500E - what parts are from where?
 

Just bought a 500E now that I am old enough to get insurance at less than a kings ransom and I'm now trying to piece together what parts of the car are from where as looking for parts online (particularly in the UK) is proving difficult.

I gather brakes are from the 500SL and the engine is a slightly modified 119 from the same but what parts are standard W124 and what are from other models.

If anyone can give me an idea and/or point me towards a good resource of info i'd be greatful.

Thanks

tobyd.

Congrats on the purchase Toby! I imagine a 500E must be nearly impossible to find in the UK.

With regards to parts on the 500E they are all available straight from the dealer. You'll need your VIN# when requesting parts from the dealer to insure they supply the correct parts. Fastlane also sells parts for these cars although you'll have to ship them overseas and that may get costly.

Parts were sourced mainly from the W124 and R129 cars of that era. Many of the components are modified like the front struts and rear hydro struts so don't assume the parts can be retrofitted.

Not sure if that helped, if not let me know what I've missed and I or someone else will chime in with an answer.

As Afshin says, the majority ofthe parts were sourced from the W124 or R129, however, many of the parts have been modified so "regular" W124 or R129 parts may not be compatible.

To give you an idea of how much has changed,: there are over 4000 new parts on the 500E vs the 300E and the only sheet metal bits that are interchangable are the roof, the trunk lid and I believe the front doors.

Brakes on a 500E are a tricky one:

The early 500Es (up until early or mid 1993) had Aluminum Brembo front calipers sourced from the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. These were supersceded by Cast iron ATE calipers sourced from the SL500. Later cars (late 1993 & 1994 E500s) were equipped with even larger front brakes from the SL600.

Rear brakes are a similar story. Some European 500Es were equipped with SL600 rear brakes while others had the slightly smaller SL500 rear brakes.

Some earlier cars had the Brebos swapped out in favor of either the SL500 or SL600 calipers due to a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) regarding noise coming from the front aluminum brakes when the pads wear down to about 2/3 or 1/2 life.

Toby, I sent you an email.

Congratulations indeed Toby, I guess 500e's are a rarity in the UK, especially with petrol at nearly £4 a gallon. I can personally recommennd Andreas Reinacher for 500e parts, he is fair, quick and knows the 500E well. He is at www.dbdepot.de or e mail to info@dbdepot.de . . . .Good luck !

Thanks for the replies so far Guys.Thanks for the email omegabenz.

I'm hoping that the information about STD w124 interchangeable roof panels is not needed but you never know with winter due and my heavy right foot.

500E's are pretty rare over here and the LHD things can be a pain in car parks and drive thoughs (McDonalds shares should take a hit with my reduced consumption!). Talking of consumption - fuel is nearly £4.00 sterling a gallonover here which makes filling the tank an eye-watering experience. What's even worse is that 75% of the price of fuel here is Government tax!
Things could be worse as my old w114 1972 280CE only did 15mpg and with significantly less performance.

Any more information would be most welcome.

Cheers

Toby.

I also believe that Merc specialist John Haynes there in the U.K. should be a splendid source of parts and knowledge for the 500E.

I think the best source outside of Haynes would be in Germany -- either the factory or DBDepot as mentioned.

The others have mostly said it, but the wonderful thing about the 500E is that it is a "parts bin" car -- meaning that the drivetrain, suspension, braking and interior bits that make it special were all pretty much available for other cars rather than being designed specifically for the 500E. This will help keep availability of parts good in coming years, and hopefully costs down.

Cheers,
Gerry