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Mar 23, 2017 11:13:15 GMT
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So. At the request of @mercdan here is my latest purchase. Bought for too many ££'s as I liked the wheels.
I'll start from the point that I decided to sell my Forester - I only ever put fuel in it twice and covered less than 500 miles in my 9 month ownership! The reality is, I only need a car maybe once or twice a month & having 6k+ tied up is a luxury that I personally didn't enjoy - but as my Wife says, at least you ticked a box. So I sold it - for 5k cash. Bye Bye Scooby
I paid off my credit cards & the Wifes too (1k between them roughly) and decided that I would budget myself to £1500 to buy, tax & insure something else. Now I may not be clare voyant or whatever but I'll wager you've all done the 'What if I had xxx to spend on car' search on fleabay? I know I do it weekly. So that week was no different. I wanted a Lexus LS400 but the one I had in my watch list had sold - gutted. Still, there was this lowly E class up for £1250 which I knew was too much but hey ho, the money was getting too hot for my pocket! The MOT history showed that it had never failed on much throughout it's life and with only 108k miles on it, surely it was still running in? - A qucik call to A Plan in Thatcham confirmed that they would allow me to insure it as a Classic - £130 per year = RESULT
So I paid £1050 in used notes for this.....
It had MOT until Nov 2017 and both myself & Wifey liked it - (I had a W210 Estate before and loved it before my Dad nicked it)
Typically, it has a bit of grot around the arches but its not bad. The alloys need a refurb but then I'd be scared the Wife would kerb them so they can stay scabby until I have finished SPENDING MONEY on the damn thing!
What's gone wrong you may ask? - Errr lots!
1st issue - 1 week after bringing it home I went to use it - battery flat. I jumped it with my jump pack and used it all day but the next it was flat again. Halfrauds - new battery £80
For the next month, everything was fine then my Daughters Fiancee's Grand Scenic went bang! I rely on Aaron to bring my daughter & my grandchildren up from Pompey on a regular basis as I struggle travelling distance. (Even 40 miles!) So I lent my son in law the Merc to get him home that night. He loved it. The following day we bought him a gorgeous Laguna estate for 1k. On a rather 'Spirited' drive home in my car, I parked it up and thought all was well.... It wasn't.
The following day, I went to use it and it was in Limp mode! I read on MercMedic.com how to reset it and carried on as normal assuming me caning it didn't help. Next day - Limp mode again!
At this point, I figured I would spend a bit on it and iron out a couple of niggles - namely the windscreen washer fluid warning was on the whole time despite being full - meaning you can't see the clock! Turn on the lights (Previous owner fitted xenon kit) and you get a bulkb out warning - side light. I dropped it off at Mercury car care in Aldershot as he is known locally as the Merc whisperer. The brief to him was fix the limp issue, fix the light bulb, sort the washer warning and put a new MOT on it for piece of mind. The problem? Lambda sensor failure. Fault codes cleared and no longer in limp mode. Simple yeah? Err no. MOT FAIL on beam pattern, emmissions, coil springs not in cups properly. The bill?? £450
After this, it has been faultless.. until today - flat battery again!!! Assume something draining it? God knows what I'll do.
Anyway, enough rambling - I'm no pistonpopper at telling my tales so pictures!
Nice 18" - Not sure if real or copy or even if they are splits?
Nice Alpine head unit with changer in boot & ipod connect too
I love the quirky blue cloth trim - nicer feel than leather
Get a body or two in here..
Air con in centre console!
Final shot before slamming doors, boot & going inside to sulk and figure out how to get a battery charger on it overnight.
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Last Edit: Jun 12, 2017 11:25:19 GMT by SmokeEm
96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Mar 23, 2017 11:16:42 GMT
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oh, i forgot - the previous owner had bodged the wiring on the zenons so that was blowing the sidelight bulb and taking out the fuse for the cruise control. Mercury rewired back to OEM headlights which sorted the beam pattern.
