ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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I figured I would update this pilot post. The first 4 pages are about my 250D. I didn't intend on potentially seeing the E320 as a keeper which is why this thread has that car in. The E320 only makes an apperance from lower down on Page 3 (ooo eeerrrr!)There I am giving out advice to people on what not to do and what to do etc.. What do I do? Throw the rulebook away! Here is a tale and tribulation of how I acquired my W124, not quite in the spec that I wanted either! But let's see how this began! A few years back I sold my 205 GTi to Tepper of this parish. In return I got a sheddy W124 300D Auto back as part of the deal.  Great deal some of you would say if you knew the value of 205s back then! However, this W124 was not without its issues as Will told me when I got it off him. In short, it didn't turn itself off, it was slow and it was tattier than it should have been in places! But it was a cheap 124 and the core of the car seemed fine! Despite the issues you could also sense part of the W124 magic ; it was silent at speed and just wafted everywhere! I was debating keeping it but after the troublesome Stag it went onto a friend of mine. It's looking pretty good these days but then it should for the cash that's been put into it! I'm told it drives a little better now too and since doing the repairs initially it's been a solid car! Being a well kitted W124 initially the wheels, seats and other bits really have transformed it!   After this I almost bought an OM606 NA estate instead of the Clio 172! They were a bit cheaper then for a good W124! But it was not to be! Eventually I bought a car which I thought nailed many things. Speed, comfort, the lot! My E46 M3:  Not a retro I know but they are getting on a bit now! A bit I soon realised with quite a few bills that hit me within quite a short space of time! A little like my first 944 S2 this somewhat dented my enthusiasm for the car, until I drove it again! But at least I made it past Xmas without going into a hedge of sorts! Maybe it wasn't that bad! So one night after coming back after a few beers I felt a bit of a sensible cap moment coming on! I fancied something cheaper to run than the M3 but without paying much money for it! Going old has its issue and PCP was not an option for me! I also didn't fancy modern diesels with injector, EGR and other issues to go wrong ; good examples were also more than I was looking to spend! Of course the W124 lust came back into the frame unfortunately! After doing my research I decided I wanted a 300D Auto, preferably an estate and that I could settle for a 220TE ; the MPG and performance isn't meant to be that different. Little did I know I would whack on a bid onto a W124 despite barely checking the MOT history, and buying sight unseen or even speaking to the seller! It was also miles away! 160 miles from home to be exact ; I stopped travelling for cars this far away many years ago after a lot of dissapointment! Yup, you can blame the beers! A week later it popped up to say that I won the damned thing! Damn! The BMW had been on a good stink ; I placed the bid thinking I wouldn't win it, I rarely do! There was only one thing to do. Collect it. With many things getting in the way of collection for both me and the seller it seemed like this car and me were not meant to be! But eventually I finally got my train ticket to go down to deepest, darkest Devon: 
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Last Edit: Dec 29, 2022 9:21:22 GMT by ChasR
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Wanders off to put kettle on and settle down for part 2...  |
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my kettle is whistling!
JP
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I know its spelled Norman Luxury Yacht, but its pronounced Throat Wobbler Mangrove!
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Tea time is gone I even had a few cookies....
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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THE DELAY BETWEEN EPISODES IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!
Its like waiting for the next season of Game of thrones..
