Hooray

[dadette123]

Oops. Never mind. You are in NE OK! But, I still say you are worth the trip, Rowdie. Maybe he doesn't have to make a beeline back home.

[djoyce93]

Thanks for the tips guys!
He assures me that it is a new compressor.
Thanks Rocky, the PO is picking me up at the
airport.
Is there rain forecast for Houston tomorrow?
If I have any problems, I will contact you guys on the forum. You're the best!!

[dadette123]

PM sent with my cell phone just in case you need anything while in Houston tomorrow. Bring your galoshes! Drive carefully.

[nobby]

Originally Posted by DanielG

I bet you have this all figured out -- so I was wondering... what happens when you get to the border with Canada in a car without plates? Have you picked up a temp plate from your province? Do you pay taxes or some such - does it need to be inspected? Remember to turn on the lights - no DRL's on this car ;-)

You need to fax the title 3 working days in advance to the border crossing you will use. You need to show up at said border crossing monday to friday between 8:00 and 16:00.
You need the original bill of sale and title. The US border guys will check the VIN plates and generally search your car (for what???You're leaving!) and give you an export form... stamped. Make sure it gets stamped.
You then proceed to the Canadian border guys where they will ignore your car and sniff for $$$ in your wallet. You need to pay taxes on the sale price of the car and $100 for AC.
I insured the car before leaving to pick it up. Took the insurance co. 1 month to figure it out and accept it (it is a euro).....so plan ahead.
I drove 1700 miles with no plate......no problem.

[dadette123]

Wonder how Dave is doing with the snow storm on his drive back?

[coleyjf]

Well at least the heater in the 107 is pretty good so he should be warm enough I don't think he'll need the air-con though!

[djoyce93]

Well, I made it back !!

Two and a half days of driving through the rain and snow with no windshield washer and intermittant heat. Had to make a detour to the Memphis Mercedes dealer for an emergency repair of the heater. They kept me there an hour and said they had fixed the problem...a loose vacuum line. Drove away smiling only to have the problem resume after I tried to make any adjustment to the heat flow.
It seems that the system works fine until the vehicle has been driven a while. Then if I push any of the control buttons, the air stops flowing BUT
the fan keeps running. Let the car sit for a few hours and it's all right again! I imagine it's a leak somewhere in the vacuum lines. Any ideas?

As for the car, I was not disappointed. It drove wonderfully and had no trouble starting up in the cold weather. As for getting through the snow, I got into the passing lane behind a Hummer and I kept going even after he pulled into the right lane unable to handle the ice and slush! My Dad used to marvel at his 1969 230's ability to handle the snow even without snow tires!!

Apart from the heat issue ( I froze ) the only other problem was a flat tire outside Rochester N.Y. and i found the steering to be quite 'sloppy'. Maybe I'm just not used to it, but it seemed to me that the steering wheel had a lot of play in it. Also accelleration just doesn't exist, probably the injectors need to be cleaned out. The car has only had a couple of thousand miles put on it in the last few years.

Now that I am back I will be looking for the proper owner's manual to find out the service intervals and give the car a proper evaluation. I won't be driving it for a couple of months because we still have lots of snow up here and of course the road salt!

Thanks to every one for their help and guidance.

[rowdie]

Way to go.
I recently purchased this off ebay. I will let you know how it works when they get here.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCEDES-SL-CLASS-R107-R129-R230-REPAIR-WORKSHOP-5DVD_W0QQitemZ280414157935QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Manuals_Literature?hash=item4149fc7c6f

[dadette123]

Glad you made it.

[coleyjf]

Well done Dave

Sounds like you'll be enjoying the 300SL when the weather gets better - pity about the heater as it's normally one of the best things in the car, though with the air-con I'm not sure .

Originally Posted by rowdie

Way to go.
I recently purchased this off ebay. I will let you know how it works when they get here.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MERCEDES-SL-CLASS-R107-R129-R230-REPAIR-WORKSHOP-5DVD_W0QQitemZ280414157935QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Manuals_Literature?hash=item4149fc7c6f

Problem with that DVD is that it doesn't include the Euro's ! It's OK for some things but can cause confusion !!!!

Cheers

Jim

[rowdie]

This one says it does. 5 dvd set. I should get it today and will let you know.

[coleyjf]

OOops! - sorry

Should have read the description better

Mine only has the US models and it's a pain when I get to some of the stuff - specially the emssion controls, exhaust etc

Cheers

Jim

[atheophilus]

Lovely car!

[greg walsh]

Hi,I bought an 86 300SL last October. Still needing a few parts,mainly good seats and a new soft top and a little body work. Anyway since I got it I had to replace the left front wheel caliper, fuel pump relay,fuel pump and filter. Other than that she runs pretty good,maybe a little on the rich side. Oh I forgot, the odometer gears as well. I still have to get my cruise working someday.Last Christmas I got a new windshield so maybe for Father's day I'll get new seat covers. Let me know if you have any extra parts. Greg in Florida.