks of it.
However, the battery terminals on the battery were mangled due to the battery being used as a jumper battery. Not a good thing really. But after some caressing with some sandpaper, the car terminals slipped on fine
.With that in mind, I figured I'd show it off against my other Merc. 23 years separate these cars, and it's fair to say that it really shows! Now, the S124 against a new Merc would be an interesting comparison, albeit I've sort of done that
.I even thought I'd register it. Naturally I couldn't, but one can pretend eh? I'm sure Raul would approve!
Ah, let's have a few more shots eh?
I even took it for a spin in the yard. After all, it's private land
. The rattle once hot would stop and not come back as soon as it was driven! Strange eh! You can't make this stuff up!Either way, I had to crack on with the car. Enter Stage Left:
What was interesting is that the Mann filter seemed to have more pleats and finer holes on the very inside of the filter? Will this make a difference? We will see.
Out came the surprisingly thin oil from the engine, and also the cheapo filter. However, the filter housing was very clean inside ; a nice sign to be fair.
With this done, it was time to fire it up! Thankfully the oil pressure doesn't now drop below 45 when hot, and the engine is very quiet now
. A result indeed!Naturally, I still have tons to do, but that can wait until next time
.I know what you folks are thinking! I should be doing the fun stuff! But let's be honest, what point is there if I can't even drive the car? But slowly and surely I'll get there!
The good news is that most of the parts have now arrived! But I still had to diagnose a few things!
Firstly the horn. The switch is working, but there is nothing happening at the horn. I have a spare brand new horn, so that will be getting fitted shortly.
Then there is the sidelight. I almost forgot how to deal with old lightbulbs! I've not really had to deal with them for a while. The Carina and the W124s both had internally changeable bulbs for the best part despite the headlights being more traditional on the Carina.
The marker light required investigation. After taking the bulb out, removing it, and cleaning it up, I put it back in again. Halleluyah! I now had a working set of bulbs all round!
Sure, it now looked good, as a Stateside Merc should, but having candles for headlights up front was never going to be of any help!. It is said that the Windproof Zippos give out more light than 4 of them put together! But what the Americans want, the Americans get. Isn't that what Trump is saying these days?
For those of you wondering why this Merc came equipped sealed beams for a '72 car, it's a pretty simple reason. No, it wasn't what Mercedes had lying around on the shop floor. It was a regulation set by the US. The idea was that if you blew a headlight, you could go to any drug/convenience store, and pick up a light that would go into any US car. Yup, back then, the US only had one size of light to fit every US homologated car. Soon, that became 3 sizes of lights towards the 80s.
Here is some info for those who fancy some bedtime reading on the subject, shamelessly stolen from a mate of mine.
But how would I solve this issue! After all, the beam pattern was wrong for UK roads anyway! Get some Halogens of course! Sure, they're not LEDs or HIDs but at least they would look right. However, what would I choose? I had some experience of Halogens previously too. In a condensed format:
-MGB Carellos: Not bad at all. Fairly standard light
-Triumph Stag Autopals : Honestly? Pretty crap. I'll be honest, they weren't much of an improvement over the sealed beams I removed! It seems the new owner thought so too, which is why he threw them in the bin
-Dolly Sprint Autopals: See above for the Stag
-Triumph Spitfire on Wiper QuadOptics and Osram Nightbreakers : VERY Good! I was surprised by the output! They were that good! I always wanted a little more light at nighttime but they were a big improvement from above.
-'76 Carina on Autopal lights and GE Bulbs: They were very good! The lights themselves seemed like a much better quality than the ones I got for the Stag (and the ones in the Sprint) The reflectors were actually reflective! It wasn't a bad car to drive at nighttime that one
So, I've had a mixed bag. What would I do on the Merc? Go cheap like I did on the Stag or go middle of the road, but risk an iffy batch of headlamps? Nope. I lost the plot and decided to splash the cash:
Yup, I went with the Cibies! One light cost more than a pair of Autopals, but I've not heard a bad word about them ; it's what the owner of my Stag fitted into that car with good results too.
Firslty, I wanted to do a comparison however. So I tested the sealed beams on the dip setting, but with a CTEK charger on in the supply mode. That way, I could keep the test fair. In an enclosed unit, that would also make it more fair .