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact
Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300
EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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It's good to know that these tales serve as sense to others! I did leave one bit of the tale out! After I found out that I won it I spoke to him over the phone. He was saying the bodywork could be tidier and mentioned the other points that I already knew about but otherwise it was a solid car. I really did have my reservations. But since I committed to the bid, it was only right to go down and see what was occurring. After leaving Warwickshire I soon hit Reading station! It's not a bad stations, but maybe not in the top ten. After grabbing a bacon butty and a coffee I sat down waiting for the train to Exeter. As soon as it arrived I hopped on I saw yet more green fields with the odd scrapyard popping up next to the railways! I would have taken a photo if my phone didn't freeze up for the first time ever during my ownership! Was it really that bad to buy this car? What I did notice however was my second change on the train looking unlikely! With an 11 minute delay on my train I could see that I could possibly see my other train leaving rather than being on it! Thankfully the train companies made the other train wait due to this. Going on a GWR train reminded me of everything that was wrong with trains! It was smelly, worn out, old and even looked like it belonged in the 80s! I even saw someone having a swift swig of Hostein Pills at 11am on the train! Yup, the scenery had changed somewhat! In some ways this was for the better. I was rewarded with stunning views however for my patience and perseverance! Suddenly this trip was beginning to make more sense!   Before I knew it I came across the well spoken man known as Ken. He rocked up complete with his beard and long white hair in quite a sheddy W124 Estate, also a manual and a 250D! I know these are rare but this obsession is sounding unhealthy! Despite the rot ridden exterior I was looking forward a little more to picking up the car. Once I saw the car I had won I knew from then I would be taking it away. A quick drive around the block surprised me! Sure, it was a normally aspirated and on first impressions it had the wrong 'box but it certainly had a charm that won you over! Sure, the engine lost one cylinder but except it sounding slightly more Audi 5 pot like you couldn't really tell it was down on power! If anything it felt a little pokier! It was no road burner but it did gather speed at a nice pace ; it seemed quicker than my old Pug 206 DTurbo! And then there was the W124 factor: The feeling of a well built, wafty car. It drove much better than I expected it to. With that done I agreed to the deal. Part of the other reason for agreeing to it was down it having a new timing chain, evidence of regular oil changes and with the exception of mismatched panels a nice honesty. Oh, and it is solid! With that all done it was time to fill the old girl up and hit the open road:  It was an utter joy to drive this back! It just cruised at motorway speeds! I was banking on the return journey taking me a while. It's fair to say that I had underestimated the car. It just loves the motorway and feels right in its element! It's not been taxing on fuel either so far! Before I knew it I arrived back home quite pleased with the purchase. Yes, this car was a 'if only you were closer' car and I broke every rule of mine buying it! But for once the outcome hasn't been that bad  So, do I have a plan? Well, I am working on that! It has a couple of minor electrical issues that need seeing to, like the headlights that either work, sort of do or don't at all (I had to use the inner driving lights ; I think they are fog lights!). See why my new radio doesn't work and then decide what to do about the exterior. It's an ideal workhorse as it is! The interior is not too shabby at all and it's clear the car has been taken care of. That said, lows have been uttered around me with even the correct spring compressors offered for the deed!   One thing is for sure. While the M3 can go into hibernation over winter this is a great way to waft around. |
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Carlosfandango.
Part of things
Now with added Suffix B Range Rover classic - another bucket list car acquired.
Posts: 145 
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Outstanding, love these.
Well wear!
CFD
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1966 Fiat 1500 fast road/race conversion
1967 Porsche 912
1968 Fiat 124 Spider
1973 Range Rover Suffix B
1993 Series one Discovery 200TDI
1997 Jaguar XJ6 3.2 sport
2001 P38 Range Rover 2.5 TD
Brace of Triumph bikes
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nov 13, 2017 21:54:26 GMT
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For a week I've not actually been using any of my cars! That's partly because I became a cripple in that I could barely go to work. As a result the only cars I drove when I had to were a MkIV Mondeo 2.5T and a Saab 9-3 1.8t. Both are different drives with the Saab having it on style and the Mondoe everywhere else, especially town driving and putting your foot down. It was fair to say that after a week my M3 felt like a rocketship! It never used to feel like that coming from the Mondeos due to their superb low down torque being a Volvo 5 pot. But M3 really has the legs above 3.5k! Of course I'd then come to pick up the W124... Much to my surprise it fired up after a week after the first short turn of the key despite being left for that time! The old girl was showing some hope! Of course it did feel a lot slower. But I soon settled in and just swooned around. BUT, the headlights went to briefly working to not working at all, but also working intermittently! Gah! Would I be driving on Foglights every night like below? I could not even pull off the rudely look in this form! But they are vaguely convincing headlights! I even had the glorious light bulb warning going on and off!  