weekend Wrenching - Page 120 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ssk831 · #**1786** 08-21-2013, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alabbasi

Dead battery would indicate a weak alternator or bad battery? You should be able to get both tested at the local parts store.

I've had both tested and they're ok. The car will start strong, run fine, then suddenly stall and won't start. Or after some extended highway driving fall flat on it's face dropping idle, stumbling, stalling.

alabbasi · #**1787** 08-21-2013, 08:09 PM

I think your problem has more to do with the half a$$ repairs then the cars themselves.

Correct, Honda's are more reliable, but they're not on the leading edge. As a matter of fact, look up interchange on parts for a 2012 Honda Accord and you'll see that they date back to early 90's Honda.

Because they don't change much under the skin, they can be reliable.

The question for you is how well the BMW's will hold up after 10 years compared to the MB? What I found is they really don't do that well. You can see this with the number of ropey E46 and E39 BMW's out there today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adv_rider

I have a 2008 E63AMG which is my daily driver and got my dad a 2013 CLS63 AMG ... We have had 3-5 BMW Series 3, company cars assigned to managers, in the last 5 years.

Sorry, but I can say (based on my experience) that BMW is much more reliable than Mercedes!! ..

Their dealers, both suck the same on customers attention and servicemen knowledge! they should learn from Honda.

I just pick up my E63 from service (they had to change tappets, a common defect on the M156 engine) ... they replace my broker fog light and put the new one turned 180º! I was the one to told them how to correct it. A harness was missing a bolt .. this was visible at first sight! I am scared of what may be missing where I cant see.

alabbasi · #**1788** 08-21-2013, 08:10 PM

Ballast resistors, ICU and Coil all OK? When they get hot, they can act out.

ssk831 · #**1789** 08-21-2013, 08:14 PM

Your vehicle repair service is entirely up the dealer. It's their fault for having lousy service, Mercedes can only do so much in that situation. I've had brand new Audi, BMW, and MB cars and they've been all over the place in terms of reliability. Some issues I didn't mind because the dealer took care of me, some pissed me off because they were lousy. cars were all great though.

I'll check them after I get back from a trip this weekend. This recent heat has really made the car a mess, it runs much better in <75 degree weather.

Adv_rider · #**1790** 08-21-2013, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alabbasi

I think your problem has more to do with the half a$$ repairs then the cars themselves.

Correct, Honda's are more reliable, but they're not on the leading edge. As a matter of fact, look up interchange on parts for a 2012 Honda Accord and you'll see that they date back to early 90's Honda.

Because they don't change much under the skin, they can be reliable.

The question for you is how well the BMW's will hold up after 10 years compared to the MB? What I found is they really don't do that well. You can see this with the number of ropey E46 and E39 BMW's out there today.

Blasphemy! .. I said that MB & BMW dealers should learn from Honda dealers .. not the ,manufacturer!... I hope they never learn to do dull products. ... unfortunately MB already started with the A and B class ... a front wheel drive? .. MB now has an agreement with Nissan to start producing stuff at their plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico :deal

My 1981 E12 is doing perfectly fine

alabbasi · #**1791** 08-21-2013, 11:53 PM

I like the E12, almost as much as I like the E9

alabbasi · #**1792** 08-23-2013, 11:14 PM

Started the weekend early by replacing the left rear window regulator on the E420. It failed prematurely as I had replaced it once before back in march and I must have only rolled the window down about 20 times since.

Thank goodness that it was a quick and easy job. After sorting it out, the door check on the drivers side failed. Fun Fun!

alabbasi · #**1793** 08-26-2013, 09:56 AM

This turned out to be a very busy week. I sent my M635csi to have the timing chain looked at as it was concerning me. It's a pretty big job that requires the removal of the front cover and possibly the head if the chain needs to come out.

Mechanic indicated that the chain and the guides were in good shape, but the tensioner needed replacing so I replaced it with the hydraulic tensioner from an early E36 M3.

Saturday was spent making space for two more cars. My 88 560SEC and the 6.9. They'd been sitting at the painter place outside for a few month now, but unfortunately his schedule is not letting up so I decided to pull them and bring them back where they can be under cover.

Yesterday, I fixed the door check on my E420. It got so bad that the door would not open. But fortunately, I was able to get to the bolt that hinges it to the door pillar. The rest was pretty easy but for anyone wanting to do this job. Make sure that you have a hot glue gun handy as the tabs that hold the retaining clips often break lose from the door panel and need to be glued back on.

