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Jun 27, 2018 15:51:48 GMT
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Back on the 21st of May 2018, I bought this lovely old Mercedes via this very forum. Faults: 2 x rusty front wings 1 x rusty rear arch Needed a polish Tracking was out because new track rod end was fitted for MoT Engine had oil leak/s Good points: It’s a W124 200E! 5 speed manual transmission New clutch Brand new MoT Superb MoT history 4 x as new Continental tyres Last owner for 15 years, her husband before that for 4 years Very tidy MB-Tex interior Drives well All electrics work Here's the car:           If the W123 in the last photo looks familiar, see here: forum.retro-rides.org/thread/94932/1985-mercedes-benz-w123-230e?page=1 |
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Last Edit: Jun 13, 2022 20:41:57 GMT by Peter C
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Jun 27, 2018 15:54:12 GMT
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The front wings were completely rotten.  Before I got stuck in and carried out more comprehensive repairs, I taped over the rust so that I did not have to drive around with holes in the bodywork.  |
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Jun 27, 2018 16:00:56 GMT
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I started cleaning up the inner rear arches. The offside looked great:  Beneath an inch of dried mud, I found two rubber grommets completely surrounded with rust. With a little prodding I got this:  Removing the windscreen washer bottle and more prodding with a screwdriver revealed this:  I thought that was the extent of the rust and got a professional welder to repair both panels:   Painted:  |
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Jun 27, 2018 16:03:11 GMT
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A couple of weeks later I carried on with repairs to the rear inner arches. And found this:  The other side had a little surface corrosion but was solid:  I called the professional welder out again and he fabricated and welded in a new mount:  All painted and sorted:  |
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Jun 27, 2018 16:06:15 GMT
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Jun 27, 2018 16:08:48 GMT
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Jun 27, 2018 16:12:05 GMT
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The water pump wasn't leaking but was noisy. Removal was easy:  New pump, £67 from EBay, fitted:  The front suspension was a bit clunky. With front ARB bushes in this condition, hardly a surprise:  Old and new:  New bushes fitted, genuine MB parts fitted, sourced via Hughes of Beaconsfield, my local dealer:  I had the front suspension geometry properly checked:  And adjusted:  |
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Jun 27, 2018 16:15:01 GMT
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The engine bay was filthy:  The cam cover vent pipe must have been spewing out oil all over the top of the engine:  Upon removal of the filter enclosure I did find a brand new looking air filter:  A quick clean up and the motor looks a lot better:  After giving the paintwork a good polish, I'm now keeping the 200E under cover. My W123 and Porsche Boxster (more on that later) are both garaged:    |
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Jun 27, 2018 16:18:42 GMT
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Jun 29, 2018 11:14:48 GMT
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Absolutely love your threads, how come you've made a new one instead of updating the existing w123 thread like all the other purchases, (i reread it yesterday and this morning) to keep the momentum going.
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Jun 29, 2018 13:52:48 GMT
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Absolutely love your threads, how come you've made a new one instead of updating the existing w123 thread like all the other purchases, (i reread it yesterday and this morning) to keep the momentum going. Thanks mate, I’m glad that someone reads my posts! I got banned from this site a few years ago and left the W123 thread to die. The 200E is another project and a keeper and deserves its own thread. More to come in the future. |
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Jun 30, 2018 14:03:57 GMT
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Jun 30, 2018 18:45:00 GMT
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2 of the best models mercedes made along with the w126. You just need to add a BMW e28 & e34 and life would be complete. Oh and an early 944. It's a good job I have no money atm, otherwise I'd be out buying another.
Do you have any reports on the boxster. It's a near perfect line up you have there.
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Last Edit: Jun 30, 2018 18:45:26 GMT by sprouting
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Jul 10, 2018 15:50:41 GMT
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After a recent three hour drive in horrendous M25 traffic, I parked up the 200E and thought everything was fine. Drove the car the next day and noticed a click/clunk coming from the offside rear wheel. The noise occured when I pulled away from standstill or when abruptly applying the throttle whilst driving. Brakes were fine, no binding. Ditto handbrake. Driveshaft related problem? I took the car for another drive, by myself, able to concentrate on the noise and possible symptoms. I noted the clunk also occurred off throttle. Back at the ranch I jacked up the car, got my torch and crowbar out and started poking things. Problem found immediately. Front subframe bush had masses of free play. With the wheel off and the hub supported on an axle stand, I lifted and lowered the car whilst observing movement along the top of the subframe and masses of looseness in the bottom washer when the car was lowered. The offside was worse, photos are of the nearside, which I dealt with in the same way. Very loose bottom washer:  I had a pair of exhaust hanger rubbers in the garage, which have a Mercedes part number on them, which are roughly the same diameter as the subframe bushes.  I removed the bottom subframe bolt and fitted the rubber ring between the bush and the bottom washer. With the bolt tightened up there was no more looseness in the subframe.  I went for another drive and silence, noise is gone. Note: I have not repaired the faulty bushes, I have merely temporarily silenced them and now I know what the problem is I can plan ahead and have the bushes replaced. Investigations on the internet even suggest that the bushes can be replaced at home without special tools. |
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🇿🇼Kingludba🇬🇧
Part of things
If in doubt... flat out !
