cap retainer
 

On a couple of my non-Mercedes vehicles, I've added a cap retainer consisting of about a foot of nylon twine attached to the cap and the car. Easy loss-proofing.
A would-be thief tried to open the flap on one of my '80 300 TDs and damaged the front and the back but didn't get it open...
Steve

I just discovered another cool feature from MB...
the 124 wagon, when the windshield wipers are on, and you put the car in reverse, the hatch wiper comes on!
such a simple idea.
my 123 wagon rear wiper does not function at the moment, does anyone driving a 123 wagon know if it's the same on them?

I don't believe that was on the 123 wagon. Mine isn't working right now either, but on the '84, I had several morning where I remember backing out of the driveway in the rain and the rear wiper was not moving.

Is the rear wiper on the 124 integrated in the column? With the 123 being separate on the upper dash, I don't know how they would've wired to know when the front wipers were on...

nope, the 124 rear wiper controls are in the same place as the 123 ones. on the dash above the CCU...
there must be a relay that ties the column wiper control into the rear wiper when in reverse.
if my wipers are on full, when in R the rear wipers are on full, if the main wipers are on delay, the rears go into delay when in R...
REALLY COOL!!!

[QUOTE=Maroon 300D;1160925]Well I never figured it out. But then again I've never filled up outside of Oregon, where you are (stupidly) not allowed to pump your own./QUOTE]

Same thing for N' Jersey. I have been shouted at by attendants in both states while I pump my own. I believe that this is a Republican Full Employment Program, I could be wrong though?:D

I cannot remember when I discovered the spring cap holder but it was early on. MB's are full of thoughtful details like this. It is one of the main reasons I love them.

John,
Does it explain this in the owners book ?? :confused:

I don't know... I never read the book that much in detail.
it does however perform the function as described... really cool.
I LOVE MB!:cool:

I like how the fuel filler actuator unlocks when the central locking is unlocked.

When filling up the Subaru I just open the door and go straight to the pump which is on the passenger (right) side, only to find out it's still closed. :roll eyes:

One thing I hate is, the replacement fuel caps are a b*tch to remove if they go bad or the plastic locking tabs do not align with the fuel filler neck.

bump

I always knew it was the gas cap. Don't know how I knew it, but from day one, I stuck it there and remember thinking...these bloody germans, they thought of everything.

Wait...isn't that the usual way? What other way is there?? I know that the vacuum opens the LOCK to the fuel door, but the only way to open it is to pry it open right? RIGHT??

My MB personal best detail is the decal with the tire pressure on the inside of the fuel filler door on the 300SDL for driving at higher speeds. :D

... please tell me you are kidding...

just push on the back side of the door... it pivots open without prying.

that SAME decal is on the automatic 240... so, when driving it over 100mph... tires have to be inflated higher... and it needs a cliff to fall off of.:D

Just a note on pry...the flipper of my CD didn't have rubber bumpers to replace the missing/removed ones for the fuel door so it sat in so far it WAS a pry. I spent the few bucks for new bumpers and it's now a proper finger grab and pivot.

Oh, for heaven's sakes, is that what's going on with that thing! I always thought it was a weirdly inefficient spring design.:o Well, in my defense, I've only owned the car for just...uh...well, actually an entire year, now, so...hmmm. Let's move on. What's this about a 90 degree opening hood?

yup... I forgot about the CD/C/CE... they have a divot for a finger grab...

I knew what the spring was for since day 1. I just figured it out and thought it was a pretty cool feature.

My 123, 124, 210 all are hinged on the edge closer to the front of the vehicle. So you want to push inward on the forward edge of the lid and the rearward edge tips outward so you can grab it. I think the 123 had a little recess for your finger on the rear edge but I can't remember at the moment. The 124 and 210 are flush and you have to know the secret to get it open.

