SKcats fleet. Full weeb spec on the GS300.

[loserone]

Is this the one I've seen for swaps on the book of faces?

[Skcat]

11 minutes ago, loserone said:

Is this the one I've seen for swaps on the book of faces?

It will be! 

[Skcat]

The Marea is sold... I hope. Will be dropping it off today. The new owner also owns a fiat bravo and brava, so he is trying to complete his collection! Hopefully it will be a good owner. 

On Wednesday I will to travel to London to pick up the replacement a ULEZ refugee! It would be fun to post some updates as it goes on here! 

[Skcat]

I managed to get a new air filter for it, oddly hard to come across but regardless it was going. 

All sold to a new owner! Found him on Facebook but turns out he is a member on this forum. 

Will be collecting the replacement this evening.

[Skcat]

On 10/27/2021 at 3:50 PM, Dr_Slow said:

Not an E class (as claimed in the listing), but currently very low winning bid:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124973186985?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m43.l3160&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=80522e70ecf4457882800691f07ab640&bu=43005318925&ut=RU&exe=99323&ext=234176&osub=-1~1&crd=20211027045138&segname=11021&sojTags=ch%3Dch%2Cbu%3Dbu%2Cut%3Dut%2Cnqt%3Dnqt%2Cnqc%3Dnqc%2Cmdbreftime%3Dmdbreftime%2Ces%3Des%2Cec%3Dec%2Cexe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext%2Cexe%3Dexe%2Cext%3Dext%2Cosub%3Dosub%2Ccrd%3Dcrd%2Csegname%3Dsegname%2Cchnl%3Dmkcid

After lusting over another old merc (I don't think the clk last year counts) I went about and collected one on Wednesday. I found it on the ebay shite forum and was curious about it. It had pervious sold for around £1000 but the seller apparently never collected it. 

I decided if it was a 1.8 I would not bother and if it was a 2.0 I would bid £750, I know someone will say the 1.8 Is not bad but I just feel short changed driving a merc with a engine smaller then a 2.0! I then thought about it more and put a bid on at £650 and laughed it off thinking "I will never win that" then I did!

A buddy and me drove Into London to collect it, the guy seemed nice but ulez was the reason he was selling it. It was pitch black apart from the street lights. He could not open the boot, I just made sure it shifted into reverse and 1st then bought it! 

It is a bit of a knacker but its all the more fun for it, apon joining the w201 Facebook group you see all the posts saying you can't get one with a mot for under £1300 and see people selling a 1.8 manual for £3500 with no interested parties. And it makes you happy you get to try one out for such a little cost! 

The paint is shot, I'm too scared too try the sunroof, The thermostat has failed (I think this is the 4th car in a row to have a bad thermostat) and the handbrake does nothing. but all the windows go up and down, it shifts into gear... And it goes much faster then I should admit on a forum!

I've not looked under it but so far it seems like a really solid example. It came with lots of paperwork and it seems like it was maintained extremely well up untill 2010. 

I'm not really sure what to do with it but so far I'm glad I've gotten it!

Have a photo with me in it. 

If you guys want any photos in particular or know of any spots I should poke with a screwdriver let me know! 

 

Hopefully you guys will appreciate the weird pressed numberplate on the front too! 

[Scrubworks]

Cat and I went for a little photoshoot yesterday.

I was probably more excited to test drive his car than I should have been. Compared to my auto 2.5 diesel non-turbo, it is far snappier taking off at low speeds, and accelerates better for overtaking on the highway. As Cat says, it is surprisingly gutsy for a 2 litre of that period, and I was easily able to get it up to [REDACTED] mph. I was also surprised that there is no noise difference at cruising speeds between petrol or diesel 190s. This car is a true fighter. Now I just have to persuade Cat not to sell it next month so he can buy another Peugeot or something 🙄.

[Pat Earrings]

57 minutes ago, Skcat said:

After lusting over another old merc (I don't think the clk last year counts) I went about and collected one on Wednesday. I found it on the ebay shite forum and was curious about it. It had pervious sold for around £1000 but the seller apparently never collected it. 