Posts: 975
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Jul 10, 2018 16:01:49 GMT
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Nice write up, keep the updates coming.
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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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Jul 10, 2018 16:10:01 GMT
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2 of the best models mercedes made along with the w126. You just need to add a BMW e28 & e34 and life would be complete. Oh and an early 944. It's a good job I have no money atm, otherwise I'd be out buying another. Do you have any reports on the boxster. It's a near perfect line up you have there. I had a smashing W126 300SE about 10 years ago, in silver with black leather. I loved that car but for some crazy reason I agreed to swap it for a Lexus LS400, via this very forum. Bad decision, the Lexus was numb and I parted with it within a month. I still miss that 300SE. I'm not a huge BMW fan but I have respect for E28s and E34s. I had a 924, poor man's 944, whilst I was at uni 20 years ago. It was fun then but wouldn't go down that route again. I've had the Boxster for approx 3.5 years, apart from having a tyre replaced and a service done at the local Porsche specialist, it's remained 100% reliable and unmessed with. It's a nice 3 owner car, FSH mostly Porsche AFN, I got it with 69k miles, now it's up to 77k. I have all the receipts and paperwork, all previous MoT certs, even all tax discs from new. It's a keeper but it's not a car that I tend to tinker with. |
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Good news first. I’ve been away on holiday for a couple of weeks whilst the 200E stood on the drive. Upon my return the engine started first turn of the key. I noted a strange fault a few weeks ago. With the headlights off, the indicators worked ok but with the lights on, the windscreen wipers would come on if I indicated right. Not a problem if I had a BMW but faults like this are a no no if one owns a Mercedes Benz. Research on the net suggested that the stalk is knackered. Cleaning the rear of the stalk with switch cleaner didn’t help so I ordered a replacement via Ebay, which I am collecting tomorrow. In preparation I’ve taken the old stalk off.   The first photo might suggest that removing the stalk was a complicated job but I had it out in 15 minutes. Since I’ve had the car I noticed that the front right speaker would sometimes cut out. Cranking up the volume usually brought it back to life. W124s have strange speaker sizes with the front ones measuring 4.25 (or is it 4.5) inches in diameter. Bespoke replacement speakers cost more than I am prepared to spend so I fitted a 4 inch Kenwood speaker in place and sealed the small gaps around the sides with insulation tape. The original cover grille fits fine and the sound quality is excellent. Job done.  |
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Geordie
North East
Course I'm out of my mind...........it's dark and scary in there!!
Posts: 2,520
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Great thread, great write up, great car.
I too loved my 986 when I had it.
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CURRENT FLEET
'95 Rover 623SLi (65k miles)
'99 Renault Laguna Executive
'55 BMW 318i (52k miles) for sale
'06 Audi A6 (18 year old 'modern' daily)
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Picked up the new stalk today (bought on Ebay sent to my local Argos). Shame it’s a LHD part. The plug has an extra cable and the horn connections are completely different. If I tried to fit it, the symbols would be upside down.  The seller has offered a full refund and I’ve ordered another stalk, a second hand part but with the correct part number, which should be with me by Thursday. Cock. |
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The correct second hand stalk arrived midweek, took ten minutes to fit and... problem still there. I did more research and found this: forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/index.php?threads/n10-relay-soldering-repair-wiper-indicators-hazards-rear-window-demister.62702/So, I identified the relay:  Removed and opened it up:  I’m no expert when it comes to dry solder joints but to me everything looked ok here. I gave the switches a clean:  Upon reassembly, problem still there. I thought about installing a switch to turn off the earthing to the wiper motor. Yes, a complete bodge but at least I could drive the car at night and use the indicators without the wipers going ape. I removed a lot of plastic trim from the scuttle to reveal the wiper motor:  Whilst I could see the wiper motor, the wiring was tucked in underneath and was not accessible without a lot more dismantling, so I gave up. Before packing my tools away and giving up for the day I had one more fiddle with the stalk and noticed, with the front of the car parked close to the garden gate, that the offside headlight dimmed as the indicator went on. I know very little about car electrics but I know a bad earth problem when I see one. When I was having the inner wing welded, I removed all the wiring from the vicinity of the offside headlight so I had a look there first and found a loose nut and bolt, which secures a bunch of earth wires.  To tighten up the nut and bolt I had to remove the headlight but once tightened up, the headlight no longer dimmed and the wiper remained static when flicking the offside indicator on. Sorted! I obviously did not tighten up the nut and bolt enough when I refitted the wiring post welding repairs. My fault entirely but there’s nothing I can do about that now. I’m so pleased that the problem is fixed and I don’t have to spend more time and money. Phew! |
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