Urgent: Anyone in central IL want a parts car? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

81Wagon · #1 01-27-2011, 05:49 PM

So I'm in the middle of a cross-country road trip and my 300sd died a horrible death. Bearings are shot or some such - I don't have time for a complete diagnosis, but it is certainly going nowhere without a full rebuild. I'm buying a used car to complete the trip, but:

I have a 300sd stuck in central Illinois and no way to get rid of it! Salvage yards won't touch it without a title in hand (mine is at home in CA) and I want to be out of here by tomorrow. I'm trying to get the title overnighted, but: if I can't sell it to a salvage yard, I'll hand it over to anyone who can come by and pick it up.

showme · #2 01-27-2011, 07:33 PM

Where in central Illinois are you? I'm across the Mississippi in southeast Missouri. I sent you an email, but my number is 573-431-5411. I can have it towed home by AAA. If you want me to store it for you for awhile, I can. Call me. I'm home. If there's anything else that you need, let me know. I've been stranded 1200 miles from home myself. Sorry to hear

layback40 · #3 01-27-2011, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by showme

Where in central Illinois are you? I'm across the Mississippi in southeast Missouri. I sent you an email, but my number is 573-431-5411. I can have it towed home by AAA. If you want me to store it for you for awhile, I can. Call me. I'm home. If there's anything else that you need, let me know. I've been stranded 1200 miles from home myself. Sorry to hear

This offer deserves a Peach Parts Diesel Discussion Good member award !!

:2thum bsup

:thumbsu p2:

showme · #4 01-27-2011, 08:27 PM

I always think of it this way- What if it was one of my kids stuck out there in the middle of nowhere? I would pray that the good Lord would send somebody to help them. This is an opportunity to pay Him back for all the times that He did.

vstech · #5 01-27-2011, 08:33 PM

very nice! good job with the assist!
let us know if you go get it, either for him or yourself!

81Wagon · #6 01-27-2011, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

This offer deserves a Peach Parts Diesel Discussion Good member award !!

:2thum bsup

:thumbsu p2:

You're not kidding, it is an awesome offer and quite a bit of effort on his part. Still figuring the logistics out right now...

Thank you so much, showme! I couldn't get the title overnighted, so I have no idea what I would have done with it otherwise. I'm also glad to see the car go to someone who can find a good use for it. Most of the salvage yards I called didn't even want a foreign car!

StaggerLee · #7 01-27-2011, 09:54 PM

It fills my heart NICENESS!!

lyrics by Pato Banton

showme · #8 01-27-2011, 11:03 PM

I'm off to Illinois bright and early. Talked to Andreas (the owner) and I'm meeting him in the morning. Poor guy gets hslf way across the US, and the car fails him. And I thought my ignition switch going out in front of my house was terrible.

t walgamuth · #9 01-28-2011, 06:08 AM

Well done showme!

layback40 · #10 01-28-2011, 06:16 AM

Good to see another TD saved. A 617 shouldnt be to hard to find !!

vstech · #11 01-28-2011, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

Good to see another TD saved. A 617 shouldnt be to hard to find !!

I read the post as his 83SD failed, not his signature 81TD... so while a turboDiesel is getting saved, the motor likely will not.

showme · #12 01-29-2011, 04:23 AM

Just got back from Illinois. Lock the frontdoor, Oh boy!.....

Ok, my buddy, Forrest, and I just got back about an hour ago (1:30 am central time) from Mattoon, Illinois, pulling Andreas 83 300SD, and are my arms tired! (insert rimshot here). Andreas', sorry I didn't get to meet you, but we left Park Hills about 5:30 Friday evening on a late start due to my buddy's prior commitments, and drove what mapquest says was 198 miles in about 3hours, 15 minutes. Got there, found the car, went in McD's and got something to eat, then went out and in about 20 minutes had it on the car dolly that we I rented. AAA only goes 100 miles, so we took his truck and the dolly and pulled it home. Man, was it cold up there! It was still about 50* here when we left (first time in weeks), but the wind was sailing and cold on the flatlands out there. Fortunately, it was cold enough to freeze the muddy truck parking lot solid, so that was a plus. The trip back went fine, but my buddy listened to his gps and it took us right through downtown St. Louis at midnight instead of circling the city on I-255 to the south and east. We had the parking lights on the car all the way back, and made it home fine.