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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richrolls
Part of things
Posts: 318
Club RR Member Number: 38
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Mar 23, 2017 11:50:00 GMT
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Nice. maybe of no help here but I have just started chasing a similar fault on my W220 S55. You have a quiescent current aka parasitic battery drain. Mine is drawing 2.7 amps when off. I have to yet measure once the car is locked etc etc and left for at least 20 mins to "GO TO SLEEP! stop draining the bl00dy battery off!"... The systems stay awake for a while after leaving the car for various reasons. P38 range rover used to have a similar problem with the alarm picking up the key nearby and waking the car up and then draining the battery. Mercs are of course alot more complicated..... You need a DC current clamp meter or something like to measure DC current. Remove the negative terminal on the battery and loop a bit of 6mm plus csa cable out of the boot between the battery and the neg lead. You can now shut the boot. Let the car settle and measure you current draw when it shouldn't be drawing.Use 6mm or above and you'll cover the amp range when the car is at rest and obviously,don't start the car with the wire link in. I am looking at the alarm as the main culprit at the minute as they have a built in battery that pulls from the car.
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Geordie
North East
Course I'm out of my mind...........it's dark and scary in there!!
Posts: 2,514
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Mar 23, 2017 12:23:42 GMT
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I nearly bought one of these at the back end of next year. Lots of car for the money.
Hope you get the niggles sorted, and you get to enjoy it rather than looking daggers at it!
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CURRENT FLEET '99 Ford Mondeo Ghia X (60k miles) '99 Alfa 166 (3 litre V6, 89k miles) '01 Mini (#869) '06 Audi A6 (18 year old 'modern' daily)
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Mar 23, 2017 12:44:37 GMT
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It might be the Alpine unit.
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Mar 23, 2017 12:45:23 GMT
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I had a 211 E320 CDI and that was always killing batteries, IDK if this is the same, but there was a second battery that was always draining and giving me warnings, but the main battery was OK. I think it was the SBC battery warning.
I think once you get past other peoples bodges, you'll have a reliable beast of a car.
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Mar 23, 2017 12:51:50 GMT
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It might be the Alpine unit. That could be the case as it is wired 'Always live' - Maybe I'll pull it out and change to ign feed?
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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brc76
RR Helper
Posts: 1,107
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Mar 23, 2017 13:03:35 GMT
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That is one of my pet peeves when people do aftermarket radios. Be fearful for rubbish wiring behind the radio if that's the case.
/RANT
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Mar 23, 2017 13:39:41 GMT
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My personal favourite bit is the cigarette lighter volt gauge! Awesome! I have one of those too! My guess is your car has had a dog electrician play with it, and its probably full of scotchblok connectors. I'd start with the radio, unplug its fuse, and see if it still does it. Nice car by the way... but too many doors
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Mar 23, 2017 13:56:37 GMT
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My personal favourite bit is the cigarette lighter volt gauge! Awesome! I have one of those too! My guess is your car has had a dog electrician play with it, and its probably full of scotchblok connectors. I'd start with the radio, unplug its fuse, and see if it still does it. Nice car by the way... but too many doors
I agree Robin but I have grandchildren so I needed rear doors. In a few years, I will deffo buy another Pillarless V8 to redeem myself. I bought the ciggy lighter thing to re-assure me that the alternator wasn't fudged.
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Last Edit: Mar 23, 2017 13:57:03 GMT by SmokeEm
96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Mar 23, 2017 15:14:28 GMT
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Love the E classes, had a 280 petrol And a 300 diesel, really nice cars Looks good David sure the niggly faults will pass I had no issues with mine
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Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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dikkehemaworst
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,591
Club RR Member Number: 16
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Loved mine , but what a rotbox that was. Still Loved it to bits
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rr69h
Part of things
Posts: 313
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Nice one! I'm sure lots of comfy wafty miles will follow. Quick question though after looking at this pic: is this really a CDI? The rev counter has a red line that indicates a petrol rather than a diesel. And congratulations on having the light bulb warning fixed. I've just started to dig into this issue on my CLK and feel that finding the fault will drive me nuts... Felix
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"Racing drivers never carry cash"
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Nice one! I'm sure lots of comfy wafty miles will follow. Quick question though after looking at this pic: is this really a CDI? The rev counter has a red line that indicates a petrol rather than a diesel. And congratulations on having the light bulb warning fixed. I've just started to dig into this issue on my CLK and feel that finding the fault will drive me nuts... Felix
You are correct and I am a dope - Title amended. Good luck sorting your bulb issue.
