Not sure if we have had this type of thread before, so thought we could give it a whirl.....

Tell us about your Mercedes - whats your favorite/least favorite features about it? What year/model do you own? What problems do you have that you would like to fix? What do you like/dislike about it?

Enjoy!

OK. I will start I suppose.

My car:
1985 Mercedes 380SE 4dr sedan.
Color: Silver, with dark blue MB-Tex interior
264K miles, runs great, especially for a 21 year old car.
Manufactured in October of 1984.

Favorite things: I LOVE the way this car drives and rides. Excellent handling, yet soft and supple ride. Excellent guage layout as in all Mercedes cars. Another plus is the way the turn signals stay on a little longer after a turn (Stay flashing until turn is complete, which is a common thing with most European cars. Excellent power, excellent braking, transmission performance. The quality of the interior/controls. Still no leaks (hope I do not kinx myself). The way the doors close with a solid "thunk". The solid feel of the car in general.

Least favorite things: Controls can be confusing to a "new" MB owner. I am awaiting my owners manual, to figure out things about it. My other dislikes about it are common with these cars, such as the "stopped up" drain problems and potential rear window leaks. High maintainence costs are also a negative, but that goes with owning a MB. Lack of tilt steering wheel, which seems odd on a super high end luxury make. Even some American cars of the 50s had this feature and more common on the 60s American cars. Another dislike is the burden of not knowing if and/or when the "upper rails" and "chain guides" were changed. Timing chain/tensioner obviously OK, because no noises, even at cold startup, at least at this time. These are all petty things though.

Things on the list "to do": Change transmission fluid/filter, new spark plugs, another oil/filter change in about 900 miles, find the interior leak, try to get the paint back a little shinier, change out the "green" anti-freeze, replace front/rear brake pads and change out power steering fluid.

I am sure I will think of more.

__________________
2004 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4wd
1991 Lincoln Town Car Executive
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1988 Mercedes 300SEL
1972 Chevrolet Caprice Kingswood Estate 9-passenger wagon
1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
(Prior MB's: 1974 240D, 1985 380SE, 1984 190D, 1993 400SEL)

I like and am in harmony with the design philosophy of MB's (up to about 1992). Everything is just right - not too much, not too little. No extra frills to distract or fail. The parts seem to have a real quality to them, right down to the electrical connectors. Many of the parts can be "renewed" - not as in thrown in the garbage, but "refreshed" and made like new. A famous example of the conservative design is the motorized passenger and manual driver side mirrors on the 560SL - I think about this every time I need to adjust the mirrors on the Taurus. How many new 560SL buyers said, $50,000 - and they can't motorize BOTH mirrors?

Another example is the complete lack of power seats on a 107SL. I have super duper power seats in my Taurus, and I have adjusted them exactly twice. In the meantime, I've been driving 100,000 miles with 10 pounds of expensive mechanisms and electrical motors that will fail either from disuse or corrosion. Really - there are some people who are outside the baseline ergonomics who need them, but most people don't. Same with tilt steering, etc.

MB's have a reputation of being expensive and/or difficult to fix. If you want to see expensive and/or difficult to fix, I'll take changing the timing chain on a 107 ANY DAY over changing the timing belt on my wife's POS PT Cruiser (recommended interval:70K). I have the manual, and I wouldn't dare even attempt it. For those who say MB parts are expensive - have you priced domestic car parts recently? Wow! And MB's of my car's era has lots of OE parts that keep prices in check.

If there is anything bad about my car, it is that it is going to be almost impossible for me to buy a post-1992 car again. That and maybe a power top as an option would have been nice. Wife #1's LeBaron, cheap as it was, had a wonderful, absolutely leak and trouble-free power top with a real headliner and heated glass - almost 15 years ago. That was a great piece of chassis engineering on an otherwise pretty bad car.