The one clue that it could be a simple fix was that the beams worked perfectly with the light warning bulb going out! Being dual filament bulbs that ruled out an earthing fault. That left in my eyes a switch, connection or a relay problem. Tapping the fuse box did nothing. Opening it and wiggling the fuses however did. Gone are the intermittent headlights, and now come the reliable shiny lights! You have to love a free and easy fix!  Yes, yes I know about the leaves! I'll have to hoover them out! My plan for these fuses are to sand back the contacts on iffy fuse connections, vaseline the connections and replace any tarnished fuses. Another thing? When I collected the car it came with a crappy Grundig HU from a Corsa! I ended up taking it out and putting in very swanky Alpine, a 9887R for those wondering what it is!  But hang on, why is it not in the dash? A few reasons: -I pulled it out as it didn't power up when I put it in first time. This was down to the power wires not being connected on the Alpine harness -Some clown/C-unit has cut the godforsaken wires and bullet connected/ taped the stupid connections! Some connections are intermittent, some are just plain wrong! Right speaker connected as a left speaker anyone? At least they got their front and back speakers right. PLEASE people. Don't be just tight gits! Don't curse word up the wiring over the price of a few beers! Just go out and splash some cash on a proper HU harness converter! It will be quicker and deliver a better result. To this day I've never owned a car where the wires have been cut and then put together correctly! ARRRGGGGHHH. Ah well, it's a soldering job I can do. I can add it to the list of previous cars I have done the same with. I've very rarely had an issue with harness converters. Speaking of other jobs the inventory has started for the car! This is in the form of : -Bosch Aeroblade wiper for a W124 : I have these on my M3 and I have to say I am really impressed with their quality and longevity; it's way better than their normal blades or even Valeo's offerings now! -Hydraulic steering filter. Yes I did just say that. I plan to change that when I change my PAS lid O-ring ; the reservoir is leaving a mess around the engine bay! Let's be honest, if it drips on the floor, none of your friends with clean driveways like the 'drippy' car. But £3 for an O-ring? Mercedes saw me coming! Mind you, it's still cheaper than what a local specialist want, but they do have it on the shelf, but then Mercedes are closer to me... -Ruville engine mounts. I went for Corteco mounts and I believe they are meant to be the OEM mounts as used by Mercedes. However, CP4L did kindly tell me that I'd have to wait which to be fair is decent of them. As a result I've decided to give these items a go. Will they work as good as the OEM items or will they shake the car like mental like one of them does currently at idle? We shall wait and see. They were a reasonable price mind you! They are still meant to be hydraulic mounts apparently. If other folks have tried these let me know .  Yup. For a car that was cheap I should be careful what I get! But the core of the car is pretty good and let's be honest, who likes a car were you can't see where you are going in the rain in addition to vibrating itself inside at a warm idle? |
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Nov 14, 2017 11:10:01 GMT
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Doesn't look like a bad punt for sight unseen and just goes to show the, "wish you were closer" brigade, eh.
Hostein Pils at 11am? You guys slowing down over there since Brexit?
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nov 14, 2017 17:23:07 GMT
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Doesn't look like a bad punt for sight unseen and just goes to show the, "wish you were closer" brigade, eh. Hostein Pils at 11am? You guys slowing down over there since Brexit? Cheers! The photos can be flattering! But for a cheap Merc it's alright actually . Clearly we must be! He should been drinking earlier and having a nice English drink like a Carling! |
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Nov 14, 2017 18:10:53 GMT
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What was the mpg then? Also I buy the cheapy aeroblades on eBay and they are pretty good for the money.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nov 14, 2017 18:32:04 GMT
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What was the mpg then? Also I buy the cheap aeroblades on eBay and they are pretty good for the money. I'll have to ask you about those next time and your source on eBay. I used to use Halfords blades on cars like this, but the quality of them was a complete lottery ; some lasted quite a while, others fell apart within months and couldn't even wiper a raindrop off. With them now being £10 on trade CP4L/eBay are a better bet in terms of cost. I did want something fast however; the old one was useless! So the MPG. Honestly? Not a clue! A finger in the air measurement would suggest mid thirties at a bare minimum, maybe even 40MPG. All I know is this. It's got a 70 litre tank. I filled it close to the top but I didn't quite hit the top back in Devon. I've done over 250 miles and I've still got over half of a tank left! Most of the motorway work was done at 80-85ish as well. Going by that it's more frugal than the Mondoe 2.5Ts which do low-mid 30s with a similar sized tank, and the Saab too. In comparison the M3 gets anywhere between 270-320 out of a 65 litre tank. The most I've ever seen from that was France ; We got 420 miles on fumes at the end from pure Route National/Toll road routes. But I guess that can go fast! When I get a true figure I'll post it . What figure were you expecting it to do? |
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Last Edit: Nov 14, 2017 18:33:28 GMT by ChasR
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Nov 14, 2017 20:09:36 GMT
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Its the kinda car to do try hypermiling. Good engine service, check wheel bearings,bushes, new eco tyres etc. Would be good to get high thirties on a tank.
Does this run on veg?
