Aircon and interior - full-swap, W124

[isobars]

Hi All,
I recently bought a 1990 300d, very low miles and no rust. I’m delighted with it, the car runs perfectly and the 12v engine is very sweet. In fact, I like the thing so much I’m going to keep it.
So, now it’s a keeper, there are two things I’d like to change.
The car has no air-con and the interior – though mint – is too beige/brown check for me.
I’ve just bought an ’88 petrol model with a mint cream tex interior and air-con.
Looking at previous posts the interior doesn’t look to be too difficult, but am I kidding myself if I think I can swap-in air-con from a 300E l to a 300D.
Finally, I might not have time to swap the interior as quickly as I would like, so does anyone know of someone who would take the swap on for me without charging a fortune?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Cheers,
Paul
PS If anyone wants a perfect brown check interior, I know a man that probably has one!

 

[millo777]

If it's just the seats and door cards you're changing over it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours max.

From what you've said, it sounds like both cars have the same colour dash, console and carpets?, so no need to change those over.

I'm sure others will chime in re the AC, but thats a much bigger job involving completely removing the dash to install the evaporator. I'm sure it's possible, just time consuming.

 

[franey]

Dash out is very time consuming, however once you have done it the a/c related equipment is easy to get to at that side of the bulkhead.
There are a few versions of the a'c fitted to the W124. Some of them came to the UK and had a/c fitted from new or soon after. There were a number of kits for retro fitting. One of them ~ Diavia was of such a design that you could not replace the blower motor without removing the dash.
So, if you do decide to go for it, see which make you have and see if you can access the blower motor from beneath the central wiper mechanism. If you have the Diavia type, replace the motor before fitting it to the new car. If you were to do it all and then in 5 thousand miles the blower motor gave up, you would be real cheesed off at having to do it all again!!

 

[isobars]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.

I won't be collecting the donor car for a few weeks, the first thing I'll do is check the air-con manufacturer.

As for the full or half swap, again, I won't really know until I've seen it 'live', but I'm not convinced that cream will sit well with the light-ish brown.

Or could I get away with it???

Cheers,

Paul

 

[bolide]

I'd do the whole interior. If you half do it it will always look like... you half did it

The DiAvia system with the fan inside the car is very rare - I've never seen one. The DiAvia systems are usually identical to the MB systems as are as good

Swopping the a/c into your car will expand your vocabulary of rude words dramatically. But it will be worth doing. Replace the receiver-drier with a new one if you do the swop

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[millo777]

Firstly, I think donor car has the diavia AC as it has the snowflake symbol on the AC button. The factory fitted AC has 'EC' on the same button.

Re the colour, thats really for you to decide. They are definatley different colours. The Donor car seems to be Mushroom, and your car appears to be Palamino. with regard to swapping it out, you can take your time. It doesn't all have to be done on the same day.

If you're installing an electric seat into a car without one currently, I would imagine that could take a little longer, but like the dash, nothing too difficult, just time consuming.

I wouldn't worry about it, you may have a half and half car for a while and just swap the trim over a bit at a time.

 

[WDB124066]

I really like that lower trim Paul, are you sure you can't grow to like it or is the Mrs giving you grief about it.....

 

[isobars]

Thanks again everyone for the advice.

Whilst I'm not getting grief from the Missus, I couldn't say she was exactly fond of the colour! That said, no one really seems to like it that much, but I don't really mind the colour or if anyone else does for that matter, I just prefer MBtex - but not by much - so I think if it hadn't been for the air-con possibility I'd have left it alone.

I agree that it all needs doing, but I'm becoming a bit daunted by the air-con swap!!

Has anyone ever done the job?

How tricky will the electric seat install be?

Thanks again.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[James]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.

I won't be collecting the donor car for a few weeks, the first thing I'll do is check the air-con manufacturer.

As for the full or half swap, again, I won't really know until I've seen it 'live', but I'm not convinced that cream will sit well with the light-ish brown.

Or could I get away with it???

Cheers,

Paul

Is the top picture the donor interior as that is leather rather than MB Tex

 

[balge]

Firstly, I think donor car has the diavia AC as it has the snowflake symbol on the AC button. The factory fitted AC has 'EC' on the same button.

Not neccessarily, my 300TD has Diavia aftermarket a/c - and has the button marked EC?
Just the panel or buttons could be changed I guess

 

[effbee584]

I had Aircon retro-fitted to a 260E, by the Boston (Lincs) dealership, think it cost about £1500 back in 1999. It tended to freeze up with prolonged use and caused heavy condensation on the outside of the windscreen. I never felt I got the value out of the cost. DIY is another prospect though, and with a good working space, I would definitely tackle the job myself, you should be able to learn all the dismantling tricks on the donor car before you tackle the keeper. Good luck. Changing trim over should all be quite easy, as others suggest though, try an do it all.

 

[isobars]

It does look very much like leather, though the doors and rear look to be tex.

1988 MERCEDES 300 E AUTO SILVER GOLD 185 Bhp bei eBay.de: Mercedes-Benz (endet 13.08.11 00:29:56 MESZ)

Still not seen the car, and the vendor does say tex.

Mystery for the next few weeks.

As commented, the cloth seats sit very high, a true proof of mileage - or light-****dness!

Cheers,

Paul

 

[bolide]

That is a retrofit. You can tell by the hard edge to the cutout for the aircon switches. Factory aircon cars had a bevelled edge to the cutout

Nick Froome
the independent Mercedes Estate specialists

 

[balge]

Well spotted!
I was just pointing out to Millo that it uses the same buttons, the 'EC' rather than a snowflake - although I thought that was defrost on some systems?

cheers!

 

[James]

It does look very much like leather, though the doors and rear look to be tex.

1988 MERCEDES 300 E AUTO SILVER GOLD 185 Bhp bei eBay.de: Mercedes-Benz (endet 13.08.11 00:29:56 MESZ)

Still not seen the car, and the vendor does say tex.

Mystery for the next few weeks.

As commented, the cloth seats sit very high, a true proof of mileage - or light-****dness!

Cheers,

Paul

Leather interiors would have had tex door trim. The pattern of the fluting would suggest this was an early w124 leather interior - MBTex would have straight fluting the entire length of the cusion and squab. Unless they have had the interior retrimmed in plastic of course following the old pattern. The leather interiors wear very well and I cannot see from the pictures if there are the tell-tale patina creases that leather would show after over 20 years.

 

[grober]

One thing to aware of is that at 1988 the air con may use the older [ now banned refrigerant] If this is the case and the car has never been updated you may need a new compressor among other things. Also have you checked the air con in the donor car actually works- presence of Air Con equipment in an old car does not imply a working system.

 

[isobars]

Yes, very true Graeme, it's probably duff.

I'm inclined at the moment to take the interior and break the car - I've always fancied doing that!

Anyone need any bits?

Cheers,

Paul

 

[millo777]

Paul, sorry to de-rail your thread, but how is you're mate getting on with you're old 300ce-24?, I called you about buying it before I got back from Dubai. If for any reason he wants to sell it, drop me a pm. Cheers, James.

And if you're not swapping the carpets/a/b/c pillar trim over from the donor car with the mushroom interior, pm about that as well!

 

[isobars]

Hi James,
He's most impressed with the coupe, but I'll pass the message on in case redundancy or similar looms.
There's a nice red one on ebay at the moment and a converted silver one with a 300d engine.
I'll let you know about the pillars.
Cheers,
Paul