What Have You Done To Your Merc Today?

[Justintyme]

I just posted this in the recent purchases thread but it’s probably better here.

Just booked a service for our W164 ML (M156) and with a Cyber discount it’s bought the cost down to £211.51 for a straight A-service, no age or mileage related additional items are due. Jolly reasonable I thought.

Do you have a list of what is actually done on an A service? (or a B service either?) Thanks, Jim

 

[Smithy860]

Ordered a service kit from merc. Oil, filter, fuel filter and sump plug washer . (Just done air and pollen)

 

[Pontoneer]

Driven it , and filled the tank .

 

[MissyD]

Mel mot... passed

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

Sold it,

 

[johnsco]

One of the dipped headlight bulbs has failed on the C200 Kompressor SE Coupe.
I treated myself to a pair of Osram "night-breakers".
On the "Coupe" it's a fiddly job changing the bulbs - But well-worth the effort.
What a difference.
The dipped headlights on the car have always been poor with ordinary H7 bulbs.
The "night-breakers" certainly make a big improvement.

 

[OneForTheRoad]

One of the dipped headlight bulbs has failed on the C200 Kompressor SE Coupe.
I treated myself to a pair of Osram "night-breakers".
On the "Coupe" it's a fiddly job changing the bulbs - But well-worth the effort.
What a difference.
The dipped headlights on the car have always been poor with ordinary H7 bulbs.
The "night-breakers" certainly make a big improvement.

They do and

RacingVision GT200 by Phillips. Are even better still.​

 

[John N]

Early start this morning as I was awaiting a delivery of Logs!

Parked the Car on my other Drive, but when I had finished getting the Logs into my Log Store, I had to Clear the "Climate Change" off the Car before I could move it back into the Garage!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Had the Cotswolds washed off one I took for a drive last Friday!

 

[toteimerced]

Changed out the fuel filter, a bit buried in the OM642, not too bad though, transmission oil and filter, that’s all the filters changed now, with the exception of the cabin filter, which will be done, along with diff oil and all the front suspension links.

 

[Smithy860]

Well I went to change the other side control arm today on my 447.. was juggling a bit of childcare and as usual Thai time of year have a million things in my mind!
Anyway, first thing was first, safety, so up it went.
I only jacked one side this time but then realised I couldn’t turn the wheel so I thought instead of jacking the other side up like last time I’d just undo the track rod end ball joint .
Well sure enough the whole joint was spinning, so I used my torx socket to hold the joint while I spannered it, only to find it was actually a socket head for an allen key.
No problem, I went for an allen key only to find the socket had corroded so much and it been ‘worked’ before, it was round…
By this time I was questioning the meaning of life but I continued (to panic lol)
Anyway, after a few tantrums (me, not the lad) I Watched a YT vid, Jacked up the joint and tightened the nut back up.
I’d already slackened the others but didn’t have the time or inclination as the lad was shouting for his lunch .
Even though I’ve worked with hand tools, built stuff, repaired stuff and do to this day, I am only to aware that a humbling is just around the corner. Hindsight is awesome and I should have taken the nut off before I tapped it loose, at least then I could have cleaned the threads when I put it back on and would have been ok I reckon

Bit of a confidence knocker but The job will wait another day, or week or more…

 

[StMarks]

Well I went to change the other side control arm today on my 447.. was juggling a bit of childcare and as usual Thai time of year have a million things in my mind!
Anyway, first thing was first, safety, so up it went.
I only jacked one side this time but then realised I couldn’t turn the wheel so I thought instead of jacking the other side up like last time I’d just undo the track rod end ball joint .
Well sure enough the whole joint was spinning, so I used my torx socket to hold the joint while I spannered it, only to find it was actually a socket head for an allen key.
No problem, I went for an allen key only to find the socket had corroded so much and it been ‘worked’ before, it was round…
By this time I was questioning the meaning of life but I continued (to panic lol)
Anyway, after a few tantrums (me, not the lad) I Watched a YT vid, Jacked up the joint and tightened the nut back up.
I’d already slackened the others but didn’t have the time or inclination as the lad was shouting for his lunch .
Even though I’ve worked with hand tools, built stuff, repaired stuff and do to this day, I am only to aware that a humbling is just around the corner. Hindsight is awesome and I should have taken the nut off before I tapped it loose, at least then I could have cleaned the threads when I put it back on and would have been ok I reckon

Bit of a confidence knocker but The job will wait another day, or week or more…

Sounds frustrating, but at least you gave it a shot.
Hopefully next time,,,

 

[Smithy860]

Changed out the other control arm today, couple of hours. Bit quicker with it being my second one.
All seems good so let’s see how long they last!
Cushion for scale

 

[John N]

Changed out the other control arm today, couple of hours. Bit quicker with it being my second one.
All seems good so let’s see how long they last!
Cushion for scale

"Cushion for scale for bum"

 

[Smithy860]

Changed out the other control arm today, couple of hours. Bit quicker with it being my second one.
All seems good so let’s see how long they last!
Cushion for scale

I did laugh though, I couldn’t get any forward movement in drive and was thinking ‘I haven’t touched the gearbox or left anything under the car to stop it moving’
Then came the realisation I had only removed 1 chock!

 

[Londonscottish]

I washed the all the Dorset muck from last off by hand with Autoglym shampoo.

Then I drove round to the local jetwash, coated the wheels with Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner and then rinsed the whole thing down. Dried it off and came home.

I've worked out an easy and quick way of cleaning the body work carefully with the right products/hot water then getting all the black muck off the wheels without buggering up my block paving.

 

[StMarks]

I've worked out an easy and quick way of cleaning the body work carefully with the right products/hot water then getting all the black muck off the wheels without buggering up my block paving.

But, you're not prepared to share your useful life hack ?

 

[ALFAitalia]

Drove it to work....first time on the road for 4 weeks....what with the turbo failure...which led to turbo pedestal gasket failure....which lead to EGR gasket leak.........which is connected to the thigh bone!!! Lovely and smooth....noticeable increase in power (although I'm going gentle on the turbo for a few miles.....yes I know it should not need it, but it cant do any harm)......pretty much showing that the turbo was on its way out before the terminal failure. Just got to get a get more miles on her so the oil that is all over the engine burns of and does not make a smell when in queues!! It was noticeably better after my 12 mile commute. Hopefully that's it for a while!!!

 

[SpikyMikey]

But, you're not prepared to share your useful life hack ?

I think taking it to the jetwash just to do the wheels is the useful hack

 

[Londonscottish]

I think taking it to the jetwash just to do the wheels is the useful hack

Yeah. I don't want to use the the jetwash chemicals on my paint but I also don't want to clean my wheels on my newly mint block paving.