I decided if it was a 1.8 I would not bother and if it was a 2.0 I would bid £750, I know someone will say the 1.8 Is not bad but I just feel short changed driving a merc with a engine smaller then a 2.0! I then thought about it more and put a bid on at £650 and laughed it off thinking "I will never win that" then I did!

A buddy and me drove Into London to collect it, the guy seemed nice but ulez was the reason he was selling it. It was pitch black apart from the street lights. He could not open the boot, I just made sure it shifted into reverse and 1st then bought it! 

It is a bit of a knacker but its all the more fun for it, apon joining the w201 Facebook group you see all the posts saying you can't get one with a mot for under £1300 and see people selling a 1.8 manual for £3500 with no interested parties. And it makes you happy you get to try one out for such a little cost! 

The paint is shot, I'm too scared too try the sunroof, The thermostat has failed (I think this is the 4th car in a row to have a bad thermostat) and the handbrake does nothing. but all the windows go up and down, it shifts into gear... And it goes much faster then I should admit on a forum!

I've not looked under it but so far it seems like a really solid example. It came with lots of paperwork and it seems like it was maintained extremely well up untill 2010. 

I'm not really sure what to do with it but so far I'm glad I've gotten it!

Have a photo with me in it. 

If you guys want any photos in particular or know of any spots I should poke with a screwdriver let me know! 

 

Hopefully you guys will appreciate the weird pressed numberplate on the front too! 

Check the rear jacking points thoroughly, common failure point that some people often bodge.  Thermostat failure is common as well but you can easily do them yourself iirc.  Starting issues and rough running are usually down to OVP relays which again are very common. I had one years ago and it was such a shame I had to get rid, ridiculously over engineered cars. The fuel cap itself felt like it was machined from a solid piece of steel

[Skcat]

1 hour ago, sims00 said:

Check the rear jacking points thoroughly, common failure point that some people often bodge.  Thermostat failure is common as well but you can easily do them yourself iirc.  Starting issues and rough running are usually down to OVP relays which again are very common. I had one years ago and it was such a shame I had to get rid, ridiculously over engineered cars. The fuel cap itself felt like it was machined from a solid piece of steel

I noticed in a lot of people seem to make fun of the boot lids, probably the tiniest feeling part of the merc, but about on par with other cars from the period. Everything else feels very solid! 

[Schaefft]

Another ULEZ exile! I have the feeling that the expansion of the ULEZ zone will lead to quite a few bargains to be had.

I was checking out a ver clean W201 a few years ago while a friend of mine was looking at a 635csi. I couldn't believe how solid everything felt inside, it was supposed to be Mercedes' most affordable car after all.

[Jack D]

Smashing!  Does it have the single stalk on the right?  This era of Mercedes had near flawless ergonomics despite not following anybody else’s model for how things should be laid out.  These feel like the engineers stopped at every component and asked the question “Is there a better way, even if it’s not the accepted standard?” 
 

The Mercedes system of doing things in ingrained deep.  Hard to live without when you become used to the feeling and accept that their ergonomic model might simply have been better than everybody else’s.  
 

I don’t think the company has ever regained that level of confidence in itself.  

[Scrubworks]

9 hours ago, Jack D said:

Does it have the single stalk on the right? 

They do indeed. Useful for people like me who are used to old Japanese stuff which also has the indicators on the right.

[The_Equalizer]

On 11/8/2021 at 11:00 PM, Schaefft said:

Another ULEZ exile! I have the feeling that the expansion of the ULEZ zone will lead to quite a few bargains to be had.

Exactly. I nicknamed them ULEZ orphans and there are plenty now cropping up on FB Marketplace. What I want to know is how long owners will hold on before the prices go off a cliff? I don't suppose I will be back in The Smoke until Christmas. Wonder if they'll be any left.

[Zelandeth]

The thing which messes with my head?  That the S123 has that same stalk as does my van - in fact I think to this day they're still using the single combined wiper/indicator stalk...but in my case it's on the right in the S123 and on the left in the van.  It messes with my head every time I get back into the S123 after driving the van.

That stalk is something that people either seem to love or hate.  Personally I've always liked it. 

We really do need to get your new one any my S123 together for a side by side comparison and some photos one day.

