W124 petrol turned into a diesel overnight?

[neilz]

Thanks, I knew the harness needed replacing but I never thought about the effect it's having on the ECU. Having already had one go (and boy did it go, wrecked everything and hat to get the car sold for scrap (my 1994 W202 C200)) I think I will have to put money together for a new wiring harness. £560 is a lot when I can buy another C124 over here for that. I am planning on spending far more restoring it, though, so I may as well bite the bullet.

You've got a mileage half of mine and the ECU went because of the harness, this is age related then isn't it? Would a second hand not-degraded harness be any good? I don't know where to get one but can try to locate one

 

[crockers]

Is it not becoming a case of what's the car worth v cost of repairs etc. And then making a judgement with the head and not the heart?

 

[GP801]

A second hand harness will almost certainly be degraded to some degree. Dont go there. We also had the ECU fail either because of the wiring loom or coil packs. The part alone was £1400 + vat but fortunately a warranty picked up the tab. If you buy another 124 unless the loom has been changed you WILL get the loom issue in the future.

 

[neilz]

I am thinking with my heart, my family thinks I'm nuts and wants this car to be scrapped. It has been the source of many arguments but I still want to go ahead with this, except I don't know where I'll get the £560 for a new harness or the £2000 for rust work and paint repairs or the £2000 for the suspension and propshaft repairs.

 

[neilz]

Well, because the car drives so smoothly I will go for a Halfords fuel service some time at the end of the month and post back the results, I'm hoping it will cure the tapping

I've found that form the outside that "scraping" noise is more like a very harsh rapid metal rattling (but NOT tapping, that's another problem as mentioned right above) coming from the bottom of the engine at the back from what I can tell, it is low down for sure, it might even be below the engine. Could it still be a propshaft issue with this new description? It sounds like loud paper tearing from inside (well, for tearing paper it's loud, but it's quite quiet) but from the outside it's harsh loud metal rattling. It happens at lowish revs in low gears


Oh, on a side note, I am fixing all the rust I can to try to reduce costs, 1 sill done and 1 to go. Bilt-Hamber Deox Gel, Hydrat-80 and a hell of a lot of coarse something-or-other-oxide paper and a ton of patience. 7 hours. How I wish for a grinder, but my neighbours would kill me! Still needs 2 wings and localised respraying (that Halfords colour match did match until I sprayed the recommended lacquer!)

 

[BillyW124]

Neil,

Honestly mate, from what ive read it sounds as you have long days ahead of you on this one. From what is described, yes even 1800 seems a lot of dosh for it. as for the car being posted at 3000 well im .

You seem to have grown a lot of love for the motor, but honestly its best to save the the bucks on this one and spend that money on a much better one.

There are quite a few 124 coupes around if you search hard enough and regularly, somthing will come by. Put it this way for 3000 you can bag yourself a top maintained 124 but obviously will need some going over. 3000 is strong money for one, so you would be expecting it to be quite good.

The really good examples with low milage etc are fetching around 8 packets.

I was so close to parting with my 220 a few months back as i was going to go for a 320. Either i wasn't looking right or somthing but during the 3 month spell of looking, going around clocking milage up on my coupe, i came home dissapointed everytime.

These were cars posted up with very strong prices 3500-5000 so i expected them to be quite top notch. I'm not being funny or anything i used to go view these cars in my coupe, and the owners that were selling knew what they were in for when i pulled up. Most of them were a complete waste of time and spent no more than 20mins with them. I compared unbiasedly on all of them to mines as they were both in view. I also had a good friend with me all those times I viewed and he's a BMW freak and knows a bit on 124's too. his assistence to purely to get a second opinion in comparisions.

Nothing compared to condition, and mechanical wise of the ones viewed.

i dont have engine issues with mines thankfully, but i have put double what the car is worth to get it notched up to how it should be.

i do kick myself at times however as i paid over the odds of what is out there now for a 220 in better nick then mine (when bought of course) for cheaper.

Perhaps it was a blessing i didnt find a 320 because I now think for all the effort ive put into mines ive gone so far down the line with it thinking logically it would have been dumb to go this route. Would have been a waste of money time, and trying to wiggle my way with the missus!

But satisfaction at the end comes second to none, knowing what it was before to how it is now. Thats the best bit. I would say im 3/4 of the way there untill im fully satisfied.

