BillyW124
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 2,891
- Location
- North West London
- Car
- W124 E320 coupe, W211 E320 V6 CDI, W211 E63 V8 AMG, R129 SL 280 V6, W215 CL 600 V12 Bi Turbo.
Enthusiasts!
I thought id share with you my steps into how I grew accustomed to the W124 and my current ownership of my W124 Coupe.
The W124 passion and sub-knowledge of these cars really came from my old man where Mercedes has really been part of the family from day 1. He’s had many a Merc in his time. Two of them which sticks in my mind growing up was his yellow W123 230E, loved the way it just sagged a little when you put it in drive! He had that for years I remember. In his ownership the car undertook a full re-spray and an engine re-build where he and my brother-in law worked every weekend chipping away at it. He actually got rid of it in the year 2000. The ECU must have had a millennium bug or something! The replacement was a 1997 N registered W124 saloon, Azurite Blue cream interior with 72,000 on the clock bought from an auction. If I remember correctly he paid around the mark of 6.5k for it. Expensive?
The car inside out was fantastically mint, the dealer label on the back screen read Dodman Read.
As the years went by, the 124 offered its work horse type services which never skipped a beat really. I only started to drive it once the old’s got me insured on it. I blew my little 1.2 16v Zetec Fiesta engine on the M1 coming back from Uni as apparently I had no oil in the engine revealed by the post mortem. Served me right for being inconsiderate, but funny thing was I really did used to take care of it?! Try telling a father that it wasn’t your fault, and the response you get is ‘you have no value for money’ so to that, the car was a gonner. So, persuading my olds to put me on the 124 was difficult as he didn’t want his work horse diminished in such a way. He made me wait because really, I was away most of the time at Uni so National Express it was for the remainder of my 2 years! Once back, in his eyes I was 2 years the wiser. (Which in my mind I was 2 years the wiser back then which makes it 4 years right?!) Anyway with job prospects on the horizon he offered me the insurance on the 124.
That’s when the journey began!
Roll on some time after clocking up some considerable miles and driving hours I just really wanted one for myself. The Coupe always had a place in the back of my mind.
Eventually I was in the market for a 124 coupe after very quickly eradicating
another possible car the Audi 80 Coupe.
Roll on to today:
In exactly 21 days today I will have owned my Mercedes–Benz W124 Coupe for three years. Not much you are probably thinking? I bought it @ 92,130. In three years I have racked up 10,570 on it. It’s been a pleasure to own and I hope, no – rephrase I know it will give me many more years of fun.
Had I got the chance again to buy another 124 coupe, I probably wouldn’t buy the first one I see nor would I purchase one with minimal history (or non existent in my case!)
But you will see why the lack of history and how when it is considered the be all and end all of buying a motor now doesn’t bother me.
Infact, I couldn’t really say it did actually bother me when I bought it. You see I was quite a naïve buyer to the 124 at the time but not completely blind to the fact that I didn’t know what I was looking out for because I did have foundations of what they're are all about. I probably would have bought a complete shed believe me otherwise. Looking back I think I had paid over the odds for my one considering what’s out there currently with FSH and a packet of bursting invoices.
This said, the car has never let up on me once and from the horror stories I hear from other owners of the many disheartening issues of their 124’s I count myself lucky I bought one that hasn’t packed up on me, especially considering I don’t know its past service and maintenance. The only thing that kept me in vain about the car is that the mileage matched up to VOSA MOT records when checked online. Even that was checked after I bought it It would have been feked if the milage didnt match up! Gladly it was all in sync.
If I’m honest, all I did for the first month or two of ownership is compare it to the saloon (now gone as we replaced it for a facelift w211 320 V6). I know that each 124 has a character of their own and no 124 is the same. But I wanted to start to unfold it and see what the deal is. I just thought that the coupe experience should be so much better.
The thing is, I have a good sense for attention to detail which I find is common amongst us members plainly because we are enthusiasts I guess.
In three years only I have a folder full with invoices and receipts of bits I have done to the coupe to get it up to standards. My standards.
The ‘start from scratch’ attitude was the way forward for me to build up my own history for the car.
The bug then began and throughout the three years of ownership I have finally got a sense of satisfaction that all the money (no doubt I have spent a bit), time and effort bringing the coupe up to scratch has finally paid off.
If I thought it was ‘fine’ when I first test drove it, the word ‘fine’ when compared to the cars current running/looks was an overstatement.
Today I know what fine should really feel like and I’m not even done with it yet. It drives/feels amazing.
The total cost of the purchase of the car and all the stuff that has been done to it so far has cost me way less compared to if I was to buy say a 3-5 year old car. So financially it makes sense. I didn’t plough in cash on it every time to think ill make it back. Bottom line is I won’t and solely i did it for my enjoyment and satisfaction.
