I forgot to mention that the driver seat belt buckle failed. I noticed that the seat belt would come undone randomly as I was driving. I would click it back into place, then it would pop out again. Now the buckle won't hold the seat belt at all. I am stretching the seat belt across to the passenger side buckle until I replace the one on the driver side. In fact, all of the seat belts have something wrong with them; either the reels don't reel in completely, or the webbing is frayed, or the buckles don't work, or they are really rusty.

The W126 brake idea is interesting. Too bad I already sold my 15" Centra wheels!

The tires appear to be old and the metal casings are deteriorating, which is causing them to bulge. I can see it in the tread when I spin the wheels. The tread is wavy and hops from the structure coming apart. It's getting worse with time. I get a vacation check from work next month, so I may use that to buy new tires. I'd love a set of wide whitewalls (even if they are shaved), but they are expensive.

I noticed the shimmying start after I had the tires installed, so I had an alignment done by an alignment shop. It didn't cure the problem and it got worse with time. When I went to the dealer for an alignment they said that all of my steering components were as good as new, but that the tires were so bad that I needed to replace them right away.

Katja, keep a lookout for W116s up there.

__________________
Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles