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go3 posted:God Bless anyone crazy enough to buy a V12. You are doing the Lord's Work. It seems like the kind of car that would start getting you a Christmas card from your mechanic every year.
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Aug 12, 2015 01:21
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mod sassinator posted:It seems like the kind of car that would start getting you a Christmas card from your mechanic every year. Don't forget getting invited to graduation parties. I am sure you will put all their children through college.
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Aug 12, 2015 01:48
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I think its not so much the engine as it is the cars that the engine is put into - S/CL/SL are all obscenely complicated pieces of machinery and there are a million other things to go wrong before even addressing the engine.
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Aug 12, 2015 02:53
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Frank Dillinger posted:The merc v12s are way better than bmws, no doubt. The m73 is actually a good, if lacklustre, engine. It's an improvement over the m70 anyway. Neither have a lot of tuning potential, but who really does much to a german v12 anyway? Om617.
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Aug 12, 2015 02:59
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Dislike button posted:I think its not so much the engine as it is the cars that the engine is put into - S/CL/SL are all obscenely complicated pieces of machinery and there are a million other things to go wrong before even addressing the engine. If you have the patience and some good diagnostics, I would wager that most of these problems (minus the air suspension and ABC poo poo) would be fixed by reflowing solder and cleaning connections. Beyond that - ABC would be an utter oval office to fix. I imagine they will make a regular coil conversion as time goes on.
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Aug 12, 2015 03:20
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Frank Dillinger posted:Neither have a lot of tuning potential, but who really does much to a german v12 anyway? Pagani.
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Aug 12, 2015 14:01
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EAB posted:I really want a CLS55. Are these part of that "low build quality era" or are they generally pretty solid? That's how I felt when I bought my E55. I had always wanted one when they came out, and 6 years later the perfect one popped up for sale and I grabbed it. Very expensive things can go wrong, but I was lucky and was able to fix the few issues that popped up on mine over the 70,000 miles that I owned it. The drivetrain is basically bulletproof, and doing rolling burnouts in a Mercedes is always good for a laugh. I think the CLS was another 300-400 pounds heavier than the E-class, but when you're talking 2 tons plus it doesn't really matter. The supercharged 55's will definitely teach you that gobs of torque off idle is way more fun than something like an M3 or M5 with a more peaky powerband.
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Aug 14, 2015 19:01
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I am going to go look at a 1984 W201 190D (with a 5 speed) this weekend; this isn't my first rodeo (1x W110 and 4x W123, all diesel) but is there anything special about the W201 that I need to consider? edit: fair enough, based on the response, I guess there isn't anything special to know edit 2: So, now I have a 1984 W201 190D to complement my: 1967 W110 200D stick with a hole in the floor 1977 W123 300D stick that is my daily driver 1977 W123 300D with an auto that needs replacing 1979 W123 240D that is about to go to out to pasture 1985 W123 300D with a poor front suspension Now I just need a W115 and I have a sequential set .... and then a W120 to complete the set. EvilMoFo fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Aug 23, 2015 |
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Aug 20, 2015 04:11
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Well after 3 years of ownership my 2004 E55 is starting to sag intermittently on the rear driver's side. Diagnosing it is a pain but odds are its the rear air springs. I suppose 10 years and 85,000 miles is a respectable life for the parts though. Ordered some new Arnott replacements for less than $700 shipped, hopefully this takes care of it and I don't have to chase gremlins.
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Aug 23, 2015 21:12
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Bought a facelifted W220 S 320 CDI. It was previously owned by an elderly gentleman who passed away and his son debadged it and put AMG tailpipes on it before selling it as the executor of the will. At least I think this is what happened, its a German spec car and I haven't the faintest idea really. I can't say I hate the look, but it does feel slightly poserish when I kick the diesel over. It cruises like a mother fucker though.
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Aug 28, 2015 21:08
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I never thought I'd get to a point in my life where I'd say this, but gently caress it... I'm saying it. I've ordered another AMG  It's going to look like this:    It's being built in December... delivery in January or February  I can't stop trawling YouTube for videos of this thing. So much want.
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Aug 29, 2015 03:26
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I have a question on a used Mercedes. I wouldn't normally consider this as I'm not a used car person but circumstances have forced me to look for one. I have a offer to buy a 1995 SL 550 (500?) for $4000. Outside of the color (black), I know nothing about the car. I have been allowed to have it checked out by a mechanic but my schedule hasn't allowed for it until next week at the earliest. Given the age and likely mileage, is this a con in the making or is there some hope to get some decent use out of it (It would used for backup)?
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Aug 29, 2015 12:37
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If you're not a wrench or a used car person, then a 20 year old SL is a nightmare in the making.