All these little things add up to one big thing a sense of how these beautifully engineered motors should be appreciated when it works as intended.
To date work carried out services and general/major maintenance:
27/01/2010 1st service @ 92,701miles
1. Checked front wishbones Needs replacing
2. Rear bushings/links Needs replacing
3. Rear sub frame mounts Needs replacing
4. Poor MPG Sticky thermostat resulting in cold engine temperature
12/11/2010 2nd service @ 97,415miles
· Both left and right firewall drains
· Centre scuttle drains
· Fuel over flow drain
· Both rear sill drains
· Both front sill drains
Checks performed in this service:
12/10/2011 3rd service @102,549 miles
Checks performed this service:
General maintenance and retro fitting:
§ Dash cluster bulbs
§ Headlight switch bulbs
§ Heater control bulbs
29/10/2010 (re-apply every 4-5 years)
Carried out by CKLClive July 2011
Summer 2011:
To consider i was going to ditch this half way through ive pumped a bit of cash on it already for a 320, I always came back disapointed at my viewings because I always ended up comapring them to the current. The thought was i would have to start the above process again. Really, the ones i viewed considering the price bracket they were selling at, anyone on here would have thought they were minters. How wrong. Am glad i kept this? You bet.
For sure, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I have done to my car without the help from members of MBClub UK that have sourced me bits coupled with the sheer volume of the many available threads and useful posts that have been created for others for me to derive an exhaustive list for me to work through so to that I thank you very much.
Cheers Billy.
I thought id share with you my steps into how I grew accustomed to the W124 and my current ownership of my W124 Coupe.
The W124 passion and sub-knowledge of these cars really came from my old man where Mercedes has really been part of the family from day 1. He’s had many a Merc in his time. Two of them which sticks in my mind growing up was his yellow W123 230E, loved the way it just sagged a little when you put it in drive! He had that for years I remember. In his ownership the car undertook a full re-spray and an engine re-build where he and my brother-in law worked every weekend chipping away at it. He actually got rid of it in the year 2000. The ECU must have had a millennium bug or something! The replacement was a 1997 N registered W124 saloon, Azurite Blue cream interior with 72,000 on the clock bought from an auction. If I remember correctly he paid around the mark of 6.5k for it. Expensive?

As the years went by, the 124 offered its work horse type services which never skipped a beat really. I only started to drive it once the old’s got me insured on it. I blew my little 1.2 16v Zetec Fiesta engine on the M1 coming back from Uni as apparently I had no oil in the engine revealed by the post mortem. Served me right for being inconsiderate, but funny thing was I really did used to take care of it?! Try telling a father that it wasn’t your fault, and the response you get is ‘you have no value for money’ so to that, the car was a gonner. So, persuading my olds to put me on the 124 was difficult as he didn’t want his work horse diminished in such a way. He made me wait because really, I was away most of the time at Uni so National Express it was for the remainder of my 2 years! Once back, in his eyes I was 2 years the wiser. (Which in my mind I was 2 years the wiser back then which makes it 4 years right?!) Anyway with job prospects on the horizon he offered me the insurance on the 124.
That’s when the journey began!
Roll on some time after clocking up some considerable miles and driving hours I just really wanted one for myself. The Coupe always had a place in the back of my mind.
Eventually I was in the market for a 124 coupe after very quickly eradicating
another possible car the Audi 80 Coupe.
Roll on to today:
In exactly 21 days today I will have owned my Mercedes–Benz W124 Coupe for three years. Not much you are probably thinking? I bought it @ 92,130. In three years I have racked up 10,570 on it. It’s been a pleasure to own and I hope, no – rephrase I know it will give me many more years of fun.
Had I got the chance again to buy another 124 coupe, I probably wouldn’t buy the first one I see nor would I purchase one with minimal history (or non existent in my case!)

Infact, I couldn’t really say it did actually bother me when I bought it. You see I was quite a naïve buyer to the 124 at the time but not completely blind to the fact that I didn’t know what I was looking out for because I did have foundations of what they're are all about. I probably would have bought a complete shed believe me otherwise. Looking back I think I had paid over the odds for my one considering what’s out there currently with FSH and a packet of bursting invoices.
This said, the car has never let up on me once and from the horror stories I hear from other owners of the many disheartening issues of their 124’s I count myself lucky I bought one that hasn’t packed up on me, especially considering I don’t know its past service and maintenance. The only thing that kept me in vain about the car is that the mileage matched up to VOSA MOT records when checked online. Even that was checked after I bought it It would have been feked if the milage didnt match up! Gladly it was all in sync.
