Sensible family daily wagon - Mercedes Benz S211 E500
Discussion
Biglips said:
What impeccable taste in cars you have! I have had mine just over a year and it is such a capable car. I am enjoying your thread.
I really don’t remember Walsall looking like that last time I was there!
It is mostly compensatory, but it feels good I really don’t remember Walsall looking like that last time I was there!
Tell me more about yours. Despite owning one myself, they still fascinate me.
As a bonus, I sold the three Goodyears to the chap that sold me the alloys (with Continental ContiSport 5 MO spec!) for £75 (he spotted the bulge on the fourth, though I would have raised it with him had he not, I tell myself) and I sold the non-OEM alloys on Gumtree for £250 to a lovely African fella who didn't negotiate as I 'am an honest person' - this much is true, though we all err, periodically.
And a period shot of when my alloys were immaculate. just six months ago:
And a period shot of when my alloys were immaculate. just six months ago:
bolidemichael said:
@alex225 thanks! The alloys that I inherited were 19" and were atrocious. The made the car tramline and feel leaden-footed. Additionally, my tyre guy told me that Goodyear F1s were s
t and that they always seem to bulge... sure enough as we looked at the car, the n/s rear was bulged on the inside!
I may consider the handsome ten spoke 18" for the summer and resigning these 17" for winter, but that is budget permitting.
Doesn't sound like those 19 did the car any favours. The W211s are built for wafting and if the car is following every imperfection that's not what it's about at all. t and that they always seem to bulge... sure enough as we looked at the car, the n/s rear was bulged on the inside!I may consider the handsome ten spoke 18" for the summer and resigning these 17" for winter, but that is budget permitting.
I only really swapped the wheels on my car for the aesthetics. The 17s were ok, but very boring to look at so the 18s I ended up with I wanted to look OEM but that bit more modern.
October also saw us head to the Rally of Wales stage at Cholmondeley Castle, near Crewe. It was the first time that I had been and on the way up, we came across a sporty F Pace with four exhausts that I thoroughly enjoyed trailing and overtaking (which was down to my greater tolerance of higher speeds!). Nevertheless, I am sure that he didn't expect this hearse to be keeping in tow as he sped away... what a hoot.
Cholmondeley Castle was a great place and the day was in a manageable sized area with plenty of events for children and not too overcrowded. Very well organised and thoroughly recommended:
My brother and I were delighted to re-live our teenage days with Street Fighter II. I spanked him, just like the good old days and he sulked, just like the good old days lol:
There were some owners clubs there two with very nice cars, though my favourite amongst all of the bling on show, was the magnificent and sublime RC500. I love love love a coupe and this would be an incredible GT. Chris Harris got this car so wrong on the recent Top Gear review, pitching it against the Civic Type R. Poor show! I knocked on the window to chat to the owner, and he wouldn't shut up once I got him going! I love that passion.
Leaving the car park was one hell of an experience. All of the marshals had just buggered orf and left everyone to organise themselves onto the single track exit road. We bent the rules a little further than everyone else, much to our amusement. Our amusement was then pushed further by switching off the traction control and leaving a nice gap to the car in front, then executing rolling burns repeatedly. The three children in the car were squealing with delight, as were the three under-eights!
Cholmondeley Castle was a great place and the day was in a manageable sized area with plenty of events for children and not too overcrowded. Very well organised and thoroughly recommended:
My brother and I were delighted to re-live our teenage days with Street Fighter II. I spanked him, just like the good old days and he sulked, just like the good old days lol:
There were some owners clubs there two with very nice cars, though my favourite amongst all of the bling on show, was the magnificent and sublime RC500. I love love love a coupe and this would be an incredible GT. Chris Harris got this car so wrong on the recent Top Gear review, pitching it against the Civic Type R. Poor show! I knocked on the window to chat to the owner, and he wouldn't shut up once I got him going! I love that passion.
Leaving the car park was one hell of an experience. All of the marshals had just buggered orf and left everyone to organise themselves onto the single track exit road. We bent the rules a little further than everyone else, much to our amusement. Our amusement was then pushed further by switching off the traction control and leaving a nice gap to the car in front, then executing rolling burns repeatedly. The three children in the car were squealing with delight, as were the three under-eights!
Edited by bolidemichael on Thursday 5th April 22:48
Alex_225 said:
Doesn't sound like those 19 did the car any favours. The W211s are built for wafting and if the car is following every imperfection that's not what it's about at all.
I only really swapped the wheels on my car for the aesthetics. The 17s were ok, but very boring to look at so the 18s I ended up with I wanted to look OEM but that bit more modern.
Well the 18" are a standard fitment for post 2005 models, I believe, so that's a legitimate swap. I think that the 19" on my car were installed by the same buffoon that tinted the windows and installed a loud exhaust.I only really swapped the wheels on my car for the aesthetics. The 17s were ok, but very boring to look at so the 18s I ended up with I wanted to look OEM but that bit more modern.
Further to the completion of the sale, I returned the plate S500 MES to the seller, as agreed and fitted some nice new plate on the original registration plate. I thought that it would be nice to wear the MB Brooklands plates, since it is the HQ of MB UK and a lovely place; additionally, I thought that I would give the european-style number plate surrounds a try as they would be neater without screws showing. For posterity, I thought that I'd take photos from each quarter:
I followed this beauty on the way home, he had no hesitation speeding into lane three and proceeding at 90mph+. Excellent.