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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🇿🇼Kingludba🇬🇧
Part of things
If in doubt... flat out !
Posts: 975
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Mar 24, 2017 17:30:31 GMT
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Blimey..... Drove past yours today after months of going through church crookham and saw this beauty..... Rushed home to check in on here.... Looks a good'un
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`99 BMW 528i auto - current `01 Merc C320 - Gone `01 Forester S-Turbo - Sold `89 BMW 320i Convertible - Sold(shoulda kept it ) `88 Toyota MR2 T-Bar - Sold `89 BMW 325i touring - Sold `89 BMW 535i - Let her go too early `85 BMW 320i 2 door - Rust = character `00 Subaru Impreza Turbo wagon - Sold (engine failure) `93 BMW 325i - Sold
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Mar 24, 2017 19:13:13 GMT
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It might be the Alpine unit. That could be the case as it is wired 'Always live' - Maybe I'll pull it out and change to ign feed? Easy way to test - take the face off and test it again. I had a sony which used to draw nearly 2 amps with face in. Then wire it properly.
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Mar 26, 2017 15:45:12 GMT
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That could be the case as it is wired 'Always live' - Maybe I'll pull it out and change to ign feed? Easy way to test - take the face off and test it again. I had a sony which used to draw nearly 2 amps with face in. Then wire it properly. Thats great info, thank you. I've had a real busy week so only chance to put it on charge today. Just been out and removed the face and will check it again next weekend to see if the charge has held. Must've been real flat as its been on for 5hrs already and still not green
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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Apr 27, 2017 18:45:18 GMT
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I know you've been busy stalking lately but have there been any updates on this?
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Apr 28, 2017 13:36:22 GMT
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The only real update is after changing the alternator for a new pattern one, the battery STILL drains over 2 - 3 days! I have re-wired the stereo so it's not that but I am told by a friend that my new battery is a dud - luckily I got a 3 yr warranty on it so back to Halfrauds I will go on Monday. I have fitted a solar trickle charge which keeps it topped up fine but I have to disconnect it every time I want to use the damn thing! Still makes me smile when wafting though. I even put 30 miles on it last week!
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Apr 28, 2017 20:52:23 GMT
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I nearly bought one of these at the back end of next year. Lots of car for the money. Hope you get the niggles sorted, and you get to enjoy it rather than looking daggers at it! IMO if you've not driven one drive one. I drove a W124 300D a while ago and I did like that ; alot! I still wonder if I should have kept it ; sure it was slow but it got down the road so quietly and smoothly Even compared to modern Mercs it really is something! I "got" why people loved these old barges. I was never a fan of the 'bug eye' cars until I drove an E210 CDI on a '51 plate if I was guessing. It was a 4 pot with 230,000 miles, complete with a slipping 'box if you floored it too hard. I really did not expect much. What I did not expect was to be surprised at how well it drove! You almost didn't notice or care that it had a 4 pot after a couple of hundred yards ; it had more than enough oomph! The ride was very good and inside it was lovely! I will admit the tinworm on the bodywork is bad but if they don't rot as bad as Jags underneath of the same decade I'd say you are on a winner. I'm almost willing to say that these are the underrated gem of the MB world. So Mr. SmokeEm , I can safely say that as someone who never gave these a second glance I commend your purchase! It's amazing what a drive behind the wheel can do.
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