Who services their own car? (W212 E350 CDI here)

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Excellent work Teddy , very well documented .
An oil suction device easily gets extra oil out of the engine .
Get some bigger bits of wood in front of the ramps , something like a short section of scaffold board
 
Maybe some offcut strips of old carpet (1ft x 6ft) under each ramp and the piece of wood might also keep the wood and ramp securely in position, as it looks like the ramp is thinking of 'pinging' our from under the wheel due to the nice level concrete floor you have.
 
Good write up and a great result, well done.

As mentioned above, just use some wood before the ramp to lift the car up a little, or you can buy 'approach ramps' which hook over the main ramp to reduce the angle of approach. However, some are quite narrow.

You're right about that OM642 dipstick (dipwire?), it's the only one that's every caused any issues on all of the cars I've had over the (many) years and there have been threads about it previously. Mixed reviews. However, I can't think of many dipstick threads as it's not normally a very exciting topic:)
 
NOMONEYBUTAMERC said:
I do my own basic service work on the Boxster. It is 21 years old , whilst it is still in virtually mint condition ( one previous , very fastidious owner) with only 32k miles , it has probably reached its lowest value . I only use it on high days and holidays . There are a couple of jobs that I cannot do myself, so I am using the money I saved on garage bills to have the wheels powder coated ( no scuffs but a couple of blisters ) , keys reprogrammed , and a couple of very minor dings caused by someone closing the front bonnet without checking for protruding luggage. Probably being a bit fussy in my old age as previously I would have sprayed the wheels and tapped out the little dings. I sold my 450SL a couple of years ago as I felt I was getting too old to tinker around , but decided to do basic servicing on the Boxster as I am not yet ready for the pipe and slippers.
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How do you find it for reliability?
 
Thanks all!

Things I forgot to mention:

1) To reuse the crush washer, I sanded it down to get rid of the lip that is formed, so it looked/felt good as 'new'. I did this both times I took it off, just to be sure.

2) The radiator bleed valve/nipple/screw would turn 90deg then stop. I was really scared to break it, but ultimately just needed to man up and turn it (with pliers) until it clicked open to 180degrees. So, it needs to turn 180degrees, not just 90 like some people say online.

3) I did use a couple of bits of wood, but they weren't very thick. But it's all I had lying around!

I was thinking of trying to buy an older Cayman S in the next couple of years, with the idea of working on it myself. I'd definitely need those approach ramp/extenders then!

For the E350, next year I plan to:

1) Get a remap @ Big Fish Tuning or MSL
2) Machine polish the entire car (DIY, bought the polisher etc but the weather wasn't kind to me this year)
3) Fit the Lemforder front control arms
4) Get tracking done after the control arms
5) Get a front/rear dash cam installed… probably with 24/7 parking mode/live view
6) I’ll probably need some new rear tyres (especially if no.1 happens!)
7) But some winter wheels/tyres as I am planning on going to Germany a few times a year, and you need them by law, in the winter.

And whatever else it decides to throw up! Hopefully.. nothing!

Feel free to add the DIY stuff you guys are doing too, please!

Cheers,

Ed
 
alabbasi said:
I try to do my own maintenance. Where I'm not able to do the work or the job requires two people, I pay a kid that I've known for years to come to my building and do the work. I have 2 lifts, shop air and a beer fridge.

View attachment 106051
Click to expand...
There are some beauties in there too. Oh to be in a country where there is a little room, I'd have to buy 8 houses in my street for a garage this wide!
 
TeddyRuxpin said:
Thanks all!

Things I forgot to mention:

1) To reuse the crush washer, I sanded it down to get rid of the lip that is formed, so it looked/felt good as 'new'. I did this both times I took it off, just to be sure.

2) The radiator bleed valve/nipple/screw would turn 90deg then stop. I was really scared to break it, but ultimately just needed to man up and turn it (with pliers) until it clicked open to 180degrees. So, it needs to turn 180degrees, not just 90 like some people say online.

3) I did use a couple of bits of wood, but they weren't very thick. But it's all I had lying around!

I was thinking of trying to buy an older Cayman S in the next couple of years, with the idea of working on it myself. I'd definitely need those approach ramp/extenders then!

For the E350, next year I plan to:

1) Get a remap @ Big Fish Tuning or MSL
2) Machine polish the entire car (DIY, bought the polisher etc but the weather wasn't kind to me this year)
3) Fit the Lemforder front control arms
4) Get tracking done after the control arms
5) Get a front/rear dash cam installed… probably with 24/7 parking mode/live view
6) I’ll probably need some new rear tyres (especially if no.1 happens!)
7) But some winter wheels/tyres as I am planning on going to Germany a few times a year, and you need them by law, in the winter.

And whatever else it decides to throw up! Hopefully.. nothing!

Feel free to add the DIY stuff you guys are doing too, please!

