Family owned Mercedes Benz W201 190D - Now back home

[Con2K]

Hi All,  Introduced myself over there in the appropriate forum location and the current motor got some interest so thought I'd share a bit more about it as I will have further questions for some of the merc boffins. If this is better suited to News24 then feel free to move it and scald the back of my hand with a hot teaspoon.

 

192k Miles 190D Auto - UK car re-registered in N.Ireland.

Willow Green met Ext paint

Red cloth Int

Questionable service history.

PIB68** - originally registered as E3**LYM (London Reg)

 

 

I'll go into unnecessary detail as someone might find it interesting besides me. But if nothing else, it's the first time I've jotted this down as a record so it's useful for me if nothing else.

 

Twas 1989(ish). My grandparents were over from Norn Iron visiting us in Northumberland (me aged 6ish) and buying a new car (W201 190D). They arrived in their 1981 W123 Mercedes (File photo purely because it's a memorable colour with with matching wheel trims - I'm yet to find an original photo). I vaguely remember going with them to the local Cragside Merc dealership but the actual purchase was a private sale 2nd hand 190D from Middlesbrough. The car was reregistered on a local Armagh reg (a UK reg'd car in South Armagh back in the 80's wouldn't have been a great thing to have). Many yrs pass and the W123 was sold and replaced by a new 2003 C-Class diesel. I wish I was old enough to have appreciated the W123 at the time. No idea of it's fate or full reg. Scrap/PX/sale/could be anywhere.

 

*As a side note, my current Optometrist in Somerset lived in Armagh near my grandparents growing up. Grandparents were known in the community and she even remembered the blue W123 and most of the reg! That is come random coincidental commitment there. 10 points to hufflepuff*

 

Roll on a few more yrs, my grandfather passed away and my gran took on the responsibility of running both cars by alternating them week by week. Traveling all over Ireland for work as well as substantial local use. Then month by month. Until her dementia took over and both cars sat in the garage unused (with the exception of a couple trips into town when she forgot she couldn't drive/didn't have a license/couldn't remember where she parked it/pure stubbornness of being told she couldn't!). The C-class was sold on but my mum mentioned to my uncle that I would be interested in 'the old one' so it was retained.

 

 

 

Gran moved out of the family home and in with my uncle and extended family. The car came with, looking sorry for itself, but she kept wanting to drive it and was told there was constantly something wrong with it (battery was removed or keys hidden). It was a bit rough and had some arch lip rust and a few car park related dings. She insisted that she would have the car repaired so she could start driving it again. So moderate expense spared, someone in the family organised for the repairs to be carried out, at her expense. (She would not take no for an answer). Time moved on again and further confusion set in; She thought it was the car she used to drive around during university, then thought it was the one she passed her test in. Unfortunately she doesn't even remember me now so I hold onto the earlier yrs as you do. She still remembers this car but less often. Out of sight out of mind. So I've been instructed to just wait and it will be forgotten about more permanently and it can quietly be relocated.

A bout 2yrs ago I was visiting but unfortunately it was at the body shop, which was closed on that day so the closest I got was behind a locked gate. So close....

 

Then last week I popped up to Belfast on a day trip from Somerset where I now live (as you do) as I'd bought another car (Mondeo Titanium X Sport Estate sourced for a friend - all expenses paid, I couldn't say no). It was a flight AM and ferry PM same day jobbie so I only had 2hrs of spare time. I went to see family and was asked to have a look at the car. All previous updates on it's condition/status had been 2nd hand info from my parents and since agreeing to taking the car on, the last time I saw it was in the garage with the black one so I was expecting it to be a bit tired.

 

 

Oh hai...

 

Teaser shot

 

Bit of upskirt voyeurism

 

Dealer still exists

 

 

Ta da!

Looking over the car I was v.pleasantly surprised. 192k miles on her and she looked far better than she did being laid up with cats living in/on her. A few months in the body shop and they had fitted pattern front wings, a couple of sill patches and new willow green paint on the wings and front panel with grey on the lower sills and lower front panel. (I need to get more detail from the body shop). I cobbled together a small video of my uncovering it(and my day trip to Belfast) but I'm not sure if I'll share that yet. But below is a quick walk around the car.

