A year with my 300CE 24V - M.O.T Passed!!!

[crammy69]

:bannana: Well its been a whole year of ownership of my first Mercedes ( bought for £2000), and 'the old gent' has just passed his MOT with NO advisories!. Looking at the mileage on the previous MOT it shows I have done a shade under 3000 miles.

So time to take stock and look at what I have had to spend in that time, I'll spend some time with my paperwork and amend later, but roughly:

Proper Work
Belt Tensioner, Dizzy Cap, HT Leads, Rotor Arm, Oil Pressure Sender Unit
Parts and Labour = £1011 (ouch)
Spark Plugs, Oil +Filter, Air Filter etc (DIY) = £100
Bosch Diagnosis for Rough Idling/Misfire = £98
Armrest Piping Replaced at Trimmers = £70
Replaced Charcoal Filter (DIY) = £65?
Replaced water tempertaure sensor (DIY) = £20?
1 Tyre = £45
New Battery = £36

Entertainment
Rainbow KX120 Front Speakers = £60
Blaupunkt Active Base Speaker = £100
Kenwood Stereo with Ipod connection = £75
Chrome Dial Rings + other Interior Chrome = £ 40

There are other bits and pieces of spares I have bought off Ebay totalling around £100 that have either not worked or made no difference that Ill ignore .

The bulk of the needed work was a rather stiff bill from in the first month of ownership which probably could have been 70% cheaper , but we live and learn.

Given that, even in this depressed market, I should get at least a £1000 for the car (IMHO), if I sold it, Im fairly happy with that.

Year ahead?

Now we have started another year, I feel I can justify spending some money on an expert to once and for all diagnose my (admittedly minor) idle issue / misfire. Assuming that is done for a reasonable price, the next improvements are:

New windscreen (£100) to lose the milky delamination in the corners.
Dentmaster for 2 or 3 little supermarket dings and scratches (£150?). New rear bumper insert or repair to the little hole in it (£100?). Liquid leather the interior (£35). Gearbox oil service (£75?). Alloy Wheel refurbishemnt (£200?).

Blimey! it soon adds up, and thats assuming no problems occur, but after 3000 miles I feel I am getting to know the car and it still feels like there a good few years of wafting left in it!.

 

[crammy69]

Thinking further, my car is in better nick than the wifes 7 yr old Zafira (the kids have seen to that!), so its going to have to be a pretty good car that replaces it.

 

[Seamster15]

Well done, the whale failed its MOT today on a fog lamp and the front seats... Basically the backs move and dont lock in to place.

Otherwise it seems ok...

 

[crammy69]

Sorry to hear that, I do think these MOTs are somewhat luck of the draw, given my car had an advisory for the milky bits on the windscreen last year but not this time. Do you know how to fix the seats? is this a common problem?

 

[Will]

Only thing that I'd add to that Simon - you should quite easily be able to get £1000+ for your coupe - and I imagine that it's in a fitter state then she was a year ago when you first bought it? (new battery, serviced etc).

Realistically it's a good time to hang onto it (get your ££££s worth out of your expenditure), unless you fancied the change. Get the idle issue sorted and you'll probably not have any big expenses in the next 12 months unless you're unlucky.

Will

 

[del320]

and the front seats... Basically the backs move and dont lock in to place.

Otherwise it seems ok...

You sure about this - it wouldn't be the first time an MOT tester was unaware the doors have to be shut and the engine running for the seats to lock!

 

[Seamster15]

You sure about this - it wouldn't be the first time an MOT tester was unaware the doors have to be shut and the engine running for the seats to lock!

I did question this and will go and see them tommorow - I think I owe you a drink!

Many thanks!

 

[Ade B]

Good to hear your car is in rude health

They get under your skin these CEs...

Where did you get the arm rest piping done? After two years of use mine has gone from perfect to missing chunks, would gladly spend £70 to get it sorted.


Ade

 

[popuptoaster]

You sure about this - it wouldn't be the first time an MOT tester was unaware the doors have to be shut and the engine running for the seats to lock!

i didn't know the coupes did that and spent almost a whole day trying to get my W114 coupe ones to work "properly" before i gave up and figured it out from a post on the forum that evening.

