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500Eboard Management
OWNER DerFuror
- Thread starter DerFuror
- Start date
No, it's a standard W124 part. There is actually the large foam piece that goes across the inside front of the hood, and there are two harder, flexible rubber parts that go at the end of each side of the hood. There is a HOW-TO on replacement of these, I believe. I did this job some years back on my former W124 wagon, aka the "Stagwagen"
https://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2132
Cheers,
Gerry
+1 agree. The poor thing's been passed around more than a $20 lady of the night.....
The winter Glacier has finally receded.
It was a good day to start doing things with the 500E. I swapped out the 17" Monoblocks for the 16" 8-Holers. I was also able to locate & remove the cause of my right rear Monoblock tire's "not so slow" leak.
…an f'n screw tip. My first tire casualty from road detritus in a very, very long time. There was still just enough tread for one more driving season (with an anticipated ASR-OFF season-ending burnout into oblivion). Oh well...
I replaced the right rear LCA cover while the rear end was up. The original one got a little beat up under previous ownership.
1.5 cans of Brakleen later, all the grunge has been cleaned off of the CV joint coupling in anticipation of boot replacement.
Also, directly below the coupling, the replacement sensor wire raceway cover was installed. The cover fits well in its detents, but I've opted toward further lasting security with the addition of two zip ties.
New brake pads & rotors will be installed this year, too.
It was a good day to start doing things with the 500E. I swapped out the 17" Monoblocks for the 16" 8-Holers. I was also able to locate & remove the cause of my right rear Monoblock tire's "not so slow" leak.
…an f'n screw tip. My first tire casualty from road detritus in a very, very long time. There was still just enough tread for one more driving season (with an anticipated ASR-OFF season-ending burnout into oblivion). Oh well...
I replaced the right rear LCA cover while the rear end was up. The original one got a little beat up under previous ownership.
1.5 cans of Brakleen later, all the grunge has been cleaned off of the CV joint coupling in anticipation of boot replacement.
Also, directly below the coupling, the replacement sensor wire raceway cover was installed. The cover fits well in its detents, but I've opted toward further lasting security with the addition of two zip ties.
New brake pads & rotors will be installed this year, too.
I discovered that the d-bag aftermarket "installer" (who originally molested my car's sound system) also cut a mounting stud short from the trunk mounted dual amp mounting bracket. I was fortunate to liberate a pristine replacement (1248207514). Also, I couldn't recall any rear speaker foam insulation in my rear speaker deck, so I carefully removed a set (1246820310 & 1246820410) while the opportunity existed. I now believe I have everything for the OE sound system retrofit. :-D
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Air Cleaner Assembly
What I know: I brought home a complete 1992 air cleaner assembly in surprisingly excellent shape a couple months ago. The W124 M119 air cleaner cover & intake hoses went thru a 3 stage metamorphosis during the E500E production run.
What I logically assume: The first version (1190940302) had a factory painted silver tri-star & lettering for MY91. The second version (1190940402) only had the factory painted silver tri-star for MY92. The third version (1190940602) was unpainted completely for MY93+.
I cleaned the assembly & decided I wanted to see what the '92 cover looked like on my '93 500E. The star is definitely bright to my eyes. It was worth testing, but I'm accustomed to the look of my original cover & am not changing it.
What I know: I brought home a complete 1992 air cleaner assembly in surprisingly excellent shape a couple months ago. The W124 M119 air cleaner cover & intake hoses went thru a 3 stage metamorphosis during the E500E production run.
What I logically assume: The first version (1190940302) had a factory painted silver tri-star & lettering for MY91. The second version (1190940402) only had the factory painted silver tri-star for MY92. The third version (1190940602) was unpainted completely for MY93+.
I cleaned the assembly & decided I wanted to see what the '92 cover looked like on my '93 500E. The star is definitely bright to my eyes. It was worth testing, but I'm accustomed to the look of my original cover & am not changing it.
Air Intake Hoses
The W124 M119 Air Intake Hoses went thru a similar 3-stage metamorphosis. First version (1190900782), Second version (1190901182), and 3rd version (1190901482). Not sure about the first version, but the foam insulation runs the full hose length on the second version.
The look of the Second version hoses reminds me of the sleeves of vintage leather bomber or motor cycle jackets. I used to often comment on these hoses looking "clapped out" in Car For Sale pics, because nothing is more under-the-hood eye-capturingly unattractive than when they are deteriorated (which then naturally brings the true condition of the rest of the car into question).
Anyway, I was dumbfounded by the unbelievably decent condition of this MY92 air cleaner's intake hoses (I don't believe I've ever seen a pair that weren't pieces of crap by now). Minimal flaking of the insulating material is exhibited.
I also decided to compare these Second version hoses to the Third version hoses in my '93 500E.
I then exchanged the two versions underhood for the full effect.
It was worth comparing, but as with the cover, I'm accustomed to my Third version hoses & prefer their look over the Second version hoses.
I will most likely put the entire MY92 cleaner assembly up for sale for owners who seek original restoration equipment for their MY92 500E/400E.
The W124 M119 Air Intake Hoses went thru a similar 3-stage metamorphosis. First version (1190900782), Second version (1190901182), and 3rd version (1190901482). Not sure about the first version, but the foam insulation runs the full hose length on the second version.
