Dave buys yet another car he doesn't need. Super(charged) content inside!

[DaveDorson]

My Dad got himself this because his Jag is broken, and he's decided the gearbox is difficult so he went and found a 320 version with a slush box..

I'd already said I'll buy this one off him when he's ready to sell it, but didn't expect to get it this soon.. ho hum.

 

It's done 145k, it's a 6 speed Manuel with decent history and everything works.

The wife likes it.

More to follow.

[DaveDorson]

Here it is parked outside my house.

Initial drive shows a few issues.  

One, it feels a bit sluggish.  I've checked the Vanos solenoid and that's fine, the charger is working and the brakes aren't stuck on.

It feels a bit sloppy in the corners.

Three guesses what the issue was?

 

 

 

[mitsisigma01]

Flat ditchfinders🤔

[DaveDorson]

Bodywork wise.. it's had some paint, it needs some paint, but it's not a dog by any means.  I think a machine polish would do it wonders to be honest.

A smart repair around the rear drivers corner isn't looking very smart, the lacquer on the mirrors is going, there's a bit of rust in the boot near the plate, and around the bonnet around the badge, but the wings and arches are great, so that's nice.

 

 

[DaveDorson]

1 minute ago, mitsisigma01 said:

Flat ditchfinders🤔

Yep, each tyre was around the 22psi mark.. pumped them up to 30 at the front and 33 at the rear and it felt lovely this morning;  I even drove it the long way back from dropping off Mrs Dorson at work.

[DaveDorson]

Tyre wise.. what works on these well?, I'm guessing Rainsports are a solid choice.. They run a staggered setup, the fronts are good Yokohama C Drives, the rears are a mixed bag but have loads of tread, so I'll probably just do the rears first.

[mercedade]

Excellent work!

Check the bypass valve is working, not just the supercharger: https://www.slkworld.com/threads/are-all-your-bypass-valves-leaking.402553/

Great cars, the manual box must be an interesting experience.

[DaveDorson]

13 minutes ago, mercedade said:

Excellent work!

Check the bypass valve is working, not just the supercharger: https://www.slkworld.com/threads/are-all-your-bypass-valves-leaking.402553/

Great cars, the manual box must be an interesting experience.

It's not the most refined gearchange I've experienced, that's for sure, but once I get used to it, I'm sure it'll be fine.

[DaveDorson]

@SiC these can be had for TT money.. dunno if you need rear seats or not mind.

I've found this one a piece of piss to drive so far, most are automatic and therefore even easier to drive I suspect.

[SiC]

21 minutes ago, DaveDorson said:

@SiC these can be had for TT money.. dunno if you need rear seats or not mind.

I've found this one a piece of piss to drive so far, most are automatic and therefore even easier to drive I suspect.

Rear seats are handy, more for using in tip runs and occasional occupants. These are a bit too much like my Boxster really. Plus I'm all (diag) tooled up for VAG and have only limited code scan/erase/live data for Merc. 

[DaveDorson]

Went for a little raz out to Guyhurn to get an evening meal with the wife tonight.  Was an excuse to get some more seat time with the car more than anything and stretch it's legs a bit and get the director of household relations thoughts on the car while I decide whether it's to remain or to be sold off once I've improved it and spent more than the value of the car on doing so.  

Tyres with the right pressure make it a pleasant drive, the rears are some ditch finder spec ones but didn't try and kill me even when provoked, they're just a bit noiser than I'd like.  The fronts are Yokohama C drive, they are alright, but I'd not want to press on really hard with them. 

 

Obviously we encountered a few roundabouts so I got the test out the idiot triangle on the dashboard.  She wasn't impressed by either this or the in gear acceleration when leaving the roundabouts, but I enjoyed it, and the esp stopped be from being a total bellend and kept everything in check, so that works..  science..

A few 3rd and 4th gear pulls have confirmed it's doing the boosty thing it should do and it feels alright when you wind it up, you get a bit of whine but it's typically muted and mercedes.  I'm sure I could make it less so and increase performance while doing that but that's hardly the point of a car like this is it?