I think you'll agree. They're not too bad, but they could be better. Soon I cracked on with stripping down the light assemblies:
Compared to the new lights, there is not alot of difference visually. Yes, I also decided to throw in the Osram Nightbreakers I had originally had destined for the W124 ; but that car has surprisingly good headlights compared to my previous W124s. Maybe that's on brighter bulbs already.
All I had to do was put the boot on as a finishing touch:
Sure, the Cibies don't look much different to the sealed beams, but at least the car will actually illuminate the road without blinding oncoming traffic! Note how one of the Sealed beams is milking at the top of the unit. It seems that was due to burn out anyway, so maybe this upgrade was done at the right time. OK, I'm making excuses for splashing the car. I know! With the lights ready, I clearned up the Chrome surrounds, copper greased up the fixings in Classic Oils high copper quantity Copper grease (great stuff that is, especially being free!), and threw the entire lot back together:
I know, it doesn't look massively different!
With that in mind, it was time to perform the acid test! Was there actually going to be a difference?
YES! The photo doesn't really show it, but there is a stark difference in brightness and focus! Damn me leaving my camera card at home! If you think that is good, wait until you see the full beam shot! Oh, wait, I have one coming up!
Yup, that is quite a difference. The lower yellower light is still an H1 sealed beam. It's fair to say that the newer Cibie has trounced it, well and truly! Fancy another shot? Yeah, why not?
Yes, that really is quite a difference!
So, that's enough about the light geekery! At least I've sorted the lights out and I'll be able to see where I am going at night. But i still have a few things to fix One of which is the washer pump. For a Mercedes, it's quite an antiquated setup, with electrics being present, but now how you expect them to be!
The idea is that you push the bellow, and a switch will then turn on the wipers as you squirt the washers. See what I mean now? The issue with mine is it doesn't squire the washers at all. The bellow has split and I am missing a one way valve. That' sounds fine, until you realise that a rebuilt washer pump assembly is £400 and the tank assembly is the same again! Ouch! Who said Merc ownership was cheap! Naturally, this leaves me in a dilemna. Do I replace the pump bellow with a switch to activate a pump, but put that into a tight engine bay, and modify the wiring etc. or do I source the broken bits for around £120?
Choices choices!
The good news is that most of the parts have now arrived! But I still had to diagnose a few things!
Firstly the horn. The switch is working, but there is nothing happening at the horn. I have a spare brand new horn, so that will be getting fitted shortly
.Then there is the sidelight. I almost forgot how to deal with old lightbulbs! I've not really had to deal with them for a while. The Carina and the W124s both had internally changeable bulbs for the best part despite the headlights being more traditional on the Carina.
The marker light required investigation. After taking the bulb out, removing it, and cleaning it up, I put it back in again. Halleluyah! I now had a working set of bulbs all round!
Sure, it now looked good, as a Stateside Merc should, but having candles for headlights up front was never going to be of any help!. It is said that the Windproof Zippos give out more light than 4 of them put together! But what the Americans want, the Americans get. Isn't that what Trump is saying these days?
For those of you wondering why this Merc came equipped sealed beams for a '72 car, it's a pretty simple reason. No, it wasn't what Mercedes had lying around on the shop floor. It was a regulation set by the US. The idea was that if you blew a headlight, you could go to any drug/convenience store, and pick up a light that would go into any US car. Yup, back then, the US only had one size of light to fit every US homologated car. Soon, that became 3 sizes of lights towards the 80s.
Here is some info for those who fancy some bedtime reading on the subject, shamelessly stolen from a mate of mine
.But how would I solve this issue! After all, the beam pattern was wrong for UK roads anyway! Get some Halogens of course! Sure, they're not LEDs or HIDs but at least they would look right. However, what would I choose? I had some experience of Halogens previously too. In a condensed format:
-MGB Carellos: Not bad at all. Fairly standard light
-Triumph Stag Autopals : Honestly? Pretty crap. I'll be honest, they weren't much of an improvement over the sealed beams I removed! It seems the new owner thought so too, which is why he threw them in the bin
-Dolly Sprint Autopals: See above for the Stag
-Triumph Spitfire on Wiper QuadOptics and Osram Nightbreakers : VERY Good! I was surprised by the output! They were that good! I always wanted a little more light at nighttime but they were a big improvement from above.