The look of the Second version hoses reminds me of the sleeves of vintage leather bomber or motor cycle jackets. I used to often comment on these hoses looking "clapped out" in Car For Sale pics, because nothing is more under-the-hood eye-capturingly unattractive than when they are deteriorated (which then naturally brings the true condition of the rest of the car into question).
Anyway, I was dumbfounded by the unbelievably decent condition of this MY92 air cleaner's intake hoses (I don't believe I've ever seen a pair that weren't pieces of crap by now). Minimal flaking of the insulating material is exhibited.
I also decided to compare these Second version hoses to the Third version hoses in my '93 500E.
I then exchanged the two versions underhood for the full effect.
It was worth comparing, but as with the cover, I'm accustomed to my Third version hoses & prefer their look over the Second version hoses.
I will most likely put the entire MY92 cleaner assembly up for sale for owners who seek original restoration equipment for their MY92 500E/400E.
So Rip van Winkle comes pounding on my door today and yells, "Yo DerF, Wake up! Get your crack outta the sack! The Board needs you. There's nothing but a bunch of For Sale postings going on." WTF? Oh my...so there is. And the Board has been revamped to boot!
Well, I just got the 500E inspected today. And I drove it for the 2nd time this year (the first time legally. I've got a good story on the 1st time illegally last month). Still feels like a million bucks behind the wheel...especially when seeing drivers of newer German cars go slack-jawed & rubber necking as I maraud by. As I've said before, I'll only be separated from this car by Death or the jaws of Life (hopefully neither of which comes for a very long time).
Anyhoo, since last posting I've...
I'll get around to posting the details as time allows. Various life events intervening over the past year. Mostly good. Nothing truly detrimental.
Well, I just got the 500E inspected today. And I drove it for the 2nd time this year (the first time legally. I've got a good story on the 1st time illegally last month). Still feels like a million bucks behind the wheel...especially when seeing drivers of newer German cars go slack-jawed & rubber necking as I maraud by. As I've said before, I'll only be separated from this car by Death or the jaws of Life (hopefully neither of which comes for a very long time).
Anyhoo, since last posting I've...
- installed all new stock rotors with Akebono pads & sensors. Adjusted the parking brakes while I was in there.
- Removed, inspected & reinstalled the right rear half axle inorder to replace a torn inner boot (a good story for the DIYer later there).
- Removed the door window tint (lingeringly always meant to get around to it, but needed the prodding of State Inspection regulations which now mandate specific light transmission parameters).
- Thoroughly cleaned all the areas that were going to be worked on (not Lowman-like, but he'd appreciate the effort).
I'll get around to posting the details as time allows. Various life events intervening over the past year. Mostly good. Nothing truly detrimental.
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Welcome back. I was preparing to close your OWNER thread and add a beautiful eulogy to top it off.
So you hadn't seen the new site up until now? A lot of catching up to do, starting with various posts in the "Site Update News" and related stuff in that section for the transition back in March 2019 to the new software, and a completely new computing environment.
So you hadn't seen the new site up until now? A lot of catching up to do, starting with various posts in the "Site Update News" and related stuff in that section for the transition back in March 2019 to the new software, and a completely new computing environment.
To be annoyingly pedantic, if you did what you say you did up above, I don't think @lowman would recognize that you actually "cleaned", and by "cleaned," I mean AIR-QUOTES c-l-e-a-n-e-d UN-AIR-QUOTES anything. At all.
This whole reply was just a ridiculous waste of several kilobytes so that I could type @lowman and hopefully see another missed member ( @lowman), back in regular rotation!!!
Glad to read of your travails sir!
Generally speaking, the #lowmania phenomenon has run its course, similarly to #metoo. #Lowmania was always more of a behavior borne out of compulsion for extreme cleanliness. There will be residual and continuing effect for a long time to come, but #lowmania as a theme/meme very unfortunately died the day that Lowman deleted all of his YouTube videos.
The Derf is a very different animal.#Derfage isn’t a meme or a fad ... in reality it’s a state of mind used primarily for and relating directly to the act of driving the E500E, maintaining it, and describing said acts after the fact.
The Derf is a very different animal.#Derfage isn’t a meme or a fad ... in reality it’s a state of mind used primarily for and relating directly to the act of driving the E500E, maintaining it, and describing said acts after the fact.
oh myy goodness
..no no no...Lowmania still lives...BUT i definetly hate the fact that i deleted all the videos...it was probably the stupidest thing ive done in a long time..
I had been intending to renew my brakes at the end of the last few driving seasons. I finally got the job started this past Spring. I had to. The old front pads were shot & rotor thicknesses were near the low limit. I completed three corners immediately. I completed the right rear later during the summer after reinstalling the half-axle I had removed for new CV-joint boot installation.
Akebono pads for front & rear. Amazing how small the rear pads appear to be in comparison to the fronts.
Stock rotors for front & rear. I painted the rotor "hats" with leftover silver brake caliper paint I wanted to use up.
Crappy old hub cap grease was replaced according to the FSM with fresh neon-green MB stuff.
Off with the old, on with the new.
New brakes were definitely a prerequisite towards this year's successful State motor vehicle inspection. Sometimes it takes me a while, but I always finish the job.
