Project Mercedes Benz - W123 230E & W124 200E - Both happy and working ok

[Peter C]

After two long days of painting, undersealing and re-assembling, the rear end is finally done. Everything went back together ok, the new shock absorbers were easy to fit and most importantly, there is no visible rust on the rear part of the floor pan and the rear subframe.

The (cheap from Poland) replacement exhaust system was a doddle to fit. The exhaust came with a complete fitting kit, which included everything I needed. The centre and rear boxes took about 5 minutes to fit.

Rather than calling it a day, I got the front of the 200E up, ready for more fun tomorrow. The front shock absorbers look more difficult to replace than the rears. Wish me luck.

[vaughant]

Looks fantastic on white stonechip, love it. 

Did this years ago to my series one and thought it looked amazing, took bloody forever though. 

I've learnt with exhausts it's far easier to replace the lot if possible and of course cost effective. 

In fact this week I'm revisiting an exhaust repair I carried out a few months ago to replace the one new part I forgot to order... 

 

Total cost of clamp (s) 

 

A fiver 🙄🙄🙄🙄. 

I am an idiot. 

[HMC]

Nice work all. Seeing that rear inner arch and the leading rear subframe “perch” reminds me of some rot there on a couple of my old w124s. Not easy to fix! Yours look nice and sound. 

[HMC]

Now you’ve got me looking at them on e bay!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-MERCEDES-BENZ-E200-AUTO-VGC-INTERIOR-SSH-YARD-SALE-CHEAP-CLASSIC-CARS/184575818236?hash=item2af99379fc:g:5hMAAOSw8fpfYL~y
 

Younger brother, not cheap for what it is, and looking at the NSF wheel the suspension ball joint has failed or the coil spring mount has rotted off the chassis.

[Peter C]

22 minutes ago, HMC said:

Nice work all. Seeing that rear inner arch and the leading rear subframe “perch” reminds me of some rot there on a couple of my old w124s. Not easy to fix! Yours look nice and sound. 

Surface rust aside (now all treated), there’s zero rot on my rear floorpan and subframe. 😎

[Peter C]

15 minutes ago, HMC said:

Now you’ve got me looking at them on e bay!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-MERCEDES-BENZ-E200-AUTO-VGC-INTERIOR-SSH-YARD-SALE-CHEAP-CLASSIC-CARS/184575818236?hash=item2af99379fc:g:5hMAAOSw8fpfYL~y
 

Younger brother, not cheap for what it is, and looking at the NSF wheel the suspension ball joint has failed or the coil spring mount has rotted off the chassis.

I would give that a miss. Imagine how rotten it’s going to be in those places that you can’t see in the photos!

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, Peter C said:

I would give that a miss. Imagine how rotten it’s going to be in those places that you can’t see in the photos!

Yes...the 200E etc are also the better car IMHO...the E200 and associated cars began to reflect Mercedes cost cutting and environmental concerns which led to less 'car life'. The later E wiring looms are notoriously fragile. The earlier cars are just a bit more old skool MB. Buy a MoT'd car if you can - something that has had care will last better in the long run. Well maintained these cars should last a long time.

[warren t claim]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Now you’ve got me looking at them on e bay!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-MERCEDES-BENZ-E200-AUTO-VGC-INTERIOR-SSH-YARD-SALE-CHEAP-CLASSIC-CARS/184575818236?hash=item2af99379fc:g:5hMAAOSw8fpfYL~y
 

Younger brother, not cheap for what it is, and looking at the NSF wheel the suspension ball joint has failed or the coil spring mount has rotted off the chassis.

Fucking hell! Mine was ten times better than that and half the price!

[Peter C]

3 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Yes...the 200E etc are also the better car IMHO...the E200 and associated cars began to reflect Mercedes cost cutting and environmental concerns which led to less 'car life'. The later E wiring looms are notoriously fragile. The earlier cars are just a bit more old skool MB. Buy a MoT'd car if you can - something that has had care will last better in the long run. Well maintained these cars should last a long time.

The biodegradable wiring only affects six cylinder cars. I had an E200 and an E220, both great cars, neither suffered from any major mechanical issues. For me though, the phase 3 front end styling, with the three pointed star on the bonnet and the smaller inset grille, didn’t look as classy as the earlier cars.

