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  #1  
Old 03-30-2013, 03:35 AM
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Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 154
What Finally Killed Your Old Benz?

I'm so curious when I notice the signature below a post and someone notes an old Benz "RIP so-and-so" -- What was the final blow to your old cars? If not a wreck, what kind of failure did the car suffer and what was the financial logic behind not having it repaired?

It seems like a lot of us are interested in maintaining a car, which if done properly seems to mean that it shouldn't just give out beyond repair -- or can it?

I'd love to hear your stories.

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  #2  
Old 03-30-2013, 06:59 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Campbellford, On., Canada EH!
Posts: 37
OLD & RETIRED

'96 E320 .........CRACKED HEAD, traded for W123 Eurowagon.
'79 450 SEL .....Nothing Wrong, traded for Porche 911.
'78 300 CD ......RUST, RUST and MORE RUST.
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OLD & RETIRED
_.... Don't mess with old farts - - age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bulls**t and brilliance only come with age and experience!____________
'96 E320
'79 450 SEL
'78 300 CD
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  #3  
Old 03-30-2013, 08:34 AM
Tomguy's Avatar
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: near Scranton, PA
Posts: 5,407
My 4.5 rusted to bits, it was not safe to drive anymore
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2018 Durango R/T

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1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k
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  #4  
Old 03-30-2013, 08:39 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 158
1988-420sel. A bunch of things happened at the same time. Rust issues (though not too bad was getting worse), a front suspension that required rebuilding, issues with an aftermarket alarm system, a problem with the detachable face plate on the radio,and the coup d'etat - a leaking gas line. Had they happened seperately I would have probably kept the car but all in a space of two weeks made me make the hard nose decison of whether to keep or to bail. I bailed. Still miss the car.
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  #5  
Old 03-30-2013, 01:52 PM
Jub Jub is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 418
The wife: Kept nagging about how I spent more time and money on the benz than her.
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  #6  
Old 03-30-2013, 05:41 PM
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Location: Tennessee
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420sel-too many miles, front cover started to leak
300SD- totalled
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1983 300SD (daily driver)
1991 420SEL (work in progress)
1979 300SD (future replacement for 83 SD)

RIP:
1983 300SD (totalled)
1986 420SEL
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  #7  
Old 03-30-2013, 06:12 PM
Pooka
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 664
Not mine, but a friend of mine....

His 1979 240D was making a 'funny noise' and I dropped by to see it. I raised the hood and there was oil everywhere. It did start and knocked real loud. It also blew oil out of the dipstick hole.

Bottom line.... The bolt holding the dipstick tube had come loose and allowed the tube to come out. Then oil was ejected through the hole in the block until there was almost none left.

And then.... The death rattle.
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  #8  
Old 03-30-2013, 06:19 PM
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Location: Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Posts: 4,373
Rust.
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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."
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  #9  
Old 04-03-2013, 12:01 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Phoenix Arizona. Ex Durban R.S.A.
Posts: 6,104
Me. Trying to be a mechanic and replace the brake booster with a better shape one from a junkyard donor and discovering I am not a mechanic and could not bleed the damm system for the life of me so the clutch never worked again and I had a brain fart and had it towed away for scrap in exasperation. Will kick myself forever more.

- Peter.
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Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S
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  #10  
Old 04-03-2013, 02:16 AM
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Location: Carson City, NV
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My '71 250: Spat out the #5 spark plug along with the biggest repair insert ever seen anywhere. I tried various specialty places to find a bigger one and had no luck. Tried gluing it back in with JB Weld, which actually worked for a couple hundred miles. Decided between replacing the head and getting rid of the car. Sold the car to an older fellow interested in restoring it for $15 more than what Pick N Pull was offering.

My '77 240D: A combination of rust, falling apart interior, and trans failure. Not of the '77, but of my '83. Once the front seal on the autotragic in the '83 started leaking badly, the '77 became "tranny donor". I sold what was left to some guy from Fallon who wanted the engine. Got $200 for it.
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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
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  #11  
Old 04-03-2013, 03:21 AM
Stretch's Avatar
...like a shield of steel
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere in the Netherlands
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Pressure washer
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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!
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  #12  
Old 04-03-2013, 05:14 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stretch View Post
Pressure washer
Do expound on the details please.
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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
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  #13  
Old 04-03-2013, 09:37 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Posts: 5,480
My first Benz was a '61 Ponton 180, acquired in the early '70s. Finished-off in the early '90s when the head-gasket corroded and the coolant moved to the crankcase!

Happy Motoring, Mark
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DrDKW
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  #14  
Old 04-03-2013, 01:45 PM
Stretch's Avatar
...like a shield of steel
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere in the Netherlands
Posts: 14,461
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippy View Post
Do expound on the details please.
This is really a rust thing.

In my climate pressure washing is the worst thing you can do to a car - especially one that has a spot welded construction. Pressure washers can strip paint, force water into cavities, force water under seam sealer and into joints.

Slamming anything into automotive (metal) structures be it water or sand should be done by someone who understands what they are doing. Inept sand blasters warp and kill panels - inept car washers cause long term problems; sure it looks nice and clean for a bit but they could be initiating car cancer...
__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!
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  #15  
Old 04-03-2013, 06:25 PM
Mölyapina's Avatar
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Location: Chelmsford, Massachusetts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stretch View Post
Pressure washer
Hair dryer.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."
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