Akebono pads for front & rear. Amazing how small the rear pads appear to be in comparison to the fronts.
Stock rotors for front & rear. I painted the rotor "hats" with leftover silver brake caliper paint I wanted to use up.
Crappy old hub cap grease was replaced according to the FSM with fresh neon-green MB stuff.
Off with the old, on with the new.
New brakes were definitely a prerequisite towards this year's successful State motor vehicle inspection. Sometimes it takes me a while, but I always finish the job.
I had been intending to renew my brakes at the end of the last few driving seasons....
View attachment 90259 View attachment 90260 View attachment 90261
New brakes were definitely a prerequisite towards this year's successful State motor vehicle inspection. Sometimes it takes me a while, but I always finish the job.
I like how "last few driving seasons" means you bought the pads 5 years ago and got around to it this year. I have a similar schedule.
How are the rotors holding up now that you have some miles under your belt with the Bonos?
I put on Bonos and new rotors (Zimmer CoatZ) 5,000 miles ago and I'm still kind of amazed that the machining marks on the front rotors are still there. See extreme closeup picture below --- the grey right side is Zimmer's paint on the rotor hat.
That’s Zimmerperson, mind you....
Looks like Trae got to it first. (Although his may be regarding a 400E).
I am unable to answer your question. I have not put the miles down since brake installation & DMV Inspection. Haven't even truly bedded the brakes down yet.
...and it may be a while. A recent light snow flurry led to a disproportionately heavy road salting.
During my downtime, I also added a license plate mounted trunk lift handle to the 500E. Besides its obvious intended benefit, its design also reduces overall coefficient of drag & helps keep the rear tires firmly planted on the pavement during high speed runs.
2 years ago, after a 10 year hiatus, I rejoined the workforce because of the opportunity to earn an excellent wage with benefits & pension at a local manufacturer located 10 minutes from my home. This lifestyle change has predominantly led to my sporadic participation on the Board. Interestingly enough, my bailing out of the workforce 12 years ago led to my "going away" gift to myself. My 500E.
My employer was deemed an essential business amidst this current pandemic fiasco because its production supports the nation's Transportation, Emergency Services & Farming industries. Up to this point, I've been working 7 day swing shift weeks with all the overtime opportunity I can mandatorily or voluntarily handle. The Market has been buying everything we can produce.
I finally reached the point where I needed a personal reset day. A favorable weather report indicating a beautiful, sunny, temperate day was enough to convince me to execute a "Bueller". The 500E would be my co-conspirator.
I took advantage of the decades-low gasoline prices to fill the tank with ethanol-free fuel & set out onto one of my favorite twisty road routes up in the hill country surrounding my locale.
My mood immediately improved just at the mere thought.
I actually had to take a few moments to reacquaint myself with the car prior to setting forth.
I wasn't going to rush this ride... & my inclination wasn't even attributed to the fact that my radar detector was in another vehicle. I wanted to absorb the long-awaited beauty of this day & moment. I still, & always, get that same "feeling" behind the wheel of this car. My heart rate beats like an early teenager building up the courage to ask that first dream girl for a dance.
Sunglasses on. Front windows & sunroof open 2/3rds. After a few minutes I was back into my synergistic groove with the car. I kept speed below 70 mph in general. A few Mach bursts for old times sake. This route is like a paved road rally course with lots of ups & downs & twisties which emphasized the awesome acceleration & "riding on rails" sensation. We had the roads to ourselves.
Freedom.
The day's driving experience was another facet chiseled into my multifaceted appreciation of Life.
Yet again, just the Right amount of icing on my cake.
Best Wishes to Everyone.
My employer was deemed an essential business amidst this current pandemic fiasco because its production supports the nation's Transportation, Emergency Services & Farming industries. Up to this point, I've been working 7 day swing shift weeks with all the overtime opportunity I can mandatorily or voluntarily handle. The Market has been buying everything we can produce.
I finally reached the point where I needed a personal reset day. A favorable weather report indicating a beautiful, sunny, temperate day was enough to convince me to execute a "Bueller". The 500E would be my co-conspirator.
I took advantage of the decades-low gasoline prices to fill the tank with ethanol-free fuel & set out onto one of my favorite twisty road routes up in the hill country surrounding my locale.
My mood immediately improved just at the mere thought.
I actually had to take a few moments to reacquaint myself with the car prior to setting forth.
I wasn't going to rush this ride... & my inclination wasn't even attributed to the fact that my radar detector was in another vehicle. I wanted to absorb the long-awaited beauty of this day & moment. I still, & always, get that same "feeling" behind the wheel of this car. My heart rate beats like an early teenager building up the courage to ask that first dream girl for a dance.
Sunglasses on. Front windows & sunroof open 2/3rds. After a few minutes I was back into my synergistic groove with the car. I kept speed below 70 mph in general. A few Mach bursts for old times sake. This route is like a paved road rally course with lots of ups & downs & twisties which emphasized the awesome acceleration & "riding on rails" sensation. We had the roads to ourselves.
Freedom.
The day's driving experience was another facet chiseled into my multifaceted appreciation of Life.
Yet again, just the Right amount of icing on my cake.
Best Wishes to Everyone.
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You've asked. I've got a week off from work. It's raining today, so Here you go....
