Paul
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Hi all,
I had a quick search and was surprised that there weren't more threads about this, so here goes...
I work in the dreaded London ULEZ - so I've had to swap my previous E87 BMW twin turbo diesel (which was frankly perfect for the job) for the wife's brand new Golf. I don't like it. It's sterile. And I don't like the pressure. It's already been hit once (when it was literally 3 days old) by a clown at the petrol station. The wife also hates rolling coal daily and doesn't like RWD. So the days of the Beemer look sadly numbered.
So I'm in the market for a beater - but I'd like an interesting beater as I'm in it at least 2 hours a day. Is it possible to get something retro (or even a bit retro-inspired), capable of at least 40mpg, and relatively affordable...around the 5k mark? What is as isn't ULEZ seems to be a minefield (My SLK with the 2.0 engine is ULEZ compliant, whilst the 2.3 isn't?) so I'm appealing to the greater hive mind.
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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In 2009 I paid deposit on a 30,000 austin 1100 estate in white. It was ridiculously mint. Being sold by a used car dealer on behalf of a neighbour who somehow saw no real value in classics. He wanted £1k for it. When I got home from viewing it I found out dad had been taken ill so priorities being what they are I called the dealer and told him to keep the deposit. You did the right thing. Imagine the connotations it would have if you HAD bought it. You'd probably resent it really quickly. I had an R53 Mini Cooper S in the colour and spec that I wanted, some mods that I'd done to the engine and exhaust, tidied the interior, upgraded the stereo - yet even now I remember it as the car I went and visited my terminally ill mother in...right up to the last visit. It had to go after that. On a lighter note I still regret selling my PD130 Ibiza...not particularly retro but I wish I'd kept it. Even now nearly 20 years later any car that performs with simple remap pushing 170 brake, 50+ to the gallon, 'pulled like a train innit' would hold its own. I even liked the garish yellow colour 🤣
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Paul
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Posts: 1,909
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Jan 29, 2024 19:00:36 GMT
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the tesla looks good dropped in the floor It was only a matter of time wasn't it
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Paul
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Posts: 1,909
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Jan 28, 2024 11:40:26 GMT
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Little epilogue as I forgot all about this once I'd fixed it...not very exciting though.
Turns out the O2 sensor I'd replaced was itself a dud. Swapped it out - again - with a part a friend of mine brought back from a business trip to the States and all was well.
Another year's happy motoring awaits 😀
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Jan 28, 2024 11:36:46 GMT
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Jan 10, 2024 20:19:33 GMT
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Dec 26, 2023 17:09:27 GMT
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What better way to spend your Boxing Day than changing out the front brakes on a 21 year old Merc? Current set up was looking more than a bit tired Brake discs were very lipped and I don't understand how the brake pad sensors haven't been set off. But they have worn evenly on both sides and pistons moved nice and freely. That's more like it Tomorrow if I'm feeling fruity I'll tackle the rears 😁
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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As above...I get this alert Yes, I've tried deleting my cookies. Am currently using the Samsung browser supplied with the phone and that works well apart from all the other issues associated with THE SITUATION
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Paul
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Posts: 1,909
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Armed with the replacement valve I set about...ummm...replacing it. Each pipe (one per interior vent) is clipped onto the underside of the valve, and there's one spring clip securing the coolant line. Super easy to access Out with the old In with the nearly new Went for a spin to ger her up to temperature and...nope, still not working. Much head scratching and someone on another forum pointed out that their temp control fuse was missing. That's seems very silly and something I definitely definitely would have found...wouldn't I? Well apparently not. What makes it even more confusing is that the fuse box has a whole row of spare fuses in every flavour available. Why take it out and not replace it? Vents seem to be working fine now but I'm expecting something to go pop in the future and for me to realise why it was left un-fused. We shall see. So to feel like I'd actually accomplished something I changed out the spark plugs. Coil packs looks quite new and the rubber is still very rubbery and pliable, not hard and brittle. Old plugs show nothing untoward but we're probably ready to be swapped out Have added some engine bay decoration that sums up how I'm feeling Next job really ought to be brakes all round...
