My SDL is on notice, I'm thinking about selling.
 

This thing is just costing me way way to much money. Every time I fix something, something else needs to be fixed! It seems like every few weeks I am dumping a few hundred dollars into this thing! This week alone I have another set of injectors on order, I'm hoping to get a good set out of 12! But Phil will give me my money back for the 6 bad ones at least so I am really only out the $120 to get them all tested. I also am changing the vac pump and need a few other little things so thats $400! :rolleyes: So a $520 week! :eek: This thing just doesn't stop costing me money! I don't see an end to it! I think I just hit the wall today, I hit another car in the parking garage at SCSU. The girl was illegaly parked but I still cut the corner a little close. It was both of ours fault but still now I have $6k in a W126 that looks like s$%$ with a big dent in the door! :( And a nice dent in the rear rocker and some nasty scratches, cha ching more body work. I think I hit the wall with this car, I love driving the thing but now while I'm driving I just keep thinking "what is next?" The trans? The head? Will some jerk hit me and total it? I am seriosly looking into getting something newer with less miles, I don't mind working on the thing and if I had to put $1-2k a year into something fine, I can live with that. I just don't know if I can do this anymore I am just plain tired of working on this thing every weekend or day I have off. I am going to college and working 25 hours a week so time is at a premium.

My problem is I like the car so much, I don't want to sell it but I am sick of dumping every penny I make into it! :eek: I am about to look through the paper for a nice clean late model Camry. :( But I would really like to stay with Mercedes so I am hoping to find a real nice 1994-95 W124 say a E320/420, or a late 90's C280. I really like Mercedes and enjoy working on them but this thing is just to much, for someone with a good job and another car it would be perfect. You could tinker and fix things cheaper, but I need it to get around. Maybe I should just buy a Camry and get a 240D this summer for a few bucks and play with it.

I think I just hit the wall today the spark is gone! :( I want out! :(

Thanks for listening to my rant.

I think you are just being a perfectionist with it. Many people drive these things into the ground with little to no maintience.. I see them all the time. Injectors are a little noisy.. leave them be. Vacuum pump is fine.. leave it alone. It grenading on you isn't a big issue. Just change the oil and trans fluid and keep it.

getting rid of it?
 

Cool down. All the things you mention seem very much familliar, but an accident in a parking garage you cannot blame on your Diesel. I get the feeling that your problems may be located elsewhere, think about it. Get the door fixed, stay on the bulletin board and give the 'money pit' the maintenance it deserves. Also, I read, you may want to locate different mechanic for the jobs you do. Where you are, there is competition and it pays to shop around. Think about the payments you would do on a gasser and the total lack of joy you would have otherwise.

Hi, my name is Jason and i'm a member of MNA (Mercedes Neglegence Anonymous ;) ). Just kidding, I do the basic maintenance, and usually save up for a rainy day in which something horrible goes wrong. Right now, thinking about the vacuum pump as i've been warned that at 180,000, it should be retired for a newer unit. Lifters noisy, Pretty sure injectors are noisy, needs new hoses and what not (cooling and fuel), my hood is a black generic one that hasn't been repainted to match, sunroof still a mechanical mess as i'm too lazy to put it back together fully. Rear window switch that doesn't work, fader switch that bugs me, no A/C, no Cruise Control, antenna is going south and :eek: :eek: I think i'll stop cause even i didn't know my car had this many faults just off the top of my head.

Aw, c'mon Hattie. We all have problems or we wouldn't be on this forum.

you're just p-oed 'cause you got in a little fender-bender.

There is an eb and flow to everything and you're just in a little eb right now.

Hang in there ;)

Cheers,

Bill

Camry????
 

Hattie, I read many of your posts, you are a natural!! You love diesels !! You can't go to a MB GTG in a Camry !! How bad is the dent? Is the paint ruined in the dent? Down here we have Dent Wizard, it's a chain of guys that go to car lots and fix dents cheap!!! If you don't have one, call the local MB dealer ask for used car manager. He will know who to call. They fixed a 4 inch crease in a door for $35.00 !!! No paint was needed and it took about 30 minutes. Good as new. If it is a giant wrinkle or crushed, it is beyond their means. They will also know of someone that does on-lot touch up paint for scratches etc. Never quit. Don't fight all your battles at once. Fix the things that can totally disable your car or make it unsafe first. Then the rest when you have time/money. Anyway, that's the way I do it. Good luck.