[warren t claim]

I have to say my 1994 W124 E200 didn't suffer any electrical issues at all.

[Peter C]

I bought a fancy oil filter removal tool to enable an oil and filter change on my TT. I used the same tool to remove the oil filter from my 200E today. The job took about 10 seconds, there was no need to remove the air filter housing and struggle with the chain wrench that I've been using for decades. Win.

However, the sump plug, which I last removed approx 12 months ago (and definitely did not overtighten) was having none of it. I rounded off the 13mm head and ended up smashing a 1/2 inch imperial socket over the plug and eventually got it off. The socket doesn't wish to part with the bolt, which is not a problem. For the time being it can stay on the bolt, until I buy a new sump plug. 

Removal of the front shock absorbers looked a bit daunting at first, however I had the offside unit off and replaced within an hour.

The nearside unit took longer to remove due to a couple of stubborn bolts. I let the trolley jack do the hard work.

There wasn't much cleaning up to do in the front arches. Back in the summer I gave the inner arches a good clean and coated any flaky paint and surface corrosion and I was pleased to see that my efforts remained presentable. With the new shock absorbers fitted, the mostly original original arches look tidy.

One of the wheel trims had a scratch on it and back in the summer I sanded down the plastic and sprayed the central ring. The finish of the acrylic paint that I used wasn't great so I took the opportunity to give the wheel trim another squirt of spray. This time the paint looked far more presentable. 

With all jobs completed, I rolled the 200E out of the garage. Tomorrow I'll give it a wash as it's covered with dust.

I suffer from OCD when it comes to keeping my garages tidy. Grinding, sanding and welding created a fair amount of dust and dirt, which had to be dealt with asap. The process of cleaning the garage involves mopping the floor, which dried surprisingly quickly considering that I left the doors open and let the cold in.

[bigfella2]

Isn't the oil filter on the TT a cartridge one with a plastic lid? Or is it a regular screw on metal canister? Just every midernish vag I see (mostly tdi's) are cartridge.

[Peter C]

6 minutes ago, bigfella2 said:

Isn't the oil filter on the TT a cartridge one with a plastic lid? Or is it a regular screw on metal canister? Just every midernish vag I see (mostly tdi's) are cartridge.

[Talbot]

1 hour ago, Peter C said:

I suffer from OCD when it comes to keeping my garages tidy. Grinding, sanding and welding created a fair amount of dust and dirt, which had to be dealt with asap. 

Nothing wrong with that.  It was a breath of fresh air to work in a garage with an insulated floor and no "crap" in the way.  I felt a bit bad about spraying hot metal and grinding dust all over the floor.

[Peter C]

5 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Nothing wrong with that.  It was a breath of fresh air to work in a garage with an insulated floor and no "crap" in the way.  I felt a bit bad about spraying hot metal and grinding dust all over the floor.

With the floor cleaned and mopped, I noticed a handful of small burn holes. Not to worry, I’d rather have holes in my floor tiles than in my wheel arches.

[Talbot]

I guess one of the tiles we put down must have moved a bit.  You only need a couple of mm and weld spatter will get through.  Irritatingly.

[MJK 24]

The original oil filter for your engine was twice the length of the one you’ve fitted.  It made them very easy to change with no special tools and without removing the air box.

Mercedes changed their own filter to one that was vastly shorter and then they became a mission to change.

Mann can still supply the older, larger design which will make your oil changes much easier.  You’ll also feel happy inside knowing you’ve got a bigger filter fitted!

[Peter C]

3 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

The original oil filter for your engine was twice the length of the one you’ve fitted.  It made them very easy to change with no special tools and without removing the air box.

Mercedes changed their own filter to one that was vastly shorter and then they became a mission to change.

Mann can still supply the older, larger design which will make your oil changes much easier.  You’ll also feel happy inside knowing you’ve got a bigger filter fitted!

The oil filter presented in your post is exactly the same as the one that I fitted to the 200E this morning. The oil filter that I presented above is for an Audi TT.

[Peter C]

And considering how much force was needed to remove my old filter, there’s no way it could have been removed by hand with the air filter in situ.

