I give up.

[tron]

After three hours trying to remove the upper bolt from the rear suspension tie rod, I decided that this car isn't worth the hassle. Over the last six weeks
I've rebuilt the aircon, fitted leather and motorised it,replaced the tailgate replaced three of the springs all five of the dampers, two of the ten rear suspension links, the cat and battery and the front brakes. I have the rear disks and pads, the other front wishbone spring and balljoint and the drag link to fit together with the rear subframe mountings yet to do.
I have had three Mercedes. One was enchanting, one disappointing and the third frustrating. Tomorrow, all the new replacement bits will be going into the back
and it is off to the scrapper. I shall not be buying another one. It is harder to work on than a hydropneumatic Citroen and has cost around £500 a week to own. I'll be glad to see the back of it.!

 

[Tiim533]

You are a far far braver and more courageous man than I!

 

[AMGeed]

Every man has his breaking point. You have done well so far.

Why not remove the parts you fitted along with the new parts awaiting fitting and put them on eBay or sell them here? At least you should recoup some of your expenses.

 

[219]

very sorry to hear that .

May I suggest that , given all the work and effort you've put into it , you just take a deep breath , maybe go down the pub ... leave the car wherever it is for a week or so and just try not to think about it .

If , after that week , you still feel the same , then fine .

PS , so many new parts - why not advertise it on the classifieds here - someone may want it for parts , or to continue where you left off .

It just seems a lot of expense and effort to throw away .

 

[daveenty]

I agree with the gentleman above.

Walk away from it for a bit, then come back to it in a different frame of mind, possibly with some heat for the offending bolt.

Just that it seems a shame to scrap it after doing so much really, the devil you know syndrome springs to mind...

 

[PobodY]

My Nissan has been on axle stands in the drive for over a year for much the same reason. - I just can't face lying on my back working on it at the moment.

I'm still trying to avoid it going to the scrap man, but if my wife has her way that's what will happen.

 

[GeeJayW]

If you don't enjoy it, don't do it!

Definitely advertise on here or on eBay before as a last resort taking it to a scrappy who will probably charge you for the privilege.

 

[Alex]

Light mechanical work. Stop whining and finish the damn thing. Too many people throw the towel at the first sight of trouble these days.

 

[zipdip]

Look you made a decision to get underneath that car and repair and improve it,ok that bolt is a pig to remove,as Pontoneer suggests have a couple of pints,put your feet up for a week or two and then tackle it again,I have never worked on that car but maybe it is possible to cut the bolt and buy a new one,but it is your decision,beat up knuckles and oil dripping on your forehead are all part of the game keeping these older cars running.

 

[Peter103]

Defeated by a bolt!! Stop feeling sorry for yourself, get back in there and sort the b@St@rd out! Just DO it!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Just buy a new one with all the bells and whistles, I hear that PCP or leasing is the way to go.

 

[Doodle]

Which of the plethora of arms is it?

Chances are it'll have to be cut out with a disc or similar, if it's the one I suspect it to be the bolt will be totally seized into the arm.

 

[brucemillar]

If you are enjoying it? You are doing it wrong.

 

[mj2k]

Get one of those mobile 'stripped thread' people in - they've normally got the tools to remove stubborn nuts / bolts and can repair the inevitable thread damage too.

Definitely don't give up in a moment of frustration; I felt like that many, many times with my Alfa (the W210 is a piece of cake in comparison) but 1 year down the line it looks and drives so well it's definitely been worth all the wasted time / money.

...Or at least that's how I feel at the moment, it'll probably be a different matter when it inevitably breaks down again

 

[Doodle]

There's no need for the thread people, that's just throwing good money after bad.

The arm and bolt/nut can be sacrificed as they're being replaced, it's just getting them out of where they pass through the subframe. It's usually the tie rod (red arrow in the picture) that seizes, the rest of the torque arms don't usually cause much of a problem.

Can you tell I've been here before?

 

[poormansporsche]

Mate, the S250 IMO is a modern classic in the making. Im pretty sure there would be plenty of people on here who would be interested on here and would be a real shame to scrap. STD is the way of the future for these cars !!!!

 

[mj2k]

There's no need for the thread people, that's just throwing good money after bad.

The arm and bolt/nut can be sacrificed as they're being replaced, it's just getting them out of where they pass through the subframe. It's usually the tie rod (red arrow in the picture) that seizes, the rest of the torque arms don't usually cause much of a problem.

Can you tell I've been here before?

Mmm, from the looks of that picture it should be easy enough to get a dirty great breaker bar or even an angle grinder in there once everything else is disconnected; you could even cut through the tie rod if need be to make access easier if it's being replaced anyway.

 

[Doodle]

The tie rod (red arrow) is made of alloy, so very easy to hack through with an angry grinder.

Of course, that assumes we're talking about the same arm the OP is!

 

[mj2k]

The tie rod (red arrow) is made of alloy, so very easy to hack through with an angry grinder.

Of course, that assumes we're talking about the same arm the OP is!

Ahh, the joys of catalytic corrosion

Almost every suspension component in the Alfa uses a steel bolt going through alloy so I feel the OP's pain!

 

[219]

Worst case scenario - is everything on the subframe - could it all be dropped out in one and worked on out of the car ?

Especially since in the OP he mentions still having the rear subframe mountings to do ...