The point im trying to make is stop with Mr.Rusty and buy a 124 which still needs a little attention. The amount of wonga your're gna pour into this one by the looks of it doesn't make sense. You mentioned you rather get a garage to fix stuff (also a down point of owning your current one) then a one with issues that you are able to keep on top of will make you enjoy the ownership of a 124 with not so high garage bills at the same time learning all about them. The knowedge ive gained from this forum has been massive.

 

[neilz]

Billy, I can see where you're coming from and I guess anyone else would say you're completely right. £3000 was ridiculous, I didn't think he'd take the £1800 and was already looking at others at the time but he said yes and that day I drove home with it. £1800 spent.

Then I found some suspension fault was causing the same wheel to keep getting worn down to nothing and bursting (rubbing on the underside). £400 spent on new tyres so far.

Then the car jerked when I changed from drive to reverse. New propshaft coupling, ~£250

Then the car started shuddering in idle and lost power. New HT leads and ignition coils (normal wear and tear). £150

Now the rear window is delaminated, the steering wheel is worn through at the top, the boot won't lock, the vacuum locking has a leak, there is that strange sound and the passenger window motor and regulator need changing, and it needs two new wings, two small dents knocking out, rust repairs on the passenger door and rear wings. It also needs decoking and a new wiring harness and ideally four smaller original tyres. It also needs rust work on the driver's side sill and jacking points (I did the left over seven hours as a temporary job) and localised resprays.

That can't be cheap.

But this car has always driven so smoothly and is so comfortable and I have spent £2850 on it including buying it and it has NEVER broken down, not once, never! So I have spent more than it's worth so why stop now? And like I keep saying it only sounds bad. Driving it it feels like new (aside from that little rear right suspension issue...) and I am starting to get on top of the rust. True it has a 35cm by 10cm rust hole under the bonnet on top of the inner wheel arch and a 15cm by 10cm one on the other side under the coolant expansion tank overflow tube but the sills I am getting on top of and I am replacing the wings. The underside looks perfect and I checked under the carpet, rust-free. I checked the boot and the spare tyre well, no rust. So the rust it does have is terrible but it's in few places.

Also, it needs saving, it's a really comfortable really well built classy car and scrapping or even parting it would I think be a waste. It's better to keep it on the road then to just give up.

Had I not made the offer on the spot (which I doubted would have been accepted) I wouldn't have bought this car and I couldn't just make an offer and reject it when the seller says I can have it for that can I?

Whatever C124 I buy it will one day develop faults, this one has already reached that stage and if I can put things right it may last a hell of a lot longer.

Remember, this is yet to break down once with me!

 

[GP801]

Neil, I can understand you feelings completely. I have spent a small fortune sorting out our S124. Fortunately the body was excellent and just needed a couple of tiny areas of paint sorting. The list of mechanical jobs done has been horrendous. Here is a small selection new ECU, HT leads, assorted coil packs, head gasket, rear exhaust box, fuel pump relay, OVP relay, multifunction switch, fuel filter, full service inc ATF fluid etc, rear brake discs/pads/pipes, various suspension bushes, prop shaft bushes, steering bushes, self levelling valve and various others I have forgotten. Most of this has been done by Olly and Jack at PCS with great efficiency and value for money. Not all of these were strictly necessary but I wanted it as good as it could be.It now drives and looks like a new car and we love it. Everything works perfectly. Must have spent far more than its worth but that is not the point as far as I am concerned.
Good luck with yours
Nigel

 

[neilz]

The worrying thing is all of what you've listed (apart from the ECU and OVP relay and multifunction switch) either need doing or have been done (I haven't noticed the suspension playing up but apparently everything's worn) but I'm glad someone agrees with me. Ignoring the value of the car it's a luxury coupe (or in your case a luxury estate) which was over £50000 new and still makes heads turn.

I also have cracked wood around the auto gear selector which will need replacing and my mirror glass looks like someone has sprayed blue paint on the back of the glass so that will need doing.

And the idiot owner who I bought the car from replaced a bit of one of the rear leather seats (cream) with some grey leather so that needs dying.

And guess who in desperation flung the absolutely filthy original mats (which had holes in them and were disintegrating underneath as it is) in the washing machine last year blocking the drains for a good 20 people and making the mats very clean but needing new backing...

