Major Maintenance - What Would You Check?

[retmil46]

Given the unknown maintenance history of my '87, the injector nailing, the brake system looking to be in need of a good flush, and wanting to have the beast in good shape for a long trip over Christmas, I decided for this once to schedule a major maintenance appointment with the MB dealer in Hickory this Tuesday.

I know it's going to be some major bucks, but at least I'll know overall what kind of shape the car is in - engine, transmission, brakes, suspension, etc.

I've already told the service advisor that I don't give a hoot about the interior and appearance items - I don't care if one of the headrests or the power antenna doesn't work, document it and I'll get it fixed later - I want to focus on mechanical reliability and safety.

Looking at the maintenance sheet from the W124 FSM library, checking injection timing and doing the brake system flush are already listed. I came up with a couple other items I told them I'd like them to look at -

Timing Chain Stretch, Camshaft Timing, Fuel Tank Screen, Low Beam Headlight Aim. Confirm/disagree with diagnosis of injector nailing (new set of Bosio nozzles in hand).

Given this is going to be a one-time event, what would anyone else recommend to get checked, or to avoid letting the service tech getting his paws on?

[300SDog]

Bolt-Tightening..... back in the olden days MB owner's manuals included illustrated listings of nuts'n bolts to be tightened regularly. It included engine and tranny mount bolts, subframe mounts, steering gearbox mounting bolts, sway bar mounts and various others especially those surrounded by rubber bushings.

Ask your tech if there's a list of nuts'n bolts to be checked for tightening on your particular model.

[log673]

Get the tech to find and plug up any vaccuum leaks. There's nothing more aggravating than having your car drive wonderfully on a long trip, and when you arrive at your destination, your car won't turn off when you take they key out because you have a vaccuum leak. (it happened to me)
These older MB are notorious for vaccuum leaks. And unfortunately quite a bit of things in the car (transmission, shut-off, door locks,) rely on the operation of the vaccuum system.

[TheDon]

rust reapir?