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Aug 29, 2015 14:20
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If it's a well maintained car, and you understand that maintenance will be more expensive, I'd say go for it. That generation of SL is very solid, from back when Mercedes built the best cars possible. Being able to do your own work would make this car a little more palatable, but it probably isn't a good place to start. They're not super sporty cars, more of a grand tourer. Just don't buy a basket case Benz, of any generation.
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Aug 29, 2015 14:39
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Finch! posted:
That looks so much better than the sedan. The sedan has too many swoops and flares for a small car, the wagon is much better proportioned.
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Aug 29, 2015 15:38
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EVERYWHERE 
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Frank Dillinger posted:If it's a well maintained car, and you understand that maintenance will be more expensive, I'd say go for it. That generation of SL is very solid, from back when Mercedes built the best cars possible. Being able to do your own work would make this car a little more palatable, but it probably isn't a good place to start. They're not super sporty cars, more of a grand tourer. Just don't buy a basket case Benz, of any generation. It's post 93, which IIRC means it's biodegradable wiring harness era, i.e. the expensive electrical gremlin era. Mid 90s is definitely not "back when Mercedes built the best cars possible" (that would be the 70s and 80s), but rather the beginning of the decline in quality.
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Aug 29, 2015 16:47
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The w140 was the last over engineered MB but you're better off getting a 92 or a 93 IIRC
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Aug 29, 2015 16:58
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gently caress it. Just bought a gold 190e.
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Aug 29, 2015 17:37
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Dislike button posted:Well after 3 years of ownership my 2004 E55 is starting to sag intermittently on the rear driver's side. Diagnosing it is a pain but odds are its the rear air springs. I suppose 10 years and 85,000 miles is a respectable life for the parts though. Ordered some new Arnott replacements for less than $700 shipped, hopefully this takes care of it and I don't have to chase gremlins. Ended up cancelling my order since the symptoms don't seem to match those of the typical blown air spring. I think I had multiple issues going on with the Airmatic. This week I replaced (rather, I paid the shop to replace) the compressor, relay, valve block, and some miscellaneous filters/hoses in the system. A little under $1200 out the door. The good thing is, I think this fixed the intermittent white warning light that was coming on sometimes on the MFD. This warning came on periodically over the past 2 years, but there were never any issues associated with it so it was not addressed as the shop told me it probably wasn't worth the time or money until there was a problem. The code read with the Star diagnostic indicated that the compressor was not pressurizing as quickly as expected. So it seems to me that it is likely that my compressor had been slowly going out for quite some time. The bad news is that this did not fix my intermittent sagging in the rear. The car still, apparently randomly, drops on the driver's side rear. Sometimes it seems to hold pressure just fine overnight but as soon as I start driving it I can feel the car pull to the right, which I'm sure is great for the $1,000 tires. Pulling over verifies that this is pulling because the rear is dropping. Then again it sometimes runs perfectly and drives straight as an arrow. Any ideas on what else this issue could be before I bite the bullet and replace the air springs? Rear level sensor maybe? The mechanic said that based on visual inspection the rear air springs looked almost brand new, and the level sensor did not throw any codes. Also, most of what I have read and what the shop told me is that when the air springs fail there is no partial failure - the car drops and will not raise up. When the car is turned off and bottomed out, turning it on results in it quickly pumping back up to the expected height but it may or may not stay there. Finch! posted:
Nice!
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Aug 29, 2015 18:51
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Dislike button posted:Ended up cancelling my order since the symptoms don't seem to match those of the typical blown air spring. I think I had multiple issues going on with the Airmatic. This week I replaced (rather, I paid the shop to replace) the compressor, relay, valve block, and some miscellaneous filters/hoses in the system. A little under $1200 out the door. Air springs can leak around the base, have you tried spraying the offending one with soapy water to see if it is leaking? If its not an external leak it sounds like the air is leaking back through whatever valve controls the ride height for each wheel, which it looks like you've replaced. Take this all with a pinch of salt. I don't have any experience on car air suspension, just trucks, but they are fairly simple. It seems like a leaking air pipe/connector would be a pain in the rear end to find buried in a car though. RE: pumping back up and not staying there, if the compressor runs until it sees all the bags are inflated, it will turn off and send a signal to shut off the valves to each spring, if the valve sticks the air will come straight back out. I have googled a few diagrams for the airmatic suspension, some of them look like there is an electrical connector on each spring connected to a valve which controls air in/out, so maybe that valve has failed on that particular spring?
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Aug 29, 2015 19:40
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Most air suspensions will talk to the computer while driving. If you can get a scanner that will read codes, have a friend drive the car and see what the sensors are telling the computer. I would bet there is a dead spot in the ride sensor, or a control valve is opening when it shouldn't. Try also shifting weight around and see if that helps.