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86 560SL
With homebrew first gear start!
85 380SL
Daily Driver Project

http://juliepalooza.8m.com/sl/mercedes.htm

car 1985 mercedes benz 300D turbodiesel sedan

what i like: its my first car so im going to love it.. i like how big and safe it is to me the seats despite beign 20 years old are comfortable my gf loves it the simplicity of the engine to work on diy friendly.. and the fact its a diesel

what i dont like.. where to start.. the battery is dead or charging system i need to fix the a/c system for a modern freon needs paint needs headlight doors new fogs oil change filter change some interior work need to get drivers window to go up perfectly gotta get the mechanical locks to work the vacuum is fine nothing wrong no leaks its just the mechanical part is iffy.. if anyone knows how to fix lemme know.. ummm just alot of nit picky stuff i could go on about that i will fix

What I like. It's safe and solid and gets great gas mileage.

What I don't like. I don't know where to start. I used to love this car, but in the last 6 months the A/C compressor seized, the transmission is about to bite the dust for good (never particularly fond of autos anyway), it probably needs a new MAF sensor, the interior rearview mirror broke and rattles around (and $1,000 for a new part, you have got to be kidding me, I'll take open it up and glue it back together myself), the combination switch detent wore out to where the wiper won't turn off sometimes. Hmmm, remind what I like about it again. Well, it still has its original headgasket!

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

I've got an 88 560 SEL (pictured below).

I love the way I feel like the king of the road when I'm driving
it. It also relaxes me and makes me in a bit less of a rush.
After all, I'm behind the wheel of my Mercedes, where else would
I rather be.

It's the exact opposite of my BMW Z3 which brings on the
adrenaline and has me in a hurry to get to the curves. Having the
Z3 also keeps me from trying to convert the big SEL into
something it isn't, a sports car.

For highway driving, it's the most comfortable car on the road.
In 1988, it was Mercedes top-of-the-line car and it was made at a
time when Mercedes considered the Rolls Royce to be its
competition and before Lexus prompted the shift to a different
kind of car.

I've always loved the look of the 126, especially the Euro
headlights version. I love the feel of the car. The huge sunroof
is a great feature. I love the trunk. My Z3's trunk has about
enough room for a carry-on bag for one. My Mercedes' trunk has
enough room for my Z3.

Least favorite features?

Well, why is it that Mercedes decided we needed a town & country
two-tone horn but not drink holders? And let's face it, these
cars have the worst air conditioners on the planet.

I live in Texas. Until I bought my car, I never really wondered
why most 126's I saw driving around had their
windows rolled down. Now I know. Dead A/C's. I've had
my car for just over a year and have put between three
and four thousand miles on it tops.

In that time, I've replaced the blower motor, blower regulator
myself and had the compressor and dryer replaced
by an indy. On the way home from the shop, the A/C died again.
This time, it looks to be the climate control unit.
Plus the pods behind the dash need to be replaced. When the
unit works, half the air comes out through the defrost vents.

Next up for my MB is new motor mounts, front shocks and the
rest of the A/C repairs. I've also got a bit of play in the
steering wheel to eliminate. There's also an exhaust problem
to be fixed, she's a bit louder than she should be and there are
some rusty spots on the exhaust. Fortunately, that's the
only rust on the car.

The original 15 hole rims look rough and I've decided to get
8-hole replicas rather than have the current rims powder coated.
I like the look of the 8-holes and think they'll be much easier
to clean than new 15's. Unfortunately, Tirerack is out of them
and I'll have to wait until February or March to get them.

The PO repainted the car. He got rid of the two-tone and went for
an all-over desert taupe. Unfortunately, he paid Macco $1,000 to
do it and declined any surface preparation. The car looks good
from 6' away but has orange peel in a few places and more chips
than it should along with a wavy line
on the roof along the driver's side channel.

It looks like they also didn't put any kind of bonding agent in
the paint for the bumpers and didn't sand them. It's peeling in a
couple places.

I'm considering having it repainted the right way even though
that will probably cost close to or more than I paid for the car
($3900).