It's expensive business...

I found this rent-a-garage thing another thread here linked to and I think when more serious things start to go wrong which I'm sure they will I will spend a good week in there sorting things out. Right now I can't justify the £20/hour they charge when I can do most things in my road next to or under the car! (there is a bit of room under the car, but it's not nice and my neighbours have been practicing their glares recently!)

Staying on topic...! ANY ideas what that harsh metal rattling sound at low revs is? From the outside it's that very noticable very harsh metal rattling sound from low down at the back of the engine bay

 

[GP801]

Sorry dont know what the noise might be. If you chuck this one and get another unless you buy from one of the obsessional enthusiasts on here you are still likely to have a lot of issues to sort out. They are all over at the very youngest 15 years and they were expensive cars new. Unfortunately running costs still equate to a 40-50 grand car rather than a 2-3 grand one. On the plus side depreciation is not an issue. Might even appreciate. Once sorted costs will drop.

 

[neilz]

I hope costs drop, that £50 Halfords fuel service I'm hoping will work and will make the tapping go (apparently it needs decarbing and if the engine cleaner they use doesn't work I'll RedEx it until it does (smoking the whole of London up but whatever works!)), but that rattling is worrying me. These cars seem to be depreciating, you can get them for ~£1000 with less miles and less rust but when I was looking they were all ~£3-4000. If I buy another car it'll be from carandclassic.co.uk

Oh, speaking of where I bought it, you know how stupid I was? I found this car on GUMTREE in a very short listing with dire grammar all in lower case with shoddy photos. <facepalm x 100>

 

[GP801]

If it does not work I can thoroughly recommend a trip down to PCS in Horndean. You will get an honest appraisal and can then decide if its worth persevering with. I bring ours back from Italy once a year just to see them. Well thats not strictly accurate as its still uk registered so has to come back for the MOT but I would not take it anywhere else.

 

[neilz]

I've heard several good things about PCS but what I would really want is a free fault-check or fault-finder but I doubt any garage would do this!

If anyone knows how to get video8 files onto a computer I can use my classic camcorder (a Sony CCD-FX200E) to film the sound as that has a great microphone and cancels out wind very very well.

 

[Niks]

Neil, I know how you feel about your car as I share the same thoughts about mine!

The best thing to do is compile a list of things which really needs paying attention to. Engine problems, wiring loom, mechanics, bodywork and so on. Once you've got a list (hopefully not as big as santas!!), start pricing up how much each part will cost to do. When you do this, call up mercedes breakers as well to see who has what part and how much they want for it, I think you'll be suprised as some bits can be in really good condition and really keep the costs down!

Once you've got a rough idea of how much its going to cost you to put the car right to your satisfaction, check out what other coupes are for sale and weigh up the options. Do you go ahead and spend that X amount doing the car up, or for the same amount buy yourself a clean well maintained example with much lower mileage. There are bargains out there, you'll be pretty suprised!

I have a feeling you've bought yourself a wallet gobbler! One thing will keep going wrong, one after next until you get fed up with it and then realise youve wasted £4000 on a car which nobody will even give you £1500 for if you decide to let it go. Trust me ive been down this road before and it cost me bigtime, I learnt the hard way.

 

[neilz]

Sorry Niks, mine is longer than santa's!

I can list the things here copy them to the wanted section and see if I have any luck. I got quotes from 247spares but having seen the 070 number and read reviews I carefully backed away from my dealings with them!

Both front wings (Azurite blue, coupe)
Boot lock and key (but fitting will be a lot I think?)
Wiring harness (UK RHD)
Steering wheel
Rear coupe seat base (cream colour, mine has a grey patch on it)
Passenger window regulator and motor (front left, coupe)
Rear window (delaminated)

Ok, that's the "to buy" list. Will I be bankrupt by the time I'm half way down the list? Then there's labour! I also have the following repairs to do:

I have that suspect noise and would rather find out here what's wrong than go to my local indy and have my wallet emptied out! The vacuum locking has a leak, it needs two small dents knocking out, rust repairs on the passenger door and rear wings. It also needs decoking and localised resprays."

