New member, and just bought a W124 300TE 24
 

First post, so greetings to everyone!


Always wanted a W124, and its exceeding all expectations(so far, at least...)

'92 White, grey leather,120K, Sportline, 5 speed auto, AC, cruise, orthopaedic heated seats etc etc.

Drove London to Edinburgh, leaving London just in time for M1/M6 Friday rush hour traffic nightmare. Torrential rain, fog, and ice on the way home Never missed a beat, and arrived 8hrs later surprisingly refreshed. I love it already!

Quick questions - The armrest/door grab handle on the passenger side is slightly loose & rattling. There doesn't appear to be screwed to tighten up, so I'm assuming its clipped to the door frame. Anyone had this/ tips on fixing?

The E S auto slider selector trim is missing from the top of the switch, although you can still select between them. Can this be replaced?

Is there somewhere to hook the rear lap belt when not in use, or does it just hang free, so to speak?

Any tips on maintenance/parts supply/tips etc would be very much appreciated from a first time Merc owner!

1) The door panel needs to be removed to repair that armrest.

2) In the US we can get the top section of the shifter.


4) Change the oil often (7.5K max) & the transmission fluid every 30K miles.

Thanks for the advice. Any tips on doorcard removal procedure?

Just ordered the replacement selector switch (Part # 1245450237) from MB for £2.00

I've used Pelican Parts for years for Porsche tech and it was invaluable.

Always wanted a W124, and really looking forward to ownership!

If you send me a bottle of Talisker, I'll tell you all you need to know about your MB!.... Seriously, welcome to the Forum; you've got a nice car. I just joined myself a couple weeks ago after picking up a 560 SEL to replace a wrecked '85 300D. Already gotten some great and accurate advice.

Well, here's a rear door panel DIY, the front works similarly except you will have the challenge of having to remove the seat adjustment switches without trashing them. Can't give good advice for this other than take it very slowly and pry gently...

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/205929-lets-pull-rear-door-panel-w124.html

I think there are also some front panel DIY's in the Wiki.

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 380K

I live about 10 miles from the Talisker distillery It's a bit peaty for me, prefer a Cardhu!

560SEL? Very nice.

Thanks, just starting with Merc's after years on old Porsches, so everything's a help.

Noted. Thanks. It is on my list now.

If the door handle is loose only on the top of the handle, there is a screw under the trim that you can tighten.

Unfortunately it's loose on the armrest part of the handle.

Just discovered the door pocket is also loose at it's centre mounting. (just under the armrest)

Does the clip/bracket that holds the handle also secure the door pocket?

If I remember right it does sort of engage into the armrest using some plastic tabs. With a little creativity they can be repaired. Just get the panel off and go from there.
Worst case scenario is the larger tabs that "hang" the door panel/armrest to the car are snapped, that is a challenge, usually then you need new/used parts to repair. After removing all the hardware the panel is pulled upwards to disengage these tabs. mechanics not experienced in MB's will try prying the panels off assuming there are snap-in clips, but there aren't any, they end up snapping plastic.
Gilly

Cheers, Gilly.

After looking at the door panel again, the above seems likely.

Are the plastic tabs easily available from MB (or elsewhere) if they are snapped?

Edit - just noticed you once had a Frogeye Sprite. I had a '58 when I was a teenager, back in the 80's. Great fun, rust finally killed it though!

I think you will more than likely need to source (I believe) a new armrest. If you get the panel off you should be able to determine what these tabs ( I used to call them "fingers") are part of. It has been awhile, I want to say you will need an armrest to get the unbroken fingers.

Yep the Sprite was a fun project, but to me the fun was mostly the restoration and trying to get it all correct. It was kind of the oddball, the early Sprite with none of the real character of the Frogeye but none of the advantages of the later cars, like rollup windows or outside door handles. Of course it had a trunk lid, so that was nice, compared to diving behind the seats for the spare tire and so forth. But the flip side was that the Frogeye looked more sporty without a trunk lid. Mine still had the 948 engine similar to the Frogeye and the smooth-case trans which was identical to the Frogeye except the ratios were a tad different, no 1st gear synchro and lousy synchros on the other gears.
I did luck out in finding one with a relatively solid body, so saved a lot in rust repair. I guess it came up from the southern US.
Gilly

OK, might try a few breakers to price armrests if the tabs are broken. otherwise maybe try and improvise a fix.

The Frogeye did look good with no boot/trunk lid, and no exterior door handles. You'd reach in the sliding perspex sidescreens to open the door. Guess security wasn't such an issue in the 50's!

I basically learnt to drive in one and always remember the 'box being a lesson in double de-clutch gear changing. Synchros were almost non existent on all gears on the one I owned. The rust had taken hold pretty bad, especially in the mounting points for the rear 1/4 elliptical leaf springs. Eventually my teenage budget gave up trying to keep it on the road.