Considering a new forum for all .036 HOW-TOs

[gerryvz]

All,

The HOW-TO archives for various jobs on this site have become a significant value-add to this site, and an attraction for many new members (even if they just join to get the HOW-TO info and then never log on again). Although this information is recorded and indexed by major search engines like Google and Bing, it is scattered throughout the relevant sub-forums on this site.

I am considering adding a new sub-forum that will exclusively contain links to all of the existing HOW-TO articles that we have. This sub-forum can also be a repository for all future HOW-TO articles that meet a certain bar in terms of quality of information and illustrations. This will allow folks to have a single area where exclusive "HOW-TO" information can be rapidly located, searched and perused.

For the existing HOW-TO threads, they would just be copied exactly over from the forums they are in, to the new sub-forum. Nothing would be moved, just copied. For future HOW-TO threads, the information could be mirrored between the relevant tech forum and the HOW-TO sub-forum, but the HOW-TO repository would be the permanent and proper home for these.

To maintain proper and expected focus for this site, this proposed HOW-TO sub-forum would ONLY be for .036 related topics. HOW-TO articles like the dashboard removal, which apply more broadly to .034 and pedestrian W124 models would be included, but ONLY if they are applicable to .036 models. The current HOW-TOs that reside in the C126 and G-wagen sub-forums would continue to reside there, and future HOW-TOs for those models would stay exclusively in those forums and NOT be part of the new .036 HOW-TO sub-forum.

The intent is to make the site's value-added information just a bit easier to find and use.

Thoughts? Comments? Reactions?

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[Roma_500E]

I think it is a great idea cuz I always have a trobule finding a HOW to thread that I read sometime ago. Search engine is not good enough (IMHO) + usually cannot get a proper key word , so the sub-form will be better/easier place to find. Also it is right decisicion to make it 036 only .

So if you had a time that would be a great idea to add HOW to subforum.

 

[M104-AMG]

Yes, good for both organizing and for search engines/crawlers. I'd also add the word/phrase "DIY" for increased search hits.

neil

 

[albdentist]

Great idea Gerry,

When to do it ? How to do it?

 

[Hollybrook]

Gerry, this is a great idea and one that I had been thinking about mentioning to you.

While I am a decent mechanic, this is the first Mercedes I have owned and I find the How-To articles here invaluable when planning on a job. Yes, I can search for them, but then I find I spend extra time weeding out the discussions from the how-to info.

 

[nocfn]

I believe you should do that for both the 126 and 124 area. They are invaluable for anyone to refer to and maintains the spirit of your forum. Good move, looking forward to the change.

 

[maduell]

I like the idea...many of my 034 issues are related. I am grateful for all of the people like you that have contributed to the DIY community. All of the threads and posts on topics that are specific to our series of cars make owning and working on mine much more enjoyable. Keeping it specific to 036 will also limit the potential for unwanted opinions and comments like the ones that seem to find their way to the other forums/sites.

 

[maw1124]

Genius. Thanks for all you do here, GVZ.

I think this means you will skip the HOW TO apply "Bro juice" to an engine bay.

SMH

maw

 

[KarlC]

Make it so

 

[gerryvz]

Our own Clark Vader is responsible for making the explicit suggestion, so props go to him.

I will do a Bro-Juice HOW-TO at some point, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nocfn]

The bro kleen endorsed by Don Cornelius (RIP)

 

[Klink]

Genius. Thanks for all you do here, GVZ.

I think this means you will skip the HOW TO apply "Bro juice" to an engine bay.

SMH

maw

Our own Clark Vader is responsible for making the explicit suggestion, so props go to him.

I will do a Bro-Juice HOW-TO at some point, too.

In the interest of fairness, here's my "How-To" for a "Honky Wash":

Hand the detailer an extra $50 and say "Do the motor right, and there's more where that came from."

 

[Klink]

The bro kleen endorsed by Don Cornelius (RIP)

Best hair EVER. And a Ohioan too

 

[vatc5637]

A thought to consider would be to organize the .036/.034 DIY's in a format familiar to most here. For example, group the DIY's in the same job groups as the FSM (for example, 80-010 Central Locking System, grouped/indexed with HOW-TO: Replacing front door locks). I'm sure that there are other good methods. In my personal experience, its when the DIY's include a number of different jobs within a larger job, that it can hard to locate the specific DIY one remembered seeing, but can't find through a simple search. I think Gerry's transmission replacement DIY is a great example, lot's of distinct DIY's included in one broad DIY. There's clearly not going to be only one way to go about indexing this content, just trying to get people thinking about the most practical, easily implemented, and best common sense approach.

