OWNER - Jelmer

[gerryvz]

When I do my rear LCAs, I plan to also replace the pads with the shortest pads, which I have waiting ...... that should reduce the height hopefully 1/4-1/2".

But yes, my car is 100% stock height. The photo that Bing posted above is with a needle's width less than 1/2 a tank, FYI.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[Jelmer]

Thanks. Guess I actually was just seeing things

Oh, tank was slightly below half full, at that picture btw.

 

[gsxr]

Tip of the day: Installing a 1-bump thinner spring pad in the rear will drop the ride height (as measured from fender lip to wheel center) approx 1/4". If you change the pad and the height remains the same, the SLS is interfering, and the turnbuckle will need to be adjusted.

Tip 2: Remember that if you drop the inner end of the LCA to R&R the spring, the bolt must not be tightened with the suspension fully extended, or that will also artificially increase ride height (and drastically shorten the bushing lifespan). When dialing ride height, I leave this bolt finger-tight while testing/swapping/measuring because it's such a PITA to tighten with the car on the ground. A test drive of a couple miles is usually required after the pad swap to settle things before measuring. I couldn't get the rear low enough with stock springs and 1-pt pad, I ended up with Limited rear springs and a 2-pt pad to get it poifect.

YMMV, etc... <-- Your Mushroom May Vary

 

[126v8]

How about if you replace the springs with H&Rs?Any negatives?

 

[gsxr]

How about if you replace the springs with H&Rs?Any negatives?

My experience with H&R was that the front goes too low and the rear can't go low enough to match, even with the SLS adjusted. My '92 came with H&R springs and after much fiddling, I ended up replacing the H&R's with stock springs. Some people really love the H&R's though.

 

[sheward]

In the past, owners have posted concerning unequal ride height at the rear (side to side). Logic applied to Daves tip no.2 would dictate improper tightening of the inner LCA bushing could be a cause for this especially if the bolts were tightened at different times / loads or only one bushing/arm was replaced...(answer to the question no one asked). Those Rials will look fantastic on your car, Jelmer.

drew

 

[gerryvz]

Jelmerian Rial wheel cleanup ....

 

[Jelmer]

Yeah, baby! Make 'em shine!

 

[bing]

Nah Jelmer. Tell him you want new tires with those..... See how the yanks run on slick tyres? Beyond illegal or what!

 

[gerryvz]

Hey, when you live in a dry climate like I do here in Texas, having slicks = max traction. I can't help it that we've been having a 25C weekend..... and I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Two out of four Jelmerian wheels are cleaned front & back about as good as I can get them (cleaning them in an on-and-off slight rainstorm today) and are safely tucked away in my garage...

 

[Jelmer]

Oh wow, those are REALLY flat! With the near-constant rain here (finally stopped snowing) it would only take a short time to fly off of the road.

I wonder what would happen if you get caught here with these on, though. I think you wouldn't be allowed to continue driving. You either need to replace your tires right there (not likely) or get a towing service...

 

[bing]

Yeah, those are shocking! I don't think you'll be let off lightly here in Europe and you'll probably get prosecuted if you're involved in an accident.

 

[500AMM]

Oh wow, those are REALLY flat! With the near-constant rain here (finally stopped snowing) it would only take a short time to fly off of the road.

I wonder what would happen if you get caught here with these on, though. I think you wouldn't be allowed to continue driving. You either need to replace your tires right there (not likely) or get a towing service...

Yeah, those are shocking! I don't think you'll be let off lightly here in Europe and you'll probably get prosecuted if you're involved in an accident.

Those tires are really down! We have a funny slang for this in Norway - back from the cold war when everything was so secret:
"Russian tires with classified thread pattern" ...because it's invisible

Jelmer; if you buy these wheels they can be taken over the pond by ship. It takes 6-7 weeks but it's a tenth of the airfreight cost. Your car would be perfect with them. I really look forward to see your car live one day.

Ride height: I didn't mean your car is too high compared to the standard 036 ride height. But in my taste is the 036 too nose dipping and that sacrifice the handling, and for winter driving with high torque along with a heavy nose it helps a lot to even out the height difference and balance the car better.

Ciao

 

[Jelmer]

Jelmer; if you buy these wheels they can be taken over the pond by ship. It takes 6-7 weeks but it's a tenth of the airfreight cost.

I was thinking exactly that. Airfreight costs would be insane...

 

[gerryvz]

It wasn't horrible when I bought them from Robin in NL back in 2004. IIRC around $150 or $200. I will investigate all shipping costs very soon. I have to get the tires off so I can weigh and box the wheels.

That is, unless you want my kick-ass Texas slicks !!

 

[Jelmer]

That is, unless you want my kick-ass Texas slicks !!

Although I'm pretty sure I'd have plenty of grip with these slicks, I think I'll pass

 

[Jelmer]

Thanks, DerFuror. Now I had to explain another eBay buy.