 

[bluevenetian]

I also have just passed the one year milestone, but I daren't add up what my w124 has cost me in that time, lets just say that I'm looking foward to the say when the garage bill for work done is less than four figures
Hope yours keeps on rolling for many years to come

 

[crammy69]

Good to hear your car is in rude health

They get under your skin these CEs...

Where did you get the arm rest piping done? After two years of use mine has gone from perfect to missing chunks, would gladly spend £70 to get it sorted.


Ade

An old family friend found a place in Bromley to re-upholster the seats in his TR6, and he took my armrest in for me. Ill try and confirm the name, but think it was http://www.cassbros.com/Misc/CBContact.html. They un-stitched the existing one and then added new piping and re-stitched it back on. The restiching wasnt the best, but its only shows underneath so overall its an improvement, and was cheaper than buying one of those recovered items from German Ebay, which I think are done in leatherette (vinyl?).

 

[popuptoaster]

paid 450 quid for my old coupe and so far its cost me an ignition coil and a fuel pump.

it'll cost a lot more this year though cos work starts on making it look nice and fitting the big V8.

 

[Ade B]

An old family friend found a place in Bromley to re-upholster the seats in his TR6, and he took my armrest in for me. Ill try and confirm the name, but think it was http://www.cassbros.com/Misc/CBContact.html. They un-stitched the existing one and then added new piping and re-stitched it back on. The restiching wasnt the best, but its only shows underneath so overall its an improvement, and was cheaper than buying one of those recovered items from German Ebay, which I think are done in leatherette (vinyl?).

Cheers, anything that costs less than three figures is a bonus, I guess at that cost you don't get saville row stitching..

Today ended a good week workwise (and I'm not still on the M1 for a change ), so I'm hoping to earmark some cash to chuck at the CE again soon... as well as the armrest it needs a wheel refurb, a recent wing ding removing and annoyingly the aerial is sticking at the last segment despite my best efforts to free it.. then there is a proper hands free kit, alarm, bumper inserts, more paint, etc. etc...

Ade

 

[crammy69]

Its all fixed , thanks C43AMG!!!

UPDATE:

:bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana::bannana: This is a definate 5 banana post for me!.


After a year of putting up with an erratic idle / misfire once warm, it is finally solved, and the irnony is: all it cost was £25 and a 40 minute drive to Maidstone!!.

On Peter's (C43AMG) recommendation (many, many thanks!! )from yonks back, I finally called Steve up and he kindly offered to look at the car this afternoon. Well after 10 minutes of testing and poking about, he adjusted the mixture and the engine started to run sweet as a nut!. Not only this, but the problem of warm starting was immediately cured, no more throttle needed and loads of cranks of the engine, just 1/2 turn of the key and sparked into life. I am absolutely overjoyed (yeah Im a 'sad' so and so).

Steve even pointed out the likley cause of copious amounts of fresh oil in the engine bay (its the engine breather pipe, easliy replaced) and confirmed that I need to replace a rubber hose between the Engine and water pump. Not only that, he allayed my fears over the engine.

Best £25 Ive spent on this car, to think I gave some cowboy over a grand and he didnt sort this and all it needed was a 1/4 turn of an allen key (oh and years of Mercedes knowledge to know that whats was needed of course!!!).

Ill find my posts on the issue ( there were plenty ) and update them later. Off for another celebratory drive :bannana:

 

[Howard]

Only thing that I'd add to that Simon - you should quite easily be able to get £1000+ for your coupe - and I imagine that it's in a fitter state then she was a year ago when you first bought it? (new battery, serviced etc).

Realistically it's a good time to hang onto it (get your ££££s worth out of your expenditure), unless you fancied the change. Get the idle issue sorted and you'll probably not have any big expenses in the next 12 months unless you're unlucky.

Will

Hey , it was in a good state when i sold it to Simon.

What idle issue ?

 

[crammy69]

Hey , it was in a good state when i sold it to Simon.

What idle issue ?

I think theres too many Simons Howard!, I'm the simon with the Idle issue, not Simon (Seamster) who you sold the whale to. Will means me!

 

[Will]

Hey , it was in a good state when i sold it to Simon.

What idle issue ?

LOL - as above

That was a reply to the OP who's thread this is, nothing to do with your old 230CE...

Will