I'm actually considering going all out and fully restoring the
car. I'm not a mechanic so this isn't going to be cheap and
doesn't make sense financially. I know some of you will recommend
I start doing some of the work myself. I have done a little bit
and I enjoy detailing the car.

It would take me twice as long, if not more, to do the job than a
good indy MB mechanic. And he's got the tools, I don't. If I
devote that same amount of time doing something in my business
that I enjoy doing, I'll make more than my mechanics hourly rate.
So my way is to stick with what I do best and let my mechanic do
his thing. He's honest, grew up working on German cars and
charges a fair price.

On the one hand, I'll have a cherry 560 SEL that I couldn't buy
new if I wanted to. On the other, I'll never recoup my investment
unless I put it in storage for 20 years.

But the car has a big sentimental value to me and represents a
big step I took in my business. It's a long story but important
enough to me that I want to keep this car around.

One of the best things I've discovered since beginning my search
for the car has been this forum. I'm an Internet marketer by
trade so I'm used to using forums. Usually I'm the one giving
advice. Here, I'm a total newbie and have really appreciated all
the help from forum members as well as the many articles, etc.

Good topic, btw.

Bill

__________________
_______________________________________
1988 MB 560 SEL 138k - Desert Taupe w/ Cream Beige Interior.

Mods:
Euro Headlights w/Smoked Corners
New seats from a `91
ASA 15-Hole Replicas
Sony HU, JL Audio 400/4 Amp, JL Audio 2-way Components on rear deck, JL Audio 3-way Components in door & dash.


2000 BMW Z3 2.3 Roadster 33k
2002 Toyota Rav4L 50k

560SEL is the best Mercedes-Benz car ever made. I wish if I can fine a 1991 model with a top shape. : ))..

__________________
Master Computer Engineer, A+, Network+, MCP/MCSA/MCSE 4/2k/2k3 - Messaging, MCTS, MCITP, MCT, Brainbench, ICDL and starting Ph.D

380SE 1984 <------- Totaled by flipping accident
300SE 1988 <------- Sold
Volvo S70 2000 <---- 4 family
Opel Omega 2002 <-- 4 family
560SEC 1989 <------ Sold
560SEL 1990 <------ Sold
560SEL 1991 <------ 4 my mother
560SEL 1989 <------ Sold
600SEL 1992 <------ Current

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkhazenzcc

I like the fact that most of the mechanics are user-friendly, compared to Current-day vehivcles, at least. I'm no mechanic, but I can rebuild most of my car in my parking lot. Everything is engineered well to the home mechanic (my Grand Am took three people to change the drivebelt, with the motor jacked up!), and nothing seems too over done, or "Why the hell did they do this like this?" The best part? I'm 6'3", and I can stretch my leg out and actually lock my knee while driving! Not bad for a "midsize."

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1989 300E 144K

here here brother.. but would you agree these machines were engineering around the fuse box lol

"here here brother.. but would you agree these machines were engineering around the fuse box lol"

Definately. Takes 15 mins to change all filters and lube, 25 to get the fuse box open. Funny thing is it seems harder, and never the same sequence, to get the cover back in there. Silly Brake Booster

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1989 300E 144K

I love both of my MB, even the 124 is getting up on age and mileage. There is only one thing I will complaint - headlights!!!!!! Both cars have terrible headlights, I often find myself having difficulties in those dark and rainy nights. And I have good eyes!!!

I especially love the timelessness design of the vehicles. No matter how old they are, people still look at your cars and said "Wow, it's a Mercedes"

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95 R129
04 Infiniti G35.5 BS
10 X204

My car: '97 C230 (W202)

Loves: Great 4-cyl. gas mileage with fine power; quiet ride and sharp handling; elegant, old-school styling; solid frame; comfortable seats; lack of expensive gadgets to confuse me or to go wrong; easy to change oil, which can be dino instead of $ynthetic; A/C is nice and cold; 8-hole wheels easy to clean; new price not too unreasonable, used price at age 8 fantastic; car still looks and feels almost new; gold/cream color combo very elegant.

