Hi!

I've finally found someone who is willing to give me a second and more "open-minded" opinion of my old 250 sedan. I know, you must be thinking WHY haven't I junked that thing already!!!

BUTT....I'm sending her off tomorrow...for real....and this will be the final concensus as to whether this car will be or can be brought back from the dead!!!

Everybody wish me (it) luck!!!!


btw...I have since found out that it's the FIREWALL area that is rusted out...the area around the steering column is paper-thin...can it be fixed?? Is it possible? Is BONDO out of the question??? LOL LOL!!!

~Christy

Hello Christy,
I was wondering what became of you and your long suffering 250. I've been using galvanized steel, like that used for stove pipes and home ac ducts, to make patches for riveting or screwing to the various rust holes on my 250. Unless you intend to make this a show car, I would pull up the carpet matting and patch the firewall from the inside. Good luck wih the latest specialist.

Happy Motoring,
Mark

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DrDKW

Don't sell, your posts are too interesting and would be a great loss of inspiration to the community. I recently made a shock mount area out of sheet steel for my $ 200 Bmw 318i, when I discovered that the PO had hit something so hard that it drove the shock up into the trunk. Just cut out a piece of cardboard to fit for your pattern. then trace and cut out with hack saw or tin snips depending on the thickness of the metal.

I can't believe it.....THIS was supposed to be IT for my car!

I called AAA for the tow yesterday...and they wouldn't tow it!!! I was soooo JACKED!!! The reason he said is because the car doesn't have a current PA inspection....I tried to tell him that it WILL if he'd tow it..and so on....but no go...quite frankly, the guy just didn't want to tow it...I swear it was out of sheer laziness and the fact that he had a "legit" excuse to call upon made it perfect for him. The first thing he said was "I have no idea WHERE this thing is supposed to be going" So my response was "No prob man! I copied street-by-street direction for you from the internet! You are hooked up!" THEN he started in "well, this car doesn't have a sticker" He was totally looking for a reason to not tow it! C'mon! I was offering ANYTHING...and this guy wasn't taking anything or any excuse! He was a Mr. Stickler for the the rules jerk! It all just depend on the driver...everyone else has towed it before...one tow guy in the past DID pull the "rule" out on me so I gave him 50$ and he did it, but everyone else didn't care! They towed it for free!
So....NOW...I have to pay millions of dollars (a slight exaggeration!) OR do a title transer to my husband so I get a pink slip because they will tow it if you just bought it..so dumb!

Figures! I finally find a hook-up to some FREE car repair and the tow people screw me! I know I should just spring for the tow...I'm not being cheap, it's just money I don't want to spend on tows when I have AAA plus!

So...the point is...the car is STILL here!!! I'll most likely start work on it when the weather warms up again...Unless I finagle a tow!

~Christy

Question on the type of tow truck, was it a hook or a flatbed?

Reason I ask, is because most states, if the tags aren't current then legally the wheel can't touch the road and a hook would have two on the road, a flatbed wouldn't. If I would have used a tow truck to bring the 560 home, it would have had to of been a flatbed (instead I used a trailer), for that very reason. Besides, you should never tow your Benz by hook, should have all four off the ground to save the tranny.

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Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Things Tripe A doesn't tell you before you sign up. They should have already known this!
(Or does PA not allow any unregistered/ uninspected vehicles to be transported by any means. Does one have to smuggle them under cover of darkness?)
Another reason NOT to have Triple A.
I used to read their mailings all the time.
Then I read what a friend got from them - AFTER he signed up - all the exclusions.
No tow more than 2 times a month,
No tow over a certain distance,
No tow to nonapproved facilities, etc....
Another friend canceled Triple A several years ago after he broke down in his new Pontiac one Saturday night. Triple A refused to send a tow because the car was still under waranty!
(Right, call the dealer from I95 on Saturday night!)
After much argument, the operator finally agreed to call a tow if my friend would pay for it.

Just my 2 cents worth,
Mark

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DrDKW

Yeah!

Those DIX!

He totally had a flatbed truck....I couldn't see the problem with towing it. The car had current INSURANCE in case something WOULD have happened...I'm telling you, this guy was just an ASS...


It ends up that the place I was taking it to was 32 miles away...so this guy would gladly have towed it for me for a 50$ hook up fee and 2$ per mile...there was NO WAY I was paying HIM...jerk! Maybe triple A doesn't pay the drivers enough or something, it seemed that this guy thought it was too far to do for "free"....meanwhile AAA+ offers 4 tows per year @ 100 miles max PER TOW...so they totally SHOULD have towed it. I was pretty shocked that they wouldn't tow it...but I'll certainly try it again!