If I’m honest, all I did for the first month or two of ownership is compare it to the saloon (now gone as we replaced it for a facelift w211 320 V6). I know that each 124 has a character of their own and no 124 is the same. But I wanted to start to unfold it and see what the deal is. I just thought that the coupe experience should be so much better.
The thing is, I have a good sense for attention to detail which I find is common amongst us members plainly because we are enthusiasts I guess.
In three years only I have a folder full with invoices and receipts of bits I have done to the coupe to get it up to standards. My standards.
The ‘start from scratch’ attitude was the way forward for me to build up my own history for the car.
The bug then began and throughout the three years of ownership I have finally got a sense of satisfaction that all the money (no doubt I have spent a bit), time and effort bringing the coupe up to scratch has finally paid off.
If I thought it was ‘fine’ when I first test drove it, the word ‘fine’ when compared to the cars current running/looks was an overstatement.
Today I know what fine should really feel like and I’m not even done with it yet. It drives/feels amazing.
The total cost of the purchase of the car and all the stuff that has been done to it so far has cost me way less compared to if I was to buy say a 3-5 year old car. So financially it makes sense. I didn’t plough in cash on it every time to think ill make it back. Bottom line is I won’t and solely i did it for my enjoyment and satisfaction.
All these little things add up to one big thing a sense of how these beautifully engineered motors should be appreciated when it works as intended.
To date work carried out services and general/major maintenance:
27/01/2010 1st service @ 92,701miles
- New thermostat
- All four Sparkplugs changed, Bosch
- Poly V belt changed
- Change of air filters oil filter and fuel filter (no pollen filter on model)
- 5 ½ lit Mobil 1 10-40 grade oil change
- New Oil filler cap
- ATF oil flush with new MB ATF oil change
- New gear box sump gasket
- Gear box filter
- Full flush of cooling system and new MB coolant mixture added
- New battery fitted
- New wiper blade
1. Checked front wishbones Needs replacing
2. Rear bushings/links Needs replacing
3. Rear sub frame mounts Needs replacing
4. Poor MPG Sticky thermostat resulting in cold engine temperature
12/11/2010 2nd service @ 97,415miles
- Oil filter
- ½ lit of Castrol magnatec oil 10-40
- 3lit of power steering oil
- Power steering filter
- Brakes bled
- 2lit of new brake fluid added
- Throttle Body Cleaned, throttle body tension spring fitted
- Adjustment of front wheel bearings
- Boot lid lock catch adjusted to sit correctly
- The instrument light in cluster (failed light) fixed. Bulbs all checked for correct wattage.
- Drainage holes checked and cleared (RH side firewall drain blocked, now clear. Water running free on LH side and on all other drains:
· Both left and right firewall drains
· Centre scuttle drains
· Fuel over flow drain
· Both rear sill drains
· Both front sill drains
Checks performed in this service:
- 1. OVP check (Over voltage protection behind batt) OK
- 2. Condition of engine wiring harness. In good condition
- 3. Check hoses/brake hoses/vacumn lines etc OK
- 4. Are water pumps and fuel pumps in good order? OK
- 5. Does the handbrake cable need tightening? OK
- 6. Check all drainage holes for blockage Cleaned
- 7. Check engine belts OK
- 8. Drive Chain (does it need tightening?) OK
- 9. Oil Leaks anywhere (rear diff and near gear box) OK
- 10. Check Oil pressure. Good engine oil pressure
12/10/2011 3rd service @102,549 miles
- Spark plugs changed
- Diff oil drained and new Castrol 80W 90 EPX oil added
- Air filter
- Oil drain and new Castrol magnatec 10-40 oil added
- Oil filter
- Foot brake tightened
- Antifreeze coolant flush/new MB mixture added.
- Lambda sensor change
- Fuel Sender unit change
- Clean up throttle body
Checks performed this service:
- Hoses OK
- Vacuum lines OK
- Fuel lines under clips, clean gunk If any OK
- Condition of poly V belt OK
- Wheel bearings OK
- Gaskets (Rocker cover gasket slight sweating)
- Steering lock stops (Needs to be replaced)
- Diff mounts OK, (could do with replacement but not essential currently)
- Prop shaft couplings (front end of prop shaft coupling has slight play, need replacement)
- Anti roll bar bushings (front anti roll bar bushings has play, need replacement)
- Spark plug caps (needs replacing)
- 4 plug seals ( for rocker cover gasket change)
General maintenance and retro fitting:
- Burl walnut wood leather steering wheel fitted
- Chrome Mercedes emblem airbag fitted to match steering wheel.
