Cars!

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by Sheal, Mar 6, 2015.

  1. Sandy Ground

    Sandy Ground Total Gardener

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2015
    Messages:
    2,268
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Making things of note.
    Location:
    Scania, Sweden
    Ratings:
    +5,372
    Thats exactly the point I was making. If you can reach the passenger door, then there is no need for central locking. As regards the drivers door, one has to get out into the middle of the road anyway.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Linz

      Linz Total Gardener

      Joined:
      Oct 7, 2015
      Messages:
      2,511
      Gender:
      Female
      Occupation:
      Prosperous Peasant
      Location:
      S.Wales
      Ratings:
      +6,224
      Other half is going through an early mid life crisis and bought himself a new toy.. A 2.3L AMG kompressor Merc thing. Nearly as old as us! Not bad for £250. 11 months mot so :fingers crossed: Had a nice drive to Brecon in it with the roof down :goodgrin:

      20170917_162305.jpg
       
      • Like Like x 5
      • Fat Controller

        Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

        Joined:
        May 5, 2012
        Messages:
        27,771
        Gender:
        Male
        Occupation:
        Public Transport
        Location:
        At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
        Ratings:
        +52,216
        Bargain for £250 - even if it needed fairly major work, its worth it. Hold on to it - it is only going to go up in value!

        PS - they are a bit guilty for mass air flow sensors failing, if it does go on yours, don't be tempted to buy a cheapo aftermarket one, go for the OEM one as they last much longer and the car will never run right on an non-OEM one (bitter experience with a C-Class)
         
        • Like Like x 2
        • Linz

          Linz Total Gardener

          Joined:
          Oct 7, 2015
          Messages:
          2,511
          Gender:
          Female
          Occupation:
          Prosperous Peasant
          Location:
          S.Wales
          Ratings:
          +6,224
          Thanks FC, he's going to try and stick to buying original parts.. at first glance they're not cheap! As soon as he bought it I said "this screams money pit!" :money: He thinks the catalytic converter is going and had a bit of trouble with the roof going back in.. so already it needs work. The interior is a bit battered but I don't think we can moan for something made in '98 and for that price.
           
          • Like Like x 1
          • Fat Controller

            Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

            Joined:
            May 5, 2012
            Messages:
            27,771
            Gender:
            Male
            Occupation:
            Public Transport
            Location:
            At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
            Ratings:
            +52,216
            Fear not - they are pretty tough, and only ask decent quality parts. GSF are a good starting point, as the vast majority of what they sell is OEM or as near as makes no difference; be careful with the likes of EuroCarParts - they sell the good stuff as well as the bad. The cat should be fairly straightforward to replace, although I would recommend replacing the lambda sensor and the O2 sensor at the same time (as much for peace of mind as anything).

            If the fuel consumption goes up, or it feels as though it is hesitant, that points directly to the MAF - no point messing about, swap it for a new one (about £80-£100 at a guess). Roof retraction problems, well the very first thing I would do there is to remove the mechanism completely, clean it, and lubricate with new grease; I can't remember for sure, but I reckon they use either a lithium grease or a molybdenum grease (pretty sure it is lithium); this hardens over time and becomes sticky, which slows the mechanism and causes failure. Give it a thorough clean, re-grease, and all things being equal you should be good to go.

            As for the interior - shampooing the carpets makes the world of difference, and when followed up by restorative work with some Gliptone, it makes the world of difference.

            Change the oil, air and pollen filters as well as changing the oil, treat it to a new set of plugs (NGK or Champion preferably), and DO NOT skimp on oil (I can highly recommend the guys at Opie Oils, who are very helpful and sell only the good stuff) - - the Kompressor name is German for Turbo, and being a turbocharged engine, oil quality is absolutely paramount. Change it every 9000 miles with good quality oil, and you will have no trouble :dbgrtmb:

            The only other thing that ails Mercs is their steering gear - they have a damper on the steering rack that gives up and makes the steering go a bit vague and wandery; a few bolts changes it though, and is easily a DIY job if that is needed.

            As always, I am not averse to a PM if you need any advice :)

            EDIT - OEM does not necessarily mean that it has to be Mercedes; they used Bosch for many of their parts, and there are many parts that are as good (or better) than the originals (EBC, Mintex, Bosch, Siemens etc); I am happy to check out any prospective parts purchase with my tame mechanic if it helps.
             
            • Like Like x 1
            • Informative Informative x 1
            • Linz

              Linz Total Gardener

              Joined:
              Oct 7, 2015
              Messages:
              2,511
              Gender:
              Female
              Occupation:
              Prosperous Peasant
              Location:
              S.Wales
              Ratings:
              +6,224
              Just read this back to him, he said thank you and will more than likely give you a pm in the near future :dbgrtmb:Thanks from me too!