But maybe it's a "sign"...I should probably just keep it here and work on it myself! (but not NOW, in the snow..brrr

~Christy

I've just been out making snow angels under my 318i. Just putting on a recycled length of exhaust and muffler. And getting a beautiful tan from the UV of the arc welder. Don't let a little snow stop you, take lots of hot chocolate breaks and dress accordingly.
Good company helps. Call AAA and ask for the person you're dealing with for their name so you can update your posts on line for accuraccy. Or just call as many tow companies as you can until someone takes the tow.

Christy,

Keep that old hulk around till springtime. Pittsburgh isn't too far from Cleveland, so I could potentially make a run out there and have a look-see at the car for you some weekend when it's nice out (is it ever nice in Pittsburgh? lol)

It will be a good shake-down cruise for my 6.9 with it's freshly rebuilt tranny. By that time, I should have all the tweaks done!

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Regards,
Aaron

I remember PA having a law stating you couldn't have rust holes in the body. Does the firewall count:p

The tow truck driver unwittingly did you a favor. 32 miles is a LONG distance to tow a car on its back wheels, especially if the car is an automatic and the driveshaft is still in place.

I ditched AAA many years ago after I sheared some teeth off of the ring gear (or maybe it was the pinion) in the differential of my car. Even though the rear axle had locked up while I was driving, AAA still wanted the car towed on its back wheels. No flatbed for me. Clever guys.

Fortunately, Mercedes of this vintage can be towed with the rear wheels on the road. These auto trannies have a second, rear pump powered through the driveshaft! This also allows for push starting - though you'll have to get it up to about 15 MPH before shifting into drive. I have done it on my '72 250.

Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW

I should have added - always check the owners manual before towing. My 250 manual allows towing up to 30MPH for "short distance" and push/tow starting in Low. Anyway, Christys' would-be tow driver HAD a flatbed and still refused - I guess Triple A wants the vehicle concealed inside a tractor trailer!
Some years ago I had a 250C parts-car towed -
no tags, no inspection, no floors,
no problem - but I paid for that tow myself.

Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW

Hey!!

The old BEAST is STILL in the driveway!

I ALMOST called triple A again, but decided it wasn't worth waiting around all day only to have them make up some "new rule" as to WHY they couldn't tow it today. If I ahve it towed it'll cost around 100$..that's not TOO bad, but hey Aaron (!) if you want to take a road trip this spring, I will cry tears of joy!! (LOL)

I'd just like to get a FAIR opinion of this car! Those dogs who looked at it before were just "too good" for my car...the saw it as a beater....but it really LOOKS pretty sharp!
Somebody in our neighborhood was just selling this exact car (except a '71..same color and all!) for $3495. They sold it to some other yokel and everytime I see it, I can't help but feel jealous that THEY got the one that RUNS! MY husband thinks that my car was probably the PARTS CAR to that car!! Which, is possible, but not probable, yet it's a funny concept!
I guess waht I'm trying to say, is I need to find out if this car is WORTH saving...or is it SOOO far gone, like that garage seemed to think..
At this point, I've been thinking about going back out there and giving that old timing another shot. If I could at least LIMP it up the driveway, that'd be a milestone! Right now, that car is at the BOTTOM of a sloped driveway and it'd take ALOT of work to get it UP into the garage!!! (ALOT!!!) woof!

So...again...the whole point of the TOW was to have a cool friend and his buddy with a real garage, look at it and give me an ANALysis (ha)...and even MAYBE do some rust repair if possible...(they have the capability to WELD too)...but there were no real promises there...it would all depend on the severity of MY situation...so I'm now debating whether or not to PAY for a tow and a maybe..hmmm..

BUTT..back to the *****-fest on AAA...what the hell am I paying for then??? I am a PLUS++++++++ Member!!!! they should be hooking me up!!!!! I am PAYING for ASS-KISS treatment!!! (LOL)...it's a SCAM!!!!!!

Later!

~Christy

Aaron!! Come over!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't fret!

It's not gone forever....but probably for a WHILE!

I broke down (literally!! ha ha) and PAID for a tow...

These guys are supposed to take a look at this car and let me know if it's within the scope of reason to fix it...

Everybody....cross your fingers!!!!! I'll let ya know when I know!

~Christy