I realise I've posted these faults several times and this thread is just about the engine sounds but I'm just wondering if there are any DIY jobs for a complete amateur like me (I can spend £20 or so on that rent-a-garage for easy jobs but I have no garage of my own) and if there is anyone who can do any of these repairs cheap? PCS is one option, another one was mentioned earlier, I would be interested in estimates for work.

But the most important thing for me by far is finding out what is causing that noise at low revs!

 

[mattc]

You could ask Talbir nicely to look at it...he does not know me from Adam but he seems to now an AWFUL lot about proper Mercs (pre '96 vintage) and I suspect he would give you the full SP in 15 minutes

Dont misunderstand me ..I have spent more on my 124 in the last year than you want to know but she is a long term keeper (by that I mean "death do us part") and she is worth every penny

 

[BillyW124]

Neil...i wish you all the luck! i hope you get ALL these issues sorted, just read your other threads, thers lots to do.

If you manage to get all these issues sorted it will be the best 124 around i should think!

that rattle sounds like an exaust sheild rattling, mines did as it was off the bracket so i took it off.

btw rear screen isnt cheap RRP for one of them is over a grand.

ive replaced my rear screen but did it via insurance just paid 50 squid for excess so i got the front replaced too!

with the delam in place your heating elements in the glass are bound to fail. your demister probably doesnt work.

i used that as my story for insurance and as it was winter time i think it helped me get the rear screen as at first they said they couldnt replace it as it was due to wear and tear. But i said listen lady i cannot see out of the back window because of the mist its dangerous!

 

[neilz]

Yeah, it is a bit of a money pit with all that work to do. My demister doesn't work, that's the reason why I want it replaced! It's the original still with the dealership sticker on it! That price is horrendous, and I don't want my insurance premium going up any more. Churchill have been very nice so far considering I have had many break-ins (in my W202 everything was scattered on the seats but NOTHING was stolen, that's humiliating - do I really just have crap in my cars?) and a car took the side clean off my Jeep Wrangler at 6pm a few years ago but I think asking for money for a rear window may be pushing it a bit.

The heat shield - is it important? I will try crawling under the car this weekend (you know how low they are, this will be quite interesting) and see if anything is amiss around the exhaust at the front of the car. I did notice something rather odd when I was underneath undoing the bolts for the sill - there appeared to be a large hole in what I'm sure was the exhaust just past the bend before it connected to the engine. I didn't investigate further, I didn't notice any excessively loud noises there or any fumes under the car or anything like that but I will have to check it out this weekend.

I do want it to be one of the "best". It will be practically worthless at the rate prices are falling (lots of people say prices have either stopped falling or are even rising. For my car, having looked around I say this couldn't be further from the truth) but I still want it to be near enough to showroom condition (with a high mileage).

 

[Niks]

For what its going to cost you to get all those things done on your car including labour, you can get ant of these...

1996 Mercedes-Benz E 220 Pillarless Coupe Collectors | eBay UK

1995 MERCEDES E220 COUPE AUTO BLUE CREAM LEATHER !!!!! | eBay UK

1995 MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS E220 Auto | eBay UK

1995 MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E220 COUPE 2DR AUTO 2 OWNERS | eBay UK

Any of these will have a good solid foundation for you to build upon. For not that much more, you can turn it into a stunning coupe! Less hassle, less stress and less arguements with your family! It'll keep your insurance company happy too

Seriously...think it about it my friend.

 

[mattc]

My 2p fwiw

For what its going to cost you to get all those things done on your car including labour, you can get ant of these...

1996 Mercedes-Benz E 220 Pillarless Coupe Collectors | eBay UK

no sunroof despite what owners says. price has come down a grand...despite what owner says!

1995 MERCEDES E220 COUPE AUTO BLUE CREAM LEATHER !!!!! | eBay UK

looks better/nicer than first..more realistic price

1995 MERCEDES BENZ E CLASS E220 Auto eBay UK

wrong, wrong, wrong alloys..has AC but no cruise

1995 MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E220 COUPE 2DR AUTO 2 OWNERS | eBay UK

looks OK

NIKS is right..look elsewhere

Any of these will have a good solid foundation for you to build upon. For not that much more, you can turn it into a stunning coupe! Less hassle, less stress and less arguements with your family! It'll keep your insurance company happy too

Seriously...think it about it my friend.