2019 Inspection Circumspection
The past year's State Inspection process proved challenging, frustrating & a bit more shocking than ever before. It had me flashing back to repetitive actions similar to Ground Hog's Day (the movie) & my former Project Mgmt days regarding the dynamic mental chess match involving milestones, precedents, delays, substitutions, black swans...headaches. I've also become aware that Big Brother has finally gained the upper hand over the fun-loving, capricious driver via the new generation of Orwellian buzz-killing high-tech gizmos.
Cinco de Mayo represents several things, but to me it represents the Day whereby it should be ok to safely take my classic car or motorcycle out of storage & onto the road in the Northeast US. April showers have not only brought May flowers, but they have washed winter's road salt, gristle & gravel from the roadways. Any winter project work conducted on the 500E has a projected end date (drop dead date) of May 5. State Inspection comes a tad later in summer, providing a buffer of time in between to prove out and/or correct/adjust the work done before the prior year's inspection sticker lapses & it affects the ability to legally drive the car on the road.
I have a good & long relationship with my car inspector. He is a 2nd generation independent auto mechanic. My father & his father were peers; well-respected within their profession. He's also one of the very few people I let touch my car mechanically. He is thorough & safety conscious. He does things by the book. I have great respect for him. He is also starting to get forgetful. He realizes this, is concerned, & tells me so. I guess its the cumulative affect of years immersed amongst chemicals, aerosolation & blow torch ozone.
My key 2019 off-season projects were a complete brake & right rear inner axle dust boot replacement. Both were absolutely necessary. Neither driving nor inspection could take place without their successful completion. There was an initial period of time spent amassing the required parts before starting with the brakes. Then start time got pushed out because I decided to use-up my left over silver brake caliper paint to bling-up the new rotor hats. Three of the four corners were then completed rather quickly. Right rear brake renewal would take place after replacing the right rear axle inner dust boot (which required axle half shaft removal).
Loathe to entice shaft removal from the hub by striking a sledge against the threaded end shaft, I spent some time digging thru the crate of pusher/pullers I inherited from my father. Of all the multitudinous pusher/puller configurations I have...I didn't have one suitable for a W124 hub. I rarely borrow tools because I rarely lend them...and only to those of the highest trust, standards & competence. With trepidation, I borrowed a usable pusher from my indie inspector. My car is always garaged. There was no rust to contend with. All the prerequisite cleaning & lubing had taken place. Removal should be a piece of cake now. My internal alarm started sounding when the anticipated "POP!" of the shaft releasing from the hub did not come. I halted operations for the day when I believed I was seeing the turn screw flexing. "I'll be a huge a-hole if I break this tool"! I told my friend I buy it if I break it, but the whole idea is NOT to break it. I backed the screw off a quarter turn & hoped the still-substantial pressure would pop the shaft loose over night. It didn't. Nor the next night. Now what?
Well, there's a whole other story dedicated to my shaft removal debacle (which I'll do in the future), but the bottom line is that after a frustrating delay the task was completed safely & successfully. This prerequisite "milestone" precipitated the now long-overdue completion of the brake job & overall project. During this additional time spent dicking around with it all while working fulltime + overtime...my inspection expired...by several months.
My indie inspector's shop is a half mile from my garage. I returned the borrowed tool after removing the shaft. He said he'd expedite the 500E inspection when I was done with the overall project. The day finally came & it was a beautiful summer day. I wanted to test the results of my work. The urge to drive the 500E to make an inspection appointment (instead of phoning) was overwhelming. So I did. He wasn't there. He's the kind of guy that annually flies his small plane out West, then drives his motorcycle back or visa versa. He did. He was gone on vacation. Had I called, I would have heard his message. Another delay.
He finally returned home. This time I called first & made the appointment. I waited half a week because of his shop backlog. The day came & it was another beautiful later summer day. I pulled into the inspection bay & after our prerequisite preliminary congenialities he setup for the inspection. Then he stopped & said the car won't pass inspection because of the window tint. Now my inspection was further delayed & dependent on window tint removal. He started muttering about memory loss fears again & apologized because he thought he informed me about this last time I visited. Back home I went...well, sort of.
I fully intended to go straight home, but the day was soooooo nice. I began hearing the Sirens call. Realizing that I had less than a quarter tank of gas, I decided to ghost-ride across town to fill up at my favorite ethanol-free filling station while bedding down my new brakes. It would be innocent enough. Who's going to pay attention to a sedately driven W124 Mercedes on a sunny late summer day? I felt like a million bucks cruising thru town up the Parkway. I pulled away from the last red light leaving town. Less than a mile to the filling station, including a long 55mph stretch over a long bridge crossing the river. Then definitely straight home afterwards. I was driving in the right hand lane. Something in my side view mirror caught my eye at about a quarter mile. Oh sh*t! A very dark gray & ominous-looking State Police interceptor with all those space age stealth boxes affixed to its body. Looks like Darth Vader's space roadster. Where the Hell did He come from? Ok, stay calm & don't draw attention. He was in the left lane with several layers of blockers between us. Since I was in pole position, this gave me the opportunity to put some distance between us in hopes of ditching him at the traffic signalled exit after the bridge. I'll then pull some discreetly evasive maneuvers & disappear by the time he gets thru those blockers to the exit.