              He said he is going to wait to do the roof as its not something he's too bothered with this side of Xmas but that's something to look into with the type of grease to use in the meantime.

              He give a nod to changing the lambda and o2 sensors. He thinks the cats going because the exhaust is incredibly hot.. but, he says, he's never had a car this powerful before so he's not sure.

              He don't think there's much wrong with steering, all seems fine there(:fingers crossed:) and he reckons he's going to get it fully serviced.. (:th scifD36: we'll see ! He's got a Ford transit that's needed welding since March..)

              That gliptone looks good stuff, I'll have a bash of scrubbing it up. The dash could do with some work too and the door sides.

              Thanks again, lots to look into.. I'm clueless when it comes to the innards of car but think I'll be more interested now seeing how much it's worth! :heehee:
               
              • Like Like x 2
              • Sandy Ground

                Sandy Ground Total Gardener

                Joined:
                Jun 10, 2015
                Messages:
                2,268
                Gender:
                Male
                Occupation:
                Making things of note.
                Location:
                Scania, Sweden
                Ratings:
                +5,372
                He must have had a neglected youth! :snorky:

                German cars are not my favourites, but congratulations on the purchase.
                 
                • Like Like x 2
                • Linz

                  Linz Total Gardener

                  Joined:
                  Oct 7, 2015
                  Messages:
                  2,511
                  Gender:
                  Female
                  Occupation:
                  Prosperous Peasant
                  Location:
                  S.Wales
                  Ratings:
                  +6,224
                  Hahaha he said "I grew up with dirt bikes not cars"

                  Cheers Sandy
                   
                  • Like Like x 2
                  • Fat Controller

                    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

                    Joined:
                    May 5, 2012
                    Messages:
                    27,771
                    Gender:
                    Male
                    Occupation:
                    Public Transport
                    Location:
                    At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
                    Ratings:
                    +52,216
                    It is a long game type of vehicle - value low at the moment, but keep it in good nick (or restore it) and given time it will be worth a small fortune. You have the right colour, and a desirable model. Oh, and avoid temptation to 'mod' it - the big money is in unmolested varieties.
                     
                    • Like Like x 2
                    • Sheal

                      Sheal Total Gardener

                      Joined:
                      Feb 2, 2011
                      Messages:
                      36,123
                      Gender:
                      Female
                      Location:
                      Dingwall, Ross-shire
                      Ratings:
                      +54,383
                      The new Toyota C-HR. I want one! It's had a good write up too. :)

                      [​IMG]

                      [​IMG]
                       
                      • Like Like x 1
                      • ARMANDII

                        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

                        Joined:
                        Jan 12, 2019
                        Messages:
                        48,096
                        Gender:
                        Male
                        Ratings:
                        +100,844
                        Hmm. too many "flashy" curves for me, Sheal, and I'm not sure I could get two peoples fishing gear in it.:dunno::heehee:
                         
                        • Like Like x 1
                        • Fat Controller

                          Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

                          Joined:
                          May 5, 2012
                          Messages:
                          27,771
                          Gender:
                          Male
                          Occupation:
                          Public Transport
                          Location:
                          At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
                          Ratings:
                          +52,216
                          Oh God, no...... It looks like the design committee went out for lunch and got thoroughly rubbered before designing the back end! It hit every branch of the ugly tree as it fell - on the upside, it is a Toyota so should be bulletproof in terms of reliability.
                           
                          • Agree Agree x 2
                          • Like Like x 1
                          • Sheal

                            Sheal Total Gardener

                            Joined:
                            Feb 2, 2011
                            Messages:
                            36,123
                            Gender:
                            Female
                            Location:
                            Dingwall, Ross-shire
                            Ratings:
                            +54,383
                            I like the curves it makes it look chunky and solid Armandii. :)

                            I like ugly, it's different! Remember I own a Nissan Juke FC. :)
                             
                            • Funny Funny x 1
                            • Fat Controller

                              Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

                              Joined:
                              May 5, 2012
                              Messages:
                              27,771
                              Gender:
                              Male
                              Occupation:
                              Public Transport
                              Location:
                              At me 'puter, GCHQ Ashford Office, Middlesex
                              Ratings:
                              +52,216
                              Aye, in fairness it is a wee tad prettier than a Juke.

                              As a matter of interest, are there any knocking noises from the rear brake calipers on yours? My QQ got to 18000 miles, and turned to a bucket of shhh..... knocking noises, battery issues, electrical gremlins...... the French DNA decided to shine through.
                               
                              • Informative Informative x 1
                              • Friendly Friendly x 1
                              • ARMANDII

                                ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

                                Joined:
                                Jan 12, 2019
                                Messages:
                                48,096
                                Gender:
                                Male
                                Ratings:
                                +100,844
                                [​IMG]
                                 
                                • Funny Funny x 2
                                Loading...

                                Share This Page

                                1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
                                  By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
                                  Dismiss Notice