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Aug 29, 2015 20:34
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Dislike button posted:saggy rear end.
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Aug 29, 2015 23:04
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Yesterday I started the car while the rear was low and nothing happened. The compressor didn't activate and the rear didn't come up at all. I Took the key out and started it again. The second time the rear instantly rose and it has stayed perfectly level all night. warcake posted:maybe that valve has failed on that particular spring? It does kind of seem like a valve issue as if there was an external leak it should be dropping after a period of time. I wish I knew more about the system because the only pattern I can tell is that it varies with starting the car. BrokenKnucklez posted:Most air suspensions will talk to the computer while driving. If you can get a scanner that will read codes, have a friend drive the car and see what the sensors are telling the computer. That's not a bad idea. Gunbus posted:Out of curiosity did the shop also replace the 40 amp Maxi fuse? that needs to be replaced with the relay when a new compressor is installed. Looking at my invoice it is not listed, nor was it discussed by the shop so I doubt it was replaced.
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Aug 30, 2015 13:33
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Looking at a '94 E420. Seller says it starts, but won't stay running. Their mechanic says "ignition module." Seller doesn't want to deal with it. What should I look for?
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Aug 31, 2015 22:20
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Isn't that the year range of the dreaded biodegradeable wiring harness that causes a ton of gremlins? Might not be worth the trouble at any price.
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Aug 31, 2015 23:14
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mod sassinator posted:Isn't that the year range of the dreaded biodegradeable wiring harness that causes a ton of gremlins? Might not be worth the trouble at any price. Crap, you're right... for some reason I was thinking that was later that they started that nonsense. 
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Sep 1, 2015 02:02
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I managed to actually look at the car I was talking so I was able to procure a few more details: It's actually a 1990 500 SL with roughly 84k on it. I'd thought it'd be higher No damage reported though the car could use a good cleaning Driver seat has a few punctures in it, Passenger looks OK Stock radio was replaced but change can be reverted Hard top has to be removed manually since those controls in car broke, all other functions work. I do have pictures although they didn't turn out well due to fading light. It this still a good idea or should I move on?
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Sep 2, 2015 01:53
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meatpimp posted:Looking at a '94 E420. Seller says it starts, but won't stay running. Their mechanic says "ignition module." Seller doesn't want to deal with it. Thought you had beater E39? Why u buy W124?
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Sep 2, 2015 07:31
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blk posted:Thought you had beater E39? Why u buy W124? Kinda got an itch for a beater vehicle.
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Sep 2, 2015 11:26
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Dislike button posted:Air suspension bs Car ran pretty much flawlessly for 3 days, zero drop overnight, go out this morning and right rear down again. Pumped right back up but I was hoping I was in the clear. 
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Sep 3, 2015 15:07
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There's something out of whack, just don't let it go on forever unless you like replacing compressors.
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Sep 3, 2015 22:48
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Gonna go look at this this weekend, woop http://www.ebay.com/itm/262025278860?rmvSB=true
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Sep 4, 2015 18:03
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blk posted:Gonna go look at this this weekend, woop http://www.ebay.com/itm/262025278860?rmvSB=true Wow that looks really nice. Pretty much stock, grey market, manual transmission--hopefully they don't want an insane price for it.
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Sep 4, 2015 18:10
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'94 SL600 with 60k km on it. Ugh, I want to make a terrible mistake.
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Sep 5, 2015 00:49
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buy it, install equal length headers, have a w140 that sounds like a pangani zonda do it, you know you want to
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Sep 5, 2015 01:01
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I watched the Harry's Garage vid and it only made my desire worse. It's so cheap though I have to think something's wrong with it.
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Sep 5, 2015 01:50
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How much?
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Sep 5, 2015 02:55
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El Scotch posted:I watched the Harry's Garage vid and it only made my desire worse. If there's nothing wrong with it right now there probably will be something wrong in the near future. Definitely look for maintenance records. I think the traction control/anti-slip system is particularly prone to failure and is expensive to replace. Unfortunately when it goes out the ECU cuts engine power dramatically.
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Sep 5, 2015 02:59
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El Scotch posted:I watched the Harry's Garage vid and it only made my desire worse. The air suspension is probably on it's way out and half the electrical gadgets have stopped working, but the engine should be fine.
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Sep 5, 2015 04:12
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HotCanadianChick posted:The air suspension is probably on it's way out and half the electrical gadgets have stopped working, but the engine should be fine. This is pretty much the story of every high end ride. Shame the motors are usually so bullet proof.
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Sep 5, 2015 05:25
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