Heart beating. Firm grip on the wheel. One eye on the mirror. I'm almost to the exit. I think I'm gonna make it! Green light at the exit. I'm gonna make it!
Damn those blockers.
There's a psychological reason to the appearance of these interceptors. Intimidation. One by one the blockers quickly cowed out of the interceptor's way. Sh*t! He's gonna get me. He crossed two lanes to get to the exit.
He's got me. He & his techno boxes got me.
A prerequisite for pre-inspection ghost riding is a valid inspection appointment card & a well rehearsed apology. With his lights atwitter, I pulled into a grocery store parking lot across the street from the filling station. I rolled my darkly tinted front windows down. I pulled my license & appointment card from my wallet, then realized that along with the expired inspection sticker I hadn't replaced the expired registration sticker on my windshield. Doh! Where's the registration envelope? I know its here somewhere. I put it in the car a month or so ago. I was waiting for a nice day to make the exchange. Ooh! There it is. Here he comes walking over to my window. Be cool. Take a deep breath. Breathe...
Right about the time the officer started talking to me, a small white 2-door crap box driven by an aging hippie couple sauntered up alongside & tried to gain the officer's attention. The officer was focusing on me, but I could see his aggravation mounting as the old Woodstock relic's inquiry persisted.
Finally the officer turned & snapped out, "Words of advice, sir...NEVER interrupt a Trooper while He is conducting an enforcement action"! The hippie further apologized, but persisted on informing the officer of a possible domestic situation currently taking place across the street in a pharmacy parking lot adjacent to the filling station.
As I handed all of my documents to the Trooper, I commiseratingly said, "When it rains it pours, huh? That situation sure sounds more important than this one". He was less than moved. I quickly proved I was licensed, registered & insured. I told him I was on my way home from the inspector & just wanted to get some gas. He returned my documents & told me to immediately put the car away until it got inspected. He was too multi-tasked to further scrutinize me over the window tint or anything else & quickly left to investigate the domestic.
I breathed another deep breath of relief & as a matter of principle, calmly drove over to the gas station to fill up. Hmm, 90 octane. Used to be 93. I then did immediately drive home. As I left the filling station I saw the Trooper doing his duty over in the pharmacy parking lot. By "immediately", I took the local Autobahn home at Interstate speed to avoid a possible encore of driving back thru town again. My ghost-riding days are officially over. The traffic safety technology & supporting IT is too advanced & integrated now. The car remained in the garage until it could finally be inspected...along with ALL documents & stickers up to date & in there proper place.
My new 2020 inspection sticker expires at the end of November.
2019 Inspection Circumspection
The past year's State Inspection process proved challenging, frustrating & a bit more shocking than ever before. It had me flashing back to repetitive actions similar to Ground Hog's Day (the movie) & my former Project Mgmt days regarding the dynamic mental chess match involving milestones, precedents, delays, substitutions, black swans...headaches. I've also become aware that Big Brother has finally gained the upper hand over the fun-loving, capricious driver via the new generation of Orwellian buzz-killing high-tech gizmos.
Cinco de Mayo represents several things, but to me it represents the Day whereby it should be ok to safely take my classic car or motorcycle out of storage & onto the road in the Northeast US. April showers have not only brought May flowers, but they have washed winter's road salt, gristle & gravel from the roadways. Any winter project work conducted on the 500E has a projected end date (drop dead date) of May 5. State Inspection comes a tad later in summer, providing a buffer of time in between to prove out and/or correct/adjust the work done before the prior year's inspection sticker lapses & it affects the ability to legally drive the car on the road.
I have a good & long relationship with my car inspector. He is a 2nd generation independent auto mechanic. My father & his father were peers; well-respected within their profession. He's also one of the very few people I let touch my car mechanically. He is thorough & safety conscious. He does things by the book. I have great respect for him. He is also starting to get forgetful. He realizes this, is concerned, & tells me so. I guess its the cumulative affect of years immersed amongst chemicals, aerosolation & blow torch ozone.
My key 2019 off-season projects were a complete brake & right rear inner axle dust boot replacement. Both were absolutely necessary. Neither driving nor inspection could take place without their successful completion. There was an initial period of time spent amassing the required parts before starting with the brakes. Then start time got pushed out because I decided to use-up my left over silver brake caliper paint to bling-up the new rotor hats. Three of the four corners were then completed rather quickly. Right rear brake renewal would take place after replacing the right rear axle inner dust boot (which required axle half shaft removal).
Loathe to entice shaft removal from the hub by striking a sledge against the threaded end shaft, I spent some time digging thru the crate of pusher/pullers I inherited from my father. Of all the multitudinous pusher/puller configurations I have...I didn't have one suitable for a W124 hub. I rarely borrow tools because I rarely lend them...and only to those of the highest trust, standards & competence. With trepidation, I borrowed a usable pusher from my indie inspector. My car is always garaged. There was no rust to contend with. All the prerequisite cleaning & lubing had taken place. Removal should be a piece of cake now. My internal alarm started sounding when the anticipated "POP!" of the shaft releasing from the hub did not come. I halted operations for the day when I believed I was seeing the turn screw flexing. "I'll be a huge a-hole if I break this tool"! I told my friend I buy it if I break it, but the whole idea is NOT to break it. I backed the screw off a quarter turn & hoped the still-substantial pressure would pop the shaft loose over night. It didn't. Nor the next night. Now what?