-'76 Carina on Autopal lights and GE Bulbs: They were very good! The lights themselves seemed like a much better quality than the ones I got for the Stag (and the ones in the Sprint) The reflectors were actually reflective! It wasn't a bad car to drive at nighttime that one
So, I've had a mixed bag. What would I do on the Merc? Go cheap like I did on the Stag or go middle of the road, but risk an iffy batch of headlamps? Nope. I lost the plot and decided to splash the cash:
Yup, I went with the Cibies! One light cost more than a pair of Autopals, but I've not heard a bad word about them ; it's what the owner of my Stag fitted into that car with good results too.
Firslty, I wanted to do a comparison however. So I tested the sealed beams on the dip setting, but with a CTEK charger on in the supply mode. That way, I could keep the test fair
. In an enclosed unit, that would also make it more fair .I think you'll agree. They're not too bad, but they could be better. Soon I cracked on with stripping down the light assemblies:
Compared to the new lights, there is not alot of difference visually. Yes, I also decided to throw in the Osram Nightbreakers I had originally had destined for the W124 ; but that car has surprisingly good headlights compared to my previous W124s. Maybe that's on brighter bulbs already.
All I had to do was put the boot on as a finishing touch:
Sure, the Cibies don't look much different to the sealed beams, but at least the car will actually illuminate the road without blinding oncoming traffic! Note how one of the Sealed beams is milking at the top of the unit. It seems that was due to burn out anyway, so maybe this upgrade was done at the right time. OK, I'm making excuses for splashing the car. I know! With the lights ready, I clearned up the Chrome surrounds, copper greased up the fixings in Classic Oils high copper quantity Copper grease (great stuff that is, especially being free!), and threw the entire lot back together
:I know, it doesn't look massively different!
With that in mind, it was time to perform the acid test! Was there actually going to be a difference?
YES! The photo doesn't really show it, but there is a stark difference in brightness and focus! Damn me leaving my camera card at home! If you think that is good, wait until you see the full beam shot! Oh, wait, I have one coming up!
Yup, that is quite a difference. The lower yellower light is still an H1 sealed beam. It's fair to say that the newer Cibie has trounced it, well and truly! Fancy another shot? Yeah, why not?
Yes, that really is quite a difference!
So, that's enough about the light geekery! At least I've sorted the lights out and I'll be able to see where I am going at night. But i still have a few things to fix One of which is the washer pump. For a Mercedes, it's quite an antiquated setup, with electrics being present, but now how you expect them to be!
The idea is that you push the bellow, and a switch will then turn on the wipers as you squirt the washers. See what I mean now? The issue with mine is it doesn't squire the washers at all. The bellow has split and I am missing a one way valve. That' sounds fine, until you realise that a rebuilt washer pump assembly is £400 and the tank assembly is the same again! Ouch! Who said Merc ownership was cheap! Naturally, this leaves me in a dilemna. Do I replace the pump bellow with a switch to activate a pump, but put that into a tight engine bay, and modify the wiring etc. or do I source the broken bits for around £120?
Choices choices!
So, I left the car at the washer pump scenario. I decided to order the bits stupidly! It's a nice setup to have, but it's not arrived yet! So while, I have a backup solution in place, I'll say more closer to the time. After all, it had a fair few things to do before it would see the road!
Tyres are one area I am sketchy about these days. I did some pretty silly things in the past but I guess, as you get older, you get more sensible. Sure, the car came with Michelins, that were nearly fully treaded, but they were not free of issues.
-They were flat spotted badly
-They were cracking horrendously.
I know many Retro folk would have driven on them, but I couldn't do. When others are saying your tyres are bad, you soon wonder if they have a point! So, with a bit of searching I hit a few snags, which brought back some memories from My old Stag, with this being a 185R14 tyre from the factory or a 7.35 x 14 Crossply, which mine looks to have come supplied with going from the spare.
-Get a budget or van tyre fitted? Sure, it would be cheap, but it wouldn't be right for me, and I've previously got rid of cars becuase the tyres were crap and I didn't realise their impact back then,and I've transformed a few cars with new tyres.
-Go to Longstone tyres and get a set of Michelins. The right way to go, but it pains me getting tyres for the M3, let alone two cars having cars having cars with a near £1k tyre bill! That and I wasn't sure if the wheels looked right. Sure, they look good, but with the now 205/70R14s on, they are getting a little old!
-Change the wheels. Tricky, but doable.
-Go for a smaller tyre, which makes choices easier and cheaper for better products. I'll be honest, the tyres look lost on this anyway, so that was out of the question.