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nov 14, 2017 23:46:25 GMT
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Its the kinda car to do try hypermiling. Good engine service, check wheel bearings,bushes, new eco tyres etc. Would be good to get high thirties on a tank. Does this run on veg? I'll be honest, I've not tried hypermiling it! I have calmed down a little on the throttle mind you! Yup, these do indeed run on veg . |
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Nov 15, 2017 13:28:29 GMT
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I may be wrong but I think you have the wrong drivers side front wing there! I think it should have a series of angled vents down by the headlamp area to cater for the air filter. Nice motor though, built\ like tanks and soooooooo quiet and smooth!!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nov 15, 2017 19:12:03 GMT
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I may be wrong but I think you have the wrong drivers side front wing there! I think it should have a series of angled vents down by the headlamp area to cater for the air filter. Nice motor though, built\ like tanks and soooooooo quiet and smooth!! Thanks for the comments! However, mine wasn't meant to have the vent ; I "think" @turbodieselweasel can confirm. Mine is an OM602. My OM603 300D also didn't have a vented wing. I believe only the Turbo diesels and the non-turbo OM606 had those vents We never got the turbo variants in the UK  . |
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Last Edit: Nov 15, 2017 19:12:53 GMT by ChasR
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Tepper
Part of things
Posts: 381
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Nov 15, 2017 19:34:50 GMT
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You weren't totally put off by my old one then  glad to see it's still going and in good hands by the look of it. This one looks nice, excellent choice for a winter daily. |
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1989 Peugeot 205 GTi - stolen!
1983 Mazda RX7
1968 Rover P6 - also stolen.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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You weren't totally put off by my old one then glad to see it's still going and in good hands by the look of it. This one looks nice, excellent choice for a winter daily. Not quite  . The new owner gave me some jip about it for a while but to be fair we both got a fair deal out of the car. It's very smart now that it's seen a repaint, 7J Sportlines and a full leather interior. He's sorted out the injector knock issue and the CL I suspect was down to the corroded fuses : I know I've had issues with mine as had MrOtter on his. Along the way I've learned a couple of things too which made me a little more confident in getting this car. As for my car have I been busy with it? Yes, I've been driving it daily already! While I plan to sort out storage for the M3 to go into hibernation it will give me the time to sort out the few niggles on this car. One niggle I wanted sorted sooner though was an oil leak. It's wet underneath the engine and part of the engine bay too! After carefully looking it seemed that not all was well with the hydraulic steering reservoir. This is why I got the filter . Despite me gently tightening the filler cap further it only leaked more! It looked like the seal was shot ; I had a similar but less extreme issue with my M3 PAS reservoir seal.  Mine was grubbier and definitely damper than this item however! Even the airbag behind it had a misting of PAS over it, along with the entire PAS pump! If there is anything I hate as well as your friends with nice or new driveways it's oil leaks. It makes the cars a pain to park and you become 'that guy', joking aside about 'only real cars leak' etc. With that in mind I got the seal at a price of £3 from Mercedes. Pricey I know, but not when they were cheaper than the local specialist. Always check the dealer prices first peeps! And so off I went to change it. On first impressions the seal looked OK in the cap, to the point I could barely tell if it was there or not!  It was only when I compared the new seal to the old that I realised something was amiss.  Yup, that seal was toast! It's almost half of the thickness! With the seal changed I then went to clean the housing with some rag and carb cleaner. I'll do the rest of the engine bay when I get a spare weekend ; what's one of those? Suffice to say at least it's lost this leak and hopefully keep everything a little cleaner |
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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It can be funny at times. For one reason or another you keep on procastinating over doing the job. It could be down to laziness or life simply getting in the way. In this case it was also down to the poor weather being a driveway warrier as well as the fear factor ; I don't really fancy having my hand taken out by a heavy OM602 lump just in case it falls down. With that in mind I recently acquired storage for the M3 so that it can hibernate over winter. It however can also be used as work space. This left me with a problem. Bar a few specialist tools and my ratchet gun I don't actually have a toolset! Yes, I know! I simply used to borrow my dad's set over the years! After all, we'd normally fix the modern stuff together so it made life easier. Taking socket sets down can become a pain however. Something needed to be done to rectify this. Enter stage left, or rather Black Friday (Yes, I know!).  