Well, there's a whole other story dedicated to my shaft removal debacle (which I'll do in the future), but the bottom line is that after a frustrating delay the task was completed safely & successfully. This prerequisite "milestone" precipitated the now long-overdue completion of the brake job & overall project. During this additional time spent dicking around with it all while working fulltime + overtime...my inspection expired...by several months.
My indie inspector's shop is a half mile from my garage. I returned the borrowed tool after removing the shaft. He said he'd expedite the 500E inspection when I was done with the overall project. The day finally came & it was a beautiful summer day. I wanted to test the results of my work. The urge to drive the 500E to make an inspection appointment (instead of phoning) was overwhelming. So I did. He wasn't there. He's the kind of guy that annually flies his small plane out West, then drives his motorcycle back or visa versa. He did. He was gone on vacation. Had I called, I would have heard his message. Another delay.
He finally returned home. This time I called first & made the appointment. I waited half a week because of his shop backlog. The day came & it was another beautiful later summer day. I pulled into the inspection bay & after our prerequisite preliminary congenialities he setup for the inspection. Then he stopped & said the car won't pass inspection because of the window tint. Now my inspection was further delayed & dependent on window tint removal. He started muttering about memory loss fears again & apologized because he thought he informed me about this last time I visited. Back home I went...well, sort of.
I fully intended to go straight home, but the day was soooooo nice. I began hearing the Sirens call. Realizing that I had less than a quarter tank of gas, I decided to ghost-ride across town to fill up at my favorite ethanol-free filling station while bedding down my new brakes. It would be innocent enough. Who's going to pay attention to a sedately driven W124 Mercedes on a sunny late summer day? I felt like a million bucks cruising thru town up the Parkway. I pulled away from the last red light leaving town. Less than a mile to the filling station, including a long 55mph stretch over a long bridge crossing the river. Then definitely straight home afterwards. I was driving in the right hand lane. Something in my side view mirror caught my eye at about a quarter mile. Oh sh*t! A very dark gray & ominous-looking State Police interceptor with all those space age stealth boxes affixed to its body. Looks like Darth Vader's space roadster. Where the Hell did He come from? Ok, stay calm & don't draw attention. He was in the left lane with several layers of blockers between us. Since I was in pole position, this gave me the opportunity to put some distance between us in hopes of ditching him at the traffic signalled exit after the bridge. I'll then pull some discreetly evasive maneuvers & disappear by the time he gets thru those blockers to the exit.
Heart beating. Firm grip on the wheel. One eye on the mirror. I'm almost to the exit. I think I'm gonna make it! Green light at the exit. I'm gonna make it!
Damn those blockers.
There's a psychological reason to the appearance of these interceptors. Intimidation. One by one the blockers quickly cowed out of the interceptor's way. Sh*t! He's gonna get me. He crossed two lanes to get to the exit.
He's got me. He & his techno boxes got me.
A prerequisite for pre-inspection ghost riding is a valid inspection appointment card & a well rehearsed apology. With his lights atwitter, I pulled into a grocery store parking lot across the street from the filling station. I rolled my darkly tinted front windows down. I pulled my license & appointment card from my wallet, then realized that along with the expired inspection sticker I hadn't replaced the expired registration sticker on my windshield. Doh! Where's the registration envelope? I know its here somewhere. I put it in the car a month or so ago. I was waiting for a nice day to make the exchange. Ooh! There it is. Here he comes walking over to my window. Be cool. Take a deep breath. Breathe...
Right about the time the officer started talking to me, a small white 2-door crap box driven by an aging hippie couple sauntered up alongside & tried to gain the officer's attention. The officer was focusing on me, but I could see his aggravation mounting as the old Woodstock relic's inquiry persisted.
Finally the officer turned & snapped out, "Words of advice, sir...NEVER interrupt a Trooper while He is conducting an enforcement action"! The hippie further apologized, but persisted on informing the officer of a possible domestic situation currently taking place across the street in a pharmacy parking lot adjacent to the filling station.
As I handed all of my documents to the Trooper, I commiseratingly said, "When it rains it pours, huh? That situation sure sounds more important than this one". He was less than moved. I quickly proved I was licensed, registered & insured. I told him I was on my way home from the inspector & just wanted to get some gas. He returned my documents & told me to immediately put the car away until it got inspected. He was too multi-tasked to further scrutinize me over the window tint or anything else & quickly left to investigate the domestic.
I breathed another deep breath of relief & as a matter of principle, calmly drove over to the gas station to fill up. Hmm, 90 octane. Used to be 93. I then did immediately drive home. As I left the filling station I saw the Trooper doing his duty over in the pharmacy parking lot. By "immediately", I took the local Autobahn home at Interstate speed to avoid a possible encore of driving back thru town again. My ghost-riding days are officially over. The traffic safety technology & supporting IT is too advanced & integrated now. The car remained in the garage until it could finally be inspected...along with ALL documents & stickers up to date & in there proper place.
My new 2020 inspection sticker expires at the end of November.
