The fresh new dollop thread....

[xtriple]

As I have decided this 'may' be a keeper, I thought I'd start a thread for it.

 

Mercedes CLK 320

 

 

I used to be really REALLY good at buying cars, I could spot a 'wrong un' at a thousand metres and knew within seconds if it was any cop or not. Now, I seem to buy any old shite with barely a glance, so I bought this Merc with loads of undisclosed (and undiscovered!) faults. What a prat I am.

 

Paid £1800 for it with a mew MOT and three new tyres, last owner for 14 years and always looked after but the history was lost (apart from all the original books which had a few early services in it) but, hey, the guy had it forever and he was in his 70s so a good buy, gotta be right?

 

To be fair, yes, it is. It drives really well, the engine has lots of poke, no smoke or nasty noises, brakes good (more on that later) suspension all good. Bit of rust around the arches but hey, it's slap bang in the middle of Mercs darkest times for rust so the fact that other than the blisters, it's sound everywhere is a bonus! Interior is good: leather (grey) and apart from wear on the drivers seat and one split seam, spot on. Roof in perfect order. Get it bought... so I did.

 

Then the learning starts. The roof handle fell off the first time I tried to close the roof, well latch it (roof is electric apart from the first or last operation). Bit of a sod to be honest as I do like the roof off if the sun even slightly shows its face so a problem there was a problem indeed! it took me the best part of half a day to work out how to repair the latch handles (drilling out rivets and replacing with self tappers - stainless ones at that!) and getting it all aligned and working properly.

 

Then it rained and the passenger side floor discovered a new occupation as a swimming pool for floor mats. Oh bum... This was a blocked drain under the passenger side air vents, mud and gallons of water poured out when I took it all to bits. All the carpets are STILL drying out as the foam moulding holds water like a fat lass on a high salt diet. Also took out the ecu for the gearbox while under there as they are prone to oil leaking up the wiring and attacking the ecu with expensive results. This one was fine...

 

Fitted new rear badges it nows says it's a CLK 320... which it is Painted the wheels, badly but better than scabby flaking paint, if only marginally. Spent ages cleaning the leather inside. The steering wheel was a righ mess and the drivers seat was pretty bloody grubby. Got leather food for it as well and finally got the proper grey leather polish which really covered all the wear on the bolster (no splits or tears) and I 'Gorilla glued' the split seam ;cos I can't sew for toffee!   The front seats/steering wheel have come up really well, like new. Obviously i have NOT bothered spending hours on the rear seats or any part of the rear compartment other than to clean it all and then fit a huge waterproof cover over the back seats. My two buddies (Phoebe and Chester) could make a mess in a clean room with nothing to mess with.

 

 

Then, I discovered the heater fan does precisely, nothing. The water from the blocked drain pours sraight through the fan assembly and this had decided that further working was not on the cards.  New fan acquired from eBay (£35) and a new pollen filter from Halfords who were the cheapest by a large margin (even less than ECP which is were the filter came from!). Other than being uncomfortable laying in the passenger side footwell, changing the fan was a doddle, the pollen filter was harder to do and that was dead easy!

 

Then the fault I did know about: the ABS/BAS lights come on the dash intermittantly. The received wisdom is that this is a faulty brake light switch. Quite why a faulty brake light switch does this I have no idea... so a new one was ordered from Mercedes Benz - £15 so not worth getting anything else. It turned up a couple of days later so I raved all the under dash out, got to where the switch was, and... it was wrong. Totally different, MB couldn't believ or accept there was an alternative, fortunately, eBay disagreed and a Febi replacement for the switch fitted to my car was bought, £14 delivered. This finally turned up yesterday and was fitted (dead easy twist to the right to release, locate and twist to the left to fit new!) but I din't know that the switch needs to be adjusted, I had a second attempt later after the new switch had made zero diference. I had the codes read (£40!) which said it has a faulty solenoid in the ABS pump. I took all the connectors off and cleaned them knowing it would make no difference... but, it seems to have done just that, made a difference... we shall see.

[Saabnut]

Looking forward to tales of boredom on this one, but needs more Bentley!

[Felly Magic]

David could have bought a Chrysler 300C estate and put a Bentley grille & badges on LOL

[purplebargeken]

The Dollop is dead, long live the Dollop (2).

[purplebargeken]

That looks bloody ace by the way.

[Ghosty]

Double post!

[xtriple]

Double post!

I sure did... how?