 

It's a bit of a loaded 'barn find' as the car had previously been driven from Armagh across to Belfast, into a body shop and had a check over by a mechanic. Then back to the house. But hey, still a bit of fun to 'find' a car. The car had been regularly MOT'd up until 2018, but the NI DVLA database is not online so finding previous MOT's online has been unsuccessful. Moar research required.

 

 

A member of the other side of the family up there is a car trader (and undertook organisation of the recovery from the house/body shop trip) so he was able to lend me some trade plates.  So I took it for a run, all was well. Behaved as well as a 2.5 N/A diesel should do. Sounds epically tappety (although I think they are automatic on the OM601 engine) but maybe that is characteristic of it, or potentially the result of an air leak. It's all v.new to me.

 

So now tucked up again until further notice. Collection date is not likely led by me and not likely in 2020 (we have our first baby due in Sept so my time is currently panic fixing all the other self-proclaimed chod I have in the driveway). 

 

 

I have some things to be getting on with;

-Make space for it at home. It will probably live outside which is a shame. Not much I can do about that for now. So the longer it isn't here, the better (in some ways).

-Search for service history. I have a build sheet for it, receipt for recent bodywork and a couple of MOT's. No service book, no V5. But supposedly all work carried out by a local Armagh Merc specialist. I hope GDPR doesn't cause an issue here too. I hope some stuff can be found in the mass of paperwork/books/boxes cleared from the house. Hoping to find the V5 reissued in 2012 (not sure why, maybe it went missing) as it was reissued that long ago it should still be pre GDPR and list the previous keeper name and address to clarify that part of the story. Failing that I'll just apply for a new one. I'll see if I can speak to the body shop and have a chat about the work they did.

Rear window dealer sticker from Edgware Rd, London Dealership threw up some unknown history/origins of the car. We all assumed it was new in Middlesbrough and bought 2nd hand there. (They are still going as a direct Merc dealer, not a franchise). They have no info going back that far. Would like to find some period dealer plates to get some made up for this if anyone ever see's an 80-90's merc with original dealer plates for reference.

-Mechanicals: Fix the unresponsive rev counter, sticking front caliper, dash switch missing, radio doesn't work (looks 90's aftermarket but I suspect dealer fit at the time). Find some original wheel trims - the big flat ones.

Decide how to get it home: Drive it back, go up with a trailer, have it delivered to home, or delivered to port. I prefer one of the first two options personally. Nothing like a 500 mile road trip in a 200k unknown quantity!

 

It's future is uncertain. Nobody except me in the family wants it. But as a family car there is sentimental reasons for keeping it. I'd like to think that even if I don't have a need for it, it can be stored until someone else in the family does. My only concern is storage really as I have other tat that still takes garage priority currently. But there are no immediate plans in moving it on. It's one of those things where I wouldn't have gone out looking for one and even if I did, it wouldn't be this spec/colour combo. But now it exists, there is something about it...

 

Speaking of spec, this is the build sheet thingy:

Deciphered:

VIN WDB2011262F38****
Model 190 D 2,5
Engine 602911 22 010205
Transmission 722414 02 492993
Order Number 0 7 537 07003
Order Location GREAT BRITAIN
Interior FABRIC - MEDIUM RED (077)
Paint 1 WILLOW GREEN - METALLIC PAINT (261U)
Approx. Build Date 1987-06