It was once again "Install the BMW Batteries Day". The Dinan Shark comes out of its Lair for another season
Rumor has it that the Shark may be going up for Sale in the near future.
...if so, bring a trailer & a fat wallet
Rumor has it that the Shark may be going up for Sale in the near future.
...if so, bring a trailer & a fat wallet
Derf, I'm looking forward to your " shaft removal debacle" writeup. I had one of those myself on a W210, with the same basic rear axle setup as the W124. I'm curious how you narfled that garthok...
A Power Tour visit to the Renntech 500 E6.0 before it's auctioned off
A beautiful Sunday today was my calling to see the 500 E6.0 at TMW with my 500E. Being an extremely bright & beautiful Sunday, the owner, Tobin, was rightly enjoying this day away from the shop & hopefully somewhere on a Lake. The shop was closed...
...but I was still afforded my peek & my side-by-side picture.
I was able to simultaneously capture the reflection of my car on the window glass while taking a picture of the currently-bid $36K Renntech 500 E6.0 thru the glass. Satisfied with the result, back to the bahn I went. Three separate bursts up to 100 mph with the 500E pulling like a freight train left my better half maintaining her composure (she didn't even think we were going over 80 mph) & had me thinking, "Geez, that 500 E6.0 would be pulling harder, faster. That's gotta be somethin'.."
Even after 11 years of ownership, my heart still goes a-twitter driving my 500E. It's back in the garage cooling off with hood raised, and I'm cooling off, too.
A beautiful Sunday today was my calling to see the 500 E6.0 at TMW with my 500E. Being an extremely bright & beautiful Sunday, the owner, Tobin, was rightly enjoying this day away from the shop & hopefully somewhere on a Lake. The shop was closed...
...but I was still afforded my peek & my side-by-side picture.
I was able to simultaneously capture the reflection of my car on the window glass while taking a picture of the currently-bid $36K Renntech 500 E6.0 thru the glass. Satisfied with the result, back to the bahn I went. Three separate bursts up to 100 mph with the 500E pulling like a freight train left my better half maintaining her composure (she didn't even think we were going over 80 mph) & had me thinking, "Geez, that 500 E6.0 would be pulling harder, faster. That's gotta be somethin'.."
Even after 11 years of ownership, my heart still goes a-twitter driving my 500E. It's back in the garage cooling off with hood raised, and I'm cooling off, too.
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The Days Get Shorter & the Nights Grow Long
Early October has been stellar for backcountry road driving with sunroof open & windows down. Autumn's metamorphosis does not disappoint. The vibrant, aromatic foliage underneath sunny skies piled high with puffy cotton-ball clouds makes this time of year one of my favorites for "500E-ing".
In no way can my phone camera capture the true panoramic vibrancy seen by eye this day.
Early October has been stellar for backcountry road driving with sunroof open & windows down. Autumn's metamorphosis does not disappoint. The vibrant, aromatic foliage underneath sunny skies piled high with puffy cotton-ball clouds makes this time of year one of my favorites for "500E-ing".
In no way can my phone camera capture the true panoramic vibrancy seen by eye this day.
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You're doing it wrong. You gotta burn'em.
-jlaa
From land of Inferno (California, Washington, Oregon)
Lived in all three of those states for most of my life (40 years total). Don't miss any of them ... wouldn't move back to any of them!
I do wonder sometimes, how much that decomposing leaves contribute to greenhouse gases / climate change.
Baby's got a new set of Shoes!
I recently took delivery of a five-pack of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All-Season Plus2 skins to replace the old Michelin Pilot Sports on my OE wheels. My inspector had me on notice for the past two seasons & the Michelins were finally deemed a "No Go" at this year's pre-inspection. I decided to go with the Grand Touring All Season tire category this time instead of Summer Sports. Research, brand comparison ratings & higher mileage user reviews steered me to the Pirellis. This purchase also provided a $70 rebate & includes 2 year Road Hazard coverage.
My alleged mellowing with age allows me to graciously accept a downgrading of speed rating from V to H. I'll have the tires swapped out, schedule my State inspection, then embark upon a pilgrimage to a MB dealership for a Hunter road force balance.
The current tires on my 17" AMG wheels have just about had it, too. I'll put them on the 500E at the end of the year & toast them with a massive burnout session in a big empty parking lot
.
I recently took delivery of a five-pack of Pirelli Cinturato P7 All-Season Plus2 skins to replace the old Michelin Pilot Sports on my OE wheels. My inspector had me on notice for the past two seasons & the Michelins were finally deemed a "No Go" at this year's pre-inspection. I decided to go with the Grand Touring All Season tire category this time instead of Summer Sports. Research, brand comparison ratings & higher mileage user reviews steered me to the Pirellis. This purchase also provided a $70 rebate & includes 2 year Road Hazard coverage.
My alleged mellowing with age allows me to graciously accept a downgrading of speed rating from V to H. I'll have the tires swapped out, schedule my State inspection, then embark upon a pilgrimage to a MB dealership for a Hunter road force balance.
The current tires on my 17" AMG wheels have just about had it, too. I'll put them on the 500E at the end of the year & toast them with a massive burnout session in a big empty parking lot
.
i just ordered a set of continental extreme contact dws 06 plus.i should get them today or tomorrow,ill report back soon.
