Mercedes w210 E430 (no titivating allowed)
Discussion
These are the screws: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/machine-screws/01905...
I do not know what the rationale is. I have always like them. They look very solid. I detest the sticky pads and still more the practise of drilling holes in the bodywork. My boot lid has both. I couldn't be chewed to remove the sticky pads (a major ball ache, I've found in the past) but I caked the holes in Dynax S50. The holes aren't even symmetrically or evenly positioned. Philistines.
Mind you, the Mercedes screw solution is imperfect. Often they become stuck fast and the heads come off when you try to remove them.
I do not know what the rationale is. I have always like them. They look very solid. I detest the sticky pads and still more the practise of drilling holes in the bodywork. My boot lid has both. I couldn't be chewed to remove the sticky pads (a major ball ache, I've found in the past) but I caked the holes in Dynax S50. The holes aren't even symmetrically or evenly positioned. Philistines.
Mind you, the Mercedes screw solution is imperfect. Often they become stuck fast and the heads come off when you try to remove them.
It is dead on accurate. I check it against my Road Trip App. Speaking of which, I filled up at the Bargista's service station of choice, the Shell at Coneygarth just off the A1. The trip computer said 28.5mpg; the old-fashioned calculation said 28.51mpg. That is good enough for me. I then made progress home during that wonderful 9pm to 10pm summer evening time. At no time did I exceed 155mph.
bmthnick1981 said:
Sounds like it is serving you very well.
Would you consider getting rid of this and the W124 and consolidating into a late W211 e500 (5.5 N/A) ?
It's serving me very well. It really hasn't cost me very much money at all so far and pretty much everything is working; it is very easy and pleasant to use, fast, quiet, comfortable, long-legged.Would you consider getting rid of this and the W124 and consolidating into a late W211 e500 (5.5 N/A) ?
I've thought about swapping the 124 for a 210 estate; or swapping both for a 211 E500 estate as you suggest (I'd avoid the 5.5litre, the early versions of that engine have a serious manufacturing defect). But. But. But the 210 and 211 lack the character of the 124; the 210 definitely does not ride as well as the 124 (although I thing an E500 with its Airmatic suspension would); neither a 210 nor a 211 is built anything like as well as the 124; and the V8 is very thirsty on my commute—it's not so much the cost of fuel as the inconvenience of having to put it in. Besides, E500 Elegance estates with sub-100k miles are pretty thin on the ground.
So my conclusion is just to stick to the plan. I'll use the E430 for long distance business work to relieve the strain on me and the 124 and 129.
ian316 said:
That mpg is impressive given your habit of pressing on, the w124 can't be doing a great deal more
The 124 gives 30mpg no matter what I do with it. My wife gets 35mpg somehow, although she rarely ventures above 55mph.I am pretty amazed by the 210's performance "on a run", but then my 129 (same engine) was always pretty economical in the same circumstances. It is another story on a heavily-trafficked commute or when running cold. Then they give about 22 or 23mpg.
I have done 5,000 miles or so in this car now and I really like it. It is utterly invisible and unremarkable, really free of any image or associations or status, which is great. But it goes like stink. For motorway cruising it is really relaxed and easy; but a single-carriage way 'A' road, heavily trafficked, against the clock, it is very good indeed. I think the soft suspension makes it much faster in the real world. And the big motor is very well-suited to blitzing traffic.
Anyway, some scrote vandalised the antenna. I obtained a replacement from www.merecedes-benz-parts.co.uk for something less than £60 delivered. It comes ready painted which must make keeping a parts inventory tedious. Two minutes to swap. I haven't tested it yet (!) but I suspect that this is one of those jobs even I can't mess up.
Anyway, some scrote vandalised the antenna. I obtained a replacement from www.merecedes-benz-parts.co.uk for something less than £60 delivered. It comes ready painted which must make keeping a parts inventory tedious. Two minutes to swap. I haven't tested it yet (!) but I suspect that this is one of those jobs even I can't mess up.
I'm getting really fond of it, too. It's a really grown up car. I've just driven it to Barnsley and back. Without hanging around, it has given me 29.6mpg and I have just over half a tank left; it reckons its range is over 500miles. This is better and faster than the diseasel 124 could manage, not to mention infinitely more refined. If the 124 doesn't get fixed up, I'm going to enjoy taking this one on holiday.
