w126 300se purchase today

[robertd]

nice addition Nathan

[TJ 450]

Awesome work Nathan! Yes, the heater valve is not easy to access at all on those.

Tim

[nathan]

hi guys,
just another pic after i picked up my new number plates yesterday. terrible shot i know but its the thought that counts!
regards
nathan

[WGB]

A good running 300SE is a beautiful thing.

I owned one from 1989 to 2004.

The only real issue I had was it heated up while idling in traffic which was eventually fixed after a new radiator and a new viscous fan by changing the 110 degree fan switch for a 100 degree one.

Bill

[nathan]

wow, i didn't know you owned it tip 2004 Bill. i was thinking of you when i got the plates , your middle initial isn't D is it? Klaus fit a 79 degree thermostat as well as he said the typical 90 degree ones were too hot for WA

[WGB]

Whoops - got my decades mixed up 1989 to 1994 when Diesel Motors pranged it while it was being serviced and I traded it in on a new E280.

The cooling was interesting and seemed quite fixable with a reduction in heat sensor ranges.

The other little foible was snapping exhaust flange studs on a regular basis. I think the motor was well known for this and it was usually fixed at the next service.

There was also a recall on the valve stem seals which should have been done under warranty.

Mine were replaced at no cost to me but as the motor used no oil whatsoever I was a little reticent to let them do it - it was done nevertheless using air pressure in the cylinders to hold the valves shut.

The only other repair of note was the "button" box in the dash for the air-con stopped pulling in the compressor and was replaced for $1300 and it was while it was being returned to me after the repair that the car was rear-ended with one of my patients (she still is ) who worked in the service Dept driving it.

A very beautiful and memorable car with good performance if you revved it and made sure that 1st gear came in on takeoff either by manual selection or stomping the foot on the accelerator (it has a speed sensor attached to it).

Bill

[WGB]

PS Apart from the extra electronics the other maintenance items were the aluminium radiator and particularly the aluminium air con evaporator.

I had my radiator re-cored with a copper core which seemed to be regularly done in the nineties for half the price of a new aluminium radiator as when it ran hot it would slowly split the plastic tanks omn the core.

Bill

[nathan]

i did one of the cheap cosmetic jobs which really makes a difference this week, the radiator grill. this included the grey plastic grill, the 1 vertical and 6 horizontal bits, the badge and all clips.  it really makes my blood boil that Benz Au quoted me $500, the classic centre cost delivered to my door was $240 US (270 AU?)! anyhow, the car looks a lot better, i took some snaps at the local dealer around the corner today as i went for a drive. i still can't find a bit of centre console zebrano wood for this update 126 to get redone.

[TJ 450]

Nice pics! It's looking very sharp indeed.

Tim

[nathan]

hi guys,
just an update on the 126 which i have recently done the wood trim on.  a local french wood polisher (Duva) takes about 4 weeks and charges a modest fee for this work but it really makes the car interior stand out again. some wally had drilled holes into the centre console bit to secure it obviously being unaware the attachements were on the underside.  in some respects, 126 wood is better secured than our 116s. it is done so by plastic trim which is stapled to the wood trim. problem is the staples get loose giving that feelining in a 126 or 124 the window switches are sinking when you push them. so when i saw a 500 for sale a few weeks ago (see the other post!), it also had zebrano in the update 126 (rare as all aussie update 126s had burl). although crap, it was intach and finishable. so today i picked up my centre console, ashtray and AC control section. its awesome, the photos dont do it justice

[motec6.9]

 Hi Nathan it is looking very nice. 

[nathan]

i should add that out the back of the wood polishers i caught glimpse of my almost my personal favourite merc - a 123 wagen.  it was a beat up 300td being stored there by a wrecker. poor beauty had seen better days

[oversize]

WOW that timber looks great Nathan!  Any estimate on price??

[nathan]

dollars and cents best done by PM!

[robertd]

the mandarins were a good price, were they sweet?