What do you guys think? I've just set it freely in front of the original, btw.

 

[gsxr]

Me like.

 

[gerryvz]

That row of houses in the photos looks quite familiar...... perhaps the future location of the 99.9995% uptime, full-failover-network 500Eboard data center?

 

[Jelmer]

That row of houses in the photos looks quite familiar...... perhaps the future location of the 99.9995% uptime, full-failover-network 500Eboard data center?

/me points to the car in front of the houses.

Also:


[sub]which I had to upload twice, since someone thinks camera's don't go past 4 megapixels... [/sub]

 

[bing]

Grill looks good!

 

[gsxr]

Can you get an S600 grille for the server rack too?

 

[gerryvz]

It seems our n00b plebe Site Admin has trouble resizing/downsizing photographs for posting on the forum? This impugns his technical credentials to a significant extent.

I am struggling to see why a posted photo must be larger than the (extremely generous by web forum standards) existing 4MB and 2500x2500 pixel dimensions.




[youtube]nAZI4ydY6R8[/youtube]

 

[gsxr]

That hat looks nice on you, Gerry.

 

[gerryvz]

That hat looks nice on you, Gerry.

 

[Jelmer]

It's... it's like his eyes are following me, where ever I go ... Scary. Picture saved, though. You never know when it comes in handy

It seems our n00b plebe Site Admin has trouble resizing/downsizing photographs for posting on the forum? This impugns his technical credentials to a significant extent.

It's called being lazy.

 

[gerryvz]

 

[Jelmer]

Gosh, I wish I understood what you meant with that

 

[gerryvz]

Gosh, I wish I understood what you meant with that

Watch the very end of the video, and all will be revealed

 

[Jelmer]

Just got my car back from the shop for a small service. It seems it's finally time to bite the bullet and change the engine mounts: there are signs that the exhaust is starting to hit the chassis.

Thankfully it's a very competent shop, and even for an oil change they found the following crucial items:
- Some rubber was damaged on the gearlever, causing it to feel insecure
- Rubbers around the "stabilization beam" (from both front wheels via the somewhere under the engine) need to be changed. A whopping €7 each!
- Miiiinor bits of rust at the passenger door
- Miiiinor paint scratches in the front wheel arch
- Some rust and wetness in the trunk. Probably due to clogged water lines
- Oil cap had a huge crack in it; replaced with a second hand one.
- Front license plate holder has a bit chipped off!

All in all, it really seems most failing bits have been replaced and it's time for the fun things!

They also replaced my OEM speakers with the Rainbows that I have had here for more than a year. I can really recommend the upgrade; a much more rich sound!

Last but not least: I already knew these engines were picky on the oil used, but this was the best demonstration. Previous oil was changed about 12k KM ago I think, and the engine already sounded to sound a bit harsh. Now with the fresh oil, it's super smooth again. Something you only notice AFTER the new oil is in.

All above items will be fixed next visit, when customs finally releases Gerry's (MY!) Rials. Can't wait. There are NO things on my to-do list, after that.

As always, taking my keys back and hopping in put a great smile on my face. Seriously extraordinary cars, these things.

Edit: Avatar updated to show how happy I am.

 

[195910]

No matter how much you spent and how many times you go to the garages (actually its part of the fun in some sense)..its still less than the depreciation in a new car.

New E-class will run 3 years with zero repair cost..but you lose more than half what you paid when it comes to selling after this period. So 10,000 Euro repairs in 3 years or 30,000euro depreciation ?

 

[500AMM]

Just got my car back from the shop for a small service. It seems it's finally time to bite the bullet and change the engine mounts: there are signs that the exhaust is starting to hit the chassis.

Thankfully it's a very competent shop, and even for an oil change they found the following crucial items:
- Some rubber was damaged on the gearlever, causing it to feel insecure
- Rubbers around the "stabilization beam" (from both front wheels via the somewhere under the engine) need to be changed. A whopping €7 each!
- Miiiinor bits of rust at the passenger door
- Miiiinor paint scratches in the front wheel arch
- Some rust and wetness in the trunk. Probably due to clogged water lines
- Oil cap had a huge crack in it; replaced with a second hand one.
- Front license plate holder has a bit chipped off!

Edit: Avatar updated to show how happy I am.

That sounds great Jelmer.

As for the corrosion inspection:
Inside the rear wheel housing, in front of the wheels, about 20-30cm up in the middle, it is a rubber plug - a typical first place for corrosion on the 124 chassis. This place is constantly sprayed under wet conditions, so it's impossible to avoid that some moisture penetrates. If the car doesn't have any tectyle treatment you should check around that plug. And if it does have tectyle treatment, it is even a bigger reason to check because the moist is locked up, and the corrosion develops under the tectyle. Not a serious corrosion attack and quite easy to repair. This may apply especially for cars running in wet conditioins, which is common for central Europe and north at least. For cars running in dry conditions it may not be that critical since they stay drier.