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Having this issue my end
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Just a mini update as not a great deal to report - swapped out the doughnuts at the rear with the smallest ones available - takes another half inch out of the back suspension. Now in other news my heating seems to be stuck on hot - like many early 2000s Mercs it would seem that the heating is electronically controlled, not (as is the case in most of my jalopies) by a cable to a flap. Which would obviously be much simpler and reliable. Because German overengineering. It's not really been a problem since it's been so cold - and the roof conveys a certain element of built in aircon - but on long runs in the rain I'd rather not crack a window. This tantalisingly accessible doodad is called a duo valve. Each valve is devoted to one side of the car and controls the amount of coolant that flows through the heater core, allowing one fan at the front to blow hot whilst the other can blow cold(er). They are known to gunk up, break electrical coils and fail. 1st test - simply plug and unplug it with the keys in the ignition should make the solenoids inside click obviously. No noise from mine. Opened mine up to find nothing especially gunky - the plungers were plunging freely, and nothing looks particularly grimy. If anything it's good evidence of using proper coolant over the 120k life of the car. Brought out the multimeter to test for resistance - it would appear that there's an open circuit across both valves. So I'm guessing the coils are done. Replacement ordered off the bay.
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Nov 28, 2023 14:03:33 GMT
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BIG fan of the colour and a folding metal hard top (the SLK did it first though ) Zany-coloured folding hardtops are due a revival Like you I'm no fan of leather - it wears poorly and is freezing in winter, scalding in summer. Also it'll be much cheaper just to swap out the interior. Could the exhaust just be a perished rubber or two? Hopefully just a cheap & quick fix at that end. If you've got no electrical gremlins you've found a good one - I had a 307 (out of necessity rather than choice) of a similar vintage and it kept eating lightbulbs, popping fuses and the electric windows genuinely had a mind of their own. Fingers crossed you have none of the same!
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Nov 27, 2023 17:14:49 GMT
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Well. You certainly get a sympathetic sigh from me. Wonder why the metal stone guard. Still want you to enjoy this car. Sympathetic sighs accepted 🤣 Today, as ever, was a new day...and a much better one. Sadly no pics as I was ON IT today and the constant drizzle made me reluctant to whack the phone out. First up was sorting the broken tyre valve...now I was deeply cynical about this kit but for for £15 I thought I'd have a punt. And lo and behold it did work! Not quite as quick as the video - and I needed to break out the mallet as the cone device was too wide for the hole in the wheel - but one job ticked off. As luck would have it a local (17 miles away) breakers on eBay had an intercooler - for collection I haggled him down to £40. Picked up this morning, fitted, and bumper reattached (full of drift stitches FTW) before midday. Sadly didn't have much luck with the cheap plastic welder I'd bought on Amazon... it worked fine on black ABS plastic but the little pins just would not take to the bumper. No idea why...different plastic maybe? So pleased with myself was I that I even found 10 minutes to throw a damp rag over the engine bay I'm almost embarrassed at not realising the IC was faulty - it now revs far more freely to 4.5k and beyond (whereas before it was out of puff at around 3.5k) and is clearly well up on power. It's like a different car altogether... And to add to my winning day I finally got the pickup truck through its MOT! Different tester, different advisories 🤣. But having tried another O2 sensor I can only guess the 1st 'new' one was wrong in some way as it's fine now. The fleet is in fine fettle once again and I'm celebrating with a bottle of Lidl's budget cider in the tub. A good day.