What would I do? Enter Stage Left:
Yup, I got myself a set of Mexican Hats! But I needed some tyres, What would I go with? A set of Falken ZE914s in a 205/65R15 size. Out of the mid-range stuff, I've always found Falken to be a decent step up from Kumho. I question if the grip is quite as good as the big boys but it certainly is close going by the FK453. However, tyre life is appalling. But on a car that will barely do 15MPG, I doubt tyre life will be a massive issue either.
Despite looking like an easy combi, it wasn't quite so straightforward to fit them on.
They wouldn't pop onto the bead, despite moving the tyre about on the rim. My tyre fitter wondered if it was down to it being a 7J rim and a 205 section tyre, but I've had 195s on those in the past as an OE fitment. In the end, a device called a Cheetah inflator was deployed and the bead was seated in no time. It's these things I do like about Ross at BT Tyres in Rugby. If you have tyre needs or issues with balancing/tracking, he is your man.
After they were fitted, I couldn't stop admiring them! But it was pointless! They weren't on a car!
That said, I still had plenty to do on the car. It had brakes were it seemed the handbrake was always on, and I still had no washer pump or the track rod end issue resolved. They would come to be a little trickier than I thought.
Tyres are one area I am sketchy about these days. I did some pretty silly things in the past but I guess, as you get older, you get more sensible. Sure, the car came with Michelins, that were nearly fully treaded, but they were not free of issues.
-They were flat spotted badly
-They were cracking horrendously.
I know many Retro folk would have driven on them, but I couldn't do. When others are saying your tyres are bad, you soon wonder if they have a point! So, with a bit of searching I hit a few snags, which brought back some memories from My old Stag, with this being a 185R14 tyre from the factory or a 7.35 x 14 Crossply, which mine looks to have come supplied with going from the spare.
-Get a budget or van tyre fitted? Sure, it would be cheap, but it wouldn't be right for me, and I've previously got rid of cars becuase the tyres were crap and I didn't realise their impact back then,and I've transformed a few cars with new tyres.
-Go to Longstone tyres and get a set of Michelins. The right way to go, but it pains me getting tyres for the M3, let alone two cars having cars having cars with a near £1k tyre bill! That and I wasn't sure if the wheels looked right. Sure, they look good, but with the now 205/70R14s on, they are getting a little old!
-Change the wheels. Tricky, but doable.
-Go for a smaller tyre, which makes choices easier and cheaper for better products. I'll be honest, the tyres look lost on this anyway, so that was out of the question.
What would I do? Enter Stage Left:
Yup, I got myself a set of Mexican Hats! But I needed some tyres, What would I go with? A set of Falken ZE914s in a 205/65R15 size. Out of the mid-range stuff, I've always found Falken to be a decent step up from Kumho. I question if the grip is quite as good as the big boys but it certainly is close going by the FK453. However, tyre life is appalling. But on a car that will barely do 15MPG, I doubt tyre life will be a massive issue either
.Despite looking like an easy combi, it wasn't quite so straightforward to fit them on.
They wouldn't pop onto the bead, despite moving the tyre about on the rim. My tyre fitter wondered if it was down to it being a 7J rim and a 205 section tyre, but I've had 195s on those in the past as an OE fitment. In the end, a device called a Cheetah inflator was deployed and the bead was seated in no time
. It's these things I do like about Ross at BT Tyres in Rugby. If you have tyre needs or issues with balancing/tracking, he is your man.After they were fitted, I couldn't stop admiring them! But it was pointless! They weren't on a car!
That said, I still had plenty to do on the car. It had brakes were it seemed the handbrake was always on, and I still had no washer pump or the track rod end issue resolved. They would come to be a little trickier than I thought.
With a new set of wheels fitted to the car, it would take time for them to settle down! But at least the nut saga was over.
After attending to the issues of the exhaust hanger, and zip tieing the battery in for security, until I found a W108 battery holder, it was ready for its MOT. This would be the first time I drove the car for any real distance on the road. Was I full of trepidition? You bet!
I came to drive it away. The first thing I noticed was that the car now didn't seem to drag, it just rolled; before it felt like the handbrake was always on! Compared to when I drove the car at the bloke's farm on private roads, it seemed alot quieter and nicer on the new wheels; to all of our surprise, the ATS Bundts are significantly lighter than the steels, with both having tyres on! Take the Merc up to 60 or 70? It just wafted up there and held it lovely! Driving a car on the wrong side of the road is interesting to say for sure! I've driven a couple of wrong hand sided cars previously, but never owned one! Sure enough, I was slowly getting used to it and lapping up the experience and then some!