[Skcat]

On 11/12/2021 at 11:15 PM, Zelandeth said:

The thing which messes with my head?  That the S123 has that same stalk as does my van - in fact I think to this day they're still using the single combined wiper/indicator stalk...but in my case it's on the right in the S123 and on the left in the van.  It messes with my head every time I get back into the S123 after driving the van.

That stalk is something that people either seem to love or hate.  Personally I've always liked it. 

We really do need to get your new one any my S123 together for a side by side comparison and some photos one day.

My 2015 mercedes citan, which was just a kangoo had the same cruise control stalk as a c class. Or at least it looked very similar. 

The w124 I had as far as I can remember is the same stalk as my w201. 

 

I washed the 190 and it seemed like it had not been cleaned for years. I got so much muck and mud off from around trim and under the wheel arches.

Once It was all done the car looked no different. 

I changed the thermostat in a attempt to get the interior heating working and it did absolutely nothing. The heater matrix seems to be clogged, I will see if I can get it better with a garden hose! Other then that I've just been cruising in it! It's just a bit cold this time of year.

One thing I've noticed is mine has rear headrests, seems to be uncommon on four cylinder models but I'm no expert! 

[Scrubworks]

23 minutes ago, Skcat said:

I washed the 190 and it seemed like it had not been cleaned for years. I got so much muck and mud off from around trim and under the wheel arches.

Once It was all done the car looked no different. 

I changed the thermostat in a attempt to get the interior heating working and it did absolutely nothing.

10/10

[Skcat]

Did around 250 miles in the merc! The wipers randomly stopped working but it turned out to be the fuses being a little rough, tweaking them helped it and got it running perfect. I should replace them all. 

The oil cap has always been a bit weird and after driving a long way the low oil light came on. Turns out the oil cap was falling apart and was dumping oil over the block. Topped it up with tesco 10w40 and drove it home. Picked up a new oil cap for £2 and euro car parts, it's so might tighter now. The seal is perfect now.

Ordered some front brake pads for it too! 

[Skcat]

After doing a some more miles this weekend, it seems the fuel sender is now working just fine and the fuel level is displaying fine at all times. I reckon it living in London and only travel a few miles between fill ups just gummed up the fuel sender. 

I got it home and shoved a garden hose in the heater matrix hoses and back the opposite way. Then just flowed through the radiator and block. Messed around with it for a while and put it back together and it seemed like it made no difference. After a short drive I had some real heat, I don't think it's quite as powerful as it should be but it is fine too me. Maybe a new radiator cap will help as the current one is a bit loose. 

Cleaned the interior up a little so I could get some photos! 

I wonder if the rear headrests are uncommon, they don't seen to be on a lot of cars. They must have at least been a optional extra. 

It is a shame the paint is in poor shape because it's starting to look quite smart

[Skcat]

So the heat kept randomly coming and going and It turns out a lot of my hoses have swollen up and it leaks coolant a lot. Ordered up a couple of hoses and changed them and it's much more consistent. I think air was just getting in the system a lot! 

By the way if you have a 190, don't buy a after market expansion tank. They suck. But I can fit it for the short term while I find a way of cleaning up the original. 

My pad warning light kept lighting up so I changed the pads but unfortunately they were so worn down the sensors themselfs were eaten up! So those are on order! And it turns out my lower radiator hose started leaking at the expansion tank. I've cut a couple inches off to give it some more hose and ordered another radiator hose. 

Every time I do one job I find more things I need to do, but it now I've been under it it I've not found any rot yet. It's got that going for it. 

[Nullzwei]

On 12/5/2021 at 4:31 PM, Skcat said:

After doing a some more miles this weekend, it seems the fuel sender is now working just fine and the fuel level is displaying fine at all times. I reckon it living in London and only travel a few miles between fill ups just gummed up the fuel sender. 

I got it home and shoved a garden hose in the heater matrix hoses and back the opposite way. Then just flowed through the radiator and block. Messed around with it for a while and put it back together and it seemed like it made no difference. After a short drive I had some real heat, I don't think it's quite as powerful as it should be but it is fine too me. Maybe a new radiator cap will help as the current one is a bit loose. 

Cleaned the interior up a little so I could get some photos! 

