New 1988 300CE owner

[squigg]

Hi all, I've been on here for a little bit but never introduced myself or the car properly - I got great help from a few of you in this thread:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=59029

Well the car has been off the road since we fixed it - it had no tax, was previously registered as "disabled" and the silly dealer we bought it from had "forgotten" to send the V5 in

Finally got it taxed yesterday, so took the car out last night to put 50 miles on it and make sure all working as it should be.

I'm a car nut - my daily driver is a 1993 M5 and my weekend toy a barely-road-legal Honda Integra ex-racing car - how different the Merc is! The thing about the M5 is the engine hates being below about 3K rpm - in comparison, the autobox merc just wafts along at 1500rpm everywhere ... it's so relaxing in comparison!

I do have to remember it's on wee narrow tyres though - it feels pointy and solid enough on it's P6000s (eek!) but compared to my other cars I've no idea where the grip is going to run out. I need to find some quiet, safe roads and see how it handles at the limit.

Not that I expect it to be a sports car, but I want to make sure my girlfriend doesn't accidentally oversteer it on a wintry roundabout!

The interior is beautiful as well - the leather looks and smells gorgeous and the driving postion is lofty and relaxed ... completely changed my attitude when I took it 25 miles up the motorway this morning to work - rather than trying to break the land speed record, I just sat about 75MPH and enjoyed the radio. Lovely on the motorway - it pulls strong and the ride is the right side of firm .... I got waves from a few other Merc drivers and a few wee girls as well - I see the attraction

Car is for my girlfriend, so she'll take her over in the next few days once she's insured and I'm happy everything is safe and well.

A few points I need to rectify:
1) The rear demister isn't working - I'll have to see if the wiring to it is fine or it's just an earth or something.
2) The autobox gear selector isn't lit up - I know how to fix it
3) The dashboard lighting is very dim, even with the brightness turned up - I'll see how easy it is to replace the buld

4) Not sure the aircon is working - the car is very steamy in this weather and the dehumidify setting isn't making any difference .... can these cars be regassed or do they use some really dodgy gas? If so, can I do it at Kwikfit or another cheapo regas place??

5) Drivers side rear window isn't working

Again, nice to be here - good forum and lots of lovely advice when I search

 

[mattc]

welcome aboard. Nice choice in car.

 

[dougal74]

Rear demister, if you have lots of delamination (milky stuff around the edge) it is probably this rather than the nice simple loose wire/fuse! Then again you may have a nice insurance policy you could adapt for the purposes of rectification.
Aircon can be converted but would need to check seals etc. to see have serviceable the system is first. Ian Walker is looking into it for his 300-24 so has all the knowledge.

 

[squigg]

Oh, also, there is about an inch of slack in the accelerator pedal before the engine responds - think I need to get a new cable!

 

[mattc]

Oh, also, there is about an inch of slack in the accelerator pedal before the engine responds - think I need to get a new cable!

No. this is absolutely normal for these cars. you will soon get used to it. (after lighting up the back wheels a few times before you learn where the "loud" point is in the travel.!)

 

[andy_k]

The interior is beautiful as well - the leather looks and smells gorgeous......

hmmmmm, from the look of your photos, that's got MB Tex not leather (leather normally has ruched door panels)

it does look nice though so enjoy (whether it's leather or not)

 

[squigg]

Dougal, fantastic advice about the rear screen - it would be terrible if someone were to accidentally put a hammer through it, I hadn't thought of that

Cheers Matt - can you tell yet I'm new to Mercs?? It doesn't feel powerful enough to light up the rear wheels and I don't like treating a classic car like that

Andy - I'm almost convinced it's leather ... I'll get more pics of the front. If it's fake leather then it's very good! The car was first registered in Hong Kong, then imported to the UK in 2003 - the bodywork is exceptional ,we can't find a single trace of rust on it .... we will be doing our upmost to keep it that way.

I'll go see if the front seats are perforated....

 

[SilverSaloon]

Dougal, fantastic advice about the rear screen - it would be terrible if someone were to accidentally put a hammer through it, I hadn't thought of that

Cheers Matt - can you tell yet I'm new to Mercs?? It doesn't feel powerful enough to light up the rear wheels and I don't like treating a classic car like that

Andy - I'm almost convinced it's leather ... I'll get more pics of the front. If it's fake leather then it's very good! The car was first registered in Hong Kong, then imported to the UK in 2003 - the bodywork is exceptional ,we can't find a single trace of rust on it .... we will be doing our upmost to keep it that way.

I'll go see if the front seats are perforated....

It does look MB-Tex. The seat "pads"/pattern go veritically on MB-Tex instead of horizontilly. Also, as stated, the door cards are flat on Tex instead of ruffled leather.

MB-Tex will look brand new once cleaned up....

compare this CE's LEATHER pattern to yours (also see the door card's ruffled leather insert).

i have MB-Tex in my Estate and love it! looks new

TEX:

 

[mattc]

trust us..it is MB tex. Just means it will last longer.