Code Description
238 CITY DRIVE LIGHT FOR GREAT BRITAIN
286 LUGGAGE NETS ON DRIVER RESTS L AND R
341 ADDITIONAL BLINKER LAMPS
362 RHD VEHICLES AS PER EC REGULATIONS (CONTROL CODE)
400 FOLDING ARMREST IN THE REAR
420 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 4-GEAR
467 CENTRAL LOCKING MECHANISM AND INSTRUMENTS WITH ENGLISH LETTERING
483 HARDER SPRINGS AND UNDERSHIELDS
507 OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR, LEFT AND RIGHT, HEATED (ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTABLE ON THE RIGHT)
524 PAINTWORK - PRESERVATION
534 ANTENNA, MECHANICALLY OPERATED, LESS RADIO SET
543 SUN VISOR WITH VANITY MIRROR, ILLUMINATED, LEFT AND RIGHT
563 FRONT SEATS, LEFT AND RIGHT, REINFORCED
570 FOLDING ARMREST, FRONT
585 BEHR AIR CONDITIONER AND ELECTRIC WINDOW LIFTERS (FRONT DOORS)
593 HEAT-INSULATING GLASS, ALL-AROUND, HEATED REAR WINDOW PANE (SINGLE-SHEET SAFETY GLASS), BAND FILTER
600 HEADLAMP WIPER/WASHER
613 HEADLAMP LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC
682 FIRE EXTINGUISHER
812 REAR-MOUNTED LOUDSPEAKERS
873 SEAT HEATER FOR LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEATS
876 REAR DOOR CONTACTS AND LAMP ABOVE REAR WINDOW

 

 

Any and all info on the W201's is welcomed. Or NI DVLA processes or dealer informationz.

Thanks all, enjoy.

Conor.

 

 

[LightBulbFun]

4 hours ago, Con2K said:

Or NI DVLA processes

looks like you got most of it covered but if it helps

I can tell you the plate change happened on the 1st of the 6th 1991

and that there are 2 total keepers for this vehicle so if you find that 2012 V5 it will have the first keepers details on it  

sadly any V5 post 2018 some time, wont have any previous keeper details on it (just a keeper count) "thanks" to GDPR

[320touring]

That Looks like a great bit of inheritance, and a pretty cool story about the car and owner. Sorry to hear your gran is not doing too well.

You'll make her proud by getting this old thing in daily use, doing what she bought it to do:)

[eddyramrod]

It's a crying shame about your Nan,but what a story about the car!  I love that you are so keen to preserve a chunk of family history.  Best of luck with it.

[timolloyd]

Great story and good luck with the new arrival.

[Peter C]

Much love for W123s and W201s here.

 I look forward to reading more updates.

[MJK 24]

I daily a 190D myself.  Great cars and easily able to keep up with modern traffic if you use the ‘foot to the floor’ technique!

 

[Jim Bell]

Great write up and the car looks mega. 

[Saabnut]

Nice tractor!

The Nuffield looks interesting as well!

[Cavcraft]

Just wow. Please drive it back.

[B4lljoints]

The 190d looks very nice and apparently the 5 pots make quite a nice noise?

[w00dy]

Love a 190 and that one is ace. Can't be many in those colours sadly.

[Out Run]

23 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

looks like you got most of it covered but if it helps

I can tell you the plate change happened on the 1st of the 6th 1991

and that there are 2 total keepers for this vehicle so if you find that 2012 V5 it will have the first keepers details on it  

sadly any V5 post 2018 some time, wont have any previous keeper details on it (just a keeper count) "thanks" to GDPR

Conor has access to CAP and another tool (not in the public domain, yet).  I reckon he’ll manage.

[Bradders59]

A thing of beauty. I had one until about a year ago, and I think I will always miss its character. That mileage is nothing on one of those, so don't worry about doing a 500 mile trip in it.

Don't bother putting diesel in the tank unless temps are approaching freezing. They run perfectly well on vegoil.

[wuvvum]

Hmm.  Willow Green, eh?  I wonder if that's the colour my W115 is painted.  It looks remarkably similar in the photos, although digital cameras are notoriously shit at accurately rendering metallic paint.  Could be worth a go though - I tried Thistle Green this weekend but it ain't that.

[2MB]

20 hours ago, B4lljoints said:

The 190d looks very nice and apparently the 5 pots make quite a nice noise?

They sound nice and need plenty of revs to make progress. Great cars

[Con2K]

Thanks all for the replies and support! Great to see some love for it. I really appreciate the kind words about my gran. You're right that it will be worth getting back out on the road. I think even just so some of the family can see it in use again. I'll certainly make some roadtrips to see some of them in it.