Finally, the car was home. But how would it fare on the MOT?
After attending to the issues of the exhaust hanger, and zip tieing the battery in for security, until I found a W108 battery holder, it was ready for its MOT. This would be the first time I drove the car for any real distance on the road. Was I full of trepidition? You bet!
I came to drive it away. The first thing I noticed was that the car now didn't seem to drag, it just rolled; before it felt like the handbrake was always on! Compared to when I drove the car at the bloke's farm on private roads, it seemed alot quieter and nicer on the new wheels; to all of our surprise, the ATS Bundts are significantly lighter than the steels, with both having tyres on! Take the Merc up to 60 or 70? It just wafted up there and held it lovely! Driving a car on the wrong side of the road is interesting to say for sure! I've driven a couple of wrong hand sided cars previously, but never owned one! Sure enough, I was slowly getting used to it and lapping up the experience and then some!
Finally, the car was home. But how would it fare on the MOT?
Nice buy. I've had several W108's and W109's. I still own a 300SEL 3.5 and a 300SEL 6.3. The coil springs make life a little easier.
Have fun with it. I've chopped up so many of these cars, always thinking that they should have gone to Europe instead.
You might need a rear fog light for the UK MOT standards.
Have fun with it. I've chopped up so many of these cars, always thinking that they should have gone to Europe instead.
You might need a rear fog light for the UK MOT standards.
Edited by alabbasi on Monday 4th May 18:30
Great thread OP! Well done for going all in on this. I've been tempted by a few of these US spec w108 4.5's over the years but never been brave enough.
They are such an elegant looking car, a beautiful design. I like the colour combo of yours and think it looks great on the Mexican hat alloys.
Please keep the updates coming.
They are such an elegant looking car, a beautiful design. I like the colour combo of yours and think it looks great on the Mexican hat alloys.
Please keep the updates coming.
CQ8 said:
Great thread OP! Well done for going all in on this. I've been tempted by a few of these US spec w108 4.5's over the years but never been brave enough.
They are such an elegant looking car, a beautiful design. I like the colour combo of yours and think it looks great on the Mexican hat alloys.
Please keep the updates coming.
IMHO, I'd do it! What do you consider to be brave? They are such an elegant looking car, a beautiful design. I like the colour combo of yours and think it looks great on the Mexican hat alloys.
Please keep the updates coming.
.As long as you choose wisely, most will be far less rustier than their UK counterparts. Parts aren't too bad to get hold of as long as you have access to an EPC catalogue. This way, you can order the parts from the dealer
. Otherwise, Mercedes Poole will set you straight.RockAuto as you'll come to to see in my tale also comes in very handy too
.There are a couple of things that can go wrong but most of them have solutions that can almost drop in, as long as you are slightly flexible with originality. For example, if the D-Jetronic ECU goes (and I think tha'ts a pretty rare failure as well), you can drop in a standalone ECU to make it all work. If it was a 6 pot, and the fuel injection pump went, you'd be looking at a bill for £3k. Smokey engines most of the time tend to be worn valve stem seals, which can be changed in situ with a couple of adapted tools and a leakdown tester
. The biggest issue the M117 engine has is the timing chains going bad from a lack of oil changes but the engines generally give you quite a bit or warning. Oh, and and their thirst for fuel!What was the outcome? It passed! Was I pleased? You bet!
With that, I didn't hesitate with sending away the paperwork to register it!
However, I still have one issue that would rear its head again.
The washer pump. Sure, it was electric and the car passed the MOT with but, it seemed quite temporary, even with the installation of it! It even stopped working. The motor was working but the jets weren't really squirting anything!
But, at the least engine looked a little beasty right? With a parcel arriving, I went to the back of the car, and opened up the boot. Oh, and figured I'd grab a shot:
So, despite the electric option showing promise, I ordered the correct kit. What does a pricey washer pump repair kit look like I hear you ask. No? Alright, well, this is what it looks like:
As said, I did still have alot the bits that I could savage from my setup, including the reservoir, the pickup pipe, the crap, and the pedal assembly as well. It's just as well as my bill would have been much much higher otherwise:
Ooooh! Shiny! The bellow on mine could have been repaired, but that check valve assembly will not work unless it is intact. It has a combination of a check valve and a ball bearing that acts as a shuttle in the second chamber to pump the system up. But let's spare me boring you folks to death with the archaic operation of the W108 washer pump system. So what better thing was there to do? Assemble it!
