How much do you rely on Shop Forum for "support"?

[Carrameow]

We diesel heads. or DIYers, are a dying breed.
I would venture to say that most of you are like me, and that you are the only one in the neighborhood changing out engines and transmissions at 2 am in the morning, and maybe you are the only one with a little oil slick on your driveway--even the kids around you dont work on cars anymore..and that your neighbors once in a while give you a funny grin and take a second look when they drive by...
I think that many of you probably dont see another diesel head everyday, or a regular gearhead either, or even a fellow used car owner--everyone out there is buying New Cars, and someone buying a high mileage used car, even a diesel, is not the Norm...
Our wives and kids are tolerant, my wife is even better at doing somethings that require delicate hands like rebuilding calipers..
For me, Mercedes Shop is a g__ send. I rely on it tremendously for not just Technical Support, but moral support. After all, when its 11 pm on some night and you are soaked with August sweat, covered with grease, bone tired and dragggin your tools out, you do need to know that other souls are out ther doing the same thing... I think we are all lucky to have this forum

[TX76513]

I would have to agree with your thread. And this forum is much different than others I view. Is it just the MB ownership that makes this crowd more intelligent, optomistic, and opinionated?
Definately premium stuff here

[leathermang]

"opinionated" ???????? Who you talkin about Willis ?

at least in the case of diesels, these vehicles have often survived for more than 20 years in daily use, and a tremendous amount of information as to their infirmities and cures have been so well documented. Solutions, tricks, short-cuts, and much other information is organized in ShopForum...I think that only aircooled VWs and Model A Fords have as much "folk wisdom" collected about them.

One of the things that separate the MB's of the sixties through maybe early nineties from other cars is their "repairability." You can fix these cars and there is something left to fix.

Many, rather most, other brands, have much poorer quality paint, trim, chrome, upholstery etc, causing them to have nothing left after the first or second owner. These cars carry their age well cosmetically, and much of the car, mechanically.

For this reason, I believe that those sick folks like us who gravitate toward going to all sorts of trouble to keep an old car on the road, naturally want to put our efforts into something that is WORTH the effort, rather than an old ragged out American or Japanese vehicle of some sort. Typically these vehicles have faded paint, melted away upholstery, etc after 10 or 15 years.

Just a theory, but I thought that I would throw it in.

My $0.02,

[dmorrison]

I agree
I know I live in an affluent neighborood due to my job and income.
And finding anyone in this neighborhood who knows about anything under a hood, besides the other airline pilot who has a 64 1/2 Mustang and a 72 Corvette, with a 4 post lift. Is pretty rare.
I'm lucky that my backyard is pretty isolated visually and that I have tolerant neighbors. The 2.5 year Mustang rebuild was technically against the rules in our neightborhood. Any one of my neighbors could have complained and brought the car projects to a stop. But not blasting music and airtools after 8pm, helps. keep a low profile and be discreet.

This forum and Vintage-Mustang.com have been lifesavers with the cars. My other sources of information are the Service Manuals, The dealer ( they are actually very good at providing information, but I usually just head straight to the 2 W123 specialists) and my brother who is a Mercedes mechanic at an independent shop in Columbia SC.

I do find that not all the info hear is 100% acurate, I have even made posts that I find out later, or by another post, is wrong. But overall the info is great. Do searches, do them again, and then post a question if not sure. Always feel free to ask for advise here and anywhere else, read the SM for the job and then JUMP.

Deisel heads are becoming a rare breed. Not may W123's on the road anymore. When I do see one there is usually a wave between drivers and an acknolwedged sense of rarity in what you know and drive. At a stop light in our town We saw a W123 wagon in Signal Red drive past us. We waved, he waved and we realized that was the only Signal Red W123 I have ever seen on the road. Sedans yes, wagons no.

I have looked at a few other Mercedes forums and this is the best. The number of members and there depth of knowledge is excellent. Other forums seem to be either winers or their knowledge is very limited.

Lets keep this forum going for as long as we can. Use Fastlane and Phil, if at all possible. Keep posting and searching. If your inclined use the open discussion for any "wining" or discussions. But keep true to the idea of informing and helping in the other areas.

