The MBZ Repair I Have Hated The Most is???

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

It's Official, Changing out the rear parking brake shoes is the biggest pita repair I have done in many years. The good news is that I am done and they work fine.

[Skippy]

I thought a starter change in my 240 was hard the first time I did it. The second time it flew by. Same for my first and then subsequent valve adjustments. Oil line replacement was a bit of a pain in the arsch, but I've only done one.

[charmalu]

I rank bleeding the clutch very close to the top of PITA jobs.


Charlie

[dude99]

Going to have to go with the first time I did the starter in my 79, took me two days to get the damned thing out.... Since then it's only take half an hour out and back in... definitely a trick to it... A close second were the rear shocks, should have been easy, but two of the bolts snapped off and had to be drilled out.. Very annoying to hold a drill upside down for an hour drilling......

[Chad300tdt]

I've enjoyed working on my cars and friends' cars. I haven't hated any repair. Some were more taxing than others, but most were learning opportunities.

The closest I've come to hating a repair is the one I'm currently involved in.

A blown head gasket on my '85 300TD has turned into replacing nearly every gasket, sourcing a replacement head, replacing the timing chain and all guides, cam sprocket, front main seal, oil pump chain and guide, water pump, hoses, power steering lines, exhaust down pipe, rack position sensor block off, motor mounts, transmission mount, differential mount, turbo drain gaskets and o-rings, and hours of degreasing and thread chasing.

[alamostation]

The power brake booster on my 1983 300SD. The whole damned car was build around this part. It took two and a half feet of extensions with swivels to get to the four mounting nuts. Even at that, it was a PITA because I couldn't see the nuts. It was strictly by feel. Replacement was as bad as removal.

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

I've enjoyed working on my cars and friends' cars. I haven't hated any repair. Some were more taxing than others, but most were learning opportunities.

The closest I've come to hating a repair is the one I'm currently involved in.

A blown head gasket on my '85 300TD has turned into replacing nearly every gasket, sourcing a replacement head, replacing the timing chain and all guides, cam sprocket, front main seal, oil pump chain and guide, water pump, hoses, power steering lines, exhaust down pipe, rack position sensor block off, motor mounts, transmission mount, differential mount, turbo drain gaskets and o-rings, and hours of degreasing and thread chasing.

That actually sounds like just some of the standard stuff for an engine "rebuild" on an 85...done it many times, but PLEASE change out the parking brake shoes on a 1995 E300D and tell me if you found it a particularly enriching life experience.
Some parts of a car have been designed to save money in production and a few dollars or cents more put into better design for repair make all the difference in the world.
When you do the parking shoes be sure to video it in real time I want to see all the joy and learning you expect to be experiencing...lol.

[Phil_F_NM]

So far the one with the most profanity and longest duration was the rear control arm bushings. I should have taken the advice of all here who are wiser and more experienced working on W123's and did the subframe bushings at the same time. But I did the subframe bushings then the control arm bushings a month later. Ugh.

Phil Forrest

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by dude99

Going to have to go with the first time I did the starter in my 79, took me two days to get the damned thing out.... Since then it's only take half an hour out and back in... definitely a trick to it......

Agreed! The N/A 617's are the hardest starters to replace. It will only come out and go in one way, and it takes hours to figure that out the first time! You also have to hold your mouth just right.

[Stevo]

Replacing the clutch slave is no piece a cake on a manual 617 either. looks as easy as doing the job on a 616 till you get started.

[funola]

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

Agreed! The N/A 617's are the hardest starters to replace. It will only come out and go in one way, and it takes hours to figure that out the first time! You also have to hold your mouth just right.

Did you mean a Turbo 617? N/A should have a lot more room to make starter removal much easier.

For me, turbo 617 starter and oil cooler lines R&R on 617's were the most despised jobs I have done.

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by funola

Did you mean a Turbo 617? N/A should have a lot more room to make starter removal much easier.

No. There seems to be less room because of the exhaust pipe on the N/A. The starter needs to be manipulated in a certain way to remove it. The steering also needs to be held all the way (don't remember which way) in order to get the extra room needed to remove the starter. Next time you get a chance to replace a starter on one of these, you will find out what I am talking about. The turbo is EASY compared to the N/A.

[Alastair]

Try Starter replacement on a N/A Right-Hand-Drive 300D Steering-box nearby makes life more interesting...
--Then you got FUN!

Rust renovation like 'rocker-panel/floor-pan' while horrible, as the holes just seem to get bigger and bigger is intensly satisfying--when it gets near completion!

My advice for those is--You have a 6" bit of rust--Figure on replacing a foot and a half of steel....

[Stevo]

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

No. There seems to be less room because of the exhaust pipe on the N/A. The starter needs to be manipulated in a certain way to remove it. The steering also needs to be held all the way (don't remember which way) in order to get the extra room needed to remove the starter. Next time you get a chance to replace a starter on one of these, you will find out what I am talking about. The turbo is EASY compared to the N/A.

Humm, haven't done a starter on the Euro TD yet, thanks for the tip.

[TheDon]

Differential mounts for the W124..sucks. The top hydraulics was a lot easier than the differential job.