W124 & ac

[Ade B]

A must have for me - in a well maintained car it will work fine.

Mine is an aftermarket system which I imagine runs R12, there are some quirks which will get sorted when it finally packs in

Only downer is it shuts off when the car gets hot at 110 degrees (which happens in London traffic on a hot day) but to fix this will, I suspect, also involve a new rad and viscous coupling as the current ones have been flushed tested by various people including Olly at PCS and been given a clean bill of health..

I'd therefore steer clear of aftermarket systems if I was buying a 124 again. (which is unlikely to happen in this life)

Ade

 

[PhilG]

The trouble is with low values of W124s the aircon system if it was fitted is highly likely to have fallen into disrepair, which just leads to even bigger bills down the line. If you are buying a top-spec car at retail price from one of the few dealers we have on here, for many £thousands, then I would definitely not buy without A/C. For a £600 snotter like my E280, I'd rather not have it as it is more to go wrong and extra weight to drag around.

 

[219]

Condenser plus dryer should cost less than £300 if it's a DIY job then add £60 for a re-gas which isn't exactly a huge price

It is if that is what you paid for the whole car , and that IS about the value of a lot of W124s these days , sadly .

 

[SilverSaloon]

my 124 estate has Aircon (auto climate)

the 124 saloon i purchased didnt have any aircon. but i would prefer a car with it, but if i was just afer a run about and had no spec-desire i wouldnt bother too much whether it had it or not. generally speaking a car with higher spec (leather, electric seats) will have it anyway.

i dont understand the less to go wrong argument with aircon. if it breaks and you dont want to fix, it you're no worse off.

 

[GrahamC230K]

Is a/c really that necassary in UK?

IMO yes.

 

[Bill_33]

Apparently, I have been informed by an AC company, that Merc stopped using R12 at the end of 1992.

A re gass and conversion to R134a, providing that all is OK component wise, should not cost more than £150 if you "shop around" - so I believe

 

[mercboiuk]

I've found that air con is a great option to have, so have voted "Yes".

It's something that if you've never had, you won't miss. However, once you've got it, you can't go without it!

My first W124 (a 230E) didn't have a/c, which I thought was fine. When I bought the E320, it had a/c with it's climate control, and what a relief it is during the summer! Having said that, being a coupe, I tend to drop the pillarless windows and have some fresh air running through!

Darren

 

[Gawdi]

No Aircon Here...

When I had my 300CE 24 - no aircon - It encourages you to use the roof and windows...

 

[kingkong]

The aircon on my 300E wasn't working when I bought the car - I had the drier replaced, the system converted from R12 to R124 and fully regassed for £150 for an at home service, and it only took one morning.

Well worth the cost as far as I am concerned.

 

[Uberwagon]

At 80mph on the motorway having windows open can be a bit noisy for a quiet relaxed drive. AC is a must have for me, unless it's a hack.

Dave!