Bloody Big Bad Benz is the Bloody Biggest Piece of Tosh

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Everyone calm down, a 29 year old car suffered from two small and easily repaired faults. 

 

 

By far its worst sin is still that terrible Sony CD player which skips every time you run over a pebble.

[Junkman]

Wrong. A Mercedes suffered from two nonexcusable faults, is a Mercedes, and is just nowhere near the quality level of a Peugeot 405.

That's just too much for me.

[billyboy406v6]

My £ 300.00 Mercedes continues to give excellent service and enjoyment, mind you there is a tiny squeak from the blower fan now and again, does that count as another Mercedes FTP ?

[dugong]

My £ 300.00 Mercedes continues to give excellent service and enjoyment, mind you there is a tiny squeak from the blower fan now and again, does that count as another Mercedes FTP ?

It does if you apply the pompous terms of the German car promo brigade. "Our cars are perfect and never break."

[Junkman]

Borked Big Bad Belching Benz currently on carrying Conelrad duty again.

Thus further grenadery imminent.

[forddeliveryboy]

I once bought a 300TD which was probably miles worse than this one. A combination of many malign influences, not least a mobile mechanic who had been bargained down to an unreasonable rate by the Israeli lady who had owned it. She had even forbidden the correct parts to be fitted (and definitely none which hadn't already served time on at least two other 124s), unless he could sneak them on without her noticing, by the looks of it. 

 

So the exhaust was wrong, one driveshaft longer than the other, the gearbox was wasting loads of power and the key stopped working first to stop the car, then to start it. Putting it all into writing would have taken longer than fixing/bodging things. When the (long) test ran out (I figured she had something going with the MoT man) I dismembered the car and sold/stored the good bits.

 

For all their fundamental simplicity, these old 124s are notoriously elaborate and ornate things, beneath the surface. There is almost a psychosis built into them, to annoy those who get irritated easily or who want to get to the root of a problem within 5 minutes of opening the HBOL. Perhaps people are wrong when they say the W124 was the summit of MB achievement - quality, durability and good design - are they in phakt a nadir sitting in a no-man's land between the old world and new?

 

I'm wondering what's going to go wrong with this blue monster next. I grow increasingly concerned for JM health - how much more can it take from this Grobian Benz? Is it time to bail out and buy something more sane before it eats up his natural joie de vivre for proper shite? 

 

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C703634

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C696248 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-405-estate-/121884278354

[Junkman]

For the sake of sanity, I'm currently skimming through Alfa Romeo ads.

[Jimmycrackcorn]

I've been wanting to swap out my tired old Pug 2.5td out of my LDV Luton for the tired old 300d engine and auto box, now I'm not so sure. Mind you I had similar issues with both my Mercs and I never lost love for them.

[Junkman]

Well, I'd have to develop a love for them in the first place to enable me to lose/not lose it.

For being as hateful as I find them, I at least expect them to work.

But being a Mercedes AND rubbish is a combination I fail to tolerate.

[Jimmycrackcorn]

One of mine was killed due to having a tank full of shit (was almost like tiny grains of silicone) fucking up the whole full system that despite repeated flushing draining and replacing I could not get rid of it. The other after replacing again all the fuel lines and o-rings a month later the immobiliser decided not to co-operate despite what I tried and forum opinions. The bloody thing had already been bypassed so who knows why it wouldn't start. 

[Junkman]

Thank the Gods it appears to run reasonably well when it runs and the gearbox is exceptionally smooth.

Allegedly it was changed not 50,000 miles ago, I wonder why, considering these cars are so good and never break...

Maybe those electric breakdowns were indeed addressed by changing the voltage regulator.

 

Things still to fix are

 

- the heater being on full blast all the time, which is apparently due to the duo-valve being dead as a tin of corned beef.

  Despite I can measure full whack voltage at the plug, the valve itself shows no sign of clickery.

 

- the rear windows not working - probably just seized up from lack of use.