Y'no how you see certain peeps advising that you get certain tools? Well, I do! I debated about getting an impact spanner for a while. To me, with their low torque rating they seemed like a waste of money, no matter how much Marty & Moog pimped them on Mighty Car Mods! But some things they stated did make sense! So when this Draper item came up for sale at the right price at the NEC Restoration Show, I had to buy it. At sub £100, I had to question if it was worth it. I'd soon find out just how worth it the wrench was! Even my local garage loves these!
With that in mind, I assembled up the washer system! After tackling a couple of blockages with an airline, the manual pump system works very well! It's also nice to not have a car which is permanently broken in key areas! All I had to do was to take a few shots of the car on the new wheels with the fancy camera! Better shors will arrive, but of course, I am now waiting on a final roadblock; the registration of the car! It's been over a week and the DVLA haven't touched my application. We shall see how that goes
Still, at least it looks alright eh?
With that, I didn't hesitate with sending away the paperwork to register it!
However, I still have one issue that would rear its head again.
The washer pump. Sure, it was electric and the car passed the MOT with but, it seemed quite temporary, even with the installation of it! It even stopped working. The motor was working but the jets weren't really squirting anything!
But, at the least engine looked a little beasty right? With a parcel arriving, I went to the back of the car, and opened up the boot. Oh, and figured I'd grab a shot:
So, despite the electric option showing promise, I ordered the correct kit. What does a pricey washer pump repair kit look like I hear you ask. No? Alright, well, this is what it looks like:
As said, I did still have alot the bits that I could savage from my setup, including the reservoir, the pickup pipe, the crap, and the pedal assembly as well. It's just as well as my bill would have been much much higher otherwise:
Ooooh! Shiny! The bellow on mine could have been repaired, but that check valve assembly will not work unless it is intact. It has a combination of a check valve and a ball bearing that acts as a shuttle in the second chamber to pump the system up. But let's spare me boring you folks to death with the archaic operation of the W108 washer pump system. So what better thing was there to do? Assemble it!
Y'no how you see certain peeps advising that you get certain tools? Well, I do! I debated about getting an impact spanner for a while. To me, with their low torque rating they seemed like a waste of money, no matter how much Marty & Moog pimped them on Mighty Car Mods! But some things they stated did make sense! So when this Draper item came up for sale at the right price at the NEC Restoration Show, I had to buy it. At sub £100, I had to question if it was worth it. I'd soon find out just how worth it the wrench was! Even my local garage loves these!
With that in mind, I assembled up the washer system! After tackling a couple of blockages with an airline, the manual pump system works very well! It's also nice to not have a car which is permanently broken in key areas! All I had to do was to take a few shots of the car on the new wheels with the fancy camera! Better shors will arrive, but of course, I am now waiting on a final roadblock; the registration of the car! It's been over a week and the DVLA haven't touched my application. We shall see how that goes
Still, at least it looks alright eh?
Same color as my 6.3. I'll be doing some upgrades on my A/C system to add a more modern compressor, condenser and alternator to drive a more powerful aux fan so that it can function well R134a
The H4 bultbs are a great idea. I just tossed the sealed beam on my TR6 and went to H4's. I'm thinking of using LED's on my other cars.
The H4 bultbs are a great idea. I just tossed the sealed beam on my TR6 and went to H4's. I'm thinking of using LED's on my other cars.
Mr Tidy said:
Brilliant thread OP - thanks for posting it. 
When I was at secondary school back in the mid-70s my Headmaster had a 280SE 3.5 with a personal plate - I remember the coolness of that car as his only redeeming feature!
Not a problem! I have a couple of previous car updates I could put here. Most already are here now, but there is always one which escapes.When I was at secondary school back in the mid-70s my Headmaster had a 280SE 3.5 with a personal plate - I remember the coolness of that car as his only redeeming feature!
harrycovert said:
Thank you SebringMan You have lightened my lockdown great stuff.
You mentioned the EPC catalogue is that the Daimler-Benz one or a generic version?
I'm glad the thread has done that. It's great see such threads can ease the times, both for us and others.You mentioned the EPC catalogue is that the Daimler-Benz one or a generic version?
Good Q. The one I use only has Mercs on it, broken down by model nos. (108, 109, 169 etc.).
74merc said:
Lovely car, I've always wanted a W108. If it is any consolation, my W115 220 auto only does 23 MPG, so 15 MPG out of a bigger car with twice the engine is positively Prius like!
Cheers! It's been on my list for some time. I never got one previously as:-They were out of reach to buy for me
-I almost forgot about them with the other cars I wanted and that list naturally gets less and less with time.
-I also assumed these cost an arm and a leg to run.
Your MPG isn't too unsurprising. A friend of mine had a W114 250 2.8, which was fitted on Weber Downdraughts. His fuel economy wasn't as good as yours, but the diff was much taller than mine. It's something Kent Bergasma (or Orgasmo as my friends and I call him!) has touched on in the past. The 6 pot Mercs tended to have a diff that was around 4.1:1 ratio. Great for people who do trackdays. Not so great for people who do country drives and motorway runs. Being a V8, mine had a 3.29:1 ratio axle, with IIRC only the 300SEL coming with a lower ratio rear end (2.89:1 Maybe?).
There wasn't much difference in them getting up and going IMHO. At 70 however, mine is a pretty comfortable car. It will happily do 80mph without a care.
One upgrade Kent Bergasma suggests to the W108/9 owners is to fit a V8 diff in. He feels the acelleration loss is worth it for the drive improving overall. That's the opposite to what a few PHers do here on track cars, but I do see Kent's point
.Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, the car and the MOT.
So, firstly, the car got an MOT! In Late March, I sent off the application to get it registered! After calling them once a week my response was getting nowhere. However, that week, I got a response from a lady who seemed a little more switched on! From previous operatives telling me that the application had not been started, I was greeted with being told that the car was now registered! Result!
However, they wouldn't give me the plate details. Not that it mattered, as they arrived shortly after! Great! I could now drive the car! But I needed some number plates making up. Black and silver items, especially with an import space on the back would take time to make up. I didn't want to wait weeks for plates, I wanted to drive it then, in the sunshine! Thankfully, a friend of mine came to the rescue, with a kit he had. The downside? Well, it's an upside to some on here is all I shall say.
So, the plate up front was a Nigel Farage edition, and the rear was the right shape. For super cheap/free plates, beggars cannot be choosers! And at least I could drive the car about eh?
Even with it doing a guestimated 15MPG it still didn't stop me clocking up 100 miles without thinking about it! Surprising I know! Besides going for a waft around town I ended up taking it to Caffeine & the Machine!
If that wasn't enough, I also did the Butty Run in Long Itchington. It's fair to say the car got a warmer reception than I anticipated!
Was there still a way to go with this car? Yes, but I'll get there slowly but surely! At least the slumbered beast had been awoken again for the first time in a while
It's funny. Once you acheive a big hurdle, you think it will be smooth sailing, that's it! From an outsider looking in, it can seem that way! On the face of it the Merc came across as follows:
-A solid car with no real blemishes
-Evidence of good work done on it over the years including B4 shocks fitted and new brake lines etc.
-A fancy hi-fi system fitted
But, not all that glittered was quite what it seemed. It wasn't bad, but ultimately, it was a 47 year old unrestored car, so while that was a huge advantage, things won't go smoothly either!
One of the few things I noticed after getting it MOT'd was that the rear seemed to have a very slow wallow about it, which on corners with bumps on would become unsettling. Many told me 'the cars are like that', which I wasn't convinced on, but maybe they had a point! After all, I was now used to the W124 and the E46 M3, both with advanced rear suspension setups, not a Merc with swing axle suspension! I had my reason for why the rear wasn't as I expected too!
[ul type="disc"]
[li]I've never been fully convinced by Bilstein B4 dampers being a great OE damper, and these were a little soft[/li]
[li]This car was meant to have a hydropneumatic compensator in place ; mine had long gone and now had a spring in lieu ; a common change to make. In my mind, that would affect the spring rates and thus the effective working of stock dampers anyway[/li]
[/ul]
I suspected the rear compensator being missing wasn't helping things. The rear would almost follow on from doing a bounce test on the car when stationary, but the front was as solid as a rock when doing the same test, which seemed to support my theory. So, what would I do? Some suggested that I should air-ride it. A nice idea, but it can get quite expensive! Others suggested
I heard alot about these KYB Gas-A-Just and the reviews can seem mixed, but I knew when I drove a Triumph 2.5PI on them, I was sold on them. So I figured I'd give them a go on the Merc. Not one for the purists, but you never know. At least I'd get rid of spiders webs and eggs!