- Centre heater control burl wood trim fitted (faded/incorrect colour when purchased)
- Burl wood gear knob fitted
- Mercedes Bonnet emblem coin replaced with original star.
- New original RH Mercedes window regulator fitted
- New outside LCD temp display changed along with new temp thermometer fitted.
- Front number plate recess housing for thermometer fitted
- New front headlamps fitted
- Front original Bosch indicator repeaters fitted
- Illuminated vanity mirrors fitted
- Dimming rear view mirror installation
- Armrest changed
- Replaced interior bulbs:
§ Dash cluster bulbs
§ Headlight switch bulbs
§ Heater control bulbs
- New front under side grommets for drain holes replaced
- Left hand side jack point grommet fitted
- Front and rear windscreens replaced
- Steering column indicator cam with new snap ring replaced
- Rocker cover plastic trim cover replaced
- Throttle and gear box Bowden cables fine adjusted
- Rear electric roller sun blind fitted (centre burl walnut heater panel to fit switch sourced and original MB wiring loom used)
- Driver and passenger door check straps replaced.
29/10/2010 (re-apply every 4-5 years)
- Under body of vehicle Waxoyl treated
- Two front lower wishbone arms (with ball joints)
- Front track rod ends
- Rear shocks
- Rear control arms
- Thrust arms
- Camber arms and links
- Rear sub frame mounts front and rear.
- Shim pads changed to new 1bump front and 3bump rear
- Compression test on all four cylinders carried out (gauge reads compressions are within tolerance)
- Fitted AMG II mono blocks alloys, 18x8 J ET31 alloys with Falken 215/40 R18 tyres, originally went for Pirelli 225/40. Side wall profile for ride height interfered with body.
- Full laser four wheel geometry tracking
- Engine mounts
- Transmission mount
- Steering damper
- Front and rear brake discs replaced
- Front and rear pads (including two new front wear sensors)
- Belt damper
- Belt tensioner
- Manifold gasket, studs and bolts
- New charcoal filter fitted
Carried out by CKLClive July 2011
Summer 2011:
- All four Jacking Points treated. Corrosion on the sill around the points cut out and new metal welded in place.
- Rear fender arch lips treated after I had a lip roll
- Washer bottle grommet area in engine bay treated. Corrosion cut out and new metal welded in
- Front wings removed, treated in anti rust. Fender lips again treated after lip roll
- Inner wing skins treated in anti rust
- Rear inner quarter panels and drain grommets left/right corrosion cut out and new metal welded in
- Inner rear light cluster edges treated and sealed for water ingress prevention
- Areas of wheel well treated and a light blow over in body colour
- Driver side footwell corrosion (sill area) treated with new metal welded in and treated
- Cavity wax injected into the sills
- Front lights, front bumper and rear bumpers removed to treat inner skins and mounting areas of the body
- Front bumper re-sprayed due to stone chips.
- Plastic claddings and sills re-sprayed in monotone effect to the rest of the body.
- Recondition steering box
- Recondition gear box
- Drive chain tension check.
- Steering drag links and components check/replace
- Steering box mounting: torque bolts check all the ball joints on the steering linkage all 6
- Diff mounts
- New exhaust system stainless steel/original MB use acquired Sebring back box
- Fuel pump, water pump, oil pump check/replace.
- Gasket checks (is ok however rocker currently slightly sweating on RH side)
- Grease wiper mechanism
- Maybe change wiper to aero blade??
- Top mounts when changing the shocks to B6’s/ also rear shock bottom and top rubbers
- Eibach ARB’s front and rear with bushes.
- IR lockset change to be fitted (kit sourced)
- Heated front seats
- Electric seats
- Electric reach steering column?
- Cruise control: probably not!
- Dynamat boot area, boot lid, and whole of floor pan. Only once seats are/if sourced
- HID headlamp conversion? Probably not!
- Grease seat rails
- Sunroof gasket/service
- Avant-garde grille/ grille insets maybe?
- Dye/restore areas of leather
- Driver side hand pull on roof Don’t have one currently??
- Rear cubby hole Sourced
- Door sills
- Strip car and do a full re-spray, window seals/door seals replace
To consider i was going to ditch this half way through ive pumped a bit of cash on it already for a 320, I always came back disapointed at my viewings because I always ended up comapring them to the current. The thought was i would have to start the above process again. Really, the ones i viewed considering the price bracket they were selling at, anyone on here would have thought they were minters. How wrong. Am glad i kept this? You bet.
For sure, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I have done to my car without the help from members of MBClub UK that have sourced me bits coupled with the sheer volume of the many available threads and useful posts that have been created for others for me to derive an exhaustive list for me to work through so to that I thank you very much.
Cheers Billy.