 

I don't know much about the tractors (there is 5 in total and with my limited time during my visit I had to concentrate on the car).

 

The 5 pot does sound nice when revv'd. I didn't even realise it was a 5cyl when I opened the bonnet. I was too focused on leaks and rust, which there was none of. The OM601 is an early version of the Sprinter/ML engine, which also finds it's home in the Ssangyong Rexton. My mate Liam (Out Run on here and no doubt drafted in to support in some repairs in the future ?) is well versed with the 270 turbo diesel variant in his Rexton and praises its reliability. Reading up it seems the old Berlin Taxi fleet used the OM601 block for their million milers so I have confidence they are are to the task of wearing 200k miles quite well. I'll continue to add to it as much as reasonably possible. But I'd really like to do a major service on it when it's home.

 

As for home, I think the most sensible Autoshiter solution is to drive it home.... Just be prepared for hazard light roadside updates when the time comes.

The colour combo is a rare treat. I was told about it (having forgotten about the interior) and was a little alarmed at the thought. But seeing it and then googling similar tidy examples of the red cleaned up, I think it can look quite smart. I best get my other projects progessing/sold so I can make some space and time for this one.

 

Veg oil has been considered. I think it would benefit from the above mentioned MAJOR service and inspection (something to do with a worm gear or chain driven pump that is worth removing??) and then I'll have confidence I'm not adding to any problems by changing the fuel type.

 

I'll do my best to reply...

On 8/1/2020 at 11:22 PM, LightBulbFun said:

looks like you got most of it covered but if it helps

I can tell you the plate change happened on the 1st of the 6th 1991

and that there are 2 total keepers for this vehicle so if you find that 2012 V5 it will have the first keepers details on it  

sadly any V5 post 2018 some time, wont have any previous keeper details on it (just a keeper count) "thanks" to GDPR

Thanks for the info. I hope you didn't have to pay for that mate! It tallies up with what I heard too so it's nice to know we're on the same page.  The exact date is handy. It was likely done within a few months of being brought to N.I so I suspect it was 90-91 they came to view the car. I've not utilised the CAP or DVLA data I have. I really should.

The 2 keepers thing must mean that it was new in Edgware road and that owner sold it up north, likely before a time of dealers moving stock about the country. So I'm going to assume the seller (I want to say a Doctor, it's ALWAYS a doctor) relocated up north and sold it.

 

 

 

22 hours ago, MJK 24 said:

I daily a 190D myself.  Great cars and easily able to keep up with modern traffic if you use the ‘foot to the floor’ technique!

 

Ah, a fellow W201 owner. Not to mention a 190D! Which engine? I'm keen for any/all experience you've had with the car mate. It's all v.new to me and even sourcing a few small parts seems costly. I know the values are increasing. I see yours is a slightly later one with the lower bumper/door sill plastics. Are you aware of any other changes? I'm still pretty sure the wheel trims I have are the larger W124 ones and not original.  Any modifications to make things a little nicer to live with or reliabile? (my only consideration would be a hidden aux/bluetooth functioanlity for music - boo's and hisses from the back of the crowd I hear)

 

 

 

11 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Hmm.  Willow Green, eh?  I wonder if that's the colour my W115 is painted.  It looks remarkably similar in the photos, although digital cameras are notoriously shit at accurately rendering metallic paint.  Could be worth a go though - I tried Thistle Green this weekend but it ain't that.

wuvvum - 261U seems to be the paint code. Or is yours not an original colour to the car? I've see a fair few greens come up when searching so it is a bit of a minefield. Admittedly different batches will look different and my 6yo phone won't help on a dull day. Put maybe polish up a few sq inches and see if you get some variation in depth/colour for a more accruate comparison as this thing has obviously been tickled with a DA post paint.

 

 

[MJK 24]

Mine is a 2.5, five cylinder automatic.  They work quite well together but the revs are a little high for motorway economy as it’s just a 4 speed box.  Still, I get 40mpg locally in the summer and perhaps 42/43mpg on the motorway at 70mph.  Knock about 3mpg off those for winter.