Dave

[Old300D]

I'm glad I found this forum - My other auto interest is old Datsun Z cars, which definitely do not carry their age like the W123s, but have a dedicated following at HybridZ.org. Very similar sites with the knowledge and dedication to repairing and maintaining (and customizing) cool old cars.

[Scott98]

I use this forum all of the time. There is absolutely no way I could ever do the repairs I need without the help of everyone on this board. Even if I am unable to perform the repair myself, I have a general idea of what is wrong and can discuss it intelligently with a mechanic. So far with the help of this forum I have replaced shocks, replaced window regulators, adjusted valves, found out how to access the battery in my old 210, block the EGR for "testing" purposes, and many other things. I will also soon be replacing my upper ball joints thanks to the help I've received here.

Scott

[Carrameow]

There's a crowd at work who are always talking about the houses they are buying and renting and the Stocks and Funds they are buying and sometimes I listen with bemusement..I wonder if I had turned all the sweat and skin burns I put into learning to be a DIY mechaic in the last 20 years into improving my Financial Picture, I mean the hours and days and weeks I put into rebuilding a motor and putting it back in, just think if you put that into a Rental Property or reading the Wall Steet Journal...
But thats just not me.
I dont think I could be a landlord because with my luck I would get some family where someone was having a bad time, and I couldnt kick them out.
.I spend most of my free time on my family, then come cars, then comes some time on the'Net to read the news and then comes Mercedes Shop--all I know about the Wall Street Journal is the paper is pretty good for wrapping up those dripping oil filters after you take them out..

[Carrameow]

I think I spent 1500 $ here in the last two years

[wbain5280]

My next door neighbor and I work on our cars. I rely on this forum a lot, and Volvo forums to fix 'them'. I read the Diesel forum because you guys are great. Lots of enthusiasm for your cars.

My bud next door has a old Jeep Cherokee, a pair of 325's, an Odessey and a G35. We went to the junkyard last Sunday and I saw a few old MB's, see post in the Vintage forum, incl. some W123's and a W126 300SD w/ Bunts.

He was looking for a seat belt buckle for his Jeep which he found. The Jeep was in good shape except that the upper door hinge weld broke and the door was just hanging down at a 45 deg. angle. What a POS. That's why ot was in the junkyard.

The MB's looked in pretty good shape, not smashed so I was wondering why they were in the junkyard.

Reading these forums has really boosted my confinence, not that it was low or anything. I did a lot of work on my ex Volvo 740T.

Keep up the good work.

[JamesStein]

I personally love this site. My wife on the other hand would like it to disappear.

We originally bought our first W123 Diesel to run WVO in. We really didn't have plans to buy any more.

Now I've got 3. And I am unwilling to let them become the throwaway cars that she would prefer them to be.

In the past we've gone through cars as much as people who buy new. The only difference is we buy them old and used and cheap and drive them into the ground.

With the MB's we bought them old and used and cheap and now I plan on keeping them running.

[Pete Burton]

This site has helped me a great deal and I try where appropriate to give something back. Having just overcome a very frustrating situation with my rebuilt engine, this is very fresh in my mind. I had thoughts of giving up, but that's just not in my nature. Thanks to the support here, I worked through it, and hopefully my SD will continue to run nicely for many years to come. I'll continue to haunt threads on A/C, trans shifting, and those where possibly I can help others. Soon I'll try to post a few pictures of my rebuild odyssey that might be of interest. Has anyone else ever found distinct evidence of blowby on the OUTSIDE diameter of a cylinder liner?

[Hatterasguy]

This site is awsome I don't know if I could own a MB without it. I also try to get the good word out about Phil and Fastlane whenever I can. Not to mention all of the money I spent hear this year.

[bill murrow]

There is no way I could do my own work without this forum, not only for technical advice but moral support as well.

As Larry stated so far as repairs go they're pretty user friendly, but no matter how friendly they are, without the information on this forum it would be impossible for me to accomplish some of the repairs I do myself.

I have been involved in motorcycle racing and find that the MBZ family is much like that of m/c racers. Willing to share valuable info and when you meet the folks behind it all you find out we are all in this for one reason. We love our machines...

Cheers and many THANKS,

Bill