Compared to the old dampers, at least they looked nicer anyway! But having something looking nicer doesn't mean that it will work as we all know! Since the job was fairly simple, both were fitted on swiftly.
I do plan to post a video on this, but we shall see.
What I can say is that the body control improved all round. It's surprising since I only did the rears! It still had a very faint wallow, but it was now acceptable. Furthermore, it was much more planted in the corners. What was surprising for a car of this age is how the car was quite composed for its age! Driving it at night was a true joy, especially as Blinkin' said, " I can see!" Sorry, I meant Jimmy Cliff. I mean, "I really can see clearly now!"
There is more to come, but that can wait.
-A solid car with no real blemishes
-Evidence of good work done on it over the years including B4 shocks fitted and new brake lines etc.
-A fancy hi-fi system fitted
But, not all that glittered was quite what it seemed. It wasn't bad, but ultimately, it was a 47 year old unrestored car, so while that was a huge advantage, things won't go smoothly either!
One of the few things I noticed after getting it MOT'd was that the rear seemed to have a very slow wallow about it, which on corners with bumps on would become unsettling. Many told me 'the cars are like that', which I wasn't convinced on, but maybe they had a point! After all, I was now used to the W124 and the E46 M3, both with advanced rear suspension setups, not a Merc with swing axle suspension! I had my reason for why the rear wasn't as I expected too!
[ul type="disc"]
[li]I've never been fully convinced by Bilstein B4 dampers being a great OE damper, and these were a little soft[/li]
[li]This car was meant to have a hydropneumatic compensator in place ; mine had long gone and now had a spring in lieu ; a common change to make. In my mind, that would affect the spring rates and thus the effective working of stock dampers anyway[/li]
[/ul]
I suspected the rear compensator being missing wasn't helping things. The rear would almost follow on from doing a bounce test on the car when stationary, but the front was as solid as a rock when doing the same test, which seemed to support my theory. So, what would I do? Some suggested that I should air-ride it. A nice idea, but it can get quite expensive! Others suggested
I heard alot about these KYB Gas-A-Just and the reviews can seem mixed, but I knew when I drove a Triumph 2.5PI on them, I was sold on them. So I figured I'd give them a go on the Merc. Not one for the purists, but you never know. At least I'd get rid of spiders webs and eggs!
Compared to the old dampers, at least they looked nicer anyway! But having something looking nicer doesn't mean that it will work as we all know! Since the job was fairly simple, both were fitted on swiftly.
I do plan to post a video on this, but we shall see.
What I can say is that the body control improved all round. It's surprising since I only did the rears! It still had a very faint wallow, but it was now acceptable. Furthermore, it was much more planted in the corners. What was surprising for a car of this age is how the car was quite composed for its age! Driving it at night was a true joy, especially as Blinkin' said, " I can see!" Sorry, I meant Jimmy Cliff. I mean, "I really can see clearly now!"
There is more to come, but that can wait
.I'm a little surprised the rear is not sagging. But maybe the others are sagging due to still having a shot compensator. I did debate putting an airbag in there as a 'compensator'.
So, besides making it more usable, what else have I done?
Well, I gave this car its eyeliner back! It didn't quite look right without the trim! I ended up removing it as the piece had gone missing that attaches it to the wing. I was getting prepared to make a part up if needs be!
Saying that, this gentleman seemed to really enjoy my car not having an eyelash! So, how would I fix it? Simple! I'd check I could get the parts in, fit it and then stand back. No, really, that was it!
For those wondering, that ring is the power steering filter! That's another job on the 'to do' list.
It's fair to say that it looks alot better now!
Has there been more going on? Yes. For now, here's a teaser of what is to come:
Why am I showing you pics of all of this? This would happen all because the car would not start one day.
So, besides making it more usable, what else have I done?
Well, I gave this car its eyeliner back! It didn't quite look right without the trim! I ended up removing it as the piece had gone missing that attaches it to the wing. I was getting prepared to make a part up if needs be!
Saying that, this gentleman seemed to really enjoy my car not having an eyelash! So, how would I fix it? Simple! I'd check I could get the parts in, fit it and then stand back. No, really, that was it!
For those wondering, that ring is the power steering filter! That's another job on the 'to do' list.
It's fair to say that it looks alot better now!
Has there been more going on? Yes. For now, here's a teaser of what is to come:
Why am I showing you pics of all of this? This would happen all because the car would not start one day.
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