The gearbox will pull away in 2nd gear to save fuel.  If you want first, put yourself foot down and it’ll drop down into first and move off at quite a reasonable pace.  Handy for roundabouts and pulling out of junctions.

Mercedes specify two oil change intervals depending on how you’re going to use the car.  Long journeys, 6,000 miles.  Predominantly short journeys, 3,750 miles (this makes more sense as 6,000km and 10,000km).  Use either a genuine Merc oil filter or one of the German brands such as Mann, Hengst, Knecht etc.  I’ve always used Mann on mine.  The original oil recommendation was 10w40.  5w40 will flow better when cold and that’s what I use.  There’s no difference between the two when hot.  Oil pressure should always be 3bar when the engine is at or over 1,500rpm.  May drop as low as 1bar on a very hot idle.

Gearbox oil and filter interval is 20,000 miles.  Don’t neglect the box, they’re lovely when working well.  Fluid should be bright red / pink.  Don’t forget to drain the torque converter, there’s a drain plug for that too.  Diff oil and power steering fluid and filter is usually done at the same time.

There is two fuel filters.  One on the front of the engine and another inline filter under the air box.  The inline filter is often forgotten about so take a look.  Make sure the replacement has a metal gauze.  A paper one will be sucked inside out by the lift pump and you’ll end up on the hard shoulder.  Ask me how I know...

Before spending any real money, check the structure for rust.  The jacking points often rot, but are a simple repair.  The rear subframe mounts rot, and this is much more involved as you’ll have to drop the subframe down for access.
 

If your windscreen wiper seems slow, you can remove, strip and regrease the mechanisms.  Use Teflon chain grease for pushbikes.
 

The first port of call for any electrical faults should be the fusebox.  They use the old fashioned torpedo fuses can suffer corroded contacts or even sometimes the fuse will just drop out!

If you’re going to daily it, give it a good going over with Bilt Hamber or whatever your preferred anti rust gunk is.  Tyre size should be 185/65 R15.  You’ll have a huge choice at handy money.  I use Michelin Cross Climate on mine which are about the most expensive option there is and I can get them for £55 each.  £30 a corner will see you into Hankook, Kumho, Firestone and lots of other decent brands.

Rear calipers are often seized as they don’t do a lot.  Worth checking.  The handbrake uses the inside of the rear discs as a drum.

Bit of trivia, I think* the 190 is the only Mercedes passenger car to ever have a conventional handbrake.

 

 

 

* I’m about 71% sure but await correction!

 

[2MB]

The R107 SL and SLC had normal handbrakes, unless they're not thought of as passenger cars?

[MJK 24]

2 hours ago, 2MB said:

The R107 SL and SLC had normal handbrakes, unless they're not thought of as passenger cars?

I stand corrected!  But a lackey such as myself has only seen such machinery in magazines and on the telly ?

[BorniteIdentity]

Medium red cloth is the best of the lot. I’d not have specced it with green - there was a green cloth and a lovely brown colour too.

This was my old w201 and I thought the interior was stunning. 

[Con2K]

So much info's!! Thank you!

 

MJK24: Some cracking detail mate. Thanks. Gives me lots to think about and get on with.

MPG's sound good for an old tech 4speed auto (same as this one)

Gearbox in 2nd is a really useful point. Thanks. I took the car for a test drive and it did feel v.slow to pull away from stationary, but fine the rest of the time. I suppose I wasn't aware of the second gear thing and also the car itself. Much less of a worry now.

Oil service is good info. Happy to run a bit thinner. The box service is one I have no info on (yet). It was done at a MB specialist for yrs so I assume they know what they are doing. But I have no confirmation on services yet. All other service info is great too mate. Considering the moon miles they are regularly on (and this one is no exception) I am surprised at how regularly and how involved the service intervals are. If I can confirm it's regularly done I'll be happier to drive it home

 

Structure wise, an invoice for nearly £3k of welding work/repairs/paint. I checked the jacking points, arch lips and anything else I could see while it was on the floor but not much inboard of that. Not seen the subframe area, but I can speak to the bodyshop that did it and find out more information before they forget what they did as the invoice is quite sparse of detail. Happy to keep it up to scratch but not looking for another major project.