[MJK 24]

32 minutes ago, Peter C said:

The oil filter presented in your post is exactly the same as the one that I fitted to the 200E this morning. The oil filter that I presented above is for an Audi TT.

Fair enough - it looks in your photo like it was recessed far below the top of the air filter.

The original Mann filter will be roughly level with the top of the air box.

[Peter C]

16 hours ago, MJK 24 said:

The original Mann filter will be roughly level with the top of the air box.

This got me thinking whether I am using the correct oil filter. I got my tape measure out, the distance from the top of the oil filter to the top of the air filter housing is 100mm and the (as far as I know correct Mann) oil filter is 120mm high. For the top of the oil filter to be level with the top of the air filter housing, it would have to be almost 9 inches high, which I am sure can't be right.

I have photographic evidence!

[Peter C]

Earlier today I took the 200E for a 15 mile COVID tier 4 compliant test drive. I am pleased to report that the new shock absorbers and exhaust system are all ok, nothing bangs or rattles. The ride comfort has not changed but the car feels tighter, especially the front end and less clunky. I guess that the original 29 years and 145k miles old shock absorbers were past their best.

I dusted and wiped over the 200E (it was too cold to give it a full wash) and put it back in the (clean!) garage. The weather will have to improve drastically for it to see the road again. Happy New Year people.

[Peter C]

The 200E's MoT is due next month. I can't see it failing on anything (bugger, now I've done it) but I wanted it to present as best as possible to whoever does the test. 

The bodywork gleams, the engine bay is tidy enough and the interior is near mint. The only thing that lets the 200E down is the (replacement) oil stained gearbox. I decided to pressure wash the gearbox.

I started by getting the 200E up on ramps and covering up the engine bay so not to splash the clean ancillaries with mucky water.

The gearbox is just about visible from the engine bay, between the bulkhead and rear of the cylinder head. It was filthy.

The underside was a bit grubby too.

Amazing what you can achieve with a pressure washer in 10 minutes. The gearbox looks a lot better.

I got slightly carried away and cleaned the floorpans too.

The roads are wet and filthy and I don't want to get the underside of the 200E dirty before the MoT test, so the furthest I've taken it to dry the underside is outside my house. Hopefully the weather will drastically improve before the end of February. 

 

 

[Andyrew]

Such a nicely kept car and garage! 

 

 

[DSdriver]

What make are the floor tiles, I need to do my workshop?

[Peter C]

49 minutes ago, DSdriver said:

What make are the floor tiles, I need to do my workshop?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Interlocking-Soft-Foam-Floor-Mats-EVA-Puzzle-Rubber-Yoga-Tiles-Gym-Flooring/324267920521?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4b7fdfcc89:g:hTQAAOSwR7JfIKkT&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickk5v8gVt3hEWLVg%2F253w6XCb8YSPm4XU6yotv8yxbpPASJ%2BrhTezXAy1BKdl9MvhazQ82%2BWXmH8LcNK0WFmL0TAmdqxgq%2B9hwlJ4qp9Z6agdHXuE0XShk7reUiYSlB34%2Fy%2BVZE1mjnV0Y7tCei71p6Q7r%2B0z4uh6NlWqu%2F6Id4VJioKfhgLffBBB5DPoYcu%2FqiJaWbcCJKieTegI1AUYG2qteaCgvvQ0AthNS%2FJshdo9cMrO9WmU4kN%2F96%2B06qsdPoI8jww8JIrh5zgONz%2FGZLw4lnPU%2FWszk8yPc5uAddS%2FcO46VZuqqrLirYP9kNU1OLB8esir%2FZGNrtTTXCztBu24Ru4mYyOtt0mz%2BrW2A32pP2WhGLlDX8HOI%2BiDyJd3AJIcQymS2pWPzwHzM6rSrPTSB8GZsp81yw3ORrQDFsZ%2BVBZ5K87V2NnLtg0ZTGQ%2BB71fCgjEvuloGZnXYvjM6GZboUpafcbPgkkCl50ZIaiZdl1h1sfuYC4qOAlFfQtd%2Bv3Sb49XFK2W0%2B1NAOErgxETBSpmsO1YES3OvG75MAEpevuI9Fs13grRnTak6ehntDqxCe7VXhFUYqCKzqGKVBqGLbhINgxLXgYYFmW1TVN1scZnr5UqsPBu24j%2BTYC8uxf%2FnSiOKGyPlqaJVVykF4nQ%2FbEn7bfysbhMPTouw%2FeMqg7YJCeVeQrBMnxntMnBk6e0Z04YQSPRSPFG0AvK9HeDJBWEvfyZaklCIc0K3kMIj%2FLqoSw04hW%2F3WkR8dRKUc3KwFswQw2Mto19ut6eMfvwR4VLjTMgvrGPA9UYIC1%2Bg%3D|cksum%3A324267920521c76fdea928bb42a8b29225b506145663|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