My 320 (admittedly with more low down torque) will happily spin the rear wheels if i am lead footed .

Changing the AC to accept the new refridgerant may be a ball ache.

the flat rear screen really do attract frost. If you are keeping it outside on a frosty evening you may wish to cover it as well as the front screen otherwise it will take ages to clear.

enjoy the car.

 

[gbjeppm]

4) Not sure the aircon is working - the car is very steamy in this weather and the dehumidify setting isn't making any difference .... can these cars be regassed or do they use some really dodgy gas? If so, can I do it at Kwikfit or another cheapo regas place??

Just in case as you are new to merc, the EC light for the Aircon needs to be off for it to work, if the light is on the AC is off.

It has caught a few others out in the past

 

[popuptoaster]

Going round roundabouts sideways is half the fun of owning an old rwd car with a bit of oomph and no crappy traction control, i dont baby mine and the old girls are 33 next year.

 

[andy_k]

Oh, also, there is about an inch of slack in the accelerator pedal before the engine responds - think I need to get a new cable!

No. this is absolutely normal for these cars. you will soon get used to it. (after lighting up the back wheels a few times before you learn where the "loud" point is in the travel.!)

Makes for a few fun starts when I switch between the E320 and the E55. The E320 has the traditional inch of slack whereas the E55 doesn't - it's OK going from the E55 to the E320, the other way usually means a rather rapid take off

 

[Ade B]

Just in case as you are new to merc, the EC light for the Aircon needs to be off for it to work, if the light is on the AC is off.

It has caught a few others out in the past

Not in my CE, its lit for on, not lit for off - but I have aftermarket AC.

The AC is most likely fubar and likely to need more than a simple regass, do some searches on here, there's plenty of info about. The dehumidifier function should clear the glass in seconds if working properly. I'd check all the drains, particularly at the front as they block up ridiculously easily with old leaves and crud and flood the footwells under the carpet which may be contributing to your misting problem.

The accelerator pedal should have no 'slack' in it however not a lot happens in the first bit of travel certainly compared to more modern stuff.. and I found that the pre facelift cars (CE rather than E) were less stiff than the later cars I test drove.

Drivers side rear window could be switch, regulator or motor. I found that none OE motors don't mate with OE regulators - certainly didn't in my case (I have two spare motors lying about ), so do check before paying out. You'll need to open up the trim to test the wiring first, check the regulator teeth and finally the motor - its easy to do (on the doors anyway). The nice thing is the trim seems to come apart and go back together nicely.. The motors can be reconditioned easily (allegedly) but I couldn't get mine to work and have replaced both fronts in the last year.. (£188 each )

Lovely car, keep us posted.

Ade

 

[squigg]

Thanks to all of you incidentally - I'll check the drains in the footwell, but I suspect it's just the weather up here, especially in light of whats being said about the rear window easily frosting.

Looking forward to driving it home, although I'll admit I'm looking forward to getting back in my M5 as well
Stephen

 

[Frank O' Phile]

Hi Sqigg,

Nice car you got there, and glad to hear that its running nicely now.

Your air conditioning is probably using old R12 gas, which is now unavailable. The replacement is R134a which uses different connectors and seals. there are conversions available http://car-air-conditioning-supplies.co.uk/caraircon/product.php?productid=516&cat=6&page=1

Oh and the rear tyres will light up. Happens every time I leave work.

 

[Roger Jones]

"Changing the AC to accept the new refridgerant may be a ball ache."

I had mine done with a "RETRO PRO R12 TO R134A CONVERSION" kit. It works fine, although it's probably not as icy as it was originally. It was done for £50 on top of the normal A/C service charge (£75) by a local mobile outfit. I think R12 went out on 01/01/2001, so you can be sure the A/C hasn't been serviced since then if it is still there.

If the A/C is like mine, the button with the snowflake symbol has to be on for normal use and the one above it for serious defrosting/demisting. They changed that in later models, in which A/C defaults to being on, so a lit lamp means it's off.

Yours is a 1988 car, not a 1998 one?

 

[squigg]

Just ordered that kit Frank - ta

 

[squigg]

Yours is a 1988 car, not a 1998 one? If the A/C is like mine, the button with the snowflake symbol has to be on for normal use and the one above it for serious defrosting/demisting. They changed that in later models, in which A/C defaults to being on, so a lit lamp means it's off.

Yep, 1988 - I downloaded the user guide earlier and it confirmed this is the way it works anyway.

I suspect something else is fubared .... there is no change in engine revs when I hit aircon button, so I don't think it's engaging ... I'll have a tinker later

 

[andy_k]

there is no change in engine revs when I hit aircon button, so I don't think it's engaging ... I'll have a tinker later

there won't be if the system is empty.

 

[squigg]

Thanks Andy - I've a lot to learn!