 

Unlikely to daily it but would defiantely go through periods of daily use for weeks at a time. I'm glad it has a conventional handbrake. My parents '98 C class had the pedal and I was never a fan.

I was told by someone where the car is stored they beleive it has a sticking caliper and would need that sorting prior to a long drive. So I'm tempted to ask them to chuck it in for an MOT and see what comes back. I can make an educated decision on how to approach this. I would love to drive it back, but not at the risk of doing it damage. So still waiting on service history details.

 

On 8/9/2020 at 8:52 PM, BorniteIdentity said:

Medium red cloth is the best of the lot. I’d not have specced it with green - there was a green cloth and a lovely brown colour too.

This was my old w201 and I thought the interior was stunning. 

That looks very well kept. I'm keen to see this one with some love. The more red interiors I see, the more I like it. I also would have not spec'd green. But it works weirdly.

[Con2K]

So I made a post about what to bring/expect when collecting the car and it sort of took off more than I thought with some incredibly useful information, so thank you to those that contributed. I thought it best to move that update to this main thread and continue the updates here.

That post can be seen here, but I'll summarise the trip back and the work I've carried out since.

 

I'll spend some time this weekend adding information and photo's to this post, but for now, here is a big list I'll use as reference.

 

Service History (or lack thereof):

The previous service history had been misplaced. Frustrating since my grandparents owned it since 1990ish and verbally I know the car was religiously serviced. They did have a later 2003 C-Class and that was sold. There is a chance some history went with that car accidentally. It's still on the road but I have no idea where it is to follow that lead. (Black C220 CDI LLZ6841).

Prior to picking the car up, I did some investigation and was able to get some information for it. Some dead ends too obviously. I like to be v.thorough when digging for information about vehicles I own.

For starters, in the glove box we had:

-Original handbook (no other books/service book)

-Ice scraper

-4x old tax discs  around 2014-2018.

-Original build card (so random!!)

-Most recent MOT for 2017

-Recent receipt for bodywork done in 2019 when she had every intention of driving it again and wanted it 'sorted out' - More on this later.

Family members tell me the car was serviced almost exclusively by Joshua White Ltd (Armagh) and Portadown Mercedes. JW Ltd had unfortunately closed in about 2016. Had I known the car was coming my way, the history was missing and/or the garage was closing, I'd have done something sooner. But it was not to be. So that's a dead end.

Portadown MB had only one digital record: Gearbox rebuild in 2013 at a cost of over £2000. The reason being 'contact with a kerb'. I had to provide proof of current keeper (my grandmother) to get a copy of this document which they were then happy to issue. THe car has done sub 4000 miles since that rebuild, so if nothing else, that put my mind at ease about any gearbox issues cropping up, at least on the journey home.

The NI DVA are less 'digitised' than mainland UK DVLA so looking up MOT history online isn't an option. I contacted them and they were able to provide a list of MOT dates, locations and mileages for me though. No detailed information is held centrally. They said the DVA test centre it was done at may keep records and to contact them directly so I'll pursue this. DVA records e-mailed to me at least gave me mileages and dates so chucking it in a spreadsheet and printing it out for the service history, I know that from 2005+ it had done 1400mls a year and was dropping each year until the last one at 2017 showing only approx 200 miles use. Average mileage over the previous years was about 7k a yr. I know the car was purchased second hand with very low miles for a 2yo car, which is why they got it instead of a new one.

 

OK, so to summarise that, the service history prior to collecting the car now consisted of basic MOT proof back to 2005, Build card, bodywork receipt and a MB document for the gearbox rebuild.

With regards to the bodywork, I contacted the garage; HT Motors in Doagh, NI. Sound guy on the phone knew the car, said they normally do full restorations but remember this 'nice green mercedes' and said, 'oh I have some photo's and video's of that. We normally put them up on our Facebook page'. I was in shock! I wasn't expecting this at all. So a few hrs later I was sent some files. I've edited them together a bit to try and get the most out of the footage which i'll upload later. Following this they also told me exactly what work was done, what brands of paint/parts etc and I've made a document to reference this detail, again, for the service history.