I wonder if the rear headrests are uncommon, they don't seen to be on a lot of cars. They must have at least been a optional extra. 

It is a shame the paint is in poor shape because it's starting to look quite smart

Here is a link to a VIN decoder if you want to see if your w201 came from the factory with the rear headrests.

https://www.mbdecoder.com/

[Zelandeth]

27 minutes ago, Nullzwei said:

Here is a link to a VIN decoder if you want to see if your w201 came from the factory with the rear headrests.

https://www.mbdecoder.com/

It seems to struggle a bit with older models...Just put mine in and while it picks up the model correctly the listed options are clearly total nonsense.

Somehow I don't think those were available on a 1986 car!

[Nullzwei]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

It seems to struggle a bit with older models...Just put mine in and while it picks up the model correctly the listed options are clearly total nonsense.

Somehow I don't think those were available on a 1986 car!

Yep that bit is gibberish but the section above that is not, at least for my car.

I have the original build sheet for my w201 and the options shown on that come up when i use this vin checker.

[Skcat]

23 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

It seems to struggle a bit with older models...Just put mine in and while it picks up the model correctly the listed options are clearly total nonsense.

Somehow I don't think those were available on a 1986 car!

It seems to still work but some of the codes mean different things now! This is mine. 

467 does not mean a locking diff as the website says. It means central locking on a w201.

This car has:

467 = central locking 

412 = electric sliding sunroof

876 = interior lighting

M102 = fuel injection

261 = badge delete (this car does not say 190E or 2.0 on the boot) 

061A = Black interior

731 = walnut dash trim

620 = emission control

341 = additional blinker lights

613 = lights for a RHD car

812 = rear speakers

744U = brilliant silver paint

652 = 8 hole alloys... WHERE HAVE THESE GONE!?! 

593 = heated rear window

584 = 4 electric windows

570 = front armrest 

524 = paint code preservation

400 = rear armrests

430 = rear headrests

420 = 4 speed transmission

So the car is missing its alloys, seems like at some point someone swapped them for some w202 steels with trims. I always thought someone removed the rear badges but it's that way from the factory! 

[Skcat]

I will probably be looking for a new car in the new year, just curious if anyone would be interested in the 190E.

I would be happy to swap it for something new, just sell it, or roffle.

I'm not so sure of the value but I won't be charging the earth for it! Maybe if I want it gone by the new year I should put it up for roffle now? 

[Nullzwei]

24 minutes ago, Skcat said:

I will probably be looking for a new car in the new year, just curious if anyone would be interested in the 190E.

I would be happy to swap it for something new, just sell it, or roffle.

I'm not so sure of the value but I won't be charging the earth for it! Maybe if I want it gone by the new year I should put it up for roffle now? 

Stick it up in the for sale section and see what happens. You can always withdraw it if there is no interest, which seems unlikely as w201's are great cars.

The original owner spent a few quid on options on your car by the look of it, much higher spec than my 190d.

GLWTS

[Skcat]

Some exterior photos as I've never uploaded any good ones! Not that these are any good! 

[Skcat]

Anyone know how much of a pain wreck these Frog faced Scorpios are? I imagine the timing chain is quite involved. 

This one appears to have been driven into something. IT would be fun to tell people "I'll come around in the cossie" then see the reaction when it turns up!

I've had a Omega, 940 and a W124. Surly I need to give a Ford a go! After that I might need too go FWD to try more 90's euro barges like a XM! 

[Skcat]

And the merc is sold. I think they guy was after a parts car but after looking at it he said it was better then his current one so is current one becomes the parts car! Leaves me with some money and no car. So I will have a look around. 

I really want This, it's always been a dream car and the price keeps getting lower. I just don't want to take a big hit when it comes time to sell it! 

[Scrubworks]

On 1/1/2022 at 7:14 PM, Skcat said:

I really want This, it's always been a dream car and the price keeps getting lower. I just don't want to take a big hit when it comes time to sell it! 

You don't really have room for that

[Skcat]

The rover went a while ago and I've been desperate for a replacement. Was looking for a 1992 250D but after loosing a auction for a Ford probe I won a rover! Will be travelling to get it in Wales with @Scrubworks

 

[Skcat]

And collected! Guy has a lot of other great cars too!