[vaughant]

That car looks so right in that nice leafy suburb you live in, proper period!!! 

The mrs and I were watching the real Pembrokeshire murders the other night and it was mainly mismatched panelled ford/vaux/bl chod from that era but there was a flash of a nice merc which we agreed meant back in the 80's and 90's you were seriously doing well for yourself of you owned one of those. 

Particularly the model you have now, E size. 

My uncle for many years only drove merc estates, WT range I think. He had W or X plate blue 7 seater, think it was a 3.0 litre straight 6? I can remember being a kid falling asleep in it in the wee small hours as a kid when I awoke from the  boot seats too see him taking it just past 140 mph by Margam Windsock on the M4. How accurate it was I don't know but it had about 50 crates of pop and half a pig in it the next morning. 

Amazing era of cars. 

[Peter C]

6 hours ago, vaughant said:

That car looks so right in that nice leafy suburb you live in, proper period!!! 

The mrs and I were watching the real Pembrokeshire murders the other night and it was mainly mismatched panelled ford/vaux/bl chod from that era but there was a flash of a nice merc which we agreed meant back in the 80's and 90's you were seriously doing well for yourself of you owned one of those. 

Particularly the model you have now, E size. 

My uncle for many years only drove merc estates, WT range I think. He had W or X plate blue 7 seater, think it was a 3.0 litre straight 6? I can remember being a kid falling asleep in it in the wee small hours as a kid when I awoke from the  boot seats too see him taking it just past 140 mph by Margam Windsock on the M4. How accurate it was I don't know but it had about 50 crates of pop and half a pig in it the next morning. 

Amazing era of cars. 

Back in the mid to late 1980s, I was in my early teens and my dad had a Datsun Cherry 1.3 GL and a Tom Selleck style moustache. 

He then upgraded his wheels to a 1984 Ford Orion 1.6i Ghia, fitted with RS quad headlights, a chin spoiler and 15 inch seven spoke alloy wheels. The previous owner also fitted an amazing (for the time) sound system that comprised of a pull out Kenwood head unit, tweeters, mid-range speakers and two 10 inch sub-woofers in the rear shelf, all powered by two big amps that sat under the seats. It sounded awesome until the whole lot got nicked.

The overweight wanker with the stupid hair on the left is me. That's my grandmother and mum to the right of me.

At the time we lived in Maida Vale, London W9, a pretty posh part of London. My mates and I would regularly cycle to Primrose Hill or Hyde Park on our BMX bikes without fear of being bothered by pedophiles - those were the days! The neighbourhood was littered with W201, W123, W124, W126 Mercs and period BMWs, either driven by posh white folk or Arabs that lived in big mansions. I had plenty of time to fall in love with old Mercs but what clinched the deal for me was when my school friend's dad gave me a lift home in his red W123 230E. 

Fast forward 20 years, I wanted a W123 but for some reason I ended up with a number of W124s. Then B87DTU came along and I've had it ever since. Other cars came and went, including a couple of more W124s, until I bought this 200E almost 3 years ago. My W123 is now a garage ornament whilst I spend most of my spare time bettering and driving the 200E. I bloody love it.

[vaughant]

31 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Back in the mid to late 1980s, I was in my early teens and my dad had a Datsun Cherry 1.3 GL and a Tom Seller style moustache. 

