2007 C55 Estate, laundry list

[BTB 500]

Craig (owner of Dyno Torque) observed this morning that whilst the floor and the sub-frame both looked bad they weren't posing any imminent danger to the car and it's occupants - but the brake lines, on the other hand, very definitely were. He used the phrase "just in time" a lot when talking about them.

I thought the brake lines were a standard MOT check - have they not come up as an advisory before?

 

[Dammit]

Nope, I think that where the lines that could be seen and reached with the car all together were ok - it was where the lines were unable to be reached that they were a problem.

With that said when I bought the car it had been freshly MOT'd with one rear spring broken, so MOT's can clearly be of variable quality.

However, the place I've used since I bought it take it to a very particular MOT tester, but he's clearly not been able to check the brake pipes where they were at their worst.

 

[bolidemichael]

Can you please hold the mirror up for me and explain your definition of a 'sunk cost fallacy'? My hands are up to my eyes and I'm peeking through my fingers already!

 

[Dammit]

I think I put the details in a post in this thread - purchase price and what I've spent since, IIRC I've bought the car twice as it were.

Ultimately I like the car, they're clearly getting rarer, and I'll keep this for the foreseeable, so was ok with the (?) £3,000 that the current work is going to cost.

On a related note - I would imagine that W203's as a whole class are going to start being scrapped in large numbers as these issues come up and the car is not worth spending the money to fix it.

 

[bolidemichael]

Yes... but where is the fallacy? I have spent multiples of my car's £3k purchase price (and probable book value).

 

[AltonAnt]

Yes... but where is the fallacy? I have spent multiples of my car's £3k purchase price (and probable book value).

Not a fallacy but my main worry would be through no fault of your own, some idiot writing the car off through careless/wreckless driving.

 

[Dammit]

Sorry - the sunk cost fallacy is where one continues to put money into a (potentially failing) investment simply because one has already put a lot in previously.

At some point it makes sense to (literally) cut your losses and for e.g. scrap the car. I'm not there yet.

 

[bolidemichael]

Got it - yes I'm with you; I'm not there yet either as I have a wonderful car! I think that there will come a time where parts availability may be an issue...

 

[bolidemichael]

Not a fallacy but my main worry would be through no fault of your own, some idiot writing the car off through careless/wreckless driving.

I acknowledge this. I may start to look into agreed value insurance from next year.

 

[Dammit]

Agreed value insurance is why I need a valuation.

 

[Rory]

I think I put the details in a post in this thread - purchase price and what I've spent since, IIRC I've bought the car twice as it were.

Ultimately I like the car, they're clearly getting rarer, and I'll keep this for the foreseeable, so was ok with the (?) £3,000 that the current work is going to cost.

On a related note - I would imagine that W203's as a whole class are going to start being scrapped in large numbers as these issues come up and the car is not worth spending the money to fix it.

I'm dreading the MOT on mine this Wednesday - it's at the stage where the car is effectively worthless. I've only done 300 miles in it since March, and that was mostly 20 mile tip runs as we cleared a deceased relatives house.

 

[GP801]

Agreed value insurance is why I need a valuation.

Chris Knott offer agreed value via a subsidiary of LV. Its based on sending photos and a description. No need for a formal evaluation. We currently have 3 cars in the family on these policies. 2003 CLK 200K high spec valued at £6000, 2001 Volvo V70 at £6500, 1997 VW Polo 16V at £3000. Only stipulation is that overnight at home address it must be garaged for the agreed value to be paid if stolen. Might be worth asking.

 

[Dammit]

 

[Dammit]

The car's all back together and is on the alignment rig, it occurs to me that this would be a good time to bugger about with the exhaust, if I were so inclined.

Does anyone have one of these and has done the secondary cat to test-pipe modification? If so, how does it sound?

 

[bolidemichael]

Initial thoughts, if I may? Why go to the effort to maintain OE quality just to compromise the exhaust efficiency by re-engineering the exhaust for a bit of noise?

I inherited a power flow exhaust with mine (M113 engine) and when I replaced the item for the OEM unit (after having waited seven months for a batch to be manufactured), there was no drone, more torque and the serene feeling of being OEM shiny and perfect.

 

[Dammit]

The keeping it OEM thing is a factor, certainly. If I were to do something like this then I'd have V-bands put in so that I could swap between test pipes and the cats, so it would be fully reversible (apart from the V-bands being there, of course). I'm not sold on it, but my 911 sounds so good with it's sports exhaust and less restrictive cats that the temptation is there.

Did these every have a factory sports exhaust option?

 

[Skd884]

The keeping it OEM thing is a factor, certainly. If I were to do something like this then I'd have V-bands put in so that I could swap between test pipes and the cats, so it would be fully reversible (apart from the V-bands being there, of course). I'm not sold on it, but my 911 sounds so good with it's sports exhaust and less restrictive cats that the temptation is there.

Did these every have a factory sports exhaust option?

No, lovely car.

 

[BTB 500]

For many people having a bit of V8 soundtrack is an important factor in enjoying a car. My R129 sounded like a domestic appliance in stock form - MB themselves dropped the centre muffler in a facelift 2 years later, so I had no issue with doing this mod. on mine. I'm sure MB no longer stock exhaust sections for all their past cars, so many (most?) will end up with non-OE systems at some point anyway.

 

[Dammit]

Well (this time) I decided against it, collecting it tomorrow hopefully. I'll post what it cost me when I pay the bill, for those interested.

 

[bolidemichael]

Well (this time) I decided against it, collecting it tomorrow hopefully. I'll post what it cost me when I pay the bill, for those interested.

It'll remind me that there exists a kindred spirit, after having just agreed to proceed with rear air suspension replacement (arnott units on each side) and both rear bearings too.