I'm sure a Boxter or big engined Z3 would be a much better car for the enthusiastic driver, especially in its day, but this is a nice comfortable way of covering a bit of ground with a a degree of pace.  Now I've got the seat where I want it, it's actually a decent place to sit and enjoy.

[mitsisigma01]

Spend ,fix, roffle, deliver

👍👍👍

[Barry Cade]

14 hours ago, DaveDorson said:

Tyre wise.. what works on these well?, I'm guessing Rainsports are a solid choice.. They run a staggered setup, the fronts are good Yokohama C Drives, the rears are a mixed bag but have loads of tread, so I'll probably just do the rears first.

I just put 4 Falkens on mine, they seem pretty good so far, rear size is the odder one, so I chose going on who made that size.. fronts are 205 55 16 so everyone does em.

I'm confused. I didn't think the 320 was supercharged...?

[Cord Fourteener]

14 hours ago, DaveDorson said:

Three guesses what the issue was?

 

 

 

It was built my Mercedes and not AMG?

[DaveDorson]

9 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

I just put 4 Falkens on mine, they seem pretty good so far, rear size is the odder one, so I chose going on who made that size.. fronts are 205 55 16 so everyone does em.

I'm confused. I didn't think the 320 was supercharged...?

It's a 230, not a 320.  My Dad got a 320 to replace this, and the 320 has a slushyboxomatic, this has the 6 spd manual

[DaveDorson]

9 hours ago, Cord Fourteener said:

It was built my Mercedes and not AMG?

Flat tyres.  Honestly, always check the cheap stuff first.. it seems alright now, it's not terrifying speeds, but it's adequate.

[DaveDorson]

The more I use this car, the more I like this car.  It's a really good bit of kit, goes alright, handles alright, is comfortable, it looks great and it feels well nailed together.

Drove Sarah to work this morning with the lid off, got home and ordered some breather hoses, some oil, and a set of filters and spark plugs.

Took the air filter out to check to see if the intake hoses are a bit oily (they are, of course they are), and the air filter is Mercedes marked, and quite clean, but I did manage to get a few good clouds of dust out of it, so I suspect it wants swapping at some point.

[mercedade]

Also check for oil wicking to the ECU (and apologies for any granny/egg interface)

https://www.slkworld.com/threads/oil-wicking-ecu.581549/

 

[DaveDorson]

38 minutes ago, mercedade said:

Also check for oil wicking to the ECU (and apologies for any granny/egg interface)

https://www.slkworld.com/threads/oil-wicking-ecu.581549/

 

any pointers are appreciated, I'm not new to cars, but I've not really done much with "modern" mercs.

[DaveDorson]

I picked up the paperwork for this earlier.

 

There's a lot of paperwork with the car and a spare key, this made me happy.

 

[DaveDorson]

I've run about 200 miles of fuel through this now, on a mix of roads across four counties, and I have to say, this is one of the best vehicles I've ever owned for getting me from point a to b, in a degree of relative comfort, keeping me engaged, and at a reasonable pace.

Paperwork reveals I'm only the 5th custodian of this car, and it's got a massive heap of MOT's to back up the average mileage, as well as a merc book full of service stamps up until about 40k miles ago I think.

There's also a sales brochure in the paperwork, and some receipts from indie garages  around the Cambridge area where the car appears to have spent the majority of its fairly cosseted life.

There's not really much else to report as I'm waiting for the breather hoses to arrive, and the tyres on the back haven't tried to kill me to the degree I want to replace them yet.

[skoda_fan]

Brill. I put my SLK into an auction recently because I came over all sensible, too many cars etc etc. It didn't sell which is a disguised blessing as I've now fallen right back in love with it.

[mitsisigma01]

10 hours ago, skoda_fan said:

I've now fallen right back in love with it.

Raffle 

[DaveDorson]

 

Just spent the morning thrashing about the lanes with the top off, still enjoying it a bit.

This came complete with an AMG badge on the boot.. I've removed it now, and aside from adding petrol haven't really had to do much else.