280" Concourse; Diary of a layman

[floyd111]

Yes and no.
I would not make that choice, maybe, but they do have a point.
It's a club, and membership really pays off. People running this thing are not moderators with some free time in the weekend. It's a massive organisation, and a they do this full-time. massive efforts, massive investments, massive stocks.
Plus, their stocks are the most excellently priced NOS/used stocks I have seen, perfectly categorized as well.
That's not even considering their long line of MB reproduction parts, that they could sell way higher than the originals, -but don't
They focus well, and if I had not proven that I was doing 2xW116 resto's, they would not have allowed me to buy all NOS parts 2x, to ward off any/all traders, abusing their very economic system.
VDH surely has my vote, be it this specific issue looks a bit ugly.
Then again.. my list of questions are no doubt the most complicated historical W116 questions ever.

[floyd111]

Finally on it's way.. A 1979 Mercedes fridge. Not a Frenzel, but an Engel.
Identical in all ways compared to the Frenzel, except for the sticker on top.
Beggers can't be choosers, but I continue on the search for a Frenzel.

[UTn_boy]

I have to disagree, on all points, Stan.  You were simply asking questions.  None of the answers to any of the questions you asked are owned or copyrighted in any way.  Every bit of the potential answers could be found at free will in literature available to the whole world.....if we knew where to look, of course.  There is no reason any of this information should be guarded in any manner, especially by an enthusiast club.  Clubs do have their perks, and membership dues should be used for their intended reasons.  Moderators and web masters of automotive enthusiast group forums claim their position knowing that there is no pay involved.  Only ample notoriety, and charging a toll to cross a bridge in which they do not own is downright wrong.....even corrupt. 

[tcj]

Hi UTn_boy,

I know the VDH-Club very well.
All are very helpful and I am surprised a lot of times every year what they are doing for all members and for single members.
It is simply great.

Looking at Stans list it is clear that it will take a lot of hours to find good answers.
And why should the club invest a number of hours to answer these questions for someone that is not
a member of the club - when they are in a situation that they simply have not enough time to care for
their 7000 members?
Their "no" is definitely no attempt to keep back knowledge, it is simply a matter of limited time.
Knowing them for a number of years now it is simply unfair to allege that they only answer questions for cash.

UTn_boy, try to get them know and if you know to read german have a look in their forum - it is worth every minute.

@Stan:
in my eyes you are going the wrong path.
Ask your questions on the VDH-forum (in german language) and to keep it clearly arranged don't ask all questions
at once. If there is an answer to your questions you will find it there.
The forum is free for all (not only for members) and even the club crew does answer questions there
if they have time - and in the forum they definitely don't care if you are a member or not.

Thomas

[floyd111]

Well, I am making no great last stance on any front here. My reason for cursing the MB classic center was because of the insinuation that  title creates, (a public service center for MB-financed, MB classic enthusiasts) and the disappointment that came with it.
My VDH position is mixed, at best. Like i said, I would never endorse the idea that a non-club member can not ask questions, but I would not curse them too badly for it, for their manpower is extremely limited, and not (apparently) profit-driven like the Classic center.
Plus, my questions are no doubt the hardest ever, and a big list of them.
Doesn't mean I would choose that same path. I see it as a lesser of evils, that's all.

BTW, I haven't asked them yet myself. For now, I am very grateful for the big help they offer in supplying a ton of NOS parts at very impressive pricing, and the fact that they even offered to help out as a collector/forwarder for other people's parts that I had sent there.
I am wisely choosing the right moment to ask them about the rest of the issues I want solved.
More importantly, they are really not specialized in W116 matters, but they have a strong focus on everything older than that.
I presume it's the wrong address for such questions.

[floyd111]

After a very dreary month with basically nothing worth mentioning on the goodies front, finally a few strides in the accessory department..

First off, the original W116 luggage set:

[floyd111]

Then, the MB snow chains from the 70's
Very important when you live next to the equator..

[floyd111]

And...the MB-supplied steel tow bar..

[floyd111]

Remember a post here from a guy looking for a battery tray.
I told him, be patient, and they'll pop up NOS. It did, on ebay, 35usd.
Also, a NOS lock rosette.. 45usd..