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Last Edit: Nov 27, 2023 19:20:23 GMT by Paul
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Paul
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Posts: 1,909
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Nov 26, 2023 19:06:31 GMT
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Must be the new bluetooth intercooler 🤣🤣🤣
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Paul
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Posts: 1,909
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Nov 26, 2023 12:08:52 GMT
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Beautiful... the rear rubber doughnuts are 13mm, I ordered 5mm ones last night to reduce the rake 🤣 Today has already proven to be a huge disappointment already and it's not even lunchtime - I think I'll go back to bed. Went to air up the tyres and 1 valve cap looked like this...you can guess why. Sigh Well, garages are all shut so I've ordered some valves and a Laser tool to give it a go myself. So I went to take the front bumper off today and try to fix some of the damage...turns out my SLK has a super rare option! That's right, mine was specced with a metal undertray! Super rare option 481 (part number A170 524 0201) - and rare because it's ruddy awful. It weighs - at a guess - 74kg and let's talk about rust. Hell, I'll let you see it Yeah, there's no way that's going back on. Changed out a bulb in a rare moment of success Removed most of the bolts (that weren't already missing) from the bumper and I THINK I may have found the source of my air leak: Yeah the intercooler has totally come away here, just flapping around merrily. Note the wonderfully jaunty bumper bracket - this thing has had a pretty hefty shunt at the front which destroyed the front grille and I suspect the IC. Also, I think the SUPER RARE metal undertray is responsible for a great big crack across the bottom of the bumper. Metal has less give than plastic it would seem, so when the car's had a shunt it's pushed the bumper into the metal undertray and broken it. So I've got a flat tyre, broken IC and knackered bumper. Great.
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Nov 26, 2023 11:55:19 GMT
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Used to have a Perodua Nippa before tinworm got it...fun little (very little!) thing.
Careful of those cheapish Amazon double din stereos...I bought an Atoto 2din a couple of years ago and as it's now unusable. Apps have grown increasingly memory hungry, bloatware takes up so much space, and the constant need for sizeable updates means mine is on the shelf gathering dust. You're better off with a less fancy but more reliable branded one if you ask me.
Good luck with the build!
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Nov 25, 2023 14:18:40 GMT
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Today was the day to install the new springs...here's the original height for reference Rear springs look a little shorter than OEM, but also a bit meatier Not a lot to it really - removed the inner bolt on the trailing arm and down she goes Mercedes offer 4 different size of spring top mount doughnuts...this one is 13mm flavour. They go as low as 5mm should you want to drop it a bit further. New springs in place Front actually required less bit removing than the rear...just the lower shock bolt and (which isn't mentioned in the online guides) you'll get a lot more flex if you remove the ARB link. Without that i didn't have quite enough play to get the spring out. Internal spring compressor is a must , makes light work of removing old and installing new. OEM front doughnut for anyone trawling the Internet in 3 years looking to confirm what they have installed from factory without dismantling it all themselves...as I may have done before now... Old v new fronts are more markedly different than the rears And there you go - about 3 hours all in at a leisurely pace and stopping for a cup of tea more than once...it's a bit chilly! Obligatory 'after' shot. Like a lot of the feedback online suggests the front looks mean, but the rear is still pretty high truth be told. It may settle a bit but there's a fair bit of a gap there. May well invest in skinnier spring pads for the rear at some point in the future. Unfortunately the throttle body code returned after a particularly spirited drive yesterday, so it's back to the drawing board with that one...
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Last Edit: Nov 25, 2023 14:20:29 GMT by Paul
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,909
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Nov 23, 2023 17:20:06 GMT
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Today's quick win: 6 minutes. Didn't need a welder, just my fluted wheel nut removal sockets, a mallet and some bravery. I took one of the other wheel bolts out to check the size earlier this week and it wasn't tight - I'm guessing they've been out recently, so that helped. Consigned to the bin and, with springs keeping warm in the front room, we're one step closer to (sensible) lows 🙂
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Last Edit: Nov 23, 2023 17:20:34 GMT by Paul
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Paul
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Posts: 1,909
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Nov 20, 2023 20:39:39 GMT
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Good shout that - although these fancy deep alloys don't have a huge amount of space to play with. Took out some as a tester and to check the size to replace them, they aren't in too tight...
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