Hates: On the console, trunk release button is so close to the LR window switch that I know I'm going to pop the trunk someday instead of opening that window. A/C compressor ran me ~ $1000 in parts & labor last year. Moonroof shade rattles now and then on ripple-bump roads, and apparently fixing it would mean a vi$it to either the dealer or the upholstery $hop. (On the other hand, the car's interior is so quiet that sounds get reflected around in there; I thought that rattle was coming from the dash!) Stereo cassette player's sensing features make it hard to fast-forward or rewind a tape.

Things I wish it didn't have: Outside temp gauge (I call it "The Lying Robot"): It works, but I hate having it remind me that it's 85 F. outside. Pop-up cupholder -- why did MB give in to that American drive-thru mentality? Moonroof and vents in the moonroof shade -- in this viciously hot climate, the last thing I want is more sun pouring in on me.

Things I wish it had: Light under the hood as well as the trunk; CD player; auto-dimming mirrors

Things I'm glad it has: Fog lights, 5-speed transmission to get some more grunt out of the little 4-cylinder, easy-clean MB-Tex upholstery, rear window defogger

To fix: upholstery needs restitching on passenger headrest, but only in the rear, so I don't see it every day; moonroof shade (see above)

I miss my W126, but this is a superb car as well.

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* *
-- Paul W. (The Benzadmiral)
('03 Buick Park Avenue, charcoal/cream)
Formerly:
'97 C230, smoke silver/parchment; '86 420SEL, anthracite/light grey; '84 280CE (W123), dark blue/palomino

The car: 1994 C280 with about 90,000 miles.

What I like:

I like the classic look of the car, compared to the newer styling direction that MB has chosen. This is especially true with the interior. I like how solid the car feels on the road. It has good power, and it handles well enough now that I've made a few tweaks to the brakes, suspension and tires. I like that with a bit of love and attention it looks like a 2 year old car instead of a 12 year old car, and still manages to draw compliments and respect from strangers. I've never driven an car with an engine that is as smooth as an inline 6, so I love that too. Buying this car 6 years ago was the culmination of a dream I've had since I was 6 years old and my dad brought home a 1964 280S (I think). It was chocolate brown and had tailfins.

What I don't like:

It always seems to need something. In the past two years I've done LCA bushings, a water pump, the AC condensor and the AMM. The air pump went bad about a year ago, but I'm living without it. The head gasket has a very minor oil leak that my mechanic is just telling me to live with for the time being, especially because he'll have to replace the wiring harness when he does the head gasket (original harness, still in decent shape, but bound to fall apart when he does the job). I don't like how lazy the automatic transmission is, and hate how hot it can run in the summer (although thanks to JimF's cool harness, this isn't a concern any more).

I'm completely resigned to the fact that this car was an ego purchase. I get to work on a light commuter rail, with a station that is a 10 minute walk from my home. My wife has a perfectly good Honda that has been almost completely trouble free. I don't need any car, let alone a Benz. So I don't complain too much about what it costs to keep it maintained the way I like. I made my peace with that about 5 years ago.

What I love about these cars?

Ease of maintenance...although with 3 of them, it's hard to keep all of them at 100% all of the time. I probably do well at 95% on average (the W124 being at the lower end of the bell curve).

At least cup holders were engineered in my later models...I have to settle for jamming a coffee mug in the console on the W124.

Cavernous trunk space is a real plus! I could stuff all of the soccer gear in the trunk of the R129, and my bass amp, cabinets and guitar will fit in the W124! The CLK cabriolet was a bit of a surprise though, as the trunk is occupied by the softtop receptacle??? Forget tall items in that car.

I grew up around MBs all my life, so it was an "unconscious" decision when came time for me to consider some long-term vehicles.

I miss the old manuals though...your car used to come with a thick manual consisting of pages and pages of exploded diagrams with an index of part numbers for every nut and bolt. You could actually assemble a car just off of that manual!

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

I just don't like that my 94 E320 does not have variable speed wipers and keyless entry. Otherwise, everything else is great...