Socket set Halfords BF by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr I've been meaning to get one of these for ages. One so that I have a better charger than the fully automatic Halfords jobby. Two because in order to code/remap the gearbox ECU on my M3 I need a 10A and 13-14V supply while doing updates. Why? If the voltage drops below 13V during the update over the 1/2 hour period it takes to perform there is a chance that the ECU will brick itself; I plan to finalise the CSL updates on that which until now I've only partly done due to the above. If it saves the large battery in there and on other cars then I guess it is a win. The fact that it was cheaper than ever on an Amazon Black Thursday deal sweetened the deal for me. I've already used it twice! Finally, this is the second item:  Socket set Halfords BF by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr Yes, I could have gone secondhand, some will say. But they do say a workman is only as good as his tools. That and IME things like these tend to be pretty abused by the time they are sold. With that many parts in the toolbox I couldn't complain at what it cost me. So, I had the tools, I had the workshop, all I needed was a weekend. With last weekend's crazy schedule gone this weekend gone was looking promising. And so off I went with a very packed W124 down to the unit. When I came to look and check out the driver's side engine mount it wasn't in bad condition at all. If anything it looked almost brand new!:  Engine mounts by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr However, as soon as I looked up the passenger side I knew I found the source of the problem:  Engine mounts by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr Yup, that mount had gone big style! The rubber had split and then fallen away from the mount. On top of that the fluid if there was fluid even in there had long gone! No wonder it was shaking like mental at idle! By the looks of it the power steering leak it previously had looked like it may have finished off the engine mount. With that in mind I got out the carb cleaner, soaked the area thoroughly and then proceeded to remove the engine mount. That way I can also find it easier to trace leaks in the future. It's fair to say it had seen better days.  Engine mounts by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr  Engine mounts by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr  Engine mounts by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr Much to my surprise the job actually went quite well! Within a couple of hours I had cleaned myself up and packed everything away before I was on my way home.  Socket set Halfords BF by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr  Socket set Halfords BF by Charanjeet Randhawa, on Flickr Yup, the new mounts were fitted with the passenger side being thoroughly cleaned up prior to fitting the new mount. Is there a difference! Definitely! The engine is no longer shaking the entire car to smithereens at idle, but then I guess the ladies will be missing that. Not that they were good vibrations. Gearchanges have also improved and the car is generally alot nicer to drive, especially in town. All in all it was a result, with the car now being more suitable for tackling daily driving. I then proceeded to go to an old friend's place who deals with W124s. While he was showing me some wheels I can have for my car he fancied a drive of the 250D. After all, manual 250Ds aren't that common! This is the same guy I sold my 300D to. In short he was perplexed by the spec of the car. After all, it had electric windows all round, a full wooden trim package inside but not much else! He loved how the car had zero injector knock but also how quick the car was. OK, I mean quick for a 250D ; quicker than his 300D auto he felt and possibly on a par with a 220E Auto. Not bad at all! He was very complimentary about the drive. A result indeed. Will I walk away some day with his 15 hole wheels for £90-120 depending on if I get his part worn tyres. We shall see. I am trying not to let mission creep affect thigns Oh, I heard you guys ask about MPG? I finally managed to refill the car after 3 weeks and 470 miles! Not bad at all! With mixed work and me trying to be a little too quick at times (cough, running late for Roadkill!) I have managed 35MPG. Not great, but not terrible, a Pug 407 2.0HDI I had previously could only usurp this by driving like a nun in that car. It's fair to say it's alot cheaper to run than the M3's V-Power'd 24MPG on average! |
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Last Edit: Nov 27, 2017 9:21:51 GMT by ChasR
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,309
Club RR Member Number: 170
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This weekend was spent with me putting on almost 200 miles onto the car. It's not a car I leave sitting much! However, it was time to do power steering filter. For those wondering it's quite an easy job to do. I removed the return hose as suggested and it's not too bad ; I also changed the tired clip for a new jubilee item. Pelican Parts say to use the turkey baster method to clean the fluid which they claim is effective. It is interesting that the original filter was made by LUK or at least for LUK ; I've never seen them involved with filters before. Maybe it is a placebo effect but the steering does seem a touch lighter now. The keen eyed would have noticed that I removed the air intake reducer from the airbox. Some claim it makes a difference, others don't. Whether it does or not is another matter. I may reinstall it as I saw the state of the air filter. Suffice to say I plan to give the car a service of all of the filters via an order with CP4L using Mann filters where possible. It seems they possibly are the OE filter for the fuel filter going by a few dealer listings. Yes, I may be buying things cheaply but I'm not skimping on quality where possible. The PAS fluid for £3.60 delivered for the correct stuff for example!  |
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glad to see it's still going and in good hands by the look of it. This one looks nice, excellent choice for a winter daily.
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