Why not
I followed this beauty on the way home, he had no hesitation speeding into lane three and proceeding at 90mph+. Excellent.
Why not
Edited by bolidemichael on Thursday 5th April 23:28
Edited by bolidemichael on Friday 6th April 21:56
That Sunday, we went to the breakfast event at Brooklands organised by Source Luxury. They were ambulance chasing upon the cancellation of the final Goodwood Breakfast event of the year and it was excellent to visit such an event much closer to home. With children, the early starts aren't so much fun!
This car fascinates me:
I was also exceedingly st at the F1 simulation around the Brooklands Oval. The smile was before I my F1 dreams came crashing down:
The DB7 have softened to my eye:
I found a photo of Magnus, too. I had displayed the engine with the bonnet up, for the appreciation of anyone who might overlook the beating heart of the hearse.
All in all, a fantastic morning out.
This car fascinates me:
I was also exceedingly s
t at the F1 simulation around the Brooklands Oval. The smile was before I my F1 dreams came crashing down:The DB7 have softened to my eye:
I found a photo of Magnus, too. I had displayed the engine with the bonnet up, for the appreciation of anyone who might overlook the beating heart of the hearse.
All in all, a fantastic morning out.
Edited by bolidemichael on Friday 6th April 21:58
In November, I was off to Munich for two weeks in order to take a course on being a 'Water Sommelier'. True. My cousin who lives in Munich advised that I'd better get a set of winter tyres or the German police would have my guts for garters should I be involved in an incident. However, at £150+ a tyre, I was tempted to look at the second hand market as a number of people wear them for periodic trips to the Continent, being an uncommon requirement in the UK. After trying a few Gumtree chancers, I googled 'used winter tyres' and Munster Tyres in Fulham came up - I called them and they happened to have the 245 45 17 with the correct load rating of 99 and the correct speed rating V. They let me have them for £400 which wasn't bad, especially as they have 6/7mm tread all round and a premium brand - Pirelli Sottozero.
It looks like a pretty serious tyre!
I was caught by surprise in the spot of the beautiful SL on the school run:
It looks like a pretty serious tyre!
I was caught by surprise in the spot of the beautiful SL on the school run:
Edited by bolidemichael on Thursday 5th April 23:53
My trip to the continent was soon approaching and I had another little interior niggle that needed sorting:
and voila! the finished article, completed without snapping anything (I think!) and now with a nice light to confirm that the boot is indeed open and, or course, the function to open the boot from within the cabin which is extremely handy for catching passers by unawares and whacking them in the face:
The useful tools for interior work:
and voila! the finished article, completed without snapping anything (I think!) and now with a nice light to confirm that the boot is indeed open and, or course, the function to open the boot from within the cabin which is extremely handy for catching passers by unawares and whacking them in the face:
The useful tools for interior work:
Finally, the day came to leave and after having managed to escape a hangover from the previous evening's school Dad's steak and bevvies, loaded up and filled up. Typically I left the booking of the Eurotunnel until the last minute so missed the earlier slots and had to head around 4pm which meant arriving in France about 1830hrs local time, for the short drive to Ghent, where I would be staying the evening with a uni friend who operates an organic farm.
The loading kit supplied with the vehicle came in handy for the water that I was delivering to my cousin - Vichy Catalan from Spain which is naturally carbonated, with loud bubbles and a salty character. Lovely.
I didn't want to be packing my nephew by accident!
Resetting the trip counter on a full tank before leaving on 116,802 miles:
Some obligatory shots:
And my steering wheel may be on a different side to yours, Herr Bosch, buy my car now speaks the same language!
When I arrived, this was for dinner:
Some of his organic produce:
all washed down with some lovely Belgian beers. Lovely.
The loading kit supplied with the vehicle came in handy for the water that I was delivering to my cousin - Vichy Catalan from Spain which is naturally carbonated, with loud bubbles and a salty character. Lovely.
I didn't want to be packing my nephew by accident!
Resetting the trip counter on a full tank before leaving on 116,802 miles:
Some obligatory shots:
And my steering wheel may be on a different side to yours, Herr Bosch, buy my car now speaks the same language!
When I arrived, this was for dinner:
Some of his organic produce:
all washed down with some lovely Belgian beers. Lovely.
Edited by bolidemichael on Friday 6th April 22:01
S100HP said:
How do you find the pirelli sottozero? I've the same on my XC70.
Later on I shall retell the story of their untimely demise in full. Nevertheless, I changed back from summer tyres prematurely, just before 'The Beast From The East 2' arrived. The difference was immense. The car went from sure footed to twitchy.
The second hand tyres themselves had a date stamped of 2011 so were one or two generations old. I tested the speed on the autobahn, up to 265kph and the load when I brought heavy stock back from a visit to a producer in Brescia. The only hesitation that I noticed was when I was making enthusiastic progress on the road to Mont Blanc when, on a fast left hander (on the autostrada), the back end lost traction and gently let go and began to slide. It was nothing my sphincter couldn't handle, but perhaps a reminder of the fact that I was operating a fully loaded estate with air suspension as a performance saloon!
I would definitely go back to them.
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