 

[Ron500E]

Best hair EVER. And a Ohioan too

Reminds me of those famous songs:

"I'm a Soul Man.
I'm on the dole, man !"
or
"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag Lady."
or
"No Mo' town." - The Official City of DeeTroit Song:


R

 

[gerryvz]

I believe you should do that for both the 126 and 124 area. They are invaluable for anyone to refer to and maintains the spirit of your forum. Good move, looking forward to the change.

No separate 126 HOW-TO area.

The focus of this site MUST remain 90%+ the 124.036 (500E/E500) and as relevant, the 400E/E420.

The 126 section and "G" section is "nice to have" but remain out of the primary focus of this site. There is excellent information for the 126 together with entertaining stories from the seasoned experts at Benzworld in that 126 forum.

 

[Trae]

Best idea I've heard in a long time.

I have already said that if I can't find a "how to", I am reluctant to attempt the job.

 

[gerryvz]

OK, this job is done, and the forum is created. I screwed up on the transfer of the first few HOW-TO articles, and did a straight "copy" instead of a "move" to the new forum. The act of "copying" a thread means that the copied thread loses its formatting if the photos are embedded in the thread. So for a few threads, I'm going to have to go into each post and "move" it again.

The key to a "move" is doing a "redirect" from the original post in the original forum where it was posted to. This leaves a "bookmark" for that original thread that just provides a link to the "moved" thread in the HOW-TO sub-forum.

Anyway, it's all good, and I think we've got a great kernel of HOW-TO articles to pursue.

Now, y'all, get out there and start maintaining your cars so we can get an even richer collection of HOW-TOs !!!

Cheers,
Gerry

P.S. Props go to the Derf as the biggest contributor of HOW-TOs.

 

[clarkz71]

Our own Clark Vader is responsible for making the explicit suggestion, so props go to him.

I will do a Bro-Juice HOW-TO at some point, too.

Looking forward to the Bro-Juice HOW TO....

 

[nocfn]

No separate 126 HOW-TO area.

The focus of this site MUST remain 90%+ the 124.036 (500E/E500) and as relevant, the 400E/E420.

The 126 section and "G" section is "nice to have" but remain out of the primary focus of this site. There is excellent information for the 126 together with entertaining stories from the seasoned experts at Benzworld in that 126 forum.

I get that. The continuity and uniformity of the posts are great. I will have a suggestion/consideration offline for you

 

[gerryvz]

What's the reaction to the new HOW-TO forum? Folks liking it?

 

[Stuka]

What's the reaction to the new HOW-TO forum? Folks liking it?

I think it is great that you have organized the HOW-TO threads into their own section. Personally, I've always found an indexed web format to be the most useful though. Here are a couple examples that really helped me when I was first getting into my DSM many years ago. Maybe the .036 community is not big enough to support such an undertaking, but you can always dream right?

http://members.shaw.ca/costall/1000Q/
http://www.vfaq.com

 

[Hollybrook]

What's the reaction to the new HOW-TO forum? Folks liking it?

I have not had the opportunity to use it yet, but it looks great!

 

[vatc5637]

What's the reaction to the new HOW-TO forum? Folks liking it?

 

[TerryA]

[What's the reaction to the new HOW-TO forum? Folks liking it?]

I haven't used it yet but plan to soon.

I think this was a great idea. It is much easier than trying to dig info out of manuals or even trying to find it on the forum.

Thanks Gerry for all that you do for us.

 

[samiam44]

I've been on other forums where they create a sticky. The sticky is a summary file with all great how to's URL's in one place. Simply open the file and then search for what you need.


Michael

 

[gerryvz]

There are different ways to organize things. I think having a forum with the HOW-TOs is a good start. If we start to get many dozens of them, then we can always consider other efforts. But having its own sub-forum (and with title in red letters to make it stick out) is a good first step, I think.

I would love to see more folks create HOW-TO articles for the jobs they do on their cars.

 

[gerryvz]

So what is the consensus from folks as to the separate "HOW-TO" sub-forum?

Has it made these instructional articles easier to find? Helpful or not?

 

[henrycg]

So what is the consensus from folks as to the separate "HOW-TO" sub-forum?

Has it made these instructional articles easier to find? Helpful or not?

Just checked it out, looks great! Going to make restoration much easier- cheers

 

[Maui]

So what is the consensus from folks as to the separate "HOW-TO" sub-forum?

Has it made these instructional articles easier to find? Helpful or not?

Were is the new forum?

 

[nocfn]

it is much easier to find stuff under the HOW-TO than it was by searching all Honcho posts and scrolling. That took longer than watching grass grow. Someday you might even categorize the how-to based on general work area, Body; Transmission, Fuel and Intake, Engine and Cooling, Brake systems and Interior.

 

[gerryvz]

Were is the new forum?

You're kidding, right? Even though I denoted it with red lettering on the home page ?

 

[Maui]

You're kidding, right? Even though I denoted it with red lettering on the home page ?

View attachment 40328

I saw that, but when you say new forum I assumed it was off site.