R107 500SL New owner - Any advice welcome

[Ribbs27]

Hi,

I have just aquired a 1985 500SL. The car has been in storage for six years (according to the paper work its done 8 miles in that time!) Its in ok condition but generally looks tired and in need of some tlc.

This morning I collected the car from Bristol and set out back to my home 175 miles away in Sheffield, to my amazement and the cars credit it made it back, although it did develop a mis-fire and a loud buzzing from the fuel pump. Do these cars suffer fuel pump problems as the receipts indicate its had a couple over the last 15 years.

Does anyone know of a good place to get spares for these cars and a decent garage in the South Yorkshire/North Notts area.

Any other things to look out for or general advice would be appreciated. I know almost nothing about these cars; this one was given to me by a friend who is emigrating to the USA, so at very short notice I've found myself the proud owner of an 80s classic, albeit a tired one.

Thanks in advance.

[rlw]

Find a good indie, otherwise prepare to be disappointed and poorer.

[acme]

They're cracking cars but do have some known faults- they rust under the grills in front of the windscreen if the drain tubes get blocked (poor water through them and if it comes out underneath freely you might be ok).

I wouldn't normally recommend it but the Merc club (£33/annum) has a very active R107 section (most active in the club) on their forum and the guys are VERY helpful.

Email me if you want any details.

Cheers

[erics]

talk to Bruce at the SL shop. Tell him Eric sent you...
He is a genius with all things r107s.

[911Thrasher]

+1 to Bruce at SL Shop.

They also take care of our F-reg R107...and it's been a very reliable smooth ride in the 2.5years we've had it (it was sold to us by SL Shop, a 1 owner low mileage car).
My wife uses the car daily in Central London, parkes it on residential bay (hence outside all year long) and it's been flawless - she's in love with it and I am not allowed to ever sell it.

I think the secret to these car is to maintain them regularly (2 oil changes/small services per year for ours) and use them very regularly!

[erics]

corrosion can be an issue. They do not like the rain so much. And the grit...
Mine is tucked under cover in a garage over the winter months.

These cars are not exactly perfectly designed and there are lots of recesses whithin the bodywork where the water struggles to evacuate. It leads to a lot of corrosion.

[P.Nott]

erics said:

corrosion can be an issue. They do not like the rain so much. And the grit...
Mine is tucked under cover in a garage over the winter months.

These cars are not exactly perfectly designed and there are lots of recesses whithin the bodywork where the water struggles to evacuate. It leads to a lot of corrosion.

All corrosion areas are well known though, so definitely talk to an expert who will advise on where you should look. I have seen real basket case 107s brought back to a useful life, so don't despair if you do find rust. All the drain points tend to clog up, so should be cleared through every few months in order to keep the rust at bay. Very solidly built cars though.