I need to open my wallet, however. It needs front discs and pads up, front anti-roll bar bushes and drop links and a pair of rear tyres. That'll set me back £500 but it can wait until after my holiday.
I need to open my wallet, however. It needs front discs and pads up, front anti-roll bar bushes and drop links and a pair of rear tyres. That'll set me back £500 but it can wait until after my holiday.
Max M4X WW said:
I saw that yesterday. Not as well specced as mine but looks very, very tidy in the bodywork department. Looks in better condition than mine. I quite like them in Travertine Beige, too. They are really good cars. Worth it, I'd say.
Jimmy Recard said:
Hi R129, I've just read through the thread. You mention a Road Trip App - is that the name of it or the description?
I would like to try something like that
It's the name: http://darrensoft.ca/roadtrip/ and https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/road-trip-mpg-mile...I would like to try something like that
It's a good app. You have to be disciplined about putting in the data but it becomes a habit. It does't take long before you have very detailed and comprehensive data for pretty much everything. You can program reminders for things like MOTs or scheduled services, too.
markirl said:
This is exactly my idea of a daily - cheap to buy but expensive when new, reasonable to run, fairly invisible but not a shed - but would be prohibitively expensive to run for me.
Genuine parts. The bits are about £225. Discs £60 each, pads £60 for a set, then rubber bushes, drop links and new bolts. Tyres are £100 each for Michelin Primacy 3s, size 235/45 R 17. There is no saving for after market bits. Then a couple of hours' labour to fit. I'd do it myself but (1) I always fr129sl said:
I need to open my wallet, however. It needs front discs and pads up, front anti-roll bar bushes and drop links and a pair of rear tyres. That'll set me back £500 but it can wait until after my holiday.
That seems pretty excessive cost wise, are you only buying genuine parts?
k it up and (2) I just don't have the time.What would be fun with this car would be to drop in a souped up V8. I really like the old man Elegance spec: it is invisible, unaggressive and the comfort suspension is really well-suited to making very fast progress over long distances. As is, with something like 279bhp and 295lb/ft torque, I reckon it is about as fast as my SL500 (the E430 has a faster rear end, 1:2.82 against 1:2.65). On the way home I was fantasising about finding a nice, low mileage E55 AMG or CL55 AMG motor (354bhp and 391lb/ft); then thoughts turned to the tuner versions like the Brabus 6.1S with something like 445bhp and 468lb/ft. That would be a fantastic Q-ship. Fantasy island, I know.
The computer seems accurate. I am sad enough to work it out with every fill and the long term average (over 5,000miles) is 26mpg.
How so many miles? Lots of driving. I live in the north east. Everywhere else is a long way away. Most days I do 75miles or more and at least once a week I'll do a few hundred. Plus my wife drives, too. Throw in a few touring holidays and we're up to almost 60,000 a year.
How so many miles? Lots of driving. I live in the north east. Everywhere else is a long way away. Most days I do 75miles or more and at least once a week I'll do a few hundred. Plus my wife drives, too. Throw in a few touring holidays and we're up to almost 60,000 a year.
I've done at least 750miles this week. The usual to and from work (60miles a day), pottering around the town (say 10miles a day), the Barnsley return (300miles), a return to Carlisle (130miles); a fair bit of leisure at the weekend (maybe 200miles). Plus my wife will have put 300miles on the 190 in her commuting. On Sunday we head to Aberdeen...
Finally some expenditure. A full 'B' service including the transmission at a cost of £322. That also revealed a broken spring and confirmed the need for new front discs and pads: those will all be fitted next week.
On Saturday it gets new rear tyres (Michelin Primacy 3) at my local Kwik-Fit: another £209.
All in all an expensive week for the heretofore cost-free E430 but hopefully this should see it through to the spring.
On Saturday it gets new rear tyres (Michelin Primacy 3) at my local Kwik-Fit: another £209.
All in all an expensive week for the heretofore cost-free E430 but hopefully this should see it through to the spring.