...and I guess you have checked around the jack holes?? Over years the moist gradually pass through at the plastic jack buffers and create corrosion inside and out. A bit trickier to repair, I've done it once myself.

 

[Jelmer]

Thanks, Arnt. Although it wasn't a full "rust inspection", I'm pretty sure they did a thorough job. Nevertheless, I'll be sure to mention these points. I knew about the jack holes (but didn't ask) but not about the rear wheel plugs. I think I'll check it myself tomorrow - I'm really curious to know if it's just a little bit of paint damage or there's more coming.

 

[gerryvz]

Now see, if you lived here in Texas ... you know, where it's HOT and HUMID ... you wouldn't have those durned rust problems....

 

[195910]

Same Here GVZ..nothing rusts here...just becomes dry and brittle !!

 

[Jelmer]

I guess you have more dust and fine sand, though. I once had a car that went to Turkey often, and every bit inside the car has a very fine layer of dust and sand on it

 

[195910]

I once had a car that went to Turkey often

Really?! and it came back ? ... j/k

Sand is the worst for paint..driving in a couple of sand storms will sand blast the paint off your car..that's why we don't drive in these conditions

 

[Jelmer]

I guess we all have our dangers, then. You have sand storms, we have much rain and salt during snow. Quite a contrast, now that I think about it

 

[195910]

You're right Jelmer.
Three main car hazards here: sand storms , Summer Heat and the ridiculous accidents rate...
Main car hazards in Europe: Rain&salt, cold starts and taxes !

 

[gerryvz]

We don't have sand storms here in Texas.
We don't have high taxes here in Texas.
We don't have salt on the roads here in Texas.

We do have [relatively] cheap gas here in Texas

 

[gsxr]

You forgot the humidity, Gerry, at least near Houston. I hear it occasionally drops below 90%, maybe a few days per year.

 

[195910]

You forgot the humidity, Gerry, at least near Houston. I hear it occasionally drops below 90%, maybe a few days per year.

Can you even walk with humidity like that

Gerry, isn't Texas a desert climate ?

 

[gsxr]

Gerry, isn't Texas a desert climate ?

Texas is huuuuuuge. Parts are desert climate, parts are borderline tropical. It depends what part of Texas you are referring to. Houston is most definitely not arid/desert.

 

[gerryvz]

As Dave says, Texas is actually about 5-6 separate climates. More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Texas

Houston/South Texas has a humid sub-tropical climate, actually. Vegetation is very dense here. Summer high temps average 34C; winter low temps average 6-7C. Houston's climate is very different from those of Austin, San Antonio and Dallas/Fort Worth (all about 3 hours' drive away) because we are MUCH closer to the Gulf of Mexico, while those other cities are far inland. Houston is around 55 miles or so from the Gulf.

However, south/central Texas' climate is actually the same as most of the southern United States.

West Texas (think near New Mexico) is arid and a desert -- and also the home of very legal 80 MPH (130+ km/hr) speed limits.

 

[Jelmer]

Texas is huuuuuuge

Texas is only 16.7 times larger than the Netherlands.

 

[gerryvz]

Texas is only 16.7 times larger than the Netherlands.

And population equal to ~2.5x that of Houston metro area

 

[gsxr]

Texas is only 16.7 times larger than the Netherlands.

...and they let you drive as fast as you want, while US/TX nannies would toss you in jail for pegging your .036 speedo. Seems backwards, huh?

 

[gerryvz]

Nope, NL doesn't have unlimited speed limits ... only Germany.

I believe NL, FR and BE all have 130 km/hr top limits.... and quite often 120 km/hr

 

[Jelmer]

Errrrm... You have Germany and the Netherlands mixed up. Here, they take your driving license when you're 50km over the speed limit, and if you're doing double the allowed speed, they take your car as well.

For 4km/h too fast, you get a fine of €23, 10km/h is €57, 20km/h is €155 (!!). At roadworks, they add 30%....

No, this is *not* the best country to drive fast in.

Edit: They raised the limit from 120km/h to 130km/h recently, at certain places. And usually it's still 100-120km/h between 07:00 and 19:00... Talk about rules.

 

[bing]

we have much rain and salt during snow. Quite a contrast, now that I think about it

JB, as much as you love to use the car daily it will eventually take its toll and rust in the environment we live in. It will be a losing battle if you have it repaired and then keep using it on salted roads and rainstorm. Time to get a 2nd car , mate, and just use the 036 on dry weekends. Either that or move to TEXAS

Nope, NL doesn't have unlimited speed limits ... only Germany.

I believe NL, FR and BE all have 130 km/hr top limits.... and quite often 120 km/hr

Yep, but just cross the border if you want to clear all the cobwebbs