New W124 estate owner

[Singh911]

I recently purchased a lovely W124 estate in Tourmaline Green with mushroom leather with heated orth. seats 130k. I used to own a 1988 SEC years ago and having had a couple of W210s, the 124 reminds me what the fuss is all about. Its seems twice the car compared to the 210 in terms of quality. The interior of the car is plush and every journey is an event right now!

I have just done an oil change and after much ado, settled on the Mobil 1 0w40 New Life. She seems to run very smoothly on it.

The only issue with the car which i was aware of at purchase is that reverse is hard to engage and i think it will need a rebuild/overhaul. Is it worth changing the oil and filter first to see if that resolves it or not worth trying? The lever moves into R and the reverse lights come on but no reverse gear. Front gears are all fine. Merc in Brentford recommended a local automatic transmission place. If it does need work and the oil change does not do the trick, i am minded more to rebuild rather than a replacement unit as i wouldnt know which supplier to trust etc.

[r129sl]

It's cheaper to replace the box with a second hand one than rebuild it. Looks like a five speed car. Going rate is about £600. I know there is a good one in may old TE, but it's in a yard in Northumberland.

Great spec car, by the way. Heated ortho seats a real treat.

[chazola]

It's worth a fluid & filter change if you don't know when it was last done, but it sounds like the B3 clutch band has failed, which means the tranny has to come out to rebuild. As r129 said probably cheaper to source a replacement, though they're quite rare compared to the 4-speed, and of course you don't know if that one might fail too. Either way it'd have to come out so I'd go for a rebuild at a reputable place.

[Singh911]

The gear issue is confirmed as reverse band and i weighing up a recon unit v rebuild.

How do i tell if the car is a 5 speed or 4? The wriggly gate has 4 then D. Does this mean 5 speed? The V5 says 4 speed auto but i am lead to beleive it is 5.

R129SL - could you pm me at [e-mail] if your gearbox will fit and is in good nic? I'd really appreciate it and can collect the unit if need be.

I would love to know a bit more of the history of the car for the sake of posterity and to get anything that needs doing done. The car is a keeper so i dont mind a bit of investment. I believe it was sold a couple of times by Nick Froome at 124.co.uk but i am not 100% sure, plate unchanged from new i believe is N16 JCA.

Thanks

Edited by Singh911 on Friday 15th February 20:16

[r129sl]

I have PM'd you.

You have a five speed transmission. The 4-D is the visual indicator. The transmission number (may be on the V5, certainly is on the datacard in the back of the service booklet) begins 722.5.

It certainly looks like a Nick Froome car: the wireless is the give away. He could probably help you with the transmission, he knows more than anyone about these vehicles.

Since it is such a nice example, I can see the merit in rebuilding the original box.

You can obtain a keeper history from DVLA for £5. This is always very interesting.

[buccal]

It was discussed on here a while back, or possibly on the bargain barge thread.

It is an ex Nick Froome car and was advertised on car and classic.

Looked lovely, well done.

(I wanted it but couldn't get it past the mrs)

[Singh911]

Thank you Gentlemen.

R129sl I haven't received the email. Could you resend please to [e-mail] thank you.

bucal - thanks for the info. I've searched but can't find the thread it was discussed on. If you have a link to it that would be brilliant.

cheers

[harry kular]

That sounds like a beautiful car- could you post some more pics please?

Really tempted by one of these to go along with my saloon.

What are the ortho seats? Is that like adjustable inflation/deflation?

[r129sl]

The 5spd auto I referred to is in my old car, which I sold to a local garage to break up after my wife had a minor bump in it. It is at Grange Garage in Widdrington Station in Northumberland. The chap who is breaking it is a young man called Scot. He seems ok to me. He doesn't seem to have much idea of what its bits are worth. I bought the box used in about 2010 after my idiot brother lunched my transmission. I bought it from Boss Mercedes Parts in Leeds. They seemed OK. I did about 30k miles on it without issue and had it serviced twice. That's about all there is to it.

[Singh911]

Thanks for that R129SL. I am tempted by the box in your old car rather than rebuild. Can I ask when you purchased it from Boss parts, was it reconditioned or as it was out of a donor car?

Cheers

[r129sl]

It was out of a donor car. I have no idea of its history. I paid £750 for it and collected it myself from Wetherby Services on the A1. It's bloody heavy. I wouldn't want to oversell it. It worked perfectly for me, that's all I can tell you. Of course, it's hardly moved in a year. I suspect Grange would remove it, pallet it and send it to you for £400 but I don't know. A specialist would service it and fit it for £250 (at least up here he would). It's not a tricky job to r&r. The thing is, whereas your car is a prime specimen, mine was a bit of a banger (no less wonderful).

[bolide]

It's a 5-speed. Be aware that the E320 5-speed box is not the same as the E280 5-speed. I don't know how the boxes differ exactly but they have a different part number



Nick Froome

[Singh911]

Thanks for the heads up Nick, i really appreciate it. I have decided to go for a rebuild. Merc in Brentford recommended VA Transmissions locally for the rebuild.

Nick - I would love to know more about N16 JCA just because i am into cars and their history. If you have anything in terms of its' history, work done, owners etc, i'd love to hear it either here or pm at [e-mail] or [e-mail]. I am smitten with the car, i really do think its nicer to drive and a nicer place to be than my E70 X5. The wife thinks i've gone mad. I don't think i've driven a car that fits like a glove since the demise of my old SEC or 993.

Thanks again