Mike D · #**1794** 08-26-2013, 10:57 AM

Spent the weekend organizing the work shop. Success! Not only can I now see concrete but I can actually get a car into a space. Huzzah! The parts are in their respective bins, 4 tons of "WTF did I save THIS for" have been tossed, I can actually FIND what I am seeking without a 2 hour search AND the weather is beginning to cool off.

Time to get back to all the projects which have been on hold.

Mike D · #**1795** 08-26-2013, 11:12 AM

Hey Al, I noticed on your previous postings of your workshop area you appear to have some open space on the floor. I haven't shipped off the 4 tons of "WTFDISTF?". I could send it to you, free of charge of course, and you could randomly distribute it to avoid those pesky "room to actually get some work done" spaces.

Always willing to help a friend out!

alabbasi · #**1796** 08-26-2013, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike D

Hey Al, I noticed on your previous postings of your workshop area you appear to have some open space on the floor. I haven't shipped off the 4 tons of "WTFDISTF?". I could send it to you, free of charge of course, and you could randomly distribute it to avoid those pesky "room to actually get some work done" spaces.

Always willing to help a friend out!

Good grief, I'm paying as much in storage as on my mortgage including taxes and escrow. I need to either downsize or get a place in the country.

alabbasi · #**1797** 09-13-2013, 01:26 AM

I've been trying to focus on the Porsche over the last couple of weeks. One of the things that I was able to organize was a replacement exhaust system. The one that was on the car was an aftermarket system that made a lot of noise. Something I would have loved when I was 20, but not so much now.

I found a used OE muffler in Oklahoma city, so I drove up there and took a look.

Before mounting, I thought i would clean it up a little bit so I laid it out and hit the pipes with a scuff pad which took off most of the corrosion on the popes. For the mufflers, I decided to paint them in a flat black high temp paint.

It cleaned up pretty well, so the following day, I ran it to the muffler shop to have it mounted. It sounds so much better now it was almost fun on the drive home... had it bot been for the fact that the A/C was not working and it was 105 degrees outside.

Here's what the old unit looked like. I would expect that though it's louder, it's probably more restrictive then the OE mufler.

Yesterday, I decided to take a look at the a/c system to see what was going on. I suspected the heater control valve and after a few back and forth on the rennlist forum, I decided to replace the heater valve and ordered one today.

I started taking the air cleaner assembly apart to get to the heater valve which is controlled by vacuum so before I continued, I decided to chase the vacuum line going to the heater valve down to see if there were any breaks.

Sure enough, while the vacuum line was intact, it went to a 4 way connector and one of the other lines was broken which resulted in weak vacuum that kept the heater valve open. I reconnected the line and cranked the car. I was able to see the heater valve close and the a/c very quickly started to blow cold. I'll leave the heater valve for replacement for another day. It's not always this easy, but when it is, it's very nice.

ssk831 · #**1798** 09-13-2013, 02:04 AM

So I went out for my usual morning coffee and came back home with a 1992 Buick Roadmaster. Had seen it the other day outside a local tow shop and laughed at the idea of buying it. Then this morning on my way to coffee I stopped by to check it out. There's some rust, a few dings here and there, but for the most part the body is ok. Asking price was $1900, got it for $1200. 104,003 miles, 5.7L TBI V8 (not the LT1), burgundy (possibly leather) interior, tow package, vista roof, rear facing third row, most things are power, what's not to love.
Tow shop got it with a bad fuel pump and keys snapped in the ignition. They replaced the keys and fuel pump and it starts up fine every time. AC pump is intermittent, blows coldish eventually, and the driver seat belt has been removed :screwy: Only things that need fixing are the seatbelt and rear power windows. I'm thinking once I pick some tires I'll get some D window wheels with some meaty fitment. maybe some mild engine mods and call it a day. So far I've replaced the serpentine belt and just cleaned up the inside.

alabbasi · #**1799** 09-13-2013, 02:13 AM

I like those, they go like the clappers and get pretty decent fuel mileage on the highway.. what's not to like?

mercmad6.3 · #**1800** 09-13-2013, 03:31 AM

Clam shell wagon!!

. not too shabby either. They are getting rare in the USA now because of fuel costs, the sheer size of them and the demo dearby clowns who love to use them because of the mass .