And, a lovely little accessory, a fordable comb, still in the box!

[floyd111]

On the tool kit front, I have finally arrived at the end of this big, big quest..
Got my hands on 2 NOS offers, and with the last 2 wrenches in the mail, I now have 3 complete tool kits, brand new

I wasn't going to bother getting the pliers NOS, after I found the part numbers are still available, and cheap as well.
But, the new supply from MB only carries the same number, but is NOT the same stuff.
The regular pliers no longer carry the Hapawe logo, and the other waterpump pliers are no longer made by Heyco.
Needless to say, I grabbed these 2 originals when they appeared.

The wrenches that MB still sells have the same issue. There is no telling what you;ll get.

My 3 kits are not just mint NOS stuff, but they are especially unique in the way that they are purely Matador whenever Matador was available during that era.
Back in the day, tool bags would hardly ever carry the same brand tools twice.
Staff at MB would simply fill bags, while management would be ordering the (identical) tools in different batches from Heyco, Matador, Klein, Walter and Unior.
The mission that is involved in getting a Matador-only outfit is not for the weak of heart.
Buying them NOS is near-impossible, and buying them separately from eBay gets way too costly.
The worst part is that there is always a large chance that there is STILL damage that was not described.

Also, some MATADOR versions rarely ever pop up.
One wrench that often isn't even available at top dollar is the small Matador 17/19, with one end "closed"
When you see any..get them right away. It boggles the mind why these never show up.

So, I learned the hard way, trying all the wrong methods, -and the right ones, and it left me with a pretty excessive bill, 6 months of searching, 3 mint/complete outfits, and a 10KG pile of overcomplete MB tools in 6 different brands.

I will post that list after a few weeks, after all of the tools come back from the factory, freshly coated in nickel.
Yes, coated still (after sandblasting), because even though I got all the brands to match, the batches that MB bought at the time were unstable in their final coloring, leaving so many tool bags with wrenches in different shades of chrome.
Those that are interested, can then have their pick.

[floyd111]

And, glad to -finally add: The illusive Service Kit.

[orientrot]

At the rate you're going soon you'll be chasing a hidden-in-a-warehouse-somewhere brand new chassis (NLA, but yes, these were a part!). Keep going! I'm looking out for the end result. I'll have no such "entertainment" anymore in 3-4 months, when my car is done.

The yard that I have pulled parts from recently here in Georgia had 4 or 5 116 replacement front clips that unfortunately have been sitting in a field so the tops of them are covered in surface rust (no rust through thankfully) and pieces have been cut off of them. I bought one for $25 that is complete other than part of the bumper mount and even has an ABS bracket. The bottom of it is not rusted and is painted with the same dark grey primer that the NOS body panels are painted with. Tempted to go back and buy the rest of them; the owner would probably even just give them to me. I can't imagine how incredibly rare a perfect NOS front clip would be, if one does exist out there.

[Max-NL]

After a very dreary month with basically nothing worth mentioning on the goodies front, finally a few strides in the accessory department..

First off, the original W116 luggage set:

Stan,

Are those all the suitcases? If so I think you are missing 2.

[floyd111]

Yes, There are 2 suitcases missing.. I have to accept those will most likely never turn up, considering how rare all of these are..

[floyd111]

Many of you must be aware of the near-future drought we will face on MB wheel caps of this era.
MB Germany just told me that the 14" has gone NLA, and the 15" sells over 250 Euros a piece

If you're content on having OK-looking caps, you'll be fine till the end of time, but NOS, or MINT ones are running out real fast, and prices are on the rise for those still available.
If you find them at good prices, make sure you're not cheated with great looking photos, but buy them warranted.
I bought 11 of them, with 4 of them in much worse condition than was promised. Luckily, the other 7 are actually in new condition.
I still am not sure 7 that will suffice for the years to come, considering how easy they get damaged.
At 250 euros a pop, those are unbearable risks. Having them in stock at 25-50 euros each, makes for a much more relaxed drive.
Re-chroming is always easy, as long as they're not rotten. But once they're dented or deeply scratched, there no way back.