Make a conscious effort to let some of the things go, it's an older car - let it wait until summer. Really, if you are burned out with it give it some space. Having a nearly perfect car and driving it everyday can be quite a chore if you try to keep on top of everything - I was there with a Corvair convertible when I was about your age. Spend less on the car, keep it and broaden your horizons some. Has that huge backseat been put to the ultimate test yet?

no way Hattie
 

I drove that vehicle on Wednesday and you have done some excellent work to it in a very short amount of time. Hell, you have done ten years worth of deferred maintenance in less than 10 months. The amount of effort you have put into it is admirable. As I have told you previously, I have not done 1/3 of the items that you have and we have owned the vehicles about the same amount of time. Mine has a few less miles, however, they all need a bit of this and a bit of that. You need to chill for a couple of months and enjoy the vehicle. The injectors don't need to be done now and the vacuum pump does not need to be done now. Give it some time. With regard to the body work, well, this could have happened to the Camry as well. Just get it fixed.

See the previous thread from Carrameow. We all get to feeling this way from time to time. You have put too much time and effort into the SDL to switch to a 124. Unless you decide to pay a pretty penny for it, what do you think you will be doing with the 124 in the first year after you buy it? A C280? Are you crazy? Just get your checkbook ready and bring it to the dealer. You are not going to fix them very easily, that's for sure.

spark? Sorry to hear how yer feeling about your car. Hopefully it will change for the better.

Thanks guys I guess I kind of feed up with it yesterday. I am not blaming the accident on the SDL mostly I'm ticked at myself for not being more careful. It is kind of a big car to be parking it in a parking garage that is as packed as SCSU's gets. Illegaly parked cars don't make it any better! :rolleyes: But at least the girl I hit was nice and kind of cute! :D It just gets to me because I think of the amount of money I have into this thing, (in parts btw a mechanic has never touched it) and their is still more to go. I am ignoring a few things the tranny is starting to leak pretty badly I'm leaving pretty big puddles when I park it overnight, but trans fluid is great rust proofing and cheap! Their is a bad vibration coming from something around 40-55, maybe the driveshaft? I just drive faster or slower! :D It is kind of hard to see out of the windsheild when the sun hits it, lots of pits. This will be fun as the sun gets lower. :rolleyes:

Mostly the only thing I have to do is fix the rust under the rear window, I can't let that get any worse.

I'm still thinking though maybe a W210, I like the W210 a lot. I can't do anything until December anyway, I don't have time to look for a car now.

Rust
 

Naval Jelly is cheap and it loves to eat rust. Then just a little primer.... :D
Keep the faith.

Nooooo...
 

Ah come on chris, don't do it. As you say, its practically a 2004. As the guys have said, just drive to enjoy, dont fix anything else until it breaks. I'd just get the dent fixed and leave the rest of body work for after graduation...you will probably get more dents by then, im suprized i havent found one in mine.

I've can totally sympathize with your situation. I used to own a beautiful '90 300CE and an '84 300D. I originally bought the coupe to replace the older 300D, but in the end, the coupe was such a maintanence nightmare and money pit that I couldn't get rid of the diesel (which was as reliable as any Camry). Ultimately, I got so sick of dumping money into the coupe and spending all my spare time fixing it (rather than enjoying driving it), that I decided to sell. And you know what? I don't regret it, because I know if I still owned it I would still be dumping money and wasting time. The bottom line is that if you continue to feel this way over time, then the enjoyment of owning that car is gone, and you should dump it. Besides, sounds like you are a good mechanic, and you know what (expensive) prioblems are facing you. Can you really ignore that leaking transmission? You know it needs to be rebuilt, and can you afford that now? And for a cheaper fix, is it really worth the effort to pull the tranny to fix a seal, and not just rebuild the whole thing anyway?

Unfortunatly, after I sold my coupe, I was forced to sell my '84 300D because it wouldn't pass the state inspection of the new state I moved to. So here I find myself without a Mercedes, but still surfing this page. I'll probably be back into a Mercedes someday, but because I was forced to buy a car really quick, I ended up with a Nissan Maxima. And you know what? Its not the end of the world, and I DON"T spend all my time fixing it.

Lastly, please do not put yourself through w124 ownership. Yeah, I know there are plenty of people on this board while will wax on about what great cars they are, but I can tell you after personal experience that they are not easy to fix, parts cost way more (than my diesel at least), and that 6 cylinder engine is a serious gas pig (and it requires high-octane fuel!). Don't do it. Search this board for info on a mid-90s c220 or c230. They sound like really good cars, and they get great gas mileage. That is probably my next Mercedes.

GregS
'95 Nissan Maxima
'90 320CE (sold :))
'84 300D (sold :()

Well the tranny will probably die in the next few years it is starting to slip but MB trans can slip a long time. I don't have the time or money to sell it now but if I still feel this way come December I might sell. I spent today working on it I replaced the steering box with a used one. My old one was leaking pretty well and it had a lot of play, the newer one is much better. I also replaced the block heater cord; and just cleaned the car up a little. It looks and drives so nicely but two more problems came up today. :rolleyes: The coolant light always comes on, their must be a bad connection in the system somewhere. Also it pulls to the left but the tires are not wearing funny yet? So I fix two things and two more things need fixing not to bad. :rolleyes:

The coolant sensor for the overflow tank is around $20.. mine went out at around 300k. An alignment is around $50. You're making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I'm a perfectionist with my car too but there are somethings that ya just gotta live with. My injectors are really knocky but I haven't ripped them out... yet.