 

I am a bit light on pictures of this vehicle as yet, mainly because I have spent all my spare time working on it. This is called ( I seem to recall) FUN!  In all honesty, I am really enjoying working on this, it's all been dead easy so far and typical Mercedes quality, I have sure mssed them! I also like the fact I can get spares from eBay/multiple factors and for sensible prices The bentley would have bruised my wallet for a new fan to the tune of about a thousand quid, this one cost £35. As a bonus, having fixed the fan, the air con works perfectly.

 

What else have I done to it? Oh yes, I checked the air filter and it was new, so was the pollen filter apart from the fact it was soaking wet so the assertion that it had been serviced regularly would seem to be true I also wet and dried the headlights then polished them up cos they were well manky Now all smart and shiny

 

 

 

Also ordered some paint for the old girl, met black opal (code 189) which after a slight delay when the supplier sent code 189 but SAAB red/gold, it arrived yesterday and so I went round the car just touching some of the worst scratches (edges of the doors were the worst) in, front bumper and various corner scuffs. I will probably get the bodywork sorted at some time (soon) but I have decided I'd rather get all the oily bits sorted first. I also went overboard and cleaned out all the wheel arches which were FULL of mud, tonnes of the stuff, then waxoyled them so they should last a while yet. I have never been able to understand why people don't clean in the arches it would save so many cars from an early demise.

[purplebargeken]

Obviously poles apart in looks but driving feel too I would imagine(obv).

 

Was the Dollop a more remote driving experience compared to the Dollop (2)?

[xtriple]

Dollop 1 was actually really good to drive and felt really sporty/precise and much smaller than it was. This feels like a Mercedes! Solid/dependable/fast but a bit 'dead' no real 'feel' at all. To drive, D1 was great, to own, was a nightmare!

[Felly Magic]

Shame D2 did a D1 to you as well, with the running costs and repairs on this, you might be able to actually have food & not gruel David

[xtriple]

This is the offending 'Brake Light Switch' or rather where it is if you can see it. All fine and well for all you able bodied sods, not so handy for us old cripples!

 

 

 

Anyway, it got done and after my second attempt were I actually adjusted it properly, it seems to be working... fingers. toes, eyes. all crossed

 

Been attacking the leather more or less once a day with the polish/dye stuff (£5 from eBay), the interior looks pretty good now...

 

 

 

Having got everything mechanical (apart from the serp belt - must get that done!) sorted out, I polished the car...

 

 

 

 

 

It really is a beautiful colour: I'm not normally bothered about colours but this is 'stunning' - Met Black Opal but most of te time it looks blue, or green, or possibly grey, rarely black! I have been round the bumpers and touched up the corners, just with a little brush and it looks okay. I will get it properly painted later in the year I reckon, possibly a full respray as it is a nice car, but it will definitely be the same colour!

[RayMK]

You have a very smart looking car there.  As a fellow cripple, I know what you mean regarding working on cars. This afternoon I've had the Stellar's rear wheels and drums off to check the brakes and mopped up an oil leak from the engine in the hope that it will pass its MOT tomorrow. I feel as though I've been on a paratroopers' obstacle course. 

[richardmorris]

Not a full respray! You won’t add any value to the car.

 

Ps spoke to my mechanic friend rick last week when I picked up the 2cv. He’s ex the n Sandell RR and B specialists in west London. Whilst he was there ( maybe a year or two) he said he did several headgaskets. Every turbo on their customer list had had one. He said it’s always been the rad being blocked a third up. But he tells me that when he mentioned the rad to the workshop boss they wouldn’t tell the customer about the rad until the gasket blew. So they got the £6000 job not the rad replacement. Allegedly*

[richardmorris]

Pps. Also told me a story or two about flying spares! Guy who started it left the rr specialist and took a copy of the customer database. Cornered the market in spares and charges what they like. He said they’d have a buyer for your BGD before giving you the money.

[xtriple]

Pps. Also told me a story or two about flying spares! Guy who started it left the rr specialist and took a copy of the customer database. Cornered the market in spares and charges what they like. He said they’d have a buyer for your BGD before giving you the money.

Don't care! I got more than I expected and I am glad to be shot of the sodding thing! I loved driving it, but owning it was a nightmare. Also, didn't like being in the hands of just one specialist, wasn't always sure I got what I paid for if you know what I mean? When the rear window packed up, I was quoted 8 hours to repair, having never done it before, it took me 3 hours to do start to finish and I spent a good half hour looking for all the hidden fixings.

 

Anyway, I like the Mercedes, it feels 'good' and if it goes 'BANG!' it isn't the  end of the world.

