Just bought a W124 Cabriolet

[scillyisles]

That was cheap,well done with the purchase.The rear light should be tinted,and as ^ the alloys are 8 hole 15s
As for the mats,I`d recomend SVS

I think we had a long discussion on the thread where it had been spotted on Ebay.
My final post on that thread indicated that I thought this was a pre-facelift car that had had the new bonnet and lights fitted as the car has a pre-facelift interior. Since that post I checked out my old W124 Cabriolet brochures (one pre facelift and one post facelift) These brochures seem to confirm that this is a pre-facelift car. If this is the case then the rear lights and bumper/cladding are correct and it is the front bonnet/headlights which have been replaced.

 

[scillyisles]

Wiring loom done by a Mercedes Benz dealer will cost over £1000 - I had mine done recently and it came to just shy of £1500. Of this cost, nearly half is the cost of the wiring loom plus they seem to reckon about 4-5 hours labour.
Other things I would expect to replace if they have not been done previously are:
- water pump - MB parts price around £250
- radiator - MB parts price around £500
- viscous fan drive - MB parts price £200
- head gasket if it has not been done.
Check for front wings rusting and rear wings particularly around drain holes just to the rear of the rear wheelarches. Jacking points are another common rusting area.
Check all water drain grommets and make sure they are clear. The ones just behind the front wheelarches often clog up with road debris . Check the ones around the front heater intake near to bottom of windscreen wiper.

 

[scillyisles]

The throttle on these cars is different to modern cars - there is quite a lot of travel and resistance. It is something you get used to.

 

[sportyreptile]

Nice car for the money and with a bit spending on it here and there will be top order. I'm with you on the wheels, would look better with original 8 hole Denebs fitted, the diamond cut finish ones would set the car off great against that body colour.

 

[grober]

Wiring loom done by a Mercedes Benz dealer will cost over £1000 - I had mine done recently and it came to just shy of £1500. Of this cost, nearly half is the cost of the wiring loom plus they seem to reckon about 4-5 hours labour.
Other things I would expect to replace if they have not been done previously are:
- water pump - MB parts price around £250
- radiator - MB parts price around £500
- viscous fan drive - MB parts price £200
- head gasket if it has not been done.
Check for front wings rusting and rear wings particularly around drain holes just to the rear of the rear wheelarches. Jacking points are another common rusting area.
Check all water drain grommets and make sure they are clear. The ones just behind the front wheelarches often clog up with road debris . Check the ones around the front heater intake near to bottom of windscreen wiper.

The wiring loom is a relatively simple DIY using the old loom as a "side by side" guide. PeachPartsWiki: W124 Engine Wiring Harness Replacement £1500!!!!!

I would advise using good quality OEM quality parts for repairs and a good MB specialist for servicing to keep your costs at a reasonable level.

 

[scillyisles]

The wiring loom is a relatively simple DIY using the old loom as a "side by side" guide. PeachPartsWiki: W124 Engine Wiring Harness Replacement £1500!!!!!

I would advise using good quality OEM quality parts for repairs and a good MB specialist for servicing to keep your costs at a reasonable level.

I would say I am a fairly experienced DIY quite capable of tackling a lot of mechanical/electrical job on a car. I studied the Peach parts Wik for some time and also read reviews of people who had followed it. The photo sequence on the Wiki misses out all the difficult bits which do differ according to the options fitted to your car. In the end, I opted for Mercedes to do this job.
In terms of parts, I would say use MB parts bought from your local dealer - in general the parts prices are not too bad and in my experience are much better than pattern parts from some of the alternative sources. If you have a local MB specialist you can use then I agree it would reduce the costs considerably. My car has a complete since new MB dealer service history all at the same dealer which I guess I pay a premium for. It has helped on a couple of occasions.

 

[grober]

Fair enough its all down to the personal preference of each owner. Just trying to save the poster a bit of money if he's on a tight budget that's all.

 

[lordlee]

Not sure why a 94 car has the wrong side trim, bumpers, rear lights etc. They never made a pre facelift cab as it was 93-94 only. Anyway its a nice car but needs some 16" 8 Holes IMO.

 

[scillyisles]

Not sure why a 94 car has the wrong side trim, bumpers, rear lights etc. They never made a pre facelift cab as it was 93-94 only. Anyway its a nice car but needs some 16" 8 Holes IMO.

They made quite a few pre facelift cars - like this one currently for sale on Charles Ironside. If you look at the interior shots you will see it has exactly the same interior as jam38's car which is why I say that his car is probably a pre-facelift with facelifted bonnet and headlights rather than the other way around.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

Congratulations, looks like a nice car and one of my favourite colours from that era.

Well done, I agree with you that the 8 hole alloys will suit it much more. Personally I'd look at putting 16" 8 holes on it, the facelift (tinted) rear lights would also set it off nicely.

 

[jam38]

I think we had a long discussion on the thread where it had been spotted on Ebay.
My final post on that thread indicated that I thought this was a pre-facelift car that had had the new bonnet and lights fitted as the car has a pre-facelift interior. Since that post I checked out my old W124 Cabriolet brochures (one pre facelift and one post facelift) These brochures seem to confirm that this is a pre-facelift car. If this is the case then the rear lights and bumper/cladding are correct and it is the front bonnet/headlights which have been replaced.

I like the front but I am thinking of getting the rear lights sorted. As long as it runs well these mods can be done over time.

 

[lordlee]

They made quite a few pre facelift cars - like this one currently for sale on Charles Ironside. If you look at the interior shots you will see it has exactly the same interior as jam38's car which is why I say that his car is probably a pre-facelift with facelifted bonnet and headlights rather than the other way around.

The boot is also facelift though which is why I find it a little odd.

 

[jam38]

Wiring loom done by a Mercedes Benz dealer will cost over £1000 - I had mine done recently and it came to just shy of £1500. Of this cost, nearly half is the cost of the wiring loom plus they seem to reckon about 4-5 hours labour.
Other things I would expect to replace if they have not been done previously are:
- water pump - MB parts price around £250
- radiator - MB parts price around £500
- viscous fan drive - MB parts price £200
- head gasket if it has not been done.
Check for front wings rusting and rear wings particularly around drain holes just to the rear of the rear wheelarches. Jacking points are another common rusting area.
Check all water drain grommets and make sure they are clear. The ones just behind the front wheelarches often clog up with road debris . Check the ones around the front heater intake near to bottom of windscreen wiper.

Thank you for the advice, but £1,500 for the wiring loom! I have a specialist that I use and have recommended (WDM Cars Ltd) so hopefully it will be much less.

 

[jam38]

Nice car for the money and with a bit spending on it here and there will be top order. I'm with you on the wheels, would look better with original 8 hole Denebs fitted, the diamond cut finish ones would set the car off great against that body colour.

I was thinking about the diamond cut finish too, but am scared of kerbing them.

 

[jam38]

The wiring loom is a relatively simple DIY using the old loom as a "side by side" guide. PeachPartsWiki: W124 Engine Wiring Harness Replacement £1500!!!!!

I would advise using good quality OEM quality parts for repairs and a good MB specialist for servicing to keep your costs at a reasonable level.

Thank you for the guide, looks easy to do but I am too scared to do the job. Any volunteers?

 

[jam38]

Anyway its a nice car but needs some 16" 8 Holes IMO.

I agree with you that the 8 hole alloys will suit it much more. Personally I'd look at putting 16" 8 holes on it, the facelift (tinted) rear lights would also set it off nicely.

I thought that it would be better to go for 15s but others have said 16s. Does it affect the ride whether the alloys are 15 or 16? If it does not then I don't really mind either because it will widen my search area.

 

[jam38]

I will be watching these closely: Mercedes 8 hole 16 inch alloy polish wheels great condition | eBay

 

[Charles Morgan]

Don't buy 16s - if you check tyre prices they are almost twice that of 15s and the car is still under wheeled if that bothers you. I have two w124s on my drive, one is 16 the other 15. The ride on the 15s is exceptional, the 16s nowhere near as nice.

 

[The Boss]

The boot is also facelift though which is why I find it a little odd.

the boot was never of pre facelift design, it always had the facelift cladding from day one for the cabrios

 

[scillyisles]

There is no such thing as a facelift boot on a cabriolet.