He then upgraded his wheels to a 1984 Ford Orion 1.6i Ghia, fitted with RS quad headlights, a chin spoiler and 15 inch seven spoke alloy wheels. The previous owner also fitted an amazing (for the time) sound system that comprised of a pull out Kenwood head unit, tweeters, mid-range speakers and two 10 inch sub-woofers in the rear shelf, all powered by two big amps that sat under the seats. It sounded awesome until the whole lot got nicked.

The overweight wanker with the stupid hair on the left is me. That's my grandmother and mum to the right of me.

At the time we lived in Maida Vale, London W9, a pretty posh part of London. My mates and I would regularly cycle to Primrose Hill or Hyde Park on our BMX bikes without fear of being bothered by a pedophiles - those were the days! The neighbourhood was littered with W201, W123, W124, W126 Mercs and period BMWs, either driven by posh white folk or Arabs that lived in big mansions. I had plenty of time to fall in love with old Mercs but what clinched the deal for me was when my school friend's dad gave me a lift home in his red W123 230E. 

Fast forward 20 years, I wanted a W123 but for some reason I ended up with a number of W124s. Then B87DTU came along and I've had it ever since. Other cars came and went, including a couple of more W124s, until I bought this 200E almost 3 years ago. My W123 is now a garage ornament whilst I spend most of my spare time bettering and driving the 200E. I bloody love it.

Wow what an awesome story, your parents look like a proper 1980's glamour couple fair play, the photos are amazing!!!! 

Maida Vale is a lovely part of London, well it was years ago from my feint memories. 

Did your dad sell that orion to someone from Swansea by any chance? Reason I ask is a good mate of mine used to rally one (yes really) on an A plate, in white but he added the very period for the time tiger stripes on it, was quite competitive from memory. 

I'm not sure if you're a football fan (I think you are from memory) but in a place called Caswell which is one of the very nice parts of Swansea (that'll soon be EFA) my mates dad lived who was Tommy Hutchinson of Scotland and Manchester City fame, he had a blue version of your car. 

Two doors up from him lived Robbie James, another Swans and Wales legend who also drove one in a lighter blue. 

Poor old Tommy had a contract with Yugo and had to drive a 60S around for X number of days a week in misery..... 

Think Robbie James was the same but he always drove the 300E 🤣🤣🤣. 

[Peter C]

46 minutes ago, vaughant said:

Wow what an awesome story, your parents look like a proper 1980's glamour couple fair play, the photos are amazing!!!! 

Maida Vale is a lovely part of London, well it was years ago from my feint memories. 

Did your dad sell that orion to someone from Swansea by any chance? Reason I ask is a good mate of mine used to rally one (yes really) on an A plate, in white but he added the very period for the time tiger stripes on it, was quite competitive from memory. 

I'm not sure if you're a football fan (I think you are from memory) but in a place called Caswell which is one of the very nice parts of Swansea (that'll soon be EFA) my mates dad lived who was Tommy Hutchinson of Scotland and Manchester City fame, he had a blue version of your car. 

Two doors up from him lived Robbie James, another Swans and Wales legend who also drove one in a lighter blue. 

Poor old Tommy had a contract with Yugo and had to drive a 60S around for X number of days a week in misery..... 

Think Robbie James was the same but he always drove the 300E 🤣🤣🤣. 

I inherited my good looks from my parents, who were quite glam in their day. 😎

Sadly, my dad’s Orion was written off by the insurance company after the car was stolen and found without the pretty RS bits. It was over ten years old then and had clocked up well over 100k miles. It was on its second CVH after a snapped cambelt killed the original motor. A Mk2 Astra estate replaced the Orion, after which, having made some money, dad bought a Volvo 940 Wentworth estate, which he later upgraded to a full fat 960 estate. That was his last car, registered 2 TAD, before he suffered a massive stroke that left him half paralysed in a wheelchair,

In the meantime, in the mid 1990s, my dad’s brother was doing very well for himself over in Germany. One time when I went to visit my cousins, my uncle took me out in his W124 260E for a drive down the autobahn, often exceeding 200km/h (approx 120MPH). I still remember how quiet and refined the 260E was at those speeds.

I don’t know of any celebs who owned W124s but I know that Bonnie Tyler liked her W123 back in the day.