108 Chassis 4.5 Questions for Purchase Evaluation

[fema]

Test drove a 280SEL 4.5, with Sunroof! I'm not sure how to evaluate the following, so if you can help...

1. Sluggish sunroof and windows (1 non working) - motors or just some grease?
2. Drives great, but strangely to me, I did not hear or feel any transmission shifting, even when I stomped on it - is that normal, are they that smooth?!? I got it up to 70 MPH on a National Forest road here. It's got a "new" rebuilt engine from '95, but only 4000 miles on it.
3. Steering wheels easy to come by? Becasue this one has several cracks.

Thanks.

[psfred]

Smooth tranny shifts are fairly common on this car, certainly smoother than the 300D! Adjustable, could be that the linkage is pulled about an inch (to soften the shifts) or that the modulator is adjusted too soft. I prefer a blt of a thump, myself, since it means the tranny wil last longer. Make sure you are in Drive, though -- when the plastic bushing in the linkage falls out, it is possible to have the tranny in one gear and the indicator in another -- this big beast will do 95 in 2nd, so it may in fact have not been shifting more than once.....

All W108 steering wheels are probably cracked by now, although I'm sure if you want to spend the money you can get a new on from MB Classic Parts. Probably not worth the money, though.

Sluggish windows can sometimes be helped by a shot of WD-40 into the gear box and lubrication of the slides and pivots, but often really mean a dying regulator. Sorry. I've got the other classic problem, worn sector gear (or warped housing) so that the window won't stay up and the gears go thukthukthuk when the window hits the top of the channel. Old cars, these things happen.

If it wanders on the highway and lurches to one side or the other under hard braking, you need new subframe mounts up front (plan on these if not already replaced!).

Good luck, I swear you will love this car!

Peter

[fema]

Yeah, I wonderd if it was in the right gear too. Kept looking at the floor shift and it was in drive - I'll have it checked on inspection. No lurching or lunging to one side, so maybe thats OK for now.

Thanks - Keep you posted!

[deepbluex]

I just purchased a 108 4.5 just last month!
it's a 72, black on black.

It had a slipping transmission but it turned out that a new vacuum modulator unit and adjustment helped stop the slipping.

got the car for $1,700. Cost of transmission work - diagnosis, modulator, adjustment: $300.

[fema]

He's asking $7K, but I think I can get him down to 5. he started at 11,500 sometime last year!

[jas2wa]

I also got my 280sel 4.5 last month- typical slowing down windows, though sunroof is quicker than my old 126 chassis SD. Transmission shifts great, drives like a champ. Have had her up to about 110 so far, rock solid.

I love this car!

JAS

[Aaron]

We actually have restored some of those steering wheels. We fill the cracks in with an epoxy, sand everything smooth and refinish the entire wheel.

[Tomguy]

Aaron: I was actually thinking of doing that myself (filling it in with epoxy). How do you do the job of refinishing?

[fema]

Could someone please address the feasability of repairing dash and window sill cracks. I'm geussing a certain degree of crack means an expensive all out replacement of the piece, but I need some direction - thanks.