The Pirellis rated highly in all Tire Rack performance categories except winter driving. That category has no significance to me because my 500E never sees winter or salted roads (aka my "cinco de mayo rule" in which the car goes off the road before the first snow, & doesn't come back on until May5 after April showers have washed all the road detritus away).
Although competitive brands may have had similar wet/dry performance, two categories in which the Pirellis rated higher than the competition were treadwear & road noise. This Grand Touring All Season style tire also allows me to perform true 5-tire rotations which will additionally help extend overall tread life. I'm really looking forward to upcoming drive time with these new tires.
I've also been meaning to replace tires for the last "several" (...cough, cough) seasons. The other day I removed the OEM 16in wheels from the 500E in anticipation of reshodding with the new Pirellis. The rotors look fantastic.I like how "last few driving seasons" means you bought the pads 5 years ago and got around to it this year. I have a similar schedule.
How are the rotors holding up now that you have some miles under your belt with the Bonos?
New Tires are Mounted
The new Pirellis are mounted to the OEM 16" rims, balanced & ready for me to make a wheel alignment appointment
I had a 1pm appointment yesterday to exchange the old Michelins for the new Pirelli tires. The spare Michelin was original to the car. Manufacture date was the 48th month of 1992! (I can't believe it was never put into rotation). The other 4 matching tires were 2008 (indeed also due for replacement). In anticipation, I started incrementally removing the OEM wheels from the 500E & replacing them with the 17" Monoblocks several days before the scheduled appointment. Then, all I had to do was load 5 wheels & 5 new tires into a pickup truck bed by 12:30pm. I turned on the tv news at noon. The weather report was in progress. The biggest, nastiest-looking thunder storm cell was approaching the outskirts of town. I dropped everything & scrambled out to the garage. I loaded everything in record time just as the first rain drops started to hit. The storm dumped its full load halfway to the tire shop.
I happily discovered 5 wheels will fit in one row across the bed of a Ford F150 pickup truck.
It was such a good feeling to see thick, new treads on the wheels. I smiled as I bounced each tire off the tailgate of the truck to the ground. The blue-tape with an "S" was the spare rim to which I requested a new valve stem. The other rim with blue tape was one that I thought may have possibly been slightly bent. I was ecstatic to find out it wasn't. The tire technician tested the wheel & notified me the old tire had a broken center belt. This discovery also assuaged my anxiety over the possibility of having somewhat fried my rear right wheel bearing during a previous process of extricating the half axel (afterwhich a strange new rotational noise coincidentally developed). Driving on the new tires will prove everything out.
The new Pirellis are mounted to the OEM 16" rims, balanced & ready for me to make a wheel alignment appointment
I had a 1pm appointment yesterday to exchange the old Michelins for the new Pirelli tires. The spare Michelin was original to the car. Manufacture date was the 48th month of 1992! (I can't believe it was never put into rotation). The other 4 matching tires were 2008 (indeed also due for replacement). In anticipation, I started incrementally removing the OEM wheels from the 500E & replacing them with the 17" Monoblocks several days before the scheduled appointment. Then, all I had to do was load 5 wheels & 5 new tires into a pickup truck bed by 12:30pm. I turned on the tv news at noon. The weather report was in progress. The biggest, nastiest-looking thunder storm cell was approaching the outskirts of town. I dropped everything & scrambled out to the garage. I loaded everything in record time just as the first rain drops started to hit. The storm dumped its full load halfway to the tire shop.
I happily discovered 5 wheels will fit in one row across the bed of a Ford F150 pickup truck.
It was such a good feeling to see thick, new treads on the wheels. I smiled as I bounced each tire off the tailgate of the truck to the ground. The blue-tape with an "S" was the spare rim to which I requested a new valve stem. The other rim with blue tape was one that I thought may have possibly been slightly bent. I was ecstatic to find out it wasn't. The tire technician tested the wheel & notified me the old tire had a broken center belt. This discovery also assuaged my anxiety over the possibility of having somewhat fried my rear right wheel bearing during a previous process of extricating the half axel (afterwhich a strange new rotational noise coincidentally developed). Driving on the new tires will prove everything out.
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I was able to "full circle" another lingering 500E issue. I had the epiphany of mounting the 17" monblocks onto the 500E instead of using jackstands while the OEM wheels were getting reshod. The only problem was one tire was punctured a couple seasons ago. Then I had another epiphany...the contents of the vintage tire repair box mounted to the garage wall which was from my father's business (both He & the business being long gone).It was a good day to start doing things with the 500E. I swapped out the 17" Monoblocks for the 16" 8-Holers. I was also able to locate & remove the cause of my right rear Monoblock tire's "not so slow" leak.
…an f'n screw tip. My first tire casualty from road detritus in a very, very long time. There was still just enough tread for one more driving season (with an anticipated ASR-OFF season-ending burnout into oblivion). Oh well...
I remembered there was a plugging kit of various methods & types of tires in there. I used to be pretty good using it when I was a kid working for him.
Unlike the box, its contents were in great shape. I reacquainted myself to the process by reviewing an excellent British video on U-tube & then did it.
Turned out ok & is still holding 35psi 3 days later. I pressed the wheel into duty to keep the 500E right rear off the ground during the OEM tire exchange.