 

There is more research being done but I'll update you with any findings. To add some bulk to the documentation I have been able to source an original Edgware Road Dealership promotional brochure, as the car was originally issued and registered at Edgware Road MB. I think it's probably 5yrs older than the car but pretty cool find. I've purchased a period service pack for the other booklets and also a new blank Service book. This will just be used to note any future servicing once the car is recommissioned by me.

 

Car collection:

Covid restrictions looming, storage space where the car was being kept getting tight. It was finally time to get it home. I flew over and spent a day prepping it for the journey back the following day. I was v.limited with what I could carry on a plane so I decided to bring almost nothing and just preorder/purchase when there. I booked a ferry back for the following evening giving me the whole day to get there should I hit any issues. I also had many routes to chose from. Cairnryan in Scotland was the most obvious but done that a few times and the trip home down all of the M6 & M5 is pretty boring. Total cost for flight & ferry was £137. Pretty good value. Planned journey is below. I ended up doing a total of approx 450 miles as I drove through central Dublin to see some family, pickup a 1:18 model of the Merc I ordered online and also drive past where I was born in Dublin.

 

Prep work; Charged battery (in advance, thanks to someone there), gave it a clean, went over some of the faults I knew it had which included:

Fuse 13 was blown. No Radio, no interior lights, no hazards. Replaced the fuse and it blew instantly again. Removed all interior lights, seatbelt warning, radio wiring (looked bodged anyway) and disconnected battery. Then replaced fuse and reconnected the battery, didn't blow. This then got the hazards working for the trip home (and I didn't have to use them! 😀)

Did 25 miles testing to make sure it was going to be OK on that arrival day. Performed fine. was slow but having now driven one I wasn't sure what to expect. It struggled up hills but overall was fine upto 70mph.

Collected some pre ordered parts from ECP in Belfast and proceeded with a Fuel/air filter change, they misplaced the pre-filter so I left this alone. I bought an aux belt too but didn't have the tools to change it (Merc toolkit not present with the car either). The existing belt looked decent so was happy to leave it to be honest. Oil filter was not available when I ordered but again things looked acceptable for the journey home.

Set off following morning, grand plans to video and document the journey but there was a horrible slapping noise that appeared just as I crossed to border to the south. Stopped and checked a few times but saw nothing. Nursed it along at about 55mph where it sounded much happier, then the noise stopped. Brought it back up to 70+ and it was fine. Initially I thought a tyre but all were fine. Not much vibration. Then some sort of prop bush/bearing failure, again, all fine. I disregarded gearbox issues given the receipt I got for the rebuild. I'm suspecting just something from the barn it was in worked loose/got caught. Having got it home and having it up in the air, I still couldn't see anything. When I do the oil change and remove the belly pan/undertray I'll have better access. I bought 25ltrs from Opie oils and a box of oil filters. Still waiting on their delivery. It seemed much cheaper to buy in bulk.

Overall the car performed well. I also spotted another W201 and a few W124's on my trip but there was no acknowledgment returned from them. The car got a few looks, but this was probably the confusing trade plates on it rather than 'oh, look, old car'. I am super impressed (and a little surprised) at how nice it is to drive. It was so comfortable and smooth. The auto box helped too. I think I'm just used to driving older cars that have been heavily modified or tired and are just very stiff/crashy. This was quite the contrast. The reassuring thing is I know that changing some bushes and components will only make that driving feel even nicer so there is a big appeal with this.

 

Lovely drive down. Quiet. Picturesque. Time to myself. Small adventure in my life which was well needed given I'd recently left my job for personal reasons.

 

I'll add photo's and video's to the above information shortly.

 

I've done a fair bit of fault finding and repair work on the car since I got home so I'll throw that up too when I get a moment.

Thanks for the interest. I'm surprised and pleased to see love for non cosworth models too!

 

 

 

[Mrs6C]

Fantastic!

Well done for getting it back and an interesting collection trip as well. 

What a lovely colour it is!