Looks like a lot of oil dripping under the car, and it must have been blowing it out the exhaust, becuase the entire rear was covered in oil mist. I turned the motor over and it ran for 4 or 5 seconds and was tapping, then died. Forrest, my buddy, said he thought it sounded like it had jumped time. It didn't start the second time I tried it.

Anyway, to anyone else who is interested, the interior is fairly clean but for some seat rips, and there is no rust as far as I could see in the night. Paint job is faded, but so what? An interesting ac electric plug mounted on the passenger kick board. Good tires and nice aluminum wheels. Somebody left a hole where the stereo used to be

. (Really felt sorry for you when I saw that hole, Andreas. Must have been a bear getting that stuff out of there without your tools handy.) I couldn't figure out how to get the hood open. These don't have a pull handle like mine, from what I could find at the parking lot. But sure noticed a lot of random oil drips as we moved the car away from where it was towed to. It was bleeding pretty heavy. Also found a gallon of Canola oil in the trunk.

Spare fuel for emergency's!

Andreas left a detailed letter on the modifications and things done to the car, which I thank you for. I haven't decided quite what I'm going to do with it yet. My friend that went with me to get it said he thinks we should put another engine in it and fix it up and sell it. I'm all for the selling it to somebody else who wants to fix it up. To be honest, as rustless as this car is, with a paint job and a few wood dash trim pieces, a stereo, an ash tray and front window switches, it could be a nice little car. Oh, and a new rear window trim. The typical leak around the rear window on the drivers side brought out the silicone caulk sealant. But I wouldn't change that till it was painted.

Anyway, Andreas, I thank you for the "gift" you left behind. He has given it to me free and clear for going and saving it from abandonment and the Illinois State Police. I hope your trip goes well (can't quite figure why anyone would want to drive cross country to the northeast coast in the dead of winter, but I hope you can still enjoy whatever it is that you went for!).

One more thing I'll pass along is that Andreas ran into the problem of finding that Illinois salvage yards won't take a car without a title. But what really got me is when he told me that even though he was willing to try to have the title overnighted so he could sell it to a junk yard, they told him that they wouldn't take "foriegn cars"!

I mean, if you're going to send it to a scrapper, who cares where it's from? A couple of tons is a couple of tons, right? Those silly Illinoisins! Aren't they funny? (Had to throw that in, being from Missouri, and all.)

I know you believe I did you a favor, Andreas, but I think you did more than I did by turning your car over to me. I really appreciate it. Forrest was sort of in disbelief. He turned to me in the truck after we got the car loaded and said, "What kind of thing is it when a Mercedes Benz just falls out of the sky and into your lap, out of nowhere, and says "Take me!". I say it's a gift from God, and miracles do happen. And May God bless you and your road, Andreas Schwartz. Thanks- again.

layback40 · #13 01-29-2011, 06:10 AM

This has got to be one of the nicest threads on DD in a while.

I hope that the car can find a replacement motor & a new home. Its too good a car to destroy in a crusher.

& yes I miss read. Some one was giving me grief on another thread. I realize its a sd. still a great find, a rust free car.

neumann · #14 01-29-2011, 08:24 AM

wonderful thread...I hope it works out that Andreas one day gets back into a diesel MB

showme · #15 01-29-2011, 10:27 AM

He told me he's got two more at home when I told him how bad I felt about taking the car for nothing. (I offered to give him half of whatever I get out of it, or keep it till he comes back through, but he said no. He thought I was doing HIM a favor. What a guy.)