 

Granada-style self healing occurred with the passenger side mirror, which miraculously now is operational.

 

Generally I have the funny feeling, that Mercedes owners for some reason keep telling no bolt was ever turned on their car,

despite it needs constant fettling with.
 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

 

I have installed this. Don't know what the spares shop are going to put on the hook it's occupied since 1987. No, it's not electric because I'm not spending £30 on a metal stick. 

 

Also the radio STILL doesn't pick anything up with it connected. Just scans forever. I tried to pull it out of the dash to see if the cable was actually plugged in at the back but I gave up after 20 minutes trying to get it out of the cage. 

[Junkman]

I admire your ability to prioritise.

[Jim Bell]

If the radio is original, I have the correct removal tools. Don't mind posting if it'll help.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Thanks, but it's some horrible late 90s Sony affair. I've had later Sony headunits and they slide out of the cage with two knives quite easily, this one has a different arrangement and won't come out. 

[Junkman]

If the radio is original, I have the correct removal tools. Don't mind posting if it'll help.

 

Sadly some twat has replaced the original Blaupunkt with some shiny shit from China.

[billyboy406v6]

I suppose if it was a sexy looking Alfa or Lancia you would love it to bits and smile at every FTP, but its a Mercedes so it has to suffer ! So stop shouting at it and give some LUVVVE please. No 2 and 55.

[forddeliveryboy]

Now you've graced the gearbox with such fulsome praise, be sure you replenish the old ATF to prevent ZF sense of humour. 

[Junkman]

Never touch a working system!

[dugong]

Now you've graced the gearbox with such fulsome praise, be sure you replenish the old ATF to prevent ZF sense of humour.

Aye, the Dexron that came out of the 4HP18 on the 605 was:

 

1. Brown

2. Wrong.

 

FIAL all round.

[jonathan_dyane]

Swap for Manual Xm? ðŸ˜

[Junkman]

A manual XM? That's a bit like using solar panels to generate steam for a steam engine.

[hauserplenty]

There might be clips on either side of the radio holding it in. Try removing the bezel, and if so two pocket screwdrivers will serve to liberate it. Installation is &c.

As for the windows, I need to remove my door panels as one of mine has failed. They all do that sir.

[Junkman]

Some door panel removage may ensue tomorrow.

[doug]

More W124 pain here. Mot is up on 5th March so decided to look into the clunking from the back.

 

The rear anti roll bar mount has came away from the body. Hard to get the welder at it as the sub-frame is right below it.

[richardmorris]

It could well be possible to push the radio out from the back. The passenger side transmission tunnel carpet panel is easy to get out ( take the floor mat out first). You can then reach the rear of the radio in the centre console and push the whole cage forwards.

[Junkman]

I feel your pain Junkman I really do but I think it goes a little like this with these old W124's

 

When Cecil and Penelope handed over a suitcase of folding for them in the 80's that could of bought you or I a whole house they had the cash to get everything serviced without question

 

When they reached 10 years old or so and were worth  £1500 Big Baz the plastic Gangster bought it and did nothing innit! Then as they are worth less and less Chinese generic poor quality parts find their way on budget part worn remolds and all number of bodges

 

 

 

 

The car has a comprehensive service history with all stamps in the book up to 120,000 miles, all done while it was with its first owner.

It has now 138,000 miles on it and there are two quite recent invoices for discs and pads and other small stuff, amounting to what could be considered a 135,000 mile service.

So there is evidently not the slightest lack of maintenance.

 

Anyway, we managed to fix the rear windows yesterday.

The only things needing fixage now are the duo-valve (used replacement on order) and the infotainment situation.

 

 

 

Who owns this car Junkman or Conrad?

 

 

The Granadaland Greenhouse Gassers.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

That electric window is really quick! - is it as fast as that in real life?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

No, that's a GIF optimisation thing. 

 

Fun fact: the GIF file format was introduced the same year this car was made.