The 164 (ML) has the alternating push and click style latch similar to what most modern US cars have. I suspect that part came over from the Chrysler folks since most Chrysler rental cars I drive seem to have the exact same fuel door latch assembly. They also got rid of the cap holding spring clip, in favor of a tethered cap (I think that's another gov't mandate) and a 90 degree arc groove molded into the top of the hinge that gives you a place to park the cap.

I wonder what the new sedans (W211/W212) use for fuel doors.

yes, the back of the door is on the front edge of the vehicle side of the door... the only 123 with a finger grab is the Coupe... for some reason it's door does not act like the sedan/wagon versions of the 123.

Wow never
 

I was comfortably sitting in my nice leather gravity chair not intending to move for a while, reading this thread. After a time, I HAD to get up find
my keys and go out to see what y'all are talking about:confused:. I opened the little door, looked for a few seconds. I never would have noticed that
those bent up wires had a function, certainly not to stick my gas cap
into them. Sure enough though, it does indeed hold the cap very nicely.
No more laying it on the curb. I've never driven off without it but it has crossed my mind that someday I might. Very clever MB. Kudos to the OP
who spotted it, you should be a detective.

Since I owned my car I've always kept it clean. But only recently did I cave and removed the fuel filler lid & spring, and actually clean it thoroughly. Yeah it's also a spot to accumulate dirt easily! :D

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/9...3da83128_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/9...675d2b72_z.jpg
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/9...72f3c5a9_z.jpg

Looking at a copy of the owner's manual, it's actually shown in there how to use the spring as a fuel cap holder :rolleyes:

http://www.pruebas.pieldetoro.net/we...D_300D-039.jpg

Here's a shot of my 190E with the cap in the spring to save you from going to your car and actually checking (but where's the fun in that? :D):

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8542/8...c591ea94_z.jpg

What it *doesnt* do is prevent the door from closing when the cap is in there :(

The self service rule only applies to gas pumps. Notice there are no "no self serve" stickers on any stand alone diesel pumps. Most stations, just pay the person first and you can pump your own.:cool:

A couple years ago I about got into it with a gas station attendant while going through Oregon. When he saw my Wa plates he came charging out of his office when I started pumping fuel into my 240D. :eek: "THIS IS NOT WASHINGTON, YOU CANT DO THAT IN OREGON, SHUT THAT PUMP OFF!" Must have been a new guy as has boss or who ever the other guy was that was there, assured him the law doesn't apply to diesel. I always let them pump unless its real busy then I just get out and do it myself.

My only gripe with the 90 degree hood-holder is where some idiot PO or service attendant forced the hood way up. Or forced it shut, mangling & breaking the little hinge-locks. I think of the four W123s I've owned, only one had undamaged hinges!

Happy Motoring, Mark

Every person to whom I've shown the 90 degree hood hinge has said it was shockingly cool. You have to work to get it to 90 degrees so in order to be closing it without understanding it you'd have to have someone else open it and then ask you to shut it.

90 degree hood hinge is for the battery. Trying to get a battery in the tray correctly with the hood at 45 degrees is hernia territory.

and also here's to 800 posts. I've been here longer than you, but I've said less. "he says to the two other posters on this page who's join dates are before the great recession"

We Benz enthuses call the 90° hood opening the hail Hitler position :D


Sadly I didn't know it was capable of doing this for along time, till someone showed me...would have saved my head when I was changing the glow plugs in my first one years ago...

heh... my brother's New to him 2002 sprinter he gets the truck, walks around the truck at the gas station... walks around it again... opens the passenger's door hoping to find the owners manual to find the gas flap...

when he brings me the truck to look over for the first time, I'm standing by the driver's door, and I look down at the odd flap covered by the door, and open it. he just looks at me, and rants about how it took him 20 minutes of searching to find the thing I just reach down and open... some of us are just more observant than others:D

Don't misunderstand. I really like the W123 90-degree hood feature. GM even tried it on some of their fwd cars in the '80s - until their engineers designed it away. I just wish the morons who preceded my ownership hadn't wrecked my hood-hinges!

Happy Motoring, Mark