[cort1977]

Anyway, I like the Mercedes, it feels 'good' and if it goes 'BANG!' it isn't the  end of the world.

 

I know opinions differ but that is pretty much what Autoshite is for me.

[xtriple]

The head gaskets go on the late cars 'cos the gasket itself was changed, over many heat cycles, it compresses and the head bolts loosen then if the turbo is used before the engine is FULLY hot (and the heads etc expanded) then it just blows the gasket from arseholes to breakfast time! Several people told e that when they did the heads, all the bolts were loose, little more than finger tight!

[richardmorris]

Don't care! I got more than I expected and I am glad to be shot of the sodding thing! I loved driving it, but owning it was a nightmare. Also, didn't like being in the hands of just one specialist, wasn't always sure I got what I paid for if you know what I mean? When the rear window packed up, I was quoted 8 hours to repair, having never done it before, it took me 3 hours to do start to finish and I spent a good half hour looking for all the hidden fixings.

 

Anyway, I like the Mercedes, it feels 'good' and if it goes 'BANG!' it isn't the  end of the world.

 

I didn’t mean to sound like you were done, more that it will live again and not be stripped for parts. I know how it feels to pile ££ into a car ( albeit not at your levels) only to have to sell it for parts. I also have the sod it and walk away with a clean slate attitude. The merc looks great by the way.

 

Mechanic friend rick did say that most rr and b specialists rely on the owners not being handy with a tool kit.

[richardmorris]

I know opinions differ but that is pretty much what Autoshite is for me.

 

I said the exact same thing to the Mercedes dealer the other week.

[Guest Hooli]

The head gaskets go on the late cars 'cos the gasket itself was changed, over many heat cycles, it compresses and the head bolts loosen then if the turbo is used before the engine is FULLY hot (and the heads etc expanded) then it just blows the gasket from arseholes to breakfast time! Several people told e that when they did the heads, all the bolts were loose, little more than finger tight!

 

Must be a British thing, that's exactly the same as a K series!

[xtriple]

Richard, wasn't upset mate, just really glad to be shot of it. So, DON'T CARE means I do not care what they do with it, sell it, break it, set it on fire and dance naked round it while chanting in Latin, backwards!

[richardmorris]

Richard, wasn't upset mate, just really glad to be shot of it. So, DON'T CARE means I do not care what they do with it, sell it, break it, set it on fire and dance naked round it while chanting in Latin, backwards!

 

I know and do understand. And on a completely different scale sold my Citroen cx for £500 having spent perhaps £3000 on it plus the same buying it, although I did manage 70,000 miles in the five years. Fabulous amounts of welding ( by the affore mentioned rick). Then it was passed to Wolsey house motors who had it a year or so before covering it in under seal and selling it on. It was the only CX DTR Turbo saloon on the road in the uk when I had it. I am told it is being restored but I don’t care. Like you, I had my fun with it and what’s done is done.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The second best day with my Turbo R was the day I bought it and drove it home, stopped at pub near Newbury and parked out the front, really thought I was Billy Big Bollocks. Remember sitting in the sunshine , just staring at it, thinking that's it I've made it. Whatever 'it' is. Even stopping to fill both that and Mrs N's V8 carb Disco ,didn't take the shine off- neither ever managed more than 15mpg, don't think I closed my wallet again , until...

 

The actual best day. Which was obviously when I sold the fucking great money pit !

 

Loving the CLK, of course I've got one of them too. In fact we've had it for 11 years and never spent anything on it- it does need a pair of wings and a coat of paint now though.

[purplebargeken]

The Merc is ace and I prefer it over the original Dollop tbh.

[Eddie Honda]

I had my fun with it and what’s done is done.

You are Father Fintan Stack AICMFP.

 

[Ghosty]

Did someone say D2 referring to a CLK?

 

[xtriple]

I have a 1-12th model of that somewhere in the garage, I shall have to dig it out and display it, proudly! I wonder how hard it would be to get mine to look like that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer is obviously: Very!

[Guest Hooli]

I have a 1-12th model of that somewhere in the garage, I shall have to dig it out and display it, proudly! I wonder how hard it would be to get mine to look like that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answer is obviously: Very! much cheaper than wing vents in BGD

 

EFA

[xtriple]

Pictures from today....

 

 

[martc]

Anyone see Friday Night Dinner last Friday? If you did you will have heard a less than flattering use of the word 'dollop'. I'm sure this does not apply to the above product of Daimler AG.

 

For those who didn't see the programme an alternative, more vicar friendly phrase, is 'dog eggs'.