Cheers,

Ed
Click to expand...
When we used to use old crush washer we used to heat them up with a blow lamp, supposed to soften them to re-use.
Done about everything on the cars and bikes i've ever owned, always service myself after 3 years old, never had a problem with resale as long as you keep all the receipts and and polish it just before the buyer arrives. you can get some very good prices privately if you prepare well.
The worst job I have ever done was to my BMW 320d, the turbo let go on the way to the Lake District, managed to limp home at 25-35 mph for nearly 200 miles with massive smoke screen.
New turbo off ebay and took everything apart that was covered in oil and it ran perfect again for around £400.
One job not done yet but will attempt soon is transmission oil and filter change.
20140303_193322.jpgturbo.jpg
 
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The heating of the copper washer is to 'anneal' it, and relieve stresses and relax the metal so it will deform easily when refitted. Sanding the lip sounds like a good idea too.


I was watching a YouTube vid today related to thermostat replacement, and it showed draining coolant. The dude suggested turning 90 degrees, then wiggling the screw/knob away from the rad with pliers/grips to pull the knob out a bit, then turning the remaining 90 degrees
 
ChrisEdu said:
How do you find it for reliability?
Click to expand...
Having known the car since new , the only problem that has developed was a misfire on two coil packs in september , whilst my wife and I were en route from Somerset to Great Yarmouth. Managed to find a garage close to our hotel that replaced all the coil packs and plugs at a very reasonable price .Apart from the remote central locking failing it has been utterly reliable since day one . It looks, feels and drives like an almost new car and it is only the fact that it was so fastidiously looked after by my mate for almost 20 years that I am reluctant to use it as a daily driver , particularly as I work in an area close to the docks which is not kind to paintwork! I do still miss my SL R107 ( which went to a good home on this forum) , and the Boxster was an almost "accidental" purchase as we were out to lunch with our friends when he told us he had decided to sell it . My eldest son had been wanting to buy the car for years , but got fed up waiting and had just bought a Nissan 350Z ( since sold and replaced with a Boxster S ). It took me all of three gulps of my next pint before I said to my wife , " I think I will buy it ". It does not have the "presence" of the old 450SL , but it is great fun for an old git to drive around in.
 
NOMONEYBUTAMERC said:
Having known the car since new , the only problem that has developed was a misfire on two coil packs in september , whilst my wife and I were en route from Somerset to Great Yarmouth. Managed to find a garage close to our hotel that replaced all the coil packs and plugs at a very reasonable price .Apart from the remote central locking failing it has been utterly reliable since day one . It looks, feels and drives like an almost new car and it is only the fact that it was so fastidiously looked after by my mate for almost 20 years that I am reluctant to use it as a daily driver , particularly as I work in an area close to the docks which is not kind to paintwork! I do still miss my SL R107 ( which went to a good home on this forum) , and the Boxster was an almost "accidental" purchase as we were out to lunch with our friends when he told us he had decided to sell it . My eldest son had been wanting to buy the car for years , but got fed up waiting and had just bought a Nissan 350Z ( since sold and replaced with a Boxster S ). It took me all of three gulps of my next pint before I said to my wife , " I think I will buy it ". It does not have the "presence" of the old 450SL , but it is great fun for an old git to drive around in.
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I keep toying with the idea, although I'd probably go Cayman for the extra, needed, headroom.
 
Afternoon all,

I'm at about 7k miles since the last service, been quite busy and doing lots of motorway miles. The regular interval is 1 year or ~15k miles, right?

Do you guys change the oil/service every 10k miles instead?

I'm thinking of buying one of those oil suction pumps so that I don't have to get under the car... recommendations welcome!
 
TeddyRuxpin said:
Afternoon all,

I'm at about 7k miles since the last service, been quite busy and doing lots of motorway miles. The regular interval is 1 year or ~15k miles, right?

Do you guys change the oil/service every 10k miles instead?

I'm thinking of buying one of those oil suction pumps so that I don't have to get under the car... recommendations welcome!
Click to expand...
Pela 6000 buddy , that’s what all the cool kids are using .
 
Ah looks cool.. but the car has 8-8.5L of oil!

I'll see if there's something bigger - I think people used to recommend a powered one, from Aldi/LIDL etc...
 
Mines 15,200 miles i think . I change oil and filter , then just the oil at maybe 7k.

The pela 6000 is easy emptied ,then go again for the rest of the oil. Id imagine the 12v ones don't come with a receptical and would need to be pumped into a bucket or barrel.
 
I use a Pela 6.5 upright version. Very good.

Don't worry about the 8 litres in the sump, just lift the tube or release the vacuum when it's full, empty and re-insert to take out the final 1.5 litres. I've done exactly that numerous times, no problems. I was sceptical about these pumps initially but having used it for a while I have no concerns about using them. It really is simple, and clean, to use.

The 6.5s aren't the cheapest but I sourced mine from a boat chandler.
 
Hi , I have a service plan with Mercedes and I feel it's good value for money but as I have an extended warranty I have no choice in the matter.

I do a monthly check on my car and get the local Audi specialist to do the work.

Today they adjusted the foot brake , it now works ,

I really wish I could more of the work myself but old bodies don't play ball.
 
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