What have I done?! UPDATE techno timebomb collection&pics p2

[HMC]

Had the chance to give the S a clean/ once over, and whilst shuffling the cars round, thought i'd do a sort of family picture....

[dollywobbler]

Superb. Note how tiny the number plate looks on the S-Class!

[RoadworkUK]

Magnificent. Every time one of these come in to us (not often, admittedly,) I swoon a little bit. They always come in for maintenance, not because they've gone wrong or owt. It's the exact opposite story with W220s and W221s.

 

I love the dashboard ergonomics seemingly resulting from a game of Buckaroo.

[Lord Sterling]

Nice. This is on my wish list of 'cars I'd love to buy but probably never will' list.

[HMC]

Well after smoking around in it for a while I changed the fluids and filters, thermostat and temperature guage sensor, which restored a dicky guage reading to something much more believable. I fiddled with the valve block that operates the soft close doors and now they work! Thats been the most satisfying bit of tinkering to date. After figuring out how to get it to start off in first gear i also showed a clean pair of heels to lads in a barried up citroen something of other that wantad a traffic light grand prix. Childish but satisfying. I have also become an expert at the cheapest local suppliers of unleaded. The wife still cant stand the sight of it.

[Morgan84]

I have had my S500L since 2005,and it has been nothing but a massive pain in the backside with its electrics.I have spent a fortune replacing parts,but think the fact the car was never garaged and sat idle for many years means the dampness gremlins did their magic;the trouble with the car is it doesn't like standing,so once you put it back into action,its toss a coin if its going to go like silk,or play games ! Mechanically,it seems extreamly good,and the tinwork never got to even sniff at this one,so the bodywork is in very nice shape.There have been times I would gladly have given it away,so its a love hate relationship.

As a car,its as easy to drive as a Fiesta,and it's not too bad to work on either ( except when the electric play up ).Spare parts can be stupidly expensive;a engine top harness is £700 to replace,because Mercedes in their wisdom used a biodegradable insulation which after a few years of being in a hot engine bay begins to crack,and set the electrics into a temper tantrum;I intend to keep repairing any cracks which appear and pray one day I find a good used one,or the prices fall !