On balance, the refinement is miles better in the w210, like a quantum leap better. Largely this is due to the big V8 (which is barely ticking over most of the time) and the much improved noise suppression. The suspension still has the lopping Mercedes-gait but slightly less so: it is stiffer and more prone to roll-rock than my 124's. I can't say that the much-vaunted rack and pinion steering feels any different to (let alone better than) the 124's recirculating ball system. There is a perceptible diminution in quality and solidity and simplicity when compared to the 124, but it is hard to say why. The 210's visibility is inferior and it feels significantly bigger, particularly wider, which does nothing for ease of use.
If I'm alone (and likely travelling faster), I'll take the 210; otherwise the 124 has it still.
If I'm alone (and likely travelling faster), I'll take the 210; otherwise the 124 has it still.
Thanks for the positive comments. It is a really smooth and sensible car which can go like the clappers when asked. I too love petrol stations, the bright lights, the vibrant colours, the promise of the road.
Baister did the front discs and pads and the broken spring today. £375. Ouch. Mind the discs and pads are massive. And I ordered replacement charcoal filters at £20 for Mann items. It has a run down to Leeds and back for dinner tomorrow night, two colleagues and my clerk are coming with me, it will be interesting to see how they find it over a decent distance.
On Saturday I put new rear tyres on it, £209 for Michelin Primacy 3s at Kwik Fit. I prefer Contis and I was going to go for these all season tyres that are coming to the fore but the fronts (which are Michelin P3s) have plenty of meat on, so I thought I'd save the money this time and just swap the rears. I have a feeling it's going to eat rear tyres.
That takes total expenditure since purchase to just over £1,000. It does add up...
Baister did the front discs and pads and the broken spring today. £375. Ouch. Mind the discs and pads are massive. And I ordered replacement charcoal filters at £20 for Mann items. It has a run down to Leeds and back for dinner tomorrow night, two colleagues and my clerk are coming with me, it will be interesting to see how they find it over a decent distance.
On Saturday I put new rear tyres on it, £209 for Michelin Primacy 3s at Kwik Fit. I prefer Contis and I was going to go for these all season tyres that are coming to the fore but the fronts (which are Michelin P3s) have plenty of meat on, so I thought I'd save the money this time and just swap the rears. I have a feeling it's going to eat rear tyres.
That takes total expenditure since purchase to just over £1,000. It does add up...
Edited by r129sl on Monday 11th September 17:28
I am taking the w210 to the Fatherland in a couple of weeks, meeting some friends for lunch in Lübeck. We will take the Newcastle to Amsterdam overnight ferry then hotfoot due east along the Dutch autosnelweg 1, picking up Bundesutobahn 30 and then either peeling off on the A31-A28 or continuing to Osnabrück before taking the A1 to Bremen and on to our destination. The A31-A28 route is about 40miles longer but looks largely speed limit free and may be quieter than the A1 artery which running between the Ruhrgebiet and Bremen.
In preparation, I ordered this from the Berlin city authorities for the trifling cost of €6 delivered. I was expecting a yellow 2: a green 4 allows my car to go anywhere.
I stuck it in the designated place but have since moved it to the passenger side where it will not interfere with my field of vision.
Unfortunately, today's post also brought me this. I had forgotten how much cars cost to tax. It is such a swizz.
In preparation, I ordered this from the Berlin city authorities for the trifling cost of €6 delivered. I was expecting a yellow 2: a green 4 allows my car to go anywhere.
I stuck it in the designated place but have since moved it to the passenger side where it will not interfere with my field of vision.
Unfortunately, today's post also brought me this. I had forgotten how much cars cost to tax. It is such a swizz.
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 10th October 20:10
Group outing to Techno Classica in Essen would be right up my street. I'd probably go by car using the North Shields to Amsterdam ferry.
I noticed a clanking from the rear end this morning. Loose heat shield over the back box or muffler. Repair washers will do the trick for a while, although they are only just big enough. No more than two minutes and amazingly went to plan.
I noticed a clanking from the rear end this morning. Loose heat shield over the back box or muffler. Repair washers will do the trick for a while, although they are only just big enough. No more than two minutes and amazingly went to plan.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff