Titivating my Mercedes 124

[r129sl]

Great spot that. We’re presently planning on taking the G-Wagen this year so there’ll be a host of new Reims-Gueux photo-ops.

[ferrisbueller]

What an amazing milestone. Here's to many more.

[tobinen]

Great stuff. May it last forever

[bolidemichael]

and ever. Amen.

[Zonergem]

Chapeau!

[webstercivet]

A fantastic thread, have enjoyed catching up from day 1 over a few evenings. Particularly appreciate the honesty about the emotional and financial ups and downs of ownership. Long may it continue!

[Spinakerr]

A real favourite of many on here - including me. Really embodies the best of a Reader's Car thread, and what a machine.

Here's to the next few hundred.

[r129sl]

Thanks all. Despite the ups and downs, this car gives such a lot of pleasure. It is such a faithful servant. And so well thought out. everything works at the moment and the cost per mile is at an all time low of 26p.

I’ve just popped new winter tyres on the rear axle after a puncture.

[Blackpuddin]

When it comes to thoughtful design I think that the W124 and the estates in particular are a real high point.

[r129sl]

A feast of small-minded titivation for you today. First up, I refreshed the SLS fluid. It was filthy and black (not sure why) so I ordered 4 litres of Febi 02615 (£28) and 2m of clear tube (£7) with an internal diameter of 6mm. Unfasten the return line and affix the clear tube to it. Put the other end of the clear tube in a clear plastic receptacle. Fill the boot with rocks. Start the engine. Add fresh fluid until it runs clear into the waste receptacle. Top up the level. Wash the filter in fairy liquid and dry carefully. Re-install filter and re-connect return pipe. Remove rocks. Very easy (apart from the rocks).

Here is the clear pipe attached to the return line; you can see the fluid is a bit dark, although by this stage I was running clear through it:





The dirty filter. I have decided to order a new one together with more fluid and use this fluid as a flush.



Clean fluid in the reservoir. The clear pipe is full of clean fluid too, in theory the system is now clean although I doubt that any fluid beyond the valve on the rear axle has been changed.



This is the old fluid plus about two litres of new that I used to flush through. It is pretty dirty. I don't know how the dirt gets in.




I also replaced the little lamp in the gear selector. This has irritated me for years and years. Unfortunately it is still rather dull: maybe it needs a higher wattage bulb than the little 0.4w jobbie I put it. Edit: I have since checked in the EPC and it needs a 1.2W bulb. I think I have one. A job for tomorrow.






In other news, the diff is starting to make a faint noise. My thought here is just to replace it. They're pretty readily available. But the estate car has a shorter diff than the saloons, 1:3.07 against 1:2.88. I'm not sure why: I guess the estate cars are more likely to be used for towing and load carrying. I'm thinking maybe fit the faster diff from a saloon car. They're a straight swap. It might give me slightly better economy and slightly more relaxed high speed cruising (I'd rather be running at 4,000rpm for hours on end than 4,500rpm) at the price of slightly slower acceleration, as if that were possible. And it would make third gear a bit more useful when balked on a motorway gradient.

Edited by r129sl on Saturday 8th February 21:18

[MJK 24]

Heat will change the colour of the self levelling fluid. It’ll turn it darker.

[RoverP6B]

So the self-levelling on these is hydraulic? My self-levelling BMWs (E39 520i & 540i Tourings, E66 760Li) are all air-bagged.

[ClaphamGT3]

There's an old couple who live in a house on one of my dog walking routes who have an 87 230E. They've had it at least 12 years but seem to have given up driving as it hasn't moved in several months. It's smoke grey with a dark grey interior on alloys and has clearly been the old boys pride and joy - he still washes it every week.

Recognising that I need another car like I need a rash on my face, I'm increasingly minded to make him an offer

[r129sl]

ClaphamGT3 said:

There's an old couple who live in a house on one of my dog walking routes who have an 87 230E. They've had it at least 12 years but seem to have given up driving as it hasn't moved in several months. It's smoke grey with a dark grey interior on alloys and has clearly been the old boys pride and joy - he still washes it every week.

Recognising that I need another car like I need a rash on my face, I'm increasingly minded to make him an offer

An early 4-cylinder car is a lovely thing, curiously very, very modern in its design purity. Extremely light for the class of car, too, which makes it agile, responsive and economical. Make sure it has ABS: it was optional on the first cars.

I found some 1.2W dashboard bulbs and set about putting the correct bulb in the gear selector. Here are the two bulbs, the 0.4W and the 1.2W side-by side:




It's very easy to lift the panel, one screw hidden under the carpet in the oddments tray:




New bulb in place, exciting:




Then I did a bad thing. Reinstalling the bulb holder I managed to crush the new bulb. Fat fingered oaf.




Then when extracting the remnants of the smashed bulb from the bulb holder, I managed to make the bulb holder fall apart. I am so useless at fixing cars. Happily, it went back together again and I had another bulb. A bit more care this time and it was all back together. Now I just need darkness to fall.

[ClaphamGT3]

r129sl said:

An early 4-cylinder car is a lovely thing, curiously very, very modern in its design purity. Extremely light for the class of car, too, which makes it agile, responsive and economical. Make sure it has ABS: it was optional on the first cars.

I found some 1.2W dashboard bulbs and set about putting the correct bulb in the gear selector. Here are the two bulbs, the 0.4W and the 1.2W side-by side:




It's very easy to lift the panel, one screw hidden under the carpet in the oddments tray:




New bulb in place, exciting:




Then I did a bad thing. Reinstalling the bulb holder I managed to crush the new bulb. Fat fingered oaf.




Then when extracting the remnants of the smashed bulb from the bulb holder, I managed to make the bulb holder fall apart. I am so useless at fixing cars. Happily, it went back together again and I had another bulb. A bit more care this time and it was all back together. Now I just need darkness to fall.

Good effort with the bulb - one of those disproportionately satisfying jobs, like getting the auto-retracting/raising luggage cover in my S211 E63 working again.

I am beginning to rationalise the 230e as a car for our house in the Dordogne. I think it would be great to commute the 80-mile round trip to Bordeaux airport every week in the summer. Only downside is how unlikely it is to have aircon. Anyone got any ideas how hard/expensive it would be to retro-fit?

[r129sl]

I had a quote for retrofitting air con to the 190, Reader Air down near Guildford, they use Merc parts. They said £2k plus VAT.

We all survived without air con until 20 years ago. The tilting sunroof is really all you need unless it's well over 30 deg C out there.

I am very satisfied by the bulb replacement: disproportionately so, as you say!

[bolidemichael]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Good effort with the bulb - one of those disproportionately satisfying jobs, like getting the auto-retracting/raising luggage cover in my S211 E63 working again.

I am beginning to rationalise the 230e as a car for our house in the Dordogne. I think it would be great to commute the 80-mile round trip to Bordeaux airport every week in the summer. Only downside is how unlikely it is to have aircon. Anyone got any ideas how hard/expensive it would be to retro-fit?

Mirage Air has a good reputation, too.

Do you have a pictoral guide on the replacement of the luggage cover? Was is the motor that you replaced? I need to replace mine as I over forced it and now it makes a noise when operating.

[W00DY]

ClaphamGT3 said:

There's an old couple who live in a house on one of my dog walking routes who have an 87 230E. They've had it at least 12 years but seem to have given up driving as it hasn't moved in several months. It's smoke grey with a dark grey interior on alloys and has clearly been the old boys pride and joy - he still washes it every week.

Recognising that I need another car like I need a rash on my face, I'm increasingly minded to make him an offer

I had an '87 230E which was very lovely and a great way to smoke about. Smooth with enough power (although it hated being revved, much better just to cruise along) and fairly economical too.

[AndrewCrown]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Good effort with the bulb - one of those disproportionately satisfying jobs, like getting the auto-retracting/raising luggage cover in my S211 E63 working again.

I am beginning to rationalise the 230e as a car for our house in the Dordogne. I think it would be great to commute the 80-mile round trip to Bordeaux airport every week in the summer. Only downside is how unlikely it is to have aircon. Anyone got any ideas how hard/expensive it would be to retro-fit?

Clapham.. I can confirm that an early 230e is a perfect A89 conveyance. It has aircon.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[ClaphamGT3]

AndrewCrown said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

Good effort with the bulb - one of those disproportionately satisfying jobs, like getting the auto-retracting/raising luggage cover in my S211 E63 working again.

I am beginning to rationalise the 230e as a car for our house in the Dordogne. I think it would be great to commute the 80-mile round trip to Bordeaux airport every week in the summer. Only downside is how unlikely it is to have aircon. Anyone got any ideas how hard/expensive it would be to retro-fit?

Clapham.. I can confirm that an early 230e is a perfect A89 conveyance. It has aircon.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

That is absolutely identical to the one I’m hatching a plan for. How do you get on registering it in your name in France - are you resident there? I have been led to believe that, unless you are resident in France for tax purposes, you can’t have a Car registered in your name