Bottom line is this, it's a beautiful car and it's the maintaining that a large portion of the fun. It's an older car so things are expected. The trannsmission and the likes are things to definately keep in mind for.

If you end up selling it then there are many '97 E300's that can be found at prices that are getting better every week. Right now the car market is really crappy. You see the same E300's coming up on eBay, probably because those that win the auctions really can't afford them. There was a '97 with my mileage, ok, 1,000 more than mine that went for around or just under $10,000. I just looked on eBay and it was recently put up again. You might just wanna cut your losses and get the w210 you've wanted. And since you love working on your diesel Benz, you'll love working on the w210. It's pretty fun to drive these OM606 engines hearing them scream to their redline during spirited driving. You never expect to see a diesel engine hummin' at 5,250RPM and sound sooo nice at the same time. :D I can't wait to replace the cat with a higher flowing cat and have the ECM tweeked by SpeedTuningUSA.

BTW. There is always money needed to be spent on a vehicle, whether it's new or used.

I just had it alighned, that shop I had it done at suposidly knows MB and is a good place. My point is it is always needing something and that somthing 10 years newer would need less work. I don't know I still havn't decided I just ran 60 miles on the highway today and it is very enjoyable in this car.

Yes I see your point.. It is one of the reasons I sold my 300SDL and opted for a newer car with low mileage. I must say the ford has been dead reliable. Nothing but tires, oil and transmission fluid in the last 55,000 miles. I just did 4 pads and rotors which was $400 in parts.

I recently replaced my coolant tank and the new one had the hole for the coolant level sensor. Didn't have a plug for it, but found a SD tank (broken) with a sensor in it. So I now have this sensor in my tank not hooked to anything. If you can find a plug for it, I'll exchange it with you. ;)

You might be able to stretch it by tweaking the modulator. You'll stiffen the shifts but stiff shifts are easier on the clutches. Either turn the T thing in the modulator or adjust the modulator that's attached to the IP.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

This thingy hanging off the IP (rotate so you read the MB properly).

OT - why does the forum application care about the orientation of an image? Isn't 600 x 800 the same as 800 x 600? Can't they do the math and see that it's 480K pixels either way?

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

I am going to take a different vantage here.

You mentioned you are a student- your priorities will/should change when you start college. You will probably lose interest when it comes to working on cars. A "maintenence free" (read japanese or ami.) car might be a smart move. Having an MB is fun, but it really isn't every important, especially compared with education/enjoying your youth.

An Ami? http://www.ami8.com/ Really? :D

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Hattie would..............
 

get laughed out of the university if he showed up in an Ami-8 after driving the SDL. I think his father would disown him. :D

Jokes on you!
 

It is said females enjoy a sense of humor, in that case Hatteras would be a BMOC. :D

Hatterasguy, I present to you, your new wheels:

Hattie, it's.......
 

a station wagon! Think of all the things you could do in the back of it. :D :D :D

Get a TDI :D :D

hmmm, you know I still haven't found the right fintail...That wagon is the sort of car I was looking for...different.
Thanks
David

If you keep watching eBay, once in a while someone will offer a Binz conversion fintail wagon.

http://www.dhc.net/~pmhack/mercedes/190c65.htm

http://members.cox.net/mbimauniversal/identification_body.htm

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

I don't need a wagon I have an SDL I have plenty of back seat room! :D For sitting yes sitting... :D

Sixto I played with adjusting the trans before, maybe I will try again.


fahrgewehr2 Now that would be funny! :D Actually I probably could pick up girls with that, they would think it's "cute." Cute is ok :D I could be the sensitive guy that doesn't care about fast/cool cars like the others! :cool:

I don't want something that is maintaince free yet (read newer Camry) ask me 6 months from now that might change.

But I want something that is more "disposable" if you will, chances are the way people drive around campus someone will hit me before I graduate. It is not a question of if, it is when. Now I would feel pretty bad if my rare SDL got totaled, but not so bad if a newer C got totaled. If that makes sense. I also don't mind working on cars I enjoy playing with them a little in the summer and when I have time, I just don't want it to be as time/money consuming as keeping an old W126 in shape is. That is why I think a mid 90's E/C would be better for me then the SDL is at this point in my life. Smaller easyer to park and less work fixing things. From my experience so far with MB once you fix something it tends to stay that way. So if I buy say a mint sub 100k 1995 E320 I could just drive it and do regular maintaince.

These are my thoughts so far, I have not decided either way yet. I can't sell it until December/January anyway. I want to think about it for a few months, and pretty much as of this week everything that needs to be fixed is fixed. So I will see how she runs for the next few months. The jury is still out...

Here's my take on it - there are 2 kinds of 80K mile E320s; the kind you can afford because maintenance was not kept up, and the kind you can't afford because maintenance was kept up.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

80k miles E320's seem to go for around $9k-$10k. I'm expanding my price range! :D

Hattie, for you, and only for you, I would like to modify Sixto's statement slightly:

There are 2 kinds of 80K mile E320's; the kind you can't afford because maintenance was not kept up, and the kind you can't afford because maintenance was kept up. :D

I am talking about W124 E320's. I will need to spend $15k to get a nice W210, I'm not at that point yet!

You don't want a 124 car! No style or chrome...boooring. Pre-unification MB's are where the fun is.
For $8k you can pick up two NICE 123 cars. That's the ticket.

Diamler AG bought Chrsyler corp in 1998 so a W124/W210 is very much a pre merger MB.

I actually meant 'German' Unification. Or reunification, to be more exact. :)

I'd like to get my hands on a pre-wall MB. A 770 should do it.

http://www.angelfire.com/film/merced_photo_gallery/MERCEDES-BENZ_770/mercedes-benz_770_grosser_mercedes.htm

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

"I'd like to get my hands on a pre-wall MB. "


I'm going back to the '20s. Quality went out the window after Benz and Daimler merged.

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/com/d/home/heritage/museum/

Think about buying a used door in the correct color. Not too expensive and can be a much easier fix. And there are a lot of 126s with the door you need.

Now the stupid trans is leaking like crazy! Before it was just dripping everywhere, I didn't have to add to much. Last night it just dumped about 1/2 quart in the street! :mad: It used to just leave about a 6in circle when I parked it overnight now it is leaving enough for it to run down the hill a little. I don't have the time to fix it now so will just have to buy a case of fluid and keep it in the trunk! :mad:

sounds like a line has gone bad. Can you see exactly where it is leaking?

If the car is making you miserable, just dump it. Don't want to lose a forum member to a devil-car!

Trans lines were leaking, they are now new and perfectly dry. They made a mess and it took me a long time to clean it up.


I will look at it tomarrow, most likely the seal finally tore. I think it's trans fluid I don't think it can be engine oil. I have been under the car enough to know that only the front oil pan is weeping a little, the head gasket is weeping a little by the timing chain. Also the bottom of the turbo is dirty from a very slow leak. The rear main couldn't have gone bad overnight it was bone dry!

But I did replace the power steering gear box Friday maybe that is leaking?

I don't know it is hard to tell anything in the dark!

A big piece of cardboard under the car can show you a lot. That and looking at it in daylight. Of course, if you are losing fluid at that rate, it should be easy to figure out engine, transmission or PS system. One of them is gonna be way low! Keep the diesel faith brother, this will pass and just be another story later. Or do ya want me to tell you about my daughter wrecking her Benz, or my son killing the "in-tank" fuel pump on my Suburban. That's a 42 gallon steel fuel tank with a skid plate protecting it. All to be removed to replace the pump.
PS, my odometer just stopped working last night as I was turning 220,000. Too many wheels to rotate I guess.

Damn vehicle heard you and now it's going to get even. :mad: :mad: :mad:

You know I was very careful not to mention the word selling around her for fear of this! :D But maybe they can sense these things? What a b%)&& though I just bought her a new vac pump! :D These things can act like girl friends sometimes!

Hattie, When was the last service done on your tranny? Have you had it worked on before? Are the clutches slipping? Gotta remember most chevy's, fords, chrysler's and Japaneese vehicles would just won't go when the clutches burn up.

I just changed the fluid a few thousand miles ago, I know the front seal is leaking and the rear seal was dripping a little too.

It slips slightly when it is warm but MB trans can slip a long time. (hopefully!)

Hattie, I was talking to a friend the other day he was telling me that his transmission in his chevy started slipping and a couple of days later just went out sitting in rush hour traffic here in Austin. Transmissions on MB's seem to be somewhat tolerant of problems. Course that doesn't mean they won't go out. I'm fortunate that my father has a Transmission and Automotive Shop. So, I'm able to work on my car easily. Your repairs seem to be in line with mine. I'm just trying to deal with what's necessary first. Getting my Heater ready for the Winter is my next project. I think along with the Climate Control and most likey the Heater coil. I've got my worked cut out for me. I'm not sure the total dollars on this project yet, expensive that I do know. I bought my Car off of E-Bay for $7k with 130K miles. I lucked out with the car. If I had to do it all over again I would have personally gone and looked at the car with my eyes . It was repainted, although the paint job was done really well. I wonder what I would do if I didn't have this car. I guess I